Lesson 5: Class President:Duties and Characteristics
Teacher: Brittany Hughes
Grade Level: 4th Subject Area: Social Studies
Time Needed: 1 Class period Topic: Class President: Duties and Characteristics
Essential Questions:
· What are important duties and responsibilities for a class president to have?
· What are important characteristics of a class president?
Lesson Goals:
· Students will compile lists of specific duties, responsibilities, and characteristics they find important for their class president to have.
· Students will reflect on the role of each of the three positions of the election, candidate, campaign assistant, and pole worker, and make a decision on how they will be involved in the class election.
MMSD Standards:
NCSS Standards:
Materials Needed:
· Class President Book
· Butcher Paper
· Markers
· Social Studies Notebooks
· “Characteristics of Government Officials” List
· Raccoon Dollars
· Exit Slip
Lesson Context: This lesson kicks off the class election that the students will be conducting. The class will be having an election for class president which reflects the actions of the book the students are reading throughout the lesson. This lesson will set up the basic duties and characteristics expected of the class president. Prior to this lesson the students explored how elections take place and students will be given the opportunity to apply what they learned to an actual election.
Lesson Opening: Read the fifth chapter of Class President to the students in the back of the room. In this chapter the election for class president begins and the students who want to run for the position announce they are running. In addition the teacher of the class informs the students of the duties that the class president has. Ask the students if they are surprised by which characters decided to run for class president and why. Also ask students who they think will win the election and why and what they think of the duties that the class president must complete. Ask students if they think that Sarah, the most popular girl in the class, will win the election and why or why not they think this. Ask students why they think being popular does not necessarily mean they will be a good class president. Ask students if they think the class will benefit from having a class president and why or why not. Tell students that you think that it might be a good idea to have a class president in their classroom. Ask students if they also think this would be a good idea and why or why not. Inform students that a lot goes into electing a class president and today we are going to start that process.
Procedures:
1. Have students return to their seats. Place a piece of butcher paper on the front board with the words “Duties of Class President” on it. Tell students that like in the book it is important to define exactly what we think our class president should do and be responsible for. Tell students that they can use duties that were described in the book or ones they come up with on their own that they think are important. Tell students you want them to come up with a list of duties that are important for a class president to be in charge of. Have students write what they come up with in their social studies notebooks. Allow students to work in their pods of four students. This will allow students to work together and bounce ideas of each other.
2. Before allowing students to work together, inform them that you will pay each of them a raccoon dollar if they remain engaged throughout the work period. Ask students to help you define what the word engaged means. Accept students answers and then write “Engaged = 1 Raccoon Dollar” on the front board to remind them of their task throughout the work period. Let students begin to compile their lists. Walk around as the students work together to monitor their work and get an idea about the duties they are coming up with.
3. Allow students to work on their lists for several minutes then call the class together. Tell groups to decide together what their three top responsibilities for the class president are. Remind students that the duties should be reasonable and realistic because the class president is just one president and cannot do everything. Accept each groups top three responsibilities and record them on the butcher paper on the front board. As students give their ideas ask students questions about why they think it is important for the president to do that and what exactly they mean by their response. This will help give students a clear and straightforward idea of what the class president must do and what their classmates find important.
4. After the list of president duties are up, remind students of the list of characteristics they thought were important for a government official to have from the previous lesson. Put this list back up on the front board. Ask students to look at the list and decide whether or not they think the characteristics of the list are important for their class president to have as well. Give students a few moments to look the list over and decide how they feel about the characteristics on it. Then ask students to volunteer characteristics that they think should be added to or removed from the list. Allow students to share their thoughts and ask students to explain why they think characteristics should be added or deleted. Remind students about the “popular” component that you discussed at the beginning of the class. Ask students if they think being popular is important for their class president. Accept their answers and really try to get them to express the point that being popular does not mean that you are going to be a good class president and that what is most important is that the person has the characteristics listed on the board. Also push the idea that anyone can be class president and deserves the chance to be listened to. After a student has given you their ideas ask the class if they agree with their classmates’ answers by either giving a thumbs up if they think it should be added/deleted or a thumbs down if they do not agree it should be added/deleted. Allow all students to have the opportunity to share their ideas.
5. Tell students that you have together now made very detailed and informative lists of what the class president should do and the characteristics they should have. Let students know that it is now time for them to decide what role they want to have in the class election. Remind students of all the different steps that go into an election so not everyone will be running for president. Tell students that the students who choose to run for class president will need some help campaigning so students can also choose to be campaign assistants to help one of the class president candidates write their speeches and get their name and ideas out to the rest of the class. Also remind students that an election ends in a vote and people need to run the voting process so students can also choose to be poll workers who are in charge of making sure the voting process runs smoothly.
6. Give students several minutes to decide how they want to be involved in the election, either as a candidate for class president, a campaign assistant who helps the candidate, or a poll worker who makes sure the election runs smoothly.
Closure/Assessment: Give students the following Exit Slip: “Tell me what roll you want in our class election. You can either be a candidate for class president, campaign assistant, or poll worker. Also explain to me in 2-3 sentences why you want to be this position.” Collect slips as students leave the room. Also give students a raccoon dollar as they leave the room if they were engaged and focused during the day’s lesson. Read through the slips after students leave and compile a list of what students will be at what position for the election. Have this list ready for the next lesson.
EXIT SLIP: Tell me what roll you want in our class election. You can either be a candidate for class president, campaign assistant, or poll worker. Also explain to me in 2-3 sentences why you want to be this position.
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Grade Level: 4th Subject Area: Social Studies
Time Needed: 1 Class period Topic: Class President: Duties and Characteristics
Essential Questions:
· What are important duties and responsibilities for a class president to have?
