Curated OER
SWOT Teams: Analyzing the Political Parties for the 2010 Midterm Elections
What are political parties and what so strategists do? In this political analysis lesson, students analyze political strategies to understand their strengths and weaknesses. They use key details from the text to learn how to create...
Carolina K-12
Political Parties and Conventions
The two major parties polarize many in America today, but it doesn't have to be that way in the classroom! Teach learners about political party platforms and modern campaigns with a mock political convention. After watching a PowerPoint...
Curated OER
Homemade Political Parties
Use this 5-day lesson to clarify the platforms of the two major parties, comparing and contrasting against students' beliefs. Begin by looking at unlabeled summaries of both party platforms, having learners identify most with one. Groups...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Winner-Take-All: The Two-Party System
Two's company, three's a crowd. High school historians learn about the Electoral College, a two-party, winner-take-all voting system in the United States. The lesson explains the pros and cons of the two-party system, roadblocks for...
C-SPAN
Political Polarization
Dive into the political breach with pupils and explore the reasons for political polarization. Using clips from C-SPAN that include discussions from reporters and scholars, class members consider what is causing the political fault lines...
iCivics
Mock Election
Here is an excellent resource in which class members host a mock election for a candidate and policy that will be implemented into your very own classroom. Progressing from primaries, through the campaign trail, and finally to the mock...
Curated OER
Online Lesson Political Parties, Platforms, and Planks
Students explore historical political parties and their platforms. After studying the origins and functions of political parties, students create their own platform to address current issues. In groups, students design an ad campaign...
Curated OER
An Introduction to Immigration and the Canadian Political System
Twelfth graders take a citizenship test before learning how their own ideology fits in with current political parties. They create questions for a debate and learn the process of registering to vote.
School Improvement in Maryland
Evaluating Political Advertisements
How do interest groups try to influence elections? As part of their study of the election process, groups view 30-second advertisements produced by advocacy groups and use the provided worksheet to evaluate these ads. They then craft...
Curated OER
All Aboard The Campaign Train!
Students explore campaign politics. In this political campaign lesson, students investigate multimedia sources in order to examine the structure of political parties and platforms from previous presidential elections. Students then...
Curated OER
What is a Democracy?
Students identify what makes a country democratic and compare United States and Indian political party symbols. They create their own political party and party symbol. They create a campaign speech, participate in the voting process...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Analyzing Political Campaign Commercials
Imagine a lesson that models for learners how to separate facts from opinions. How to detect bias. How to evaluate a source of information. How to identify propaganda. Although designed for middle schoolers, the activities in this packet...
Curated OER
Creating Commercials
Young scholars are videotaped in an interview and then view commercial footage. In this creating commercials activity, students view a commercial and write the components they find in it. Groups make commercials and share.
C-SPAN
Campaign Endorsement Project
So many politicians, so many endorsements! Learn to differentiate between facts as well as the process of endorsements with an informative resource. Class members watch current endorsement videos, research candidates from three different...
Curated OER
Government: Texans in Politics and Civic Duties
Fourth graders examine the influence of Texans in national politics. They interview adults about the importance of participating in civic affairs. Students create brochures with three true statements and one falsehood. They trade copies...
Curated OER
Exercising the Franchise! The Right to Vote
Students research Canadian election procedures, identify candidates and corresponding political platforms for current elections and hold mock elections. They develop a written report about a specific political party.
Curated OER
Introducing Elections Unit
Students discover the political parties of our country by participating in a role playing activity. In this U.S. Government lesson, students visit several different classrooms that each represent one of the political parties in the...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan 4: Political Advertising
Students observe a political advertisement and evaluate the views promoted in the ad. After exploring governmental policies, students create their own 30-second ad to promote a specified cause and publicize their views. Students share...
Curated OER
Reflecting on the Far Right
Students examine the London assembly election of 2008. In this political parties lesson, students research the platform of the British National Party. Students visit suggested websites to determine the party's core beliefs.
Curated OER
Political Parties and Scandal
Students take part in a group assignment in which each group creates their own party, develops a party platform based on several meaningful issues with which our country is currently faced, and sell their party's message to the rest of...
NPR
Progressive Era Lesson Plan
The women working for equal rights in the early 20th century weren't a part of one large group; rather, they were members of dozens of small groups focused on social reform. Explore the ways groups in the Progressive Era like National...
C-SPAN
Make a “Deliberations” Site
Many hot button issues require deliberations, even in your classroom! Learners work in teams or as individuals to decide on a deliberation question to make into a Google site. They research the topics in depth, discuss both sides of the...
Curated OER
Lessons from the Holocaust - Hitler Youth
Students examine the political socialization that contributed to the Holocaust. In this Holocaust activity, students read about supporters of the Nazi party and how political socialization led to the Hitler Youth.
Curated OER
Electing a president
Students create a list of characteristics of a president and reach consensus about the most important qualities. In this electing a President lesson, students work in groups to choose the most important traits of a president and...