Curated OER
Case Study of a Campaign
Students read a case study of one campaign to discover how political campaigns addresses the needs of the voters. In groups, they answer questions related to the case and discuss how the commercials affect society as a whole. They use...
Curated OER
Did Voters Turn Out -- or Are They Turned Off?
What was the voter turnout at your last state election? Examine voter turnout statistics from the most recent election to learn which ten states have the best turnout record. This lesson offers election data, handouts, and worksheets.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Analyzing Political Campaign Commercials
Imagine a lesson that models for learners how to separate facts from opinions. How to detect bias. How to evaluate a source of information. How to identify propaganda. Although designed for middle schoolers, the activities in this packet...
Curated OER
Vital Voters
Students create voter education campaigns to raise awareness of and interest in the government for future voters.
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...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Campaigns and Gas Pains
Even before they are driving, your scholars have heard the ups and downs of gas prices. Assess the political turmoil behind rising prices using this analysis handout, which features a political cartoon from 2006. Background information...
Curated OER
Campaign! The Election Simulation Game
Students simulate the election process with one group acting as politicians and others acting as the constituency with concerns specific to their assigned area of the country. They give speeches, take polls, and elect a leader based on...
City University of New York
Urban Politics: Machines and Reformers
What were political machines and whom did they serve? As part of a study of US immigration patterns and how these patterns influenced politics, groups investigate how Tammany Hall and other political machines gained support from voters.
Museum of the Moving Image
Evaluating Information: Focus on the 2008 Election
Just how true is the information contained in political ads? Determining the veracity of campaign ads from the 2008 presidential race is the focus of a lesson that introduces class members to several fact-checking resources.
Curated OER
Getting to Know the Candidates: Analyzing Their Campaign Ads
Students examine the role of advertising in presidential campaigns. They analyze one candidate's advertising campaign ads for elements such as major issues, positivity, negativity, facts, and opinions.
Teaching Tolerance
The Truth About Voting
True or False: Only Presidential elections matter. Academics delve into common voting myths to understand what is true and why the election process is critical to democracy. The lesson uses group discussion, activities, and handouts to...
Curated OER
The Ad Campaign
Students explore how political candidates use mass media to deliver their messages to voters. Focusing on specific issues in the upcoming election, students create television commercials representing different parties' views.
Curated OER
Convey Ideas in Writing
Use the platforms of the 2004 presidential candidates to bring persuasive writing to your class. Young voters identify the three issues most important to them in the election and research the issues and candidates' positions. They write...
Indiana Department of Education
Voting: It's Not a Spectator Sport!
Why is it important to vote? Who is eligible to vote? Why is it that some eligible voters do not vote? Class members conduct interviews with adults and other school mates before researching the eligibility requirements for their state,...
Curated OER
Campaign Ads That Subtract and Add
Students explore media and media misrepresentation of prodcts. They create a video of a person (with both good and bad pictures.) Using creative titles, students download a slideshow. They add sound effects and other Adobe Premiere...
Carolina K-12
Propaganda, Spin and Soundbite Politics
It's all about the spin! In an introduction to propaganda techniques and soundbite politics, scholars first learn about common propaganda techniques before seeing them in action in the context of the 2016 election cycle. Activities...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Campaign Trail Reports
In this Presidential Election 2008 worksheet, students research the listed candidates and respond to 4 questions about the candidates. Students present their findings to their classmates.
Curated OER
Growing Voters and Election 2004: Classroom Debate
Students research the issues and platforms of candidates and separate propaganda from process in order to choose a candidate to support. Students examine political parties and their contributions to shaping the foundation of the...
Curated OER
Vote for Me!
Tenth graders analyze voter trends in South Carolina and discover techniques canddidates and their parties use to convince us to vote their way. They are able to locate voting statistics for their county; compare the number of...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: 2008 Presidential Primaries
Take a trip back in time with this political cartoon analysis activity, which has scholars reading background information on the heated 2008 primary campaign to help them approach two political cartoons. Three talking points (or writing...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Campaigns and Gas Pains
In this current events worksheet, students analyze a political cartoon about gasoline prices and respond to 3 talking point questions.
Curated OER
The Media
Students identify various forms of media used in a political campaign and compare the different formats as vehicles for distributing political messages. They analyze the effectiveness of candidate's uses of different media.
Curated OER
Doing the Honours
Young scholars investigate the actions of British political parties. In this current events lesson plan, students research the listed Web sites that include information about political party fundraising and peerage. Young scholars also...