nominating candidates
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goals & objectives
Students will be able to describe the electoral process in primary and general elections.
Students will contrast in their discussions the primaries and caucuses as ways to nominate someone within a political party.
Students will summarize their own candidate statements in order learn about the nomination process when it comes to choosing a political candidate for President of the United States.
Students will contrast in their discussions the primaries and caucuses as ways to nominate someone within a political party.
Students will summarize their own candidate statements in order learn about the nomination process when it comes to choosing a political candidate for President of the United States.
CALIFORNIA STATE CONTENT STANDARDS & COMMON CORE LITERACY STANDARDS
12.6 Students evaluate issues regarding campaigns for national, state, and local elective offices.
2. Discuss the history of the nomination process for presidential candidates and the increasing importance of primaries in general elections.
2. Discuss the history of the nomination process for presidential candidates and the increasing importance of primaries in general elections.
common core state standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.3
Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2.B
Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.B
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.D
Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.8
Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.3
Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7
Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.2.B
Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.B
Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.3.D
Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.8
Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
driving historical question
How are primaries conducted as a method of choosing presidential candidates?
lesson introduction (8 minutes/dAY)
Day 1: Students who are on any kind of debate team, sports team, student government, cheerleading team, etc. will discuss the procedures on how their respective organization chooses their leader. For example, a sports team would be the only members who have jurisdiction to vote for a team captain, whereas someone from the student government is elected by the whole student body. After applicable students of the sports team discuss their scenarios of electing a leader, they will realize that electing a team captain is similar to the rules of a caucus where party leaders (instead of all students/voters) vote to nominate the party candidate. In theory, the team leader would represent the team of the school just like how the nominated political candidate would represent the political party of that caucus in a state. The only difference is that the election stops for that sports team and the election continues for that political candidate as there is still a general election to run in. The student government would be similar to a primary system as all students are allowed to vote just as all votes in a certain jurisdiction are allowed to vote.
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Day 2: Students will watch a short video on how primaries/caucuses are the cause of national conventions, which are the cause of general elections.
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vocabulary (10 mins [intro])
There is a Quizlet Activity on the Quizlet website. Students should have reviewed the vocabulary words on Quizlet for homework as the vocabulary words will be incorporated into the anticipatory set. It will be integrated as students compare/contrast their explanations of the nomination process of their respective organization to national elections. These vocabulary words would be used in hypothetical scenarios to make the best comparisons to the processes students go through within their organizations.
Caucus
Nominating Convention
Boss
Direct Primary
Closed Primary
Open Primary
Plurality
Runoff Primary
Ticket
Platform
Planks
Caucus
Nominating Convention
Boss
Direct Primary
Closed Primary
Open Primary
Plurality
Runoff Primary
Ticket
Platform
Planks
content delivery (12 minutes/day)
Day 1: Students will be given background information about the presidential nomination process and instructions for the lesson game. I will be reading the background portion and the Day 1 instructions portion of it. I will be dividing students into eight groups of 4 by numbering each student #1 through 4. There will be two groups that represent the presidential Republican & Democratic party leaders in the Iowa Caucuses, two groups that represent the Republican & Democratic voters in the New Hampshire Open Primaries, two groups that represent the Republican & Democratic voters in the South Carolina Closed Primaries, and two groups that represent the Republican & Democratic party leaders in the Nevada Caucuses. For each of the four Republican groups, each individual in the group will be given a choice of four Republican candidates to support. For each of the four Democratic groups, each individual in the group will be given a choice of four Republican candidates to support. In this hypothetical Election of 2016, the Republican candidates include Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich, and Herman Cain. The Democratic candidates include Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Joe Biden. Students who are in the state caucus groups will play the role of state party leaders. Students who are in the state primary groups will pretend like their group is their own family of registered voters who try to convince each other who the best candidate is for the job. After I read to them the instructions for the activity, I will pass out tablets to them so that they can research their candidates, and then monitor them as they do the exercise. Tablets will be collected at the end of class.
Day 2: I will instruct students to get out their candidate summaries and their instructions. I will briefly summarize the background of caucuses/primaries and read the instructions for Day 2. Students will be instructed to get into their groups once again, follow each step of their Day 2 instructions, and cross out instructions that are complete. If anyone has any questions about key words or certain directions, I will be sure to address it.
Day 2: I will instruct students to get out their candidate summaries and their instructions. I will briefly summarize the background of caucuses/primaries and read the instructions for Day 2. Students will be instructed to get into their groups once again, follow each step of their Day 2 instructions, and cross out instructions that are complete. If anyone has any questions about key words or certain directions, I will be sure to address it.
student engagement (30 minutes/day)
Day 1: Each group will be assigned one of the four presidential candidates for their respective party. Students will use their tablets to do research on the policy positions of the candidate of their choice. As they are doing research, they will create 2-3 paragraphs of reasons why they would vote for their candidate. It doesn't matter what they personally feel. For the assignment, the candidate they chose is who they support. They can list any reason why they would support that candidate including: personal characteristics, domestic policy reasons, foreign policy reasons, and/or social policy reasons.
