Perspectives Civic and Historical
Grade Level :Fifth
Concept Core Democratic Values
Standards and Benchmarks (Later Elementary)

• Recount the lives and characters of a variety of individuals from the past representing their local community, the state of Michigan, and older parts of the United States.
• Use primary sources to reconstruct past events in their local community.
• Explain responsibilities citizens have to uphold constitutional rights.
• Describe how citizens participate in election campaigns.

Materials

• Ballots
• Chattanooga TImes handout
• Graphic organizers

Anticipatory Set

To introduce the topic, the teacher will ask the students some questions about elections.  These include the following

"Do you remember the last presidential election in the United States?" ~i.'"
"What do you remember about it?':
"What do you know about voting?"

Mode of Instruction:  Problem-solving

Input:

The teacher will begin by acting as newsboys and distributing the Chattanooga TImes to groups of students.  Each student will have a copy of the paper. They will read the paper and use it to fill out the graphic organizer, which will display the positive and negative attributes of each candidate and his position on slavery.

While the group works, the teacher may ask them some of the following questions

• "What were the main position of each of the candidates?"
• "Why were there so many candidates running for president?"
• "Why do you think some people believed it was so important to keep all the states
• together as one nation?"
• "Why do you think that people had such different views about what was happening?"
• "What were some of the arguments that supported slavery?"
• "What were some of the arguments that opposed slavery?"

After each group has finished their chart, the teacher will tell the students that election time is approaching and they should decide which candidate they would like to vote for.  The teacher should  then distribute a new copy of The Chattanooga Times that will address election day and the requirements to be eligible to vote in the election The requirements are that one must be a white male over the age of 21 The newsletter will also explain why Lincoln is not on the ballot.

We will then distribute an identity to each student Some will be white, black, male,
female, and between the ages of 18 and 25 Each student who is qualified to vote will be
allowed to step into the voting booth and cast his or her vote

After the students vote, we will ask them the following questions:

• "How did you feel when you discovered that your character was or was not eligible to vote?"
• "Was this fair?"
• "What kinds of rules should we have regarding voting?"
• "Should anyone be allowed to vote?"
• "What is likely to happen when four candidates run for president when the votes are tallied?"

Explain the qualifications to vote today.   You need to be 18 years old or older, you cannot have a severe mental illness, you cannot have been convicted of a
serious crime, and you must have registered to vote We will ask the students which voting system they think is fairer

After this, move on to tallying and interpreting the votes.  Use a transparency and allow the students to look at it. Ask them the following questions:

• "Who won?"
• "Who won the majority of the popular vote?
• "What might have happened if only two candidates were on the ballot?"
• "What role does the Electoral College play in the decision about who becomes president?"
• "What would happen if a candidate got the majority of the popular vote but not the electoral vote?"

Presentation:

The information will be presented in two forms short lecture and reading. The majority of the information will he presented in The Chattanooga Times handout.Skill Development:
 

The skills the students will be developing include reading, listening, use a graphic organizer, and thinking critically.

Inquiry:

To problem solve, the students will be gathering data from the handout They will interpret the data and organize the information on a graphic organizer They will use this information to choose which candidate they want to vote for in the simulated election.

Discussion:

The teacher and students will participate in conversations about elections, candidates, and various important issues such as slavery and the Civil War.

Concept Attainment:
Concepts will be attained through a decision making activity and discussions

Checking for Understanding:

• "Who won the election?"
• "Who won the majority of the popular voter
• "Which candidates were against slavery?"
• "Which candidates supported slavery?"
• "What effect does the Electoral College have on an election?"

Hands-on Activity:

Students will read the newspaper and cast their own votes in the election.

Closure and Reflection:

The class will have a closing discussion on what bas been learned through this activity.  Students will have opportunities to share their thoughts and impressions of the activity.  The teacher will also relate this activity to current events to show how much influence voting has.