Do young people care about elections? Host a discussion about the role of young citizens in the electoral process with an engaging social studies lesson. As high schoolers read and respond to four statements about youth interest in politics, they group themselves by level of agreement and get ready to participate in The Great Electoral Race.

Concepts

the electoral college, the electoral vote, elections, presidential elections, american politics, politics

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Prompt pairs or groups to create their own presentations based on one of the prompts
• Tailor the lesson according to the technology and curriculum needs of your classroom
• Use the lesson after the presidential election as a reflection of the process

Classroom Considerations

• The lesson includes instructions to sign up for The Great Electoral Race online, but signing up is not necessary for the lesson itself
• The Great Electoral Race involves Internet use and social media
• If your class is not participating in the social media element of the resource, work with the first two pages only
• Refer to the attached list of challenges to demonstrate the effect and importance of electoral votes
• Provides a link to the publisher's set of curriculum, which is available for purchase

Pros

• Encourages discussion skills and opens up the topic of elections and voting rights
• Includes a brief presentation about the election process
• Relevant to any election, regardless of year, though the race indicates specific start times and deadlines from 2016
• Versatile and adaptable

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.11-12.1.a SL.11-12.1.c SL.11-12.1.d