Essential Question
Delaware Content Standards Integrated in the Instructional Strategies
- For whom should I vote? Why? What is most important to me when I make this decision?
- Civics Standard Two 4-5b
- Civics Standard Four 4-5b
- Instructional Strategies
Strategy 1: Gathering Information
ABC Graffiti
This strategy groups students together to reach an understanding of a concept by either accessing prior knowledge at the beginning of a unit or accessing learned knowledge at the end of a unit.
Have a group of 2 - 4 students draw a rectangular box at the top of a sheet of paper. Give the following directions to each group:
- Write the question “What are the qualities of an effective leader?” in the box.
- Fold the paper down the middle to create two columns.
- Letter alphabetically A to M down the left side.
- Letter alphabetically N to Z down the right side.
Directions to students might include: Brainstorm characteristics of an effective leader together as a group and record them alphabetically A to Z. The leader might be someone who leads a school group or it might be the President of the United States. For instance, your group might write the word ‘honest’ for H.
Once students have written terms for each column, have each group agree on the best three terms that describe a good leader. Ask the group to circle the top three and share them with the class.
As a variation, students can complete the A-B-C Graffiti independently followed by each student sharing his/her top word. As students are sharing with each other, listeners can add, delete, or modify their original thinking.
Check for Understanding
Why should a voter look at a candidate’s qualities when deciding for whom to vote? Explain your answer.
Rubric
2 – This response gives a valid reason with an accurate and relevant explanation.
1 – This response gives a valid reason with an inaccurate, irrelevant, or no explanation.
Strategy 2: Gathering Information
Graphic Organizer
Have students use a graphic organizer to answer the following question:
- What are the Constitutional qualifications of elected officials?
Use the websites below, a textbook or other resources to complete the graphic organizer.
- Constitutional Requirements of Elected Leaders
- President
- Senators
- Representatives
- Delaware’s
- Governor
- Age
- Citizenship
- Residency
- Other Qualifications
Potential Research Resources:
- Election of the U.S. President
- Election of U.S. Senators
- Election of U.S. Representatives
- Delaware State Constitution – Article III, Section 6
Check for Understanding
Why might these Constitutional qualifications help voters select an effective leader? Explain your answer.
Rubric
2 – This response gives a valid reason with an accurate and relevant explanation.
1 – This response gives a valid reason with an inaccurate, irrelevant, or no explanation.If another constitutional requirement could be added to one of the elected positions, what would it be? Explain why you chose to add that requirement.
Rubric
2 – This response gives a valid constitutional requirement with an accurate and relevant explanation.
1 – This response gives a valid constitutional requirement with an inaccurate, irrelevant, or no explanation.
Strategy 3: Extending and Refining
Paper Pass
Participating in a paper pass allows students to activate prior knowledge and discuss misconceptions. Questions for this paper pass include:
- What are the requirements of voting in Delaware elections? (e.g. Who can vote? Who can’t?)
United States Citizen who is a Resident of Delaware (proof required); 18 years of age; Mentally competent- Why does my vote matter? (e.g. Why should I bother to vote?)
- It makes us equal because everyone has a vote no matter how rich or poor, etc.
- Each vote informs the nation what people think about different points of view on issues.
- Your vote will help a particular person win who will in turn impact our future- How does the voting process work? (e.g. Once I turn 18, how does my life as a voter begin and what do I need to do each election year?)
- Citizens have to register to vote and declare themselves a Democrat, Republican or Independent
- During a Presidential election year: Vote in the primary for your political party
- During a Presidential election year: Vote in the general election – If you are away during the election you can vote using an absentee ballot- What types of issues are discussed during elections? (e.g. What topics do the candidates use to try to persuade people to vote for them?)
Answers will vary but might include: education, the environment, health care, immigration, public safety/crime, national defense/war, etc.
First, the teacher writes each question on a separate sheet of oversized poster paper. Then students are divided into groups and one poster sheet is distributed to each group.
Ask students to brainstorm answers to the questions and write them below the question. Everyone in the group should have an opportunity to contribute.
Have groups pass their sheet clockwise to the next group. Each group will then repeat the brainstorming process for each of the next two questions.
