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How Does the Primary Process Work?

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Subjects

  • Educational Technology
  • Social Studies
    --Civics
    --Current Events
    --Economics
    --Geography
    --Government
    --History
    ----U.S. History

Grade

  • 3-5
  • 6-8
  • 9-12

 



Brief Description

Learn how the primary and caucus process works. Work sheet included.

Objectives

Students will

Keywords

election, primary, caucus, election, president

Materials Needed

 

Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students learn about the presidential primary process by using the How Does the Primary Process Work? resource from Project Vote Smart. (Students can access this document online, or you can provide printed copies of this 2-page resource.)

 

This adaptable lesson can be used in many different ways, including the following:
-- Students can do this activity on their own or in pairs.
-- You can post this as a classroom computer center activity. Students access the resource online and complete the comprehension activity at some time during the week.
-- You can present the activity as a listening activity. Read the resource aloud and have students complete the follow-up comprehension activity. (That approach is not recommended for lower grades.)

Click here for the How Does the Primary Process Work? Comprehension Activity. See the Answer Key for this activity in the Assessment section below.

Additional Resources
The following resources provides additional easy-to-understand background on the primary process. You might share these excellent primers as part of your introduction to the above lesson:

  • What's a Primary Election? (Scholastic)
  • About the Primary - Caucus - Convention System (About.com)
  • How the President of the U.S. Is Elected (Enchanted Learning)
  • Election Process (Ben's Guide)
  • The Primaries (a resource from the UK)

    Assessment

    Students correctly answer at least 8 of 10 questions on the comprehension activity worksheet.

    ANSWER KEY: Award one point for each correct response.

    1.a, 2.d, 3.b, 4.b, 5.T, 6.F, 7.T, 8.T, 9.F, 10.T.

    Lesson Plan Source

    Education World

    Submitted By

    Gary Hopkins

    National Standards

    LANGUAGE ARTS: English
    GRADES K - 12
    NL-ENG.K-12.2 Reading for Understanding
    NL-ENG.K-12.8 Developing Research Skills

    SOCIAL SCIENCES: Civics
    GRADES K - 4
    NSS-C.K-4.1 What Is Government?
    NSS-C.K-4.3 Principles of Democracy
    NSS-C.K-4.5 Roles of the Citizen
    GRADES 5 - 8
    NSS-C.5-8.1 Civic Life, Politics, and Government
    NSS-C.5-8.2 Foundations of the American Political System
    NSS-C.5-8.3 Principles of Democracy
    NSS-C.5-8.5 Roles of the Citizen
    GRADES 9 - 12
    NSS-C.9-12.1 Civic Life, Politics, and Government
    NSS-C.9-12.2 Foundations of the Political System
    NSS-C.9-12.3 Principles of Democracy
    NSS-C.9-12.5 Roles of the Citizen

    SOCIAL SCIENCES: U.S. History
    GRADES K - 4
    NSS-USH.K-4.3 The History of the United States: Democratic Principles and Values and the People from Many Cultures Who Contributed to Its Cultural, Economic, and Political Heritage
    GRADES 5 - 12
    NSS-USH.5-12.10 Era 10: Contemporary United States (1968 to the Present)

    Find more activities for teaching about the presidential primaries in Education World's Primaries, Voting, Elections archive.

    You might find additional activities of value on our President's Day resources page.

    Click here to return to this week's Lesson Planning article, Electing a President: Lessons for Teaching About the Presidential Primaries.