Lesson Plans

Voting! What’s It All About?
This lesson for grades 3–5 touches on the history of voting, voting as a civil right, and current elections while asking students to explore the difference between fact and opinion.

Vote for Me! Developing, Writing, and Evaluating Persuasive Speeches
Using the example of political campaigning, this lesson teaches elementary students the characteristics of persuasive speech writing and oral argument.

Propaganda Techniques in Literature and Online Political Ads
High school students are first introduced to propaganda techniques by reading a text. They then identify examples of these techniques in online political ads and explain how they are used to persuade voters.

Analyzing the Stylistic Choices of Political Cartoonists
Students in grades 9–12 analyze the cartoonist’s techniques and choices in a group of political cartoons. In a related lesson, students learn to evaluate political cartoons for their meaning, message, and persuasiveness.

Web Links

Vote: The Machinery of Democracy
This website, from the National Museum of American History, looks at the history of voting methods in the United States. The resource explores how ballots and voting systems have evolved over the years as a response to political, social, and technological change, transforming the ways in which Americans vote.

The Democracy Project: Inside the Voting Booth
This resource, from PBS, introduces elementary-aged children to the importance of voting in a fun, interactive way.

Election Day
This website, from the Library of Congress, focuses on some of the memorable elections since the first uniform Election Day on November 4, 1845.

Lights, Camera...Debate
This article from Cable in the Classroom offers tips on watching the presidential debates from a media literacy perspective. An accompanying student worksheet is also available.

Texts

Steele, Philip. 2008. Eyewitness: Vote. DK Children.
This reference book uses text and images to cover the election process, election history, and comparisons to elections in countries around the world.

Christelow, Eileen. 2003. Vote!. Clarion Books.
Younger readers will enjoy this simple introduction to the election process. Using humorous illustrations, the book explains voting rights, the voting process, voter registration, and more.

Ellerbee, Linda. 2000. Girl Reporter Rocks Polls! Avon Books.
Girl reporter Casey Smith vows to turn student elections at Trumbull Middle School from a popularity contest to a focus on the issues.

Cronin, Doreen. 2004. Duck for President. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing.
This picture book tells the story of an ambitious farm animal who ends up running the country after his quest to replace Farmer Brown.