Have you ever considered running for student council? Scholars investigate the process of being elected to the United States Congress. They use the sixth video in a 50-part series exploring the US government and politics to better understand how congressional elections are decided as well as their complexity.

Concepts

elections, the united states government, american politics

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Hold a mock election in the classroom with two candidates, debates, and a secret ballot
• Invite a local politician as a guest speaker to address the concept of running for office

Classroom Considerations

• Make sure students have online access if assigning the video clip as homework

• This video is hosted on YouTube

Pros

• Lesson includes animation to assist with visual learning 
• Uses direct quotes from primary sources to enhance understanding 

Cons

• None

Common Core

RH.9-10.1 RH.9-10.2 RH.9-10.3 RH.11-12.1 RH.11-12.2 RH.11-12.3