Once a group receives the fourth question, they should find evidence to support or disprove what was written during the brainstorming sessions. On the same sheet, the group should record where they found the evidence (such as from a credible webpage, a textbook, or a reading distributed by the teacher). As each group finishes research, post the papers and present findings to the class.
Resources to support this strategy include:
- Elections 101
- Delaware’s voting requirements
- A video of how to use Delaware’s voting machines
Check for Understanding
What are the consequences when people do not vote? Explain your answer.
Rubric
2 – This response gives a valid consequence and an accurate and relevant explanation.
1 – This response gives a valid consequence and an inaccurate, irrelevant, or no explanation.
Strategy 4: Extending and Refining
Think-Pair-Square and Analyzing a Survey
Students should develop an understanding of what is important to them when selecting a candidate. Ask them to participate in developing, implementing, and analyzing a survey.
Note to teachers: Click here for background information about surveys. When helping students decide which questions might be asked, consider that many voters make choices based on a candidate’s experience, past performance in an elected role, or beliefs on issues of the day.
Steps in conducting a survey:
- Clarify the purposes: Why are we doing this survey?
- Define the study population: Who should take this survey?
- Sampling and estimating the sample size: How many people should take this survey so that there is a true sample?
- Decide what information to collect: What do we want to know from this survey?
- Decide how to measure the information: What questions do we ask to get this information? (Sample questions)
- Collect the data: Which method do we use to collect the data? For example, the survey may be given as an interview or online.
- Record, analyze, and interpret the data: What method of recording do we use? What do we know from this survey? The teacher may use the whiteboard or a computer/projector to assist the students in compiling the responses in a graphic organizer.
Have groups of two students respond to steps 1-4 above to begin to create a survey on what is important in a candidate.
Students will conduct a Think-Pair-Square strategy to complete all steps in conducting a survey.
This activity is built on the foundation of Think-Pair-Share without the class reporting. After Think-Pair-Share takes place, the partners team up with another set of partners creating groups of four students. Each group compares and contrasts the two sets of answers or solutions. From the two the group decides on a compromise. The whole class reports out on their decisions.
Have each group think about the information needed for the first four steps. After each group has completed the first four steps, have each group of two complete steps 5-7, then conduct a Think-Pair-Square as described above. Teachers may click here to view possible survey questions.
As each group of four finishes Step 5, have students respond to this question:
- How are your responses similar to or different from the responses of the other surveys?
The teacher may wish to have each group report out and create one survey that all students could give, or leave each group of four to administer their own. Note to teacher: You may go to surveymonkey to start an online survey for each group or for the entire class. A basic registration is free and easy to use. Teachers will be able to collect the responses for the group or class to analyze.
Conduct the survey. Each group will complete Step 7 by recording, interpreting, and summarizing the data.
To make connections at home, have students ask adults (parents or guardians, other teachers and school staff, district and school administration) to complete the survey and then compare answers using this graphic organizer.
Check for Understanding
Conduct a Think-Pair-Share strategy. Ask students:
- Which is most important to people – what a candidate for public office has done in the past or what a candidate says about the issues of the day?
- How do you think each can influence what a person thinks?
- Why might people have different opinions about what’s important in a candidate for public office? Explain your answer.
Rubric (3rd bullet)
2 – This response gives a valid reason with an accurate and relevant explanation.
1 – This response gives a valid reason with an inaccurate, irrelevant, or no explanation.
Strategy 5: Application
Developing a Graphic Organizer
Students regularly use graphics to organize information. Now that they are becoming familiar with the process of selecting candidates during the voting process, they should organize that information. At the top of their paper they should write the following question:
Which candidate for ______ has the characteristics I think are most important?
Note to teacher: Students may focus on a local, state, or federal election for this strategy.
Have students create the graphic organizer of their choice that will help them organize that information. It might look like:
| Characteristics Important to Me |
Candidate #1 | Candidate #2 | Candidate #3 |
| 1. | |||
| 2. |
Or, a series of webs for each candidate:
The student should complete the characteristics that are important to them, but leave the name of each candidate blank. They will use the graphic organizer to complete that information in lesson two.
Check for Understanding
Why should I decide what’s important about a candidate’s qualifications before I vote? Explain your answer.
Rubric
2 – This response gives a valid reason with an accurate and relevant explanation.
1 – This response gives a valid reason with an inaccurate, irrelevant, or no explanation.