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Election lesson plan | Your vote counts

 

To learn what makes a good candidate, students get to create a campaign for office for their favorite TV character.

Subject

Language Arts, Civics

Grades
Pre-K, K-2

Return to Election Day: More lesson ideas

Return to Presidential election: Teachable moment

Brief description

Students build an election campaign around their favorite TV characters. 

Objectives

Students learn about candidates, slogans, qualifications, and voting using the activities in this lesson.

Keywords

election, vote, Sesame Street

Materials needed

teacher-created campaign posters, ballots, ballot box, "I Voted" stickers

Lesson plan

The Your vote counts! teaching unit introduces young children to the concept of voting. Students start by selecting certain activities, such as choosing the story for the day, the game for the day, and so on. Emphasize to students that they can vote only once. Next, students pretend the class needs another helper. Cookie Monster and the Count both want the job, but the class can vote for only one helper. Students learn about candidates, slogans, and qualifications through posters and classroom discussions. The culmination is the election for the classroom helper, complete with voting booth, ballots, and "I Voted" stickers.

Assessment

Assess students on their interest in and knowledge of the election process.

Lesson Plan Source

Teacher Kathleen Carpenter (shared her lesson on Teachers.Net Lesson Bank)

Submitted By

Lois Lewis

Last updated 02/28/2016