Contents Making Elections... Elementary!...........................4 How to Use This Book.....................................4 Teaching Activities *Write & Read Election Mini-Book..........................5 *Election Time Line.......................................5 Polls and Graphs........................................6 *Opinion-Poll Meter......................................6 *True-or-False Election Game..............................7 Teaching With the Mini-Poster: Picking Our President....................................... 7 Great Ad-Ventures!.....................................8 Want Ads..............................................8 Presidential Checklist....................................8 *Wheel of Presidents.....................................8 *Who s Who of Presidents.................................9 *White House Lift-the-Flap Tour.............................9 If I Were President.....................................10 *Election Scrapbook....................................10 Election Day Celebration...............................10 *Making a Good Choice................................11 *Registering to Vote.....................................11 *Casting Your Vote......................................11 Easy-to-Make Voting Booth..............................11 *I Voted! Badges.......................................11 Reproducible Activity Pages..........................12 31 Glossary..............................................32 * Includes reproducible activity pages
Introduction My Voter Registration Card Name Grade Teacher School Signature Witness Date My Ballot Election for Making Elections... Elementary! With our country s complex system of primaries, caucuses, delegates, conventions, and the electoral college, understanding presidential elections can be challenging for adults. Explaining it to primary grade students might seem downright daunting! Through the activities in this book, you can help students grasp democracy s most basic principles: citizens have the right to choose their leaders; and they have a responsibility to choose thoughtfully. The Election Activity Book contains activities, games, literature and Web site connections, and interactive reproducible pages to help you make the democratic system come alive. The activities are designed to meet the needs of students with different abilities and different learning styles. How to Use This Book The first section of the book offers teaching ideas, activities, and strategies for teaching about elections. The content does not need to be taught in sequence, and the lessons are self-contained. Feel free to pick and choose the activities that are best-suited for your class. The second section provides interactive reproducible pages. You ll find ideas for using these resources in the first section of the book. The Picking Our President poster bound in the center of the book features a poem about electing our president. When teaching different lessons from this book, use the poster as a handy reference point. There are two ongoing activities near the end of the book. The Election Scrapbook (page 10) is intended for use during an election year. Your class can follow the process throughout the months leading up to the election, and fill the scrapbook with photographs, headlines, slogans, and more from the real campaigns. In the days leading up to the election, your class can take part in the Election Day Celebration (page 10). In this culminating activity, your class can hold a mock election. Whether your class is electing a mascot, a character from their favorite books, or voting for this year s presidential candidates, they will be learning some of the basics of democratic elections: one vote for each person, secret ballots, and abiding by the decision of the voters. In only ten years, more or less, these same students will help choose the president of the United States. Through these lessons, you can help put students on the path to becoming responsible citizens and voters. 4
7 7 Teaching Activities Write & Read Election Mini-Book (Use with pages 12 15.). Teach or review the basics of the election process with this interactive mini-book. Before you begin this activity, ask students to share what they already know about elections and voting. Ask them what else they would like to learn. If you are using this book during a local, state, or presidential election year, talk with students about the upcoming election. Photocopy pages 12 15 on standard 8 1/2- by 11-inch paper for each student. Then guide students in following the steps below to assemble their mini-books. 1. Fold the front cover/back cover in half along the dashed line, keeping the fold to the left side. 2. Fold each inner page in half, keeping the fold to All About Voting the right side. 3. Place the inner pages inside the cover and staple Name three times along the spine. 4. Have students work in small groups to fill in the blanks and color in the pictures. If children People in our country our leaders. need help in filling in their books, consider These leaders help make providing them with a list of the missing words, and carry out the laws. out of order: elect, mayor (but answers may vary), governor, senators, representatives, president, four, candidates, November, vote, voting booth, 18. Election Book Election Time Line (Use with page 16.) Students may not realize that lots of smaller events lead up to the big moment, Election Day. In fact, when a new president takes office, other people are already starting their campaigns for the next election! Use this activity to help students begin to understand this process. 1. Distribute a copy of page 16 and a pair of scissors to each student. Have students cut out the five boxes. 2. Read the text in each box with students. Then direct them to put the boxes in order, beginning with the primaries (January through June) through the inauguration (January after Election Day). Flip through a calendar with your students to help give them a sense of the time frame. Encourage them to note other important dates along the way, such as holidays, birthdays, summer vacation, and so on. 3. Have students use a glue stick to affix the boxes, in order, onto a long strip of paper to create a time line. Invite them to decorate their time lines with red, white, and blue stickers, glitter, and other art materials. My 1 People in our country our leaders. These leaders help make and carry out the laws. All About Voting Name My Election Book 1 Related Resource Voting and Elections by Patricia J. Murphy (Compass Point Books, 2002). Through easy-toread text and photos, this book offers an introduction to the voting process, the roles and duties of elected officials, and more. 5
