Polk Bros Foundation
Governor Deval Patrick's Inaugural Speech
“America herself is an improbable journey.” So is Deval Patrick’s journey from the South Side of Chicago to the governorship of Massachusetts. The complete text of Patrick’s inaugural speech, delivered outdoors facing Boston Common,...
National Constitution Center
Address America: Your Six-Word Stump Speech
Stump speeches are the focus of this exercise that combines politics and language arts. After learning about this type of speech, the class listens to Obama's 2008 presidential campaign stump speech and answers a series of questions that...
Curated OER
The Minor Parties
Help to increase the knowledge of your future (or current) voters with this quiz about minor parties. By matching various minor parties, both historical and contemporary, students can become better-informed about the entirety of American...
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The Organization of Political Parties
Challenge the future world leaders in your class with this activity, which tests their knowledge on the organization of modern political parties. Students can access their prior knowledge of current elections, or notes from your lecture,...
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Fighting The Horse Race: Creating Ads Which Explore 2008 Presidential Candidates & Issues
What is advertising? What role does it plan in an election? Middle and high schoolers discuss advertising and its purpose by sifting through different magazines and discussing the products they find. Then they relate advertisements to...
Curated OER
Woman Suffrage in Colorado, 1877-1893
Students work together in groups to examine the suffrage movement in Colorado. They analyze the reasons for and against women's suffrage. They also determine the impact of the movement in Colorado.
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President George Walker Bush
A short article on President George W. Bush awaits your students. After reading the article, students answer six multiple choice questions about Bush and his presidency. Answers appear at the end.
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Political Polls
High schoolers explore politcical polling by conducting a poll of student body elections. They prepare a survey, distribute forms, and tabulate data.
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Cartoons for the Classroom: All Eyes on the Iowa Caucus
Explore the primary elections through political cartoons. Three talking points guide deeper thinking as pupils analyze a cartoon, which depicts the 2008 campaigning in Iowa. Analysts identify caricatures, research why winning Iowa is...
Curated OER
Sam Houston for President...Again
Fourth graders discover the political career of Sam Houston. In this Texas history instructional activity, 4th graders research primary resources and create a modern-day version of Sam Houston's political campaign of the 1840s.
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Opinion/Facts: Candidates
In this candidate worksheet, students write the opinions and facts about a candidate running for office and analyze a political cartoon about them. Students complete 5 sections.
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Government
Second graders run for various offices. They dress up like a politician, pretend to be running for an office, and tell the students why they should vote for him/her. They explain why it is necessary for a community to have a government
Curated OER
Navigating the Road to the White House
Students explore U.S. politics by researching the Presidential requirements. In this electoral process lesson plan, students identify the main requirements to become a Presidential candidate and the two main political parties. Students...
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Voting
Students investigate voter participation in the U.S. They watch and discuss a Bill Moyers video, complete a handout, and develop a plan to help a community overcome obstacles to voter participation.
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Defining Issues
Students work on a 'campaign committee' to define civic issues that are important to them and their community. They write letters to city officials with proposals for how to address these issues.
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How We Elect a President in the United States
In this United States government worksheet, students learn how a president is elected in the United States. They then answer the 11 definition questions and complete an activity in which they create a platform for a presidential...
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Words In the News Dutch EU Vote
Pupils participate in word work and vocabulary building activities before reading an online article. They examine political posters and campaigns before designing an election poster.
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They Have Issues
Students examine the different campaign styles and political platforms of the nine candidates vying for the Democratic Party nomination for the 2004 presidential election. They graph and compare candidate platforms and write an essay...
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Breaking News English: McCain Picks Female Running Mate
In this English learning exercise, students read "McCain Picks Female Running Mate," and then respond to 1 essay, 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.
Curated OER
WWII: The War Effort at Home
Students explore the different ads used by the military. They use media reports and the internet to research the war effort at home during World War II.
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"Political Polls"
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students, after reading a short article called "Political Polls," fill in a crossword puzzle utilizing the highlighted words from the article to answer the clues going across and down.
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A New Candidate for Animal Farm
Students create an advertising campaign in which a candidate from Animal Farm will run for an upcoming election. In this follow-up activity to George Orwell's Animal Farm lesson plan, students explore propaganda, rhetoric, and satire as...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Tooning into the Candidates, John Edwards
In this current events worksheet, students analyze a political cartoon about John Edwards and respond to 3 talking point questions.
Curated OER
The Union is Perpetual: Lincoln is Elected
Young scholars view primary documents about the race for President in the time of Abraham Lincoln. In this election lesson, students prepare arguments for and against Lincoln using an analysis sheet. Young scholars create a...