Summary
Students will understand how the Electoral College works in presidential elections and identify its benefits and challenges.
Essential Question(s)
Does my vote count? How does the Electoral College affect voting in the US?
Snapshot
Engage
Students examine the popular vote between George W. Bush and Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential election. Students respond to the question, "Why did Al Gore lose?" Students will answer based upon the picture and/or any prior knowledge.
Explore
Students investigate further, why Al Gore lost, as an introduction to the Electoral College process. Students identify the electoral votes in the 2000 presidential election to understand how Bush won.
Explain
Students then read a variety of information about the Electoral College in more detail. Students will choose five facts from the information they read. They will meet with other students who read the same handout and both revise and expand their list. Student groups will present their facts to the class. The class will take notes using a graphic organizer.
Extend
The teacher has two options for the Extend activity. Choice one is for students to act as campaign managers for a Democratic or Republican presidential candidate. Representing their candidate, they map out a campaign strategy that will garner the most electoral college votes for their candidate. Another choice is for students to take a stand as to whether the electoral college is still the best choice for a presidential election or should the US, through a Constitutional amendment, opt for the popular vote of the majority.
Evaluate
The graphic organizer and the writing assignments in the extension section will serve as assessments.
Materials
Student Handouts 1-5 (attached)
Handout for Class Notes (attached)
Lesson Slides (attached)
Sample Electoral College Map Assignment (attached)
Paper
Markers
Engage
On slide 2 of the attached Lesson Slides, share the guiding questions. Move to slide 3. Tell students to silently examine the information under each presidential candidate's picture. Ask students to answer the question posed on this slide:
In 2000, who won the presidential election?
Ask for a show of hands to determine what students know of this election.
Move to slide 4, and ask the second question posted on the slide:
Why did George Bush win and not Al Gore?
Explore
Show the video of Does your Vote Count? The Electoral College Explained. The link to this video is embedded in slide 5 for your convenience.
Ask students to turn to an elbow partner and together on a scrap piece of paper, explain the Electoral College in one or two sentences to each other and in their own words. Have partners share their sentences aloud to the class. As the teacher, point out and discuss commonalities or similar statements. Summarize or restate what is known about the Electoral College process. To reinforce the electoral college process, as a class read aloud and summarize Article II, The Executive Branch, Section 1 of the Constitution and discuss the electoral college process that has been determined by the state legislature for your state.
Show the electoral map from the 2000 election on slide 6 to the class. Ask students to think about the questions on the slide. Have a class discussion about the questions. Ask students which of the states with the most electoral votes helped Bush win the election.
Explain
Pass out the graphic organizer to all students. Go over the various headings and explain the directions of the graphic organizer. Slide 7 has the following directions provided for students: You are to read one handout about the electoral college and how it has played a part in the election of presidents. Once you have completed your reading, write down five important facts that you think others should know from the reading. You will write these facts under the heading on your graphic organizer that is the same as the handout you read.
There are five handouts to read. Number students off 1-5 in the classroom. Hand students the appropriate numbered handout. The teacher should allow 20 to 25 minutes for each student to read the material assigned to them and to write five of the most important facts about that reading. The teacher should monitor how long students are working on task and make adjustments to the time as needed.
Once students have completed reading the assigned handout and created five important facts or ideas, move students into groups who have read the same handout. Allow 15- 20 minutes for this activity. Slide 9 has the directions for the group activity.
Have them share the 5 main ideas or important facts they wrote down with their group.
Discuss the facts shared and decide as a group what are 8 of the most important facts.
Revise their individual list so that everyone has the same 8 facts.
Determine which group members will present which facts or pieces of information to the class.
Give groups a piece of chart tablet and marker to write their 8 facts down.
Students will remain in groups and share their information with the class. Each group member will present one or two facts that came from the group list until all eight facts are shared. Students in the audience will copy these shared facts on to their own handout, as they are presented to the class.
Allow an additional 30 to 40 minutes for presenting and copying down the facts from all presentations.
Extend
45 Minute(s)
Choice 1 - Who will win? Scenario - Number students off as a one or two. Tell students number one that they are campaign managers for the Democratic presidential candidate for 2020. Students that were numbered as two will be campaign managers for the Republican presidential candidate for 2020. Pass out the Sample Electoral College Map. Group campaign managers of the same party into groups of three or four. Divide the room into the Democrats’ side and the Republican side. Have students sit in their respectful groups on their side of the room. Using the electoral college map, ask campaign managers to map out a strategy for their candidate. Which states are needed for their candidate to win? Where should their candidate concentrate their time? Historically, how has this state voted for presidential candidates? Does the state vote for more Democrats or Republicans? Have groups write out and present their campaign strategy to share with the class.
Choice 2 - Is the Electoral College outdated? Take a stance. You may wish to pass out the handout of Should the Electoral College Be Abolished? to all students. After reading or reviewing the handout again, have students create an email to one of their U.S. Senators that explains what they know about the Electoral College and their reasoning for wanting to keep this system or change it. They should support their reasoning with the facts that they learned from the reading AND the information provided in the lesson.
Evaluate
The graphic organizer of notes, group presentation and participation, and the extension writing choices will serve as assessments.
Resources
CNN 2016 Electoral College Map (2016). CNN.com website. http://www.cnn.com/election/interactive-electoral-college-map/
Article II, Section 1- Executive Branch (n.d.). The National Constitution Center. http://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/articles/article-ii
Levinson, Sandford. (n.d.) Interpretation of the Twelfth Amendment (excerpted). The National Constitution Center. http://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/amendments/amendment-xii
Bush V. Gore and the Presidential Election (2016). Bill of Rights Institute. http://billofrightsinstitute.org/educate/educator-resources/lessons-plans/presidents-constitution/bush-v-gore/
Database of Educational Resources K-12, North Carolina Education Consortium (n.d.). The Electoral College. http://civics.sites.unc.edu/files/2012/05/ElectoralCollege1.pdf
Scholastic. Inc. (2016). Should the Electoral College be Abolished. http://civics.sites.unc.edu/files/2012/05/ElectoralCollege1.pdf
K20 Center. (n.d.). Stop and jot. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/168
2000 Presidential Election (2016). 270 to Win. Retrieved from: http://www.270towin.com/2000_Election/
United States Presidential Election, 2000 (2016). Wikipedia. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2000
TED-Ed. (2012, November 1). Does your vote count? The Electoral College explained - Christina Greer [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9H3gvnN468