6 TIP Depending on the kinds of polls your class conducts, add words to the Opinion-Poll Meter such as Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Undecided, Agree, and Strongly Agree under the numbers 0 to 4, respectively, before photocopying. Polls and Graphs Polls are an increasingly important part of the election process. From opinion polls to exit polls, the process is frequently driven by the numbers. Help your students understand how polls work and how they don t work with the following activities. * Take a class poll. Conduct a survey about favorite snacks, colors, or television characters. Begin by having students nominate candidates for their favorite snack (or other category). Then take a vote and show the results on a bar graph. * Discuss how polls are used in campaigns. Polls generally measure the opinions of a small sample. Those numbers are then taken as an estimate of the population as a whole. To convey the way this works, poll a small group of students on an issue. Then survey the whole class. Discuss how accurate the poll was in assessing the opinions of the whole class. * Opinions change. Polls show the opinions of people at a particular time. Discuss how opinions can change in the months leading up to an election. You can demonstrate this by taking a second poll in your class one week later, on the same topic. (See Opinion-Poll Meter, below, for more.) * Discuss exit polls, and how they are used on Election Day. Exit polls help predict the outcome of elections. They also provide information that the ballots do not; they can give insight about the reasons why people voted the way they did. Point out that exit polls are sometimes wrong, as in the famous case of the 1948 presidential election. Newspapers declared Thomas Dewey the winner, when in fact, Harry Truman won. Opinion-Poll Meter (Use with page 17.) Give students the experience of taking part in a poll and indicating their opinions using this Opinion-Poll Meter. Give each student a copy of the Opinion-Poll Meter activity (page 17) and a pair of scissors. Then model how to assemble the manipulative: 1. Cut out the patterns for the Opinion-Poll Meter and the arrow strip along the outer solid lines. 2. Cut out the window on the Opinion-Poll Meter along the dashed lines. 3. Fold the meter on the thin solid line and then tape it closed along the bottom, open edge. 4. Insert the arrow strip inside the Opinion-Poll Meter, with the arrow end facing left. The strip should slide smoothly back and forth.
Review the numbers on the Opinion-Poll Meter and let students practice using it. To indicate a high opinion, students slide the arrow strip toward the 4 so that most of the black portion shows in the window. For a lower opinion (toward 0 or 1), mostly white shows. When taking a class poll, students can move the strip to indicate their opinions about different issues. Graph the results. Try asking the same opinion poll question two different times, but changing the wording. Explore with students whether the wording changed their opinions. Discuss what else might have affected their opinions, such as other students opinions, and their mood at that moment. Note that polls of the public at large are also subject to all of these influences. That s why polls aren t perfect! True-or-False Election Game (Use with page 18.) Let students test their election smarts with this fun game. On cardstock, photocopy the hand and thumb pattern at the bottom of page 18 for each student. Have students cut out the patterns, place the thumb on top of the hand, line up the dots, and secure with a brass fastener. To play, read the fact cards to students, one at a time. (Or divide the class into small groups and have students quiz each other.) Students indicate their responses to each statement by using their manipulative to show thumbs up, if the fact is true, or thumbs down, if they think the fact is false. To extend the game, invite students to come up with different election-related true-or-false fact cards and play again. Teaching With the Mini-Poster: Picking Our President (page 33) Perfect for introducing students to the election process (or for review), you can use the poetry mini-poster in a variety of ways: * Make the mini-poster the centerpiece of an Election Headquarters bulletin board a place to display students election-related projects. * Use the poem for shared reading. Read the poem aloud once and invite students to take a close look at the illustrations. Then reread the poem using an echo technique: you read a line and the class echoes it back. Try this a few times, then take some time to discuss the poem. Invite children who have gone with their parents to vote on Election Day to share their experiences and observations. * Do a mini-lesson with rhyming words. Read the second and fourth lines of one of the verses. Then write the rhyming words on chart paper (for example, see and be from the fourth verse). Ask children to suggest other words that rhyme with these words. Together, use the words on the list to write a short poem about voting, presidents, or other aspects of the election process. What s the Right Answer? For statements in the game that are false, the correct answers follow: 2 A president can be elected two times in a row. 2 The capital of our country is Washington, D.C. 2 You must be 18 years old and a U.S. citizen to vote. 2 The presidential election takes place in early November. 2 The new president takes office on January 20. 2 Each person can only vote once. 7
