OUTSTANDING Elections Unit Study Resources & Reference Information!
From Eclectic Homeschool Online
Robyn would like to thank Beverly S. Krueger of Eclectic Homeschool Online for giving us permission to post this excellent election article. The Eclectic Homeschool Online is an online homeschool magazine and community for creative homeschoolers.
Elections Unit Study Resources & Reference Information
By
Beverly S. Krueger
We
are one year from the next major election in the United States. The
coming year will see plenty of opportunities to explore how the
electoral process works with your children. The resources listed here
can be used to create a unit study or for reference to explore
questions as they arise. For those who really want a hands-on approach
to learning, volunteering to assist in a local campaign is a great way
to learn all kinds of skills and an understanding of how we elect the
officials that create our laws and run our country. In addition, you
might want to do some of our suggested activities.
Activity Ideas
- Develop a campaign poster for a candidate you support.
- Write
a television or radio advertisement for a candidate you support. Make
your own video or audio production of the advertisement.
- Research a campaign issue and make a chart comparing the views of candidates on that issue.
- Attend a campaign rally or visit the local office of a candidate.
- Volunteer to work for a campaign for someone running for a local office.
- Use
polling date to determine the outcome of the presidential election
including the popular vote by state and the electoral vote by state.
- Visit
the website of a candidate and write a report on the issues that define
that candidate. What does he strongly support? Are there issues that he
does not address? What does his record say about what he really
believes?
- Visit a number of issue oriented groups to see
how they rate candidates. Project Vote Smart has a feature that gives
you links to various issues and organizations that rate candidates.
http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating.php
- Participate in the National Student/Parent Mock Election
Elections in General
Federal Election Commission
A
variety of resources about elections and the 2008 election including a
presidential campaign finance map and a quick answers section that
address questions about how to register to vote, what a political
action committee is, and what the FEC does.
Project Vote Smart
A volunteer organization that compiles information
and statistics on political candidates from publicly available
documents, their own candidate survey, and evaluations of over 100
competing special interest groups. No single candidate, party, or
political issue is advocated.
National Student/Parent Mock Election
On
October 30, 2008, American students and parents in all 50 states,
Washington, D.C., and around the world will cast their votes for
senators, congressmen, and governors (where there is a race) and on key
national issues. Curriculum is available. You can enroll as an
individual or group.
Ben's Guide: Election Process
These pages explain the election process for Federal officials.
Grades 9-12
Grades 6-8
Grades 3-5
Election Statistics
Since 1920, the Clerk of the House has collected
and published the official vote counts for federal elections from the
official sources among the various states and territories.
Elections: The American Way
How have American elections changed over time? What similarities can we see in elections yesteryear and today?
Vote: The Machinery of Democracy
This
exhibition looks at the history of voting methods in the United States,
which are as varied as the individual states and their local election
districts. Vote: The Machinery of Democracy explores how ballots and
voting systems have evolved over the years as a response to political,
social, and technological change, transforming the ways in which
Americans vote.
Iz and Auggie Go to the Polls
With
this Derby, students will learn the fundamentals of Internet research
and apply their knowledge of key aspects of American government. The
Derby does all of this in a fun, engaging context!
Elections Teacher's Guide
Requires the Appleseeds Vote! All About Elections issue.
Presidential Elections
Every Four Years: Electing a President
This
exhibition examines presidential elections, with a particular emphasis
on elections in the last 80 years when radio and television brought
these campaigns into the living rooms of homes across America. Text,
photographs, graphic images, original artifacts and campaign
memorabilia, as well as audio and video stations will be featured in
the exhibition. In addition, a series of activity areas will invite
visitors to participate in election activities such as mock voting and
campaigning.
PolitiFact
PolitiFact
is a project of the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly to
help you find the truth in the presidential campaign. Every day,
reporters and researchers from the Times and CQ will analyze the
candidates' speeches, TV ads and interviews and determine whether the
claims are accurate.
Presidential Elections
Requires the Cobblestone Presidential Elections issue.
Electoral College
US Electoral College
The
official government website with a lengthy FAQ about the Electoral
College, it's history and how it functions, information about the 2008
election, teaching resources, and other election resources.
270 to Win
270towin.com
is an interactive Electoral College map for 2008 and a history of
presidential elections in the United States. Since electoral votes are
generally allocated on an "all or none" basis by state, the election of
a U.S President is about winning the popular vote in enough states to
achieve 270 electoral votes, a majority of the 538 that are available.
Electoral College Calculator
This calculator allows you to create your own
scenario and save it. It includes an article that offers insights on
how to predict an election. Information currently is focused on the
2004 election.
Electoral College Teacher's Guide
Requires the Cobblestone September 2004 issue, "Electoral College."
National, State, & Local Elections
Congressional Quarterly: CQ Politics
Information on Senate and House races as well as the presidential election.
Campaigns & Elections
Election news including a state by state election news feature.
National Association of Secretaries of State
Listings
for states and territories of the United States. Find your state and
visit your state's Secretary of State website for official information
about statewide elections and voting.
The 50 State Pages
State
and congressional candidates, campaigns, elections, state parties,
local news sources, and other resources for state level election
information.
Project Vote Smart: Local Election Links
Listings by state and county.
Political Parties
Directory of US Political Parties
Information about major parties and third parties including major figures and links to party websites.
Republican Party
Democratic Party
Political Cartoons
American Political Prints
For
most of the modern period, the printing press has been the primary
instrument of political expression. (In the twentieth century the
broadcast media emerged, and perhaps the Internet will inherit this
role in the twenty-first century.) One medium in particular
printmaking -- has been at the center of Western political life for
over five centuries. Introduced at a time when images could be copied
only by hand, printmaking made it possible to reproduce an image,
combine it with text, and then replicate it by the thousands for
widespread distribution. This capability gave rise to the posters,
broadsides, handbills, cartoons, and other sorts of graphics that have
since become essential to partisan struggle.
Presidential Elections 1860 to 1912
Political cartoons from a number of publications including information about each cartoon and its political context.
Election Comic Strips Vocabulary
Combines the use of terminology appropriate to elections and visual pictures to enhance vocabulary acquisition.
Political Polls and Analysis
PollingReport.com
Includes polling information on the presidential and congressional elections.
The Cook Political Report
The
Cook Political Report is a non-partisan, online analysis of electoral
politics. Some information available but most requires subscription.
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball
A
comprehensive Web site run by the University of Virginia's Center for
Politics, Center Director Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball features
detailed and frequently updated analyses for a wide spectrum of races
from around the country. The Crystal Ball keeps tabs on presidential
elections, along with every Senate and gubernatorial race, as well as
the tightest campaigns for the House.
Media Resources
CBS News Campaign 2008
CNN Election Center 2008
ABC News Vote 2008
C-Span Election 2008
Fox News You Decide 2008
Washington Post Elections
New York Times Politics
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