· What are important characteristics of a class president?
Lesson Goals:
· Students will compile lists of specific duties, responsibilities, and characteristics they find important for their class president to have.
· Students will reflect on the role of each of the three positions of the election, candidate, campaign assistant, and pole worker, and make a decision on how they will be involved in the class election.
MMSD Standards:
- Political Science and Citizenship: Standard 2: List the ways in which a citizen can participate in state government.
NCSS Standards:
- Standard 3: People, Places, and Environments
- Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity
- Standard 5: Individuals, groups, and Institutions
- Standard 6: Power, Authority, and Governance
- Standard 10: Civic Ideals and Practices
Materials Needed:
· Class President Book
· Butcher Paper
· Markers
· Social Studies Notebooks
· “Characteristics of Government Officials” List
· Raccoon Dollars
· Exit Slip
Lesson Context: This lesson kicks off the class election that the students will be conducting. The class will be having an election for class president which reflects the actions of the book the students are reading throughout the lesson. This lesson will set up the basic duties and characteristics expected of the class president. Prior to this lesson the students explored how elections take place and students will be given the opportunity to apply what they learned to an actual election.
Lesson Opening: Read the fifth chapter of Class President to the students in the back of the room. In this chapter the election for class president begins and the students who want to run for the position announce they are running. In addition the teacher of the class informs the students of the duties that the class president has. Ask the students if they are surprised by which characters decided to run for class president and why. Also ask students who they think will win the election and why and what they think of the duties that the class president must complete. Ask students if they think that Sarah, the most popular girl in the class, will win the election and why or why not they think this. Ask students why they think being popular does not necessarily mean they will be a good class president. Ask students if they think the class will benefit from having a class president and why or why not. Tell students that you think that it might be a good idea to have a class president in their classroom. Ask students if they also think this would be a good idea and why or why not. Inform students that a lot goes into electing a class president and today we are going to start that process.
Procedures:
1. Have students return to their seats. Place a piece of butcher paper on the front board with the words “Duties of Class President” on it. Tell students that like in the book it is important to define exactly what we think our class president should do and be responsible for. Tell students that they can use duties that were described in the book or ones they come up with on their own that they think are important. Tell students you want them to come up with a list of duties that are important for a class president to be in charge of. Have students write what they come up with in their social studies notebooks. Allow students to work in their pods of four students. This will allow students to work together and bounce ideas of each other.
2. Before allowing students to work together, inform them that you will pay each of them a raccoon dollar if they remain engaged throughout the work period. Ask students to help you define what the word engaged means. Accept students answers and then write “Engaged = 1 Raccoon Dollar” on the front board to remind them of their task throughout the work period. Let students begin to compile their lists. Walk around as the students work together to monitor their work and get an idea about the duties they are coming up with.
3. Allow students to work on their lists for several minutes then call the class together. Tell groups to decide together what their three top responsibilities for the class president are. Remind students that the duties should be reasonable and realistic because the class president is just one president and cannot do everything. Accept each groups top three responsibilities and record them on the butcher paper on the front board. As students give their ideas ask students questions about why they think it is important for the president to do that and what exactly they mean by their response. This will help give students a clear and straightforward idea of what the class president must do and what their classmates find important.
4. After the list of president duties are up, remind students of the list of characteristics they thought were important for a government official to have from the previous lesson. Put this list back up on the front board. Ask students to look at the list and decide whether or not they think the characteristics of the list are important for their class president to have as well. Give students a few moments to look the list over and decide how they feel about the characteristics on it. Then ask students to volunteer characteristics that they think should be added to or removed from the list. Allow students to share their thoughts and ask students to explain why they think characteristics should be added or deleted. Remind students about the “popular” component that you discussed at the beginning of the class. Ask students if they think being popular is important for their class president. Accept their answers and really try to get them to express the point that being popular does not mean that you are going to be a good class president and that what is most important is that the person has the characteristics listed on the board. Also push the idea that anyone can be class president and deserves the chance to be listened to. After a student has given you their ideas ask the class if they agree with their classmates’ answers by either giving a thumbs up if they think it should be added/deleted or a thumbs down if they do not agree it should be added/deleted. Allow all students to have the opportunity to share their ideas.
5. Tell students that you have together now made very detailed and informative lists of what the class president should do and the characteristics they should have. Let students know that it is now time for them to decide what role they want to have in the class election. Remind students of all the different steps that go into an election so not everyone will be running for president. Tell students that the students who choose to run for class president will need some help campaigning so students can also choose to be campaign assistants to help one of the class president candidates write their speeches and get their name and ideas out to the rest of the class. Also remind students that an election ends in a vote and people need to run the voting process so students can also choose to be poll workers who are in charge of making sure the voting process runs smoothly.
6. Give students several minutes to decide how they want to be involved in the election, either as a candidate for class president, a campaign assistant who helps the candidate, or a poll worker who makes sure the election runs smoothly.
Closure/Assessment: Give students the following Exit Slip: “Tell me what roll you want in our class election. You can either be a candidate for class president, campaign assistant, or poll worker. Also explain to me in 2-3 sentences why you want to be this position.” Collect slips as students leave the room. Also give students a raccoon dollar as they leave the room if they were engaged and focused during the day’s lesson. Read through the slips after students leave and compile a list of what students will be at what position for the election. Have this list ready for the next lesson.
EXIT SLIP: Tell me what roll you want in our class election. You can either be a candidate for class president, campaign assistant, or poll worker. Also explain to me in 2-3 sentences why you want to be this position.
___________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
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