Day 2: After students get their 2-3 paragraphs ready, each student will take 3-4 minutes to recite to their group why they support their candidate. Caucus groups will hypothetically act like state party leaders, while primary groups are hypothetically voters of their own family that they are trying to convince to change support. After all four students in each group finish reciting their reasons, students can decide whether they still support their own candidate or whether their peers convinced them to switch support for another candidate. Whichever candidate gets the most votes out of the four students, wins that respective state caucus or state primary. If there is a four way tie, someone has to decide to switch to another candidate so that there can be a winner. Students will nominate their presidential candidate by announcing the winner of each group: starting with the Iowa Caucus groups worth 54 delegates, then the New Hampshire primary groups worth 32 delegates, then the South Carolina primary groups worth 57 delegates, and finally the Nevada Caucuses worth 39 delegates. The Republican and Democratic candidates who get the most delegates are officially nominated as the presidential candidate for that party.
The activity then shifts. The class becomes a nominating convention because a volunteer for each party will be making a 3-4 minute speech in front of the class as the presidential candidate after all the national delegates have voted for that candidate. The volunteer has to preferably be a person who researched that candidate. When the nominating convention is finished, the class will then hypothetically turn into national voters. They will vote by secret ballot who they want to be President, and the winner is announced.
Day 2: After students get their 2-3 paragraphs ready, each student will take 3-4 minutes to recite to their group why they support their candidate. Caucus groups will hypothetically act like state party leaders, while primary groups are hypothetically voters of their own family that they are trying to convince to change support. After all four students in each group finish reciting their reasons, students can decide whether they still support their own candidate or whether their peers convinced them to switch support for another candidate. Whichever candidate gets the most votes out of the four students, wins that respective state caucus or state primary. If there is a four way tie, someone has to decide to switch to another candidate so that there can be a winner. Students will nominate their presidential candidate by announcing the winner of each group: starting with the Iowa Caucus groups worth 54 delegates, then the New Hampshire primary groups worth 32 delegates, then the South Carolina primary groups worth 57 delegates, and finally the Nevada Caucuses worth 39 delegates. The Republican and Democratic candidates who get the most delegates are officially nominated as the presidential candidate for that party.
The activity then shifts. The class becomes a nominating convention because a volunteer for each party will be making a 3-4 minute speech in front of the class as the presidential candidate after all the national delegates have voted for that candidate. The volunteer has to preferably be a person who researched that candidate. When the nominating convention is finished, the class will then hypothetically turn into national voters. They will vote by secret ballot who they want to be President, and the winner is announced.
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student closure (5 minutes/day)
Day 1: Students will do an exit ticket exercise where they will jot down one thing they have a question about, two things they learned, and three things they know that they can build on. Students will hand me their exit teachers before they leave the classroom.
Day 2: There will be a concluding discussion on what students learned from this assignment. Students will share their experiences and explain anything about the electoral process they learned. I will also explain to them that it takes campaign money to get the candidates' names out there for people to support them, which would be discussed in the next lesson. |
assessment
Formative - The Presidential Election 2016 game activity will require students to write a 2-3 paragraph summary of why they supported their candidate. I will collect it at the end of Day 2. Their effort in their summary and their participation will be taken into consideration when assignments are graded. I will keep track of their participation by monitoring each group and making sure that every student spoke to advocate for their candidate on the 2nd day.
Summative - The exit ticket exercise at the conclusion of the Day 1 class will be graded and counted toward their overall grade. I'll be grading based off of the quality of their answers. It will also be used to measure their progress in the unit.
Summative - The exit ticket exercise at the conclusion of the Day 1 class will be graded and counted toward their overall grade. I'll be grading based off of the quality of their answers. It will also be used to measure their progress in the unit.
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS, STRIVING READERS & STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
The Quizlet exercise is designed for struggling students along with all students to review before they come to the Day 1 class. If they did this for homework, it will help eliminate a lot of confusion for the lesson game. For the lesson game, it could get complicating for special needs students. This is why I have included hypothetical scenarios in the anticipatory set and a video explaining what the nomination process is. Every student will be given background information and directions for the two day activity. It will also be read to them. All they have to do is follow the steps and cross out each step they have completed. If it is confusing, they can ask me or their peers. I will also be reading every word in the directions at the beginning of each day. They are required to annotate for any word they do not understand. I will be elaborating on any word that may be too advanced for them especially the vocabulary. I will also write some of these advanced words on the board with a simplified word next to it so that students can annotate better. During the activity, these students will collaborate with their peers on what to look for when researching their candidates. When monitoring the room, I can offer sentence starters for those who do not know how to start the exercise.
resources
US Government textbook by Richard C. Pemy
Video: U.S. Elections: Caucuses Explained
Nominating the Presidential Candidate 2016 Game Worksheet
Quizlet
Video: U.S. Elections: Caucuses Explained
Nominating the Presidential Candidate 2016 Game Worksheet
Quizlet