Lesson Plan : The Presidential Election Process

Teacher Name:
 Tyler Hackett
Grade:
 Grade 11-12
Subject:
 Social Studies

Topic:
 The Presidential Election Process, The Political Party system.
Content:
 This November there will be a presidential election. this is the perfect time to learn about the election process. This lesson can be completed in 40 minutes. This is one lesson out of several to teach the many areas that are involved in the election process. This lesson will teach students where how to use technology to become more aware and informative about the presidential candidates.
Goals:
 1) Students will know who the two major candidates that will be running for election are and what party they are affiliated with. Social Study Standard 5, ELA standard, 7 and 8, NETS standard 2 and 3. 2) Students will understand what each of the two parties have used for their political platform and the major issues that each is addressing in the upcoming election that are provided in the party websites.
Objectives:
 Given notes on PowerPoint, students will identify the two major candidates that are running in the November election. Given the internet students will find the two sites that provide informative information for each of the two parties. Given the internet students will locate each party's main website and write down five issues that each candidate is address in the election.
Materials:
 A computer with PowerPoint to give a class presentation. One computer for every two students that is connected to the internet.
Introduction:
 Students will sit in class for a five minute overview of the two presidential candidates that will be given to them through a PowerPoint presentation by the teacher.
Development:
 Students will be given direction to the tasks that they will do on the computers.
Practice:
 In groups of two students will use search engines to find informative sites on the two candidates. They then will find the two homepages of the candidate�s party.
Accommodations:
 For my student that is learning disables, he will have extra time during his study hall to work with me to learn how to search the web for informative sites.
Checking For Understanding:
 The next class the student�s will have to go to the computer lab and find a homepage to any third party candidate. this will show me that they can effectively use the internet to find information about the candidates that are running.
Closure:
 The class will end with a discussion of what they found. they will share there information and I will make a list of all the sites that the students found and hand it out to the students so they have it to help them with there research for the unit project on the election process. the students will be using different thinking levels to find and use the information that they gather.
Evaluation:
 I think this lesson will be a good way to teach the students where to find information to make informative decisions when they are able to vote. This will also teach them the difference between good sites with relevant information verses a site that the information might not be valid.
Teacher Reflections:
 Our students were able to experience the fact-finding procedure of informed voters. We chose not to develop the concept of political parties beyond the introductory level, but many student visited election headquarters of various candidates.

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