1. Democracy in the Classroom Annie Dardis ED 417-02 Dr. Ronald Helms

2. Democracy in the Classroom Unit: Government Grade level = 3 Lesson on Voting and Elections

3. Objectives Students will develop an appreciation for the power and influence of voting in a democracy Students will learn how to study the candidates and issues relevant to the elections Students will understand what is involved in the registration and voting process Students will learn how to stay involved with the civic affairs after an election

4. Objectives cont. Students will practice good handwriting and spelling skills Students will stay focused and on task during the assignment Students will use mathematical skills to interpret graph data Students will work cooperatively in pairs for one assignment Students will actively participate in all classroom discussions

5. Introductory Activities Writer’s Workshop Have students write what the word “democracy” means to them Select a few students to share Make a class list of some of the characteristics of a democracy Next have students write a response to 5 W’s of voting Why voting is important? Who is allowed to vote? What they vote on? Where they vote? When do we find out the results?

6. Activity 1 – Registering to Vote Materials Voter Registration Cards Pencils Markers

7. Activity 1 – Registering to Vote Explain the importance of registering to vote Choose two students with the same name and acknowledge how some people could vote for others or multiple times if we did not have registration cards Students will complete registration cards and teacher will display them in classroom

8. Activity 2 – Meet the Candidates Materials Meet the Candidates Handouts Pencils Scissors Campaign literature

9. Activity 2 – Meet the Candidates Have students bring in campaign literature to class (newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, etc.) Divide students into pairs to work together Have them look through campaign literature and select three candidates and their promises VS

10. Activity 2 – Meet the Candidates cont. Students will cut out pictures of the candidates and glue them on their papers Students will write down three of each candidate’s promises and be prepared to share with the class Have a follow up discussion and ask the students who they would consider voting for based on their promises

11. Activity 3 – Voter Apathy Materials Ballots handouts Please Vote Today Handouts Cardboard box Construction paper Pencils

12. Activity 3 – Voter Apathy Discussion to introduce the ballot and its format Have students create issues for the ballots When students come in each morning, they will pick up a ballot and vote on a different issue each day

13. Activity 3 – Voter Apathy cont. As the teacher, do not remind students to vote every morning because everyone does not always vote Follow up at the end of the week by tallying votes, discussion questions, and voter apathy

14. Activity 4 – Voting Graphs Materials Construction paper Scissors Shower curtain with rod Markers

15. Activity 4 – Voting Graphs Cut out construction paper into two inch squares pass them out to the class Create the graph with appropriate labels Children will vote on 3 issues relevant to current election issues that are appropriate for the classroom by placing their square up on the shower curtain graph The class will then tally or count votes to compare and contrast the 3 graphs

16. Activity 5 – Watching the Returns Materials Map of United States Colored pencils – red, white, and blue Television or internet source

17. Activity 5 – Watching the Returns Discuss as a class what resources provide update information about the voter turnout/returns Students will complete the map at home with parents Students will return to class with map and we will tally the votes to determine which party won the presidential election Class disscussion on thoughts, emotions, or concerns regarding the election

18. Website Resources Kids Voting USA www.kidsvoting.org Kids Voting Ohio www.kidsvotingohio.org The Democracy Project http://pbskids.org/democracy/vote/ Kids for Democracy http://www.kidsfordemocracy.org/ Democracy for Kids http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/ind epth/democracy_plaza/