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Lesson Plan

Candidate Position Research

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This Candidate Position Research lesson plan also includes:

As part of their study of the US Presidential election process, class members research a presidential candidate's position on a specific topic or topics. Formatting their research as a pro/con question ("Should the Death Penalty Be Allowed?"), writers look for quotes that directly address the question.

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CCSS: Adaptable
Concepts
presidential elections, social issues, research reports, research writing, presidential campaigns, presidential candidates, elections, citations, primary sources, primary source analysis, the united states government
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Additional Tags
social studies
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Instructional Ideas
  • Indicate what citation style (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) all writers will use
  • Model the process, including how to quote from a primary source document from the candidate or the candidate's campaign
  • Determine whether researchers may use a topic covered by ProCon.org or must research a new topic
  • To launch the project, create and provide writers with a detailed assignment sheet and rubric
Classroom Considerations
  • In preparation, decide the scope of the research i.e., one candidate on one topic; multiple candidates on one topic; one candidate on multiple topics; multiple candidates on multiple topics
  • ProCon is an independent site that presents objective information
Pros
  • Provides links to research sites
Cons
  • Although key points to evaluate are suggested, no rubric is included