Michelle Hofmann

Classroom campaigns

4

^th

and 5

^th

grade

September 15, 1996, 30 minutes, every other day for
two weeks with the final week being the final speeches and voting.

Performance Expectations:

Students will be able to mimic the campaign and voting
process to hold their own classroom elections. They will understand
the process and system of an election on a local level.

Materials Needed:

Posterboard of many colors, markers, scissors, button-making
machine, button materials, colored paper, lined paper, examples
of speeches and advertisements, tape, ticky-tack.

Directions:

Introduction:

Students will discuss the system of campaigning and
voting in their local community. If possible, have their local
mayor or alderman come in to discuss this process with them. The
class will then brainstorm what offices they feel are important
to have in their classroom.

Development:

1. 
   Students will sign up for the office(s) that
   they wish to run for.
   
2. 
   They students who do not wish to run may then
   divide into campaign groups. These groups will be developing a
   platform for their candidate to run on.
   
3. 
   Students will use examples of local campaign
   paraphernalia to develop their ideas for buttons and posters.
   
4. 
   Students may begin posting their signs and wearing
   their buttons during the second week.
   
5. 
   During this second week, students may have their
   campaign group present 30 second/one minute commercials at the
   end of the day on Wednesday and Friday.
   
6. 
   Focusing on the issues of their campaign platform,
   students in each group will work with the candidate to write a
   speech that the candidate will present in front of the class during
   the week of voting.
   

Closure:

During the final week candidates will give their
final speeches on Monday afternoon.

On Wednesday, each student will cast their ballot
into the ballot box. The votes will be tallied by the teacher
and offices will be announced on Friday.

Assessment:

Students will turn in a peer evaluation forms of
their group. The teacher may use a checklist involving the criteria:
cooperation, campaign paraphernalia, quality of speech drafts,
etc.

Adaption:

Students could choose actual political candidates
from a time period in history and create their platform for them.
They could either use the issues that they ran on or create those
that they feel would have been significant then.

Consideration:

Some parents are particularly sensitive to political
issues. Religion may also be a factor.

Created by Michelle Hofmann and Sue Hofmann.