Curated OER
The Campaign Process
In this sequencing the campaign process worksheet, students arrange the steps of political campaigning in the correct order and write details explaining how to do each step. Students rearrange and write seven short answers.
The New York Times
A Guide to Political Donations
Voters determine the outcome of elections, but campaign donors can influence the attitudes of those voters. Explore nine examples of donors and the amounts of money they want to contribute, and the legal ways the groups can or cannot...
Curated OER
The Presidential Campaign Game
Students play a game. In this election lesson, students play the Presidential Campaign Game. Students learn about the politics and process of electing a president.
Curated OER
Let the Campaign Begin
Students examine the many steps involved in the electoral process. They examine past president's campaigns and write an announcement speech for the candidate of their choice.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Get out the Vote Campaign
While some of your young scholars may be too young to vote, they can get involved in the election process by creating a nonpartisan campaign encouraging voter registration. After researching how to register to vote, class members design...
Curated OER
May The Best Character Win
Students examine the financial committment to running a campaign. They discuss the difference between electroal and popular votes. They realize how involved a political campaign is!
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
The Organization of Political Parties
Challenge the future world leaders in your class with this instructional activity, which tests their knowledge on the organization of modern political parties. Students can access their prior knowledge of current elections, or notes from...
Curated OER
Campaign Signs and Pranksters
Pupils interview a selected candidate and find out his or her views on important issues and what he/she hopes to convey to voters. They write and design campaign flyers. Students create final mock-ups of the materials.
Museum of the Moving Image
Political Ads in Historical Context
Campaign ads target both timely issues and general themes. Presidential campaign ads from 1952 and 1988 provide class members an opportunity to compare how the topics ads choose to address can dramatically influence election outcomes.
Curated OER
Political Issues Survey
Fifth graders develop and conduct a survey regarding issues in a current political campaign. They distribute and collect the surveys, input the data using a spreadsheet program, and compare/contrast the recorded results.
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...
Smithsonian Institution
Young People Shake Up Elections (History Proves It) Educator Guide
Vote, it's your civic duty! The resource provides several videos about voting in the United States. Scholars watch a series of topics ranging from youth participation to civic action. The educator's guide provides teachers with...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
The Troubled Elections of 1796 and 1800
Congress does more than create new laws. Political scientists delve into the elections of 1796 and 1800 to understand how political parties, the Electoral College, and personal agendas affected the election process. The resource also...
Curated OER
Political Cartoons
Students explore political cartoons. In this government current events lesson, students analyze the visual language and symbolism present in five different political cartoons. Students discuss the event or issue that inspired the...
Curated OER
Federal Political Campaign Pamphlet
Students organize and create a six-panel federal political campaign pamphlet. They research the main Canadian federal political parties, analyze the platforms, and organize the information for their pamphlet.
iCivics
Candidate Evaluation
How can we decide between candidates on election day? After contemplating various issues and qualities, your learners will go through a step-by-step process of researching and evaluating sample candidates and determining their...
Curated OER
May the Best Character Win
Running an election campaign takes money. Class groups must effectively budget money in order to design and purchase sufficient advertising aimed at procuring classmates' votes. After completing an online tutorial, they also write and...
Curated OER
A Race to Watch: Campaign 2008, The Role of Technology and the Internet
Young scholars listen to a statement about the role the Internet plays in the political process and respond by placing a card under the appropriate agree/disagree sign at the front of the room. Students brainstorm reasons to select their...
C-SPAN
Student Symposium and Resulting Action
Your class may not be able to vote yet, but that doesn't mean they can't feel like they're part of the presidential election! The resource creates a symposium where pupils debate about a selected topic in current events during an...
Caucus 101
Linkage Institutions: Interest Groups: Option A
How are elections really run and won? Learn about special interest groups, super PACs, and lobbyists with an engaging lesson about the caucus process. Young voters research specific interest groups and analyze their part in previous and...
Curated OER
Harry S. Truman - Campaign of 1948
Students establish the major events leading up to the election in 1948. In this U.S. History lesson, students research details about Harry S. Truman, then they participate in a class discussion about him so that they are ready to...
Curated OER
US Presidential Election Process and the Campaign Trail
Young scholars campaign for president. In this presidential election lesson, students discuss the process of electing presidents, write their own campaign songs, research a campaign train schedule, and create campaign maps.
Museum of the Moving Image
AdMaker, Obama vs. McCain, “Fundamentals” (2008)
Truth is often left on the cutting room floor when political ads are produced. After viewing the 2012 backfire ad, "Fundamentals" that takes John McCain's comments on the US economy out of context, class groups edit the audio and video...