8 Presidential Checklist Ask students what they think the criteria should be for becoming president. Then write this checklist for them on the board. You must have been born in the United States or a commonwealth, such as Guam or Puerto Rico. You must have lived in the United States for at least fourteen years. You must be thirty-five years old or older. Some of these restrictions may sound unfair or be puzzling to students. In fact, there is ongoing discussion about some of the criteria. Let students know that ongoing debate is part of the democratic process! Related Resource Presidential Pet Museum Visit this fun Web site to find out more about the presidents and their pets. www.presidentialpet museum.com Great Ad-Ventures! If you are using this book during an active campaign period, some of your students may have seen or heard political ads. Discuss the way that campaigns create advertisements to try to convince people to vote for them. If possible, bring in examples of campaign brochures, buttons, bumper stickers, or posters. You could also go to the Web pages of different candidates and print out some slogans from the home page. Ask students to imagine that they are running for class president. They can design a poster or campaign buttons, or write a script for a television or radio advertisement. Before they begin, encourage them to think of what message they wish to convey, and why people should vote for them. Want Ads Discuss some of the responsibilities of the jobs of government leaders, including mayor, governor, representative, and president. For example, the mayor creates the town budget, approves local laws, and attends important town events. The president is the commander in chief; he or she signs or vetoes new laws; writes the budget, and so on. Then ask students to write a classified ad for a government leader s position. They can include some of the qualities that the applicant should have. Brainstorm those qualities together as a class: honest, hard-working, caring, intelligent, and so on. Wheel of Presidents (Use with pages 19 21.) Your students can learn fun facts about some United States presidents with this turn-to-learn wheel. Distribute copies of pages 19 21 to each student. Then direct students to follow these steps to assemble their wheels: 1. Cut out the top slotted wheel on page 19. Then cut open the flap along the heavy black lines. 2. Cut out the two bottom fact wheels on pages 20 and 21. 3. Put one of the fact wheels under the top wheel, poke a hole through the center of both wheels, and secure with a brass fastener. Invite students to hold the top wheel as they turn the bottom wheel until the name of one of the presidents appears at the top. Have them open the flap to read fun facts about that president. Interchange the bottom fact wheel with the other one for more presidential fact fun!
Who s Who of Presidents (Use with page 22.) Encourage students to learn more about the presidents. Make multiple copies of the card patterns on page 22 and cut them apart. Have students fold the cards in half along the dotted lines and use a glue stick to seal the two sides together. Assign different presidents to students. Then direct them to resources to use for their research. (See All About Presidents, right.) After students complete their cards, use them to play a learning game in class. Divide the class into small teams. Let two teams take turns quizzing each other about facts on the cards. You can also play 20 questions, in which you hold a card and let students ask yes or no questions to guess the president. Afterward, invite students to trade the cards and collect them! White House Lift-the-Flap Tour (Use with pages 23 24.) Invite students to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the White House. Give each student a copy of pages 23 24 to color. Have students follow these steps to make the manipulative: 1. Cut open the eight flaps along the dashed lines on page 23. Note: This is a north view of the White House. The wheel on page 19 shows a south view. 2. Apply a glue stick around the edges of page 24. 3. Place page 23 on top of page 24, line up the corners, and then seal by pressing the pages together. Invite students to lift the flaps to learn fun facts abut the White House. Challenge them to research other interesting information about the White House and fill in the blank window. (See All About the White House, right.) For example, today s White House has 6 floors, 132 rooms, 147 windows, 3 elevators, 28 fireplaces, and a movie theater. To extend the activity, ask students to design and draw their own house for the president. Ask them to name the house. Note that at various times in history, the White House has been known as the President s Palace, the President s House, and the Executive Mansion. President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name in 1901. Discuss the connotations of the different names. Related Resources So You Want to Be President? (Revised and Updated Edition) by Judith St. George (Philomel, 2004). This Caldecott Medal picture book, delightfully illustrated by David Small, features unusual and fantastic facts about the presidents. The Story of the White House by Kate Waters (Scholastic, 1992). Full-color photos and simple text offer a look at the inside of the White House including historical information and facts about the people who live and work there. White House 101: Facts and Fun for All Ages www.whitehouse.gov/ about/white-house-101 This official White House site offers an interactive tour of the White House, biographical information on each president, including major accomplishments, as well as a photo gallery of presidential pets. 9
