Lesson 6: Class President: The Election
Teacher: Brittany Hughes
Grade Level: 4th Subject Area: Social Studies
Time Needed: 1 Class period Topic: The Election
Essential Questions:
· What are the main events that occur during the actual voting process for an official?
· How can candidates campaign to encourage voters to vote for them?
Lesson Goals:
· Students will discuss the responsibilities and characteristics of their future class president noting why each is important.
· Students will give or listen to speeches from the class president candidates and reflect on each classmate’s words to decide on the candidate they believe will benefit the class the most.
· Students will vote for the class president candidate that they feel will best fulfill the duties of the class by completing ballots in a polling station.
· Students will support and be positive towards the candidate that is elected class president.
MMSD Standards:
NCSS Standards:
Materials Needed:
· Class President Book
· Chalkboard
· Student speeches and posters
· Library (or other large space)
· Boards to designate voting stations
· Ballots
· Red Pens
· Paper to tally votes
· Exit Slips
Lesson Context: This is the final lesson in the mock classroom election and it is the time the students are given to vote for and elect a class president. As a result, students who do not get elected may become very upset with the results. Teachers need to be aware of this possibility and continuously remind students throughout the lesson that they need to be respectful and positive to one another no matter the outcome. Also it would be a good idea for the teacher to also remind students that just because they did not get elected does not mean they cannot tell the class president their ideas and offer them their help if they need it. The students worked very hard throughout this election process so it is also important for teachers to thank students for their hard work.
Lesson Opening: Read the remaining chapter of Class President to the students in the back of the room. Discuss the concluding events of the chapter. Ask students if they were surprised by the end of the book and who won the class president election and why or why not. Also ask students how the students campaigned in the book and how it was similar and different to our class election. In addition ask the students if they think the character from the book will be a good president and why or why not. Allow students to discuss the book and its relevance to their classroom election.
Procedures:
1. Have students return to their seats and tell them that it now the time they have been working so hard for; it is election time. Remind students that they are going to be voting for a class president. Ask students to share some of the responsibilities the decided were important for their class president to have as well as the characteristics they came up with. As students offer answers expand on their responses by asking why those responsibilities and characteristics are vital for their president to have.
2. Thank students for all of their hard and dedicated work and tell them that it is now time for it all to be used. Have the students who are running for class president come to the front of the room with their campaign posters and speeches. Announce each candidate to the class. Next tell students that you are going to give each candidate a few minutes to first show their political poster to their class and read their speeches. Ask the students who are not running for office to tell you what kind of listeners they should be during the candidate speeches and how they should be acting. Students should be able to say they will be quiet, paying attention, listening, not touching anyone, they should be sitting straight up, etc. Also note that it is okay for students to clap and cheer for the candidates but there will be no booing or negative actions towards a candidate because that is disrespectful and their classmates put a lot of hard work into their poster and speech.
3. Give each candidate the chance to read their speech and share their poster with their classmates while clapping for each candidate when they are done. When all candidates have been given their time to inform their voters about themselves tell the students it is now time to do the voting. However before you leave to vote remind students that during this time they should critically be thinking about each of the speeches they just heard and reflecting on which candidate they honestly think will do the best job. Bring up the novel you are reading and remind students how the popular character in that book did not win the election in that classroom and that it was the character that had the best ideas and cared the most that won. As a result have students spend a few moments thinking about how they feel about each of the candidates in their class election. Make sure students do not share who they are going to vote for with others. Tell students that your choice is personal and it does not need to be shared.
4. Take students to the library where you have already set up a polling station. There will be a long table in the front of the polling station where the poll workers will sit and mark voters in, give voters their ballot, and collect ballots. In addition there will be four to five actual voting stations that will also be at tables. The tables will be divided into small sections by large boards. At each station will be a red pen for the students to mark their ballot with. Have the poll workers take their positions at the front polling table. Have the rest of the students form a line at the front polling table.
5. One by one the students will take turns walking up to the front polling table, giving the poll workers their name, getting checked off by the poll worker, be given a ballot by a poll worker, going to an available voting station, marking their vote, and then handing in the ballot to a poll worker. The poll workers will keep the ballots they receive in a pile face down as they are collected not looking at who the student voted for. Also remember that poll workers have the right to vote, so they will take turns voting as well. After a student has voted they will find a book in the library to read and read it quietly so their classmates can vote in a relaxed setting.
6. When all students have voted, the poll workers will take all the ballots and record the results by tallying the votes for each candidate. Once the poll workers have come to a winner they will show the results to the teacher who will check their work.
7. Students will then go back to their classroom where they will take their seats. The teacher will once again thank all the students for all their hard work and remind students that even if they did not win the class president election or the person they wanted to win did not win does not mean that they should yell and get upset. They need to respect who has won and give them support. Whoever is elected class president is going to be able to help all the students in the class so they need to be positive towards them. Teacher should announce the winner and have that student come to the front of the class and have him or her say a few words about thanking their classmates, telling them what they want to do now that they are elected, etc. Students should all congratulate their new class president.
Closure/Assessment: Have students fill out the following exit slip: “In 3-4 sentences explain what you think your newly elected class president should do to help make your classroom/school a better place. What kinds of things should they be thinking about and doing to make sure they are helping out all members of your class?” Collect the slips as students leave. Share the responses with the newly elected class president the next day so that they have an idea about what their classmates want and expect from them so that they can begin to work towards meeting those desires.
Grade Level: 4th Subject Area: Social Studies
Time Needed: 1 Class period Topic: The Election
Essential Questions:
· What are the main events that occur during the actual voting process for an official?
