Summary
In this lesson, students develop computational thinking skills by role-playing as a campaign manager in political elections. Students begin by considering and discussing a set of statements related to the election process used in the United States. Next, students participate in two separate activities designed to introduce them to vocabulary terms that are frequently used during a political campaign or election cycle. To extend their learning, students will play the Operation: ELECT online game so that they can apply their prior knowledge and practice computational thinking. Finally, students will respond to a series of written prompts that will allow them to demonstrate what they have learned from playing the game.
Essential Question(s)
What factors influence political elections? How do political candidates reach their desired office?
Snapshot
Engage
Students complete an anticipation guide and discuss the questions as a class using the Two Corners strategy.
Explore
Students are introduced to new vocabulary using the I Have Who Has strategy.
Explain
Students engage with targeted vocabulary by using the Password strategy.
Extend
Students extend their understanding of the concepts by playing Operation: ELECT in the K20 game portal.
Evaluate
Students evaluate their learning with a Quick Write prompt response.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
Two Corners Signs (attached)
Operation: ELECT Teacher’s Guide (attached; one for facilitator)
Operation: ELECT Teacher Handout (attached; one for facilitator)
Game Portal Guide (attached; one for facilitator)
Anticipation Guide Handout (attached; one per student)
I Have Who Has Cards (attached; one set; printed front only)
I Have Who Has Cards (Spanish) (attached; optional; one set; printed front only)
I Have Who Has Graphic Organizer (attached; one per student; front and back)
Vocabulary Cards (attached; one set per group)
Quick Write Prompts handout (attached; class set)
Devices with internet access
Pens/Pencils
Notebook paper
Card Stock Paper (optional)
Engage
15 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to guide the lessons. Display slides 3–4 to introduce the lesson’s essential questions and learning objectives.
Transition to slide 5 and distribute the attached Anticipation Guide handout to each student. Using the Anticipation Guide strategy, students read each statement and decide if they agree or disagree with the statements. Allow students approximately five minutes to complete the Anticipation Guide, or adjust this time as needed.
Once students have completed the guide, display slide 6 and explain that there are two signs around the room for a modified Four Corners strategy. As you read a statement, students should move to either the “Agree” or “Disagree” side. Once at their sign, they should discuss in their groups why they made that choice and elect a spokesperson to share out for the group. Repeat this step for all of the statements on the Anticipation Guide.
Explore
25 Minute(s)
Show slide 7 and explain the I Have Who Has strategy to the students. Next, distribute a copy of the I Have Who Has Graphic Organizer handout to each student and divide students into groups of four. If you have an odd number or uneven groups for some reason, then you can give a student multiple cards if necessary.
Each student group will be working with a set of cards that corresponds with a group of terms related to political campaigns. Student groups will move between the stations and collect information about each term to add to their graphic organizers.
During each rotation, each student should take one card from the set as their own. They will find out what that term means by reading the card and then share that information with their group members using the I Have Who Has strategy. As one student is reading their card, the other students should add the definition to their graphic organizer in the appropriate column.
When students are finished and ready to advance to the next station, make sure they leave the set of cards at the station so the next group can use them. Each rotation should take approximately 5–10 minutes.
At the end of the activity, students will independently add a definition of each term in their own words and draw a visual representation of the term on their graphic organizer. They will be able to refer to this handout later in the lesson during the Password activity and while playing the Operation: ELECT game.
Explain
15 Minute(s)
Keep students in their small groups from the previous activity. Display slide 8 and let students know that they will be playing a game called Password. Take a couple of minutes to go over the rules with your students and ensure that all of your students understand how the game is played.
Make sure to explain to students that each group will be asked to draw a word from the pile of Vocabulary Cards, which you will pass out to each table at this point in the lesson. Emphasize that the object of the game is to provide the other students in their group with different clues that will allow them to guess the “password” written on the card they have selected. Remember, you cannot say the password when giving clues.
Instructions for each round of the game are as follows:
Round 1: Students will use phrases or sentences to describe the password to the students who are guessing.
Round 2: Students can only use one word at a time to describe the password to the guessing students. If students do not guess the word based on one clue, they can add another word or phrase.
Round 3: Students will have the option of acting out the term or drawing a picture, and students will have to use the visual clues in order to guess the password.
At the start of each round, set the 5-minute timer on slide 9. In each round of the game, the person providing clues must make sure not to reveal the password until a student has correctly guessed it.
Make sure that each student in a group has a chance to pick a word and provide clues for their classmates during each round. Also, make sure that students cast aside terms when they have been guessed so that they are not reused. You should plan to allot about five minutes for each round of the game.
Extend
60 Minute(s)
Introduce the students to Operation: ELECT. It is recommended that you play through the game at least once before teaching with it so that you have a general understanding of how the game functions.
The student will take on the role of a campaign manager for a political candidate.
The student will manage campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels to represent the different kinds of elections that take place within the United States.
The student’s goal is to win the election at each stage of the game by accumulating the most votes, or the most electoral delegates in the case of the presidential election.
The student will use their available currency to perform actions, which will influence the voters every week leading up to the election at the end of each round.
The student will spend their currency to perform a variety of different actions during each week of the election cycle. Examples include the following: running voter registration drives, starting grassroots campaigns, running issues or smear campaigns, hosting fundraiser events, and holding rallies.
The actions the player chooses to perform during each week will affect the candidate’s favorability among voters, the amount of funds available to the campaign, the number of total voters within a district, etc.
Have your students play through the tutorial and first round of the game. This should take approximately 10–15 minutes to complete. The tutorial will show the player how to use the game’s basic mechanics. The rounds should move faster as students gain a better understanding of how the game works and their responsibilities as the campaign manager.
Students will continue to advance through the four remaining rounds as they apply what they learned in round 1 and the tutorial to manage elections at the local, state, and national levels of government. The presidential election in the final round is designed to simulate the electoral college system that is used in presidential elections. The winners of all other elections are solely based on who receives the most votes from the voter population.
You should plan to allot at least an hour of time for students to play through the game.
Evaluate
15 Minute(s)
Display slide 10 and introduce the Quick Write instructional strategy. Distribute the Quick Write Prompts handout to every student and have them take out a piece of paper to write their response.
Explain to students that they will apply the knowledge from the game to write a response. Let them know that they will have 15 minutes to complete their responses, and each question should be answered in two or three complete sentences. Collect students' responses as a summative assessment.
Resources
K20 Center. (n.d.). Anticipation guide. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/2364
K20 Center. (n.d.). Four corners. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/138
K20 Center. (n.d.). I have who has. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/1497
K20 Center. (2021, September 21). K20 Center 5 minute timer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVS_yYQoLJg
K20 Center. (2021, September 21). K20 Center 15 minute timer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3zT2IxZQaw
K20 Center. (n.d.). Password. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/106
K20 Center. (n.d.). Quick write. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/1127