The Election Activity Book Scholastic Teaching Resources Related Resource If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier (Albert Whitman & Company, 2007). Here s a lively look at the election process told from the point of view of six children as if they were running for the presidency. Covers campaigns, debates, primaries, conventions, and more. My My Election Scrapbook Race for the Presidency: by Election Scrapbook Related Resource Vote! by Eileen Christelow (Clarion, 2003) Using a colorful comic-strip style, this book provides an ageperfect introduction to the voting process, including a history of voting rights, political parties, campaigning, casting ballots, and recounts. Includes a glossary and a time line. If I Were President... Help students consider the qualities that make a good leader as well as the goals they might have for our country. Brainstorm some of the goals students might have if they were president. Give each student a paper star pattern, about six inches wide. Ask students to write some of their goals on the star and then decorate it. Cut out the stars, display them on a bulletin board, or use them to create a class mobile. Election Scrapbook (Use with pages 25 28.) Use this activity in an election year to follow the current election on an ongoing basis. Give each student a copy of pages 25 28. Have students mount the pages on construction paper (for durability) and then create a book by stapling the pages together along the left-hand side. As your class follows the different stages of the presidential election year, help students fill in each party s nominees, campaign slogans, headlines, and election results as suggested on the pages. Students can fill in the pages with clippings and photos from newspapers and magazines, as well as their own pictures and writing. They can also add extra pages to the back of the book with other information and memorabilia. (For an overview of the election process, use the scrapbook in conjunction with the Election Time Line, page 5.) Election Day Celebration Holding a mock election in your classroom can serve as a cumulative project, with many activities building up to the final event. If possible, time your class election to coincide with a real election (national, state, or local), but it s not necessary. Pick any date and begin your activities a few weeks in advance. First, decide as a class what your election will be for. Some possibilities include: * choosing a class mascot * electing a favorite character from a book or television show * an issue pertaining to your class * voting in an historic election. * voting on a candidate in a real election Then have students nominate candidates in the category you ve chosen. Narrow the candidates or issues down to two or three by taking a poll. (See Polls and Graphs, page 6.) 10
Making a Good Choice (Use with page 29.) Use the Venn Diagram on page 29 to let students compare and contrast different candidates. Distribute copies of the page and ask students to write the name of each candidate on the lines above the two circles. Ask them to write the candidates different qualities and opinions in the separate circles. In the overlapping area, they can write qualities that the two candidates share. Registering to Vote (Use with page 30.) Explain to students that voters need to register before they are able to vote. Review the criteria for voting in our country: * must be at least 18 years old on election day * must be a U.S. citizen * must be registered to vote * In addition, some states restrict the voting rights of convicted felons. Then hand out copies of the My Voter Registration Card on the top half of page 30. Explain that the only criterion for voting in your class election is that voters be students in your classroom. Ask students to bring their registration slips on voting day. Casting Your Vote (Use with page 30.) Use the My Ballot patterns on the bottom half of page 30 to conduct your own class election voting on this year s candidates or on issues pertaining to your class. (You can write in students choices before photocopying, or leave blank for students to fill in.) Choose some students to be poll-watchers on election day. In order to vote, students must turn in their registration forms to the poll-watchers. The pollwatchers then give each student a ballot. Explain that these ballots, as in real elections, are secret. When the voting is completed, students can help tally the results. Then throw a small party to celebrate the outcome! Consider serving red, white, and blue treats (cupcakes iced with frosting that has been tinted with food-coloring), and fruit, such as strawberries, peeled apple slices, and blueberries. I Voted! Badges (Use with page 31.) After students vote in your class election, let them congratulate themselves with these badges. For best results, photocopy page 31 onto cardstock before cutting out the badges. Students can affix the badges to their clothing using double-sided tape. Related Resources Kids Voting USA www.kidsvotingusa.org At this site, students can participate in mock elections with other elementary school students. This nonprofit organization links schools together, and provides current election information. Visit to learn how your students can participate. Voice Your Opinion Even though kids can t vote, they can still make their voices heard. Students can write a letter to the President and send it to: The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, D.C. 20500 Or send an email to: president@whitehouse.gov Easy-to-Make Voting Booth To stage an even more realistic election setting, create a voting booth in your classroom. Attach a length of string between the walls of one corner of your classroom. Make a curtain by taping crepe paper streamers to the string. Use red, white, and blue, or your school colors. Inside the booth, place a small table or student desk, pencils, and a ballot box (a box with a slot cut in the lid). Let students take turns going into the booth to vote in private. 11
Name election fact cards True-or-False Election Game We elect a president every four years. (True) The president does not make all of the decisions for our country. (True) A president can be elected four times in a row. (False) Everyone in our country can vote. (False) The capital of our country is Walla Walla, Washington. (False) Primary elections are held before the general election. (True) The president and vice-president are elected together. (True) The presidential election takes place in early December. (False) The new president takes office on July 4th. (False) Voting is done by secret ballot. (True) hand and thumb patterns You must be 21 years old to vote. (False) If you get in line again, you can vote twice. (False) 18