· How can candidates campaign to encourage voters to vote for them?
Lesson Goals:
· Students will discuss the responsibilities and characteristics of their future class president noting why each is important.
· Students will give or listen to speeches from the class president candidates and reflect on each classmate’s words to decide on the candidate they believe will benefit the class the most.
· Students will vote for the class president candidate that they feel will best fulfill the duties of the class by completing ballots in a polling station.
· Students will support and be positive towards the candidate that is elected class president.
MMSD Standards:
- Political Science and Citizenship: Standard 2: List the ways in which a citizen can participate in state government.
- Political Science and Citizenship: Standard 3. Identify a major government official at the state level and explain how he/she is elected.
NCSS Standards:
- Standard 3: People, Places, and Environments
- Standard 4: Individual Development and Identity
- Standard 5: Individuals, groups, and Institutions
- Standard 10: Civic Ideals and Practices
Materials Needed:
· Class President Book
· Chalkboard
· Student speeches and posters
· Library (or other large space)
· Boards to designate voting stations
· Ballots
· Red Pens
· Paper to tally votes
· Exit Slips
Lesson Context: This is the final lesson in the mock classroom election and it is the time the students are given to vote for and elect a class president. As a result, students who do not get elected may become very upset with the results. Teachers need to be aware of this possibility and continuously remind students throughout the lesson that they need to be respectful and positive to one another no matter the outcome. Also it would be a good idea for the teacher to also remind students that just because they did not get elected does not mean they cannot tell the class president their ideas and offer them their help if they need it. The students worked very hard throughout this election process so it is also important for teachers to thank students for their hard work.
Lesson Opening: Read the remaining chapter of Class President to the students in the back of the room. Discuss the concluding events of the chapter. Ask students if they were surprised by the end of the book and who won the class president election and why or why not. Also ask students how the students campaigned in the book and how it was similar and different to our class election. In addition ask the students if they think the character from the book will be a good president and why or why not. Allow students to discuss the book and its relevance to their classroom election.
Procedures:
1. Have students return to their seats and tell them that it now the time they have been working so hard for; it is election time. Remind students that they are going to be voting for a class president. Ask students to share some of the responsibilities the decided were important for their class president to have as well as the characteristics they came up with. As students offer answers expand on their responses by asking why those responsibilities and characteristics are vital for their president to have.
2. Thank students for all of their hard and dedicated work and tell them that it is now time for it all to be used. Have the students who are running for class president come to the front of the room with their campaign posters and speeches. Announce each candidate to the class. Next tell students that you are going to give each candidate a few minutes to first show their political poster to their class and read their speeches. Ask the students who are not running for office to tell you what kind of listeners they should be during the candidate speeches and how they should be acting. Students should be able to say they will be quiet, paying attention, listening, not touching anyone, they should be sitting straight up, etc. Also note that it is okay for students to clap and cheer for the candidates but there will be no booing or negative actions towards a candidate because that is disrespectful and their classmates put a lot of hard work into their poster and speech.
3. Give each candidate the chance to read their speech and share their poster with their classmates while clapping for each candidate when they are done. When all candidates have been given their time to inform their voters about themselves tell the students it is now time to do the voting. However before you leave to vote remind students that during this time they should critically be thinking about each of the speeches they just heard and reflecting on which candidate they honestly think will do the best job. Bring up the novel you are reading and remind students how the popular character in that book did not win the election in that classroom and that it was the character that had the best ideas and cared the most that won. As a result have students spend a few moments thinking about how they feel about each of the candidates in their class election. Make sure students do not share who they are going to vote for with others. Tell students that your choice is personal and it does not need to be shared.
4. Take students to the library where you have already set up a polling station. There will be a long table in the front of the polling station where the poll workers will sit and mark voters in, give voters their ballot, and collect ballots. In addition there will be four to five actual voting stations that will also be at tables. The tables will be divided into small sections by large boards. At each station will be a red pen for the students to mark their ballot with. Have the poll workers take their positions at the front polling table. Have the rest of the students form a line at the front polling table.
5. One by one the students will take turns walking up to the front polling table, giving the poll workers their name, getting checked off by the poll worker, be given a ballot by a poll worker, going to an available voting station, marking their vote, and then handing in the ballot to a poll worker. The poll workers will keep the ballots they receive in a pile face down as they are collected not looking at who the student voted for. Also remember that poll workers have the right to vote, so they will take turns voting as well. After a student has voted they will find a book in the library to read and read it quietly so their classmates can vote in a relaxed setting.
6. When all students have voted, the poll workers will take all the ballots and record the results by tallying the votes for each candidate. Once the poll workers have come to a winner they will show the results to the teacher who will check their work.
7. Students will then go back to their classroom where they will take their seats. The teacher will once again thank all the students for all their hard work and remind students that even if they did not win the class president election or the person they wanted to win did not win does not mean that they should yell and get upset. They need to respect who has won and give them support. Whoever is elected class president is going to be able to help all the students in the class so they need to be positive towards them. Teacher should announce the winner and have that student come to the front of the class and have him or her say a few words about thanking their classmates, telling them what they want to do now that they are elected, etc. Students should all congratulate their new class president.
Closure/Assessment: Have students fill out the following exit slip: “In 3-4 sentences explain what you think your newly elected class president should do to help make your classroom/school a better place. What kinds of things should they be thinking about and doing to make sure they are helping out all members of your class?” Collect the slips as students leave. Share the responses with the newly elected class president the next day so that they have an idea about what their classmates want and expect from them so that they can begin to work towards meeting those desires.
