How can a candidate get the most votes, yet still lose the race for the presidency? This is has happened more than once in American history, including in the elections of 2000 and 2016. Using an activity for creating group notes, young scholars consider the pros and cons of the peculiar way America elects its president. Extension activities include thought-provoking discussions and the option of emailing members of Congress about whether the system should change. 

Concepts

constitutional amendments, the constitution, george w. bush, the electoral college, the electoral process, the electoral vote

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

social studies

Show More Show Less

Instructional Ideas

• Create a set of group notes using readings about the Electoral College
• Use discussion to evaluate the arguments for and against the Electoral College using the Election of 2000 as an example

Classroom Considerations

• The lesson includes options for resources that are highly partisan and may be problematic or require context to use in the classroom

Pros

• Method for taking notes builds skills
• The lesson includes provoking questions that help students discover the relevance of the Electoral College

Cons

Common Core

RH.6-8.6 RH.9-10.1 RH.9-10.2 RH.9-10.3 RH.9-10.6 RH.9-10.8 RH.9-10.9 RH.9-10.10 RH.11-12.1 RH.11-12.2 RH.11-12.3 RH.11-12.6 RH.11-12.8 RH.11-12.9 RH.11-12.10