Growing Voters and the 2008 Presidential Election - Classroom Activity Materials for Teachers, Grades 1-12

Free downloadable classroom activities, websites, rubrics and more. A Real Civics curriculum initiative from Lesley University faculty member Jo-Anne Hart

The campaign season is in full swing. The upcoming election is a quintessential teachable moment. Are you ready? Here are some ideas for your classroom.

Our broad range of original, ready-to-use, grade-specific learning activities and web resources help you integrate the 2008 election immediately into your classroom, bring it to life, make it relevant to your students. These materials, developed in consultation with classroom teachers from around the country (see About the Project), help you use it creatively and effectively. Each activity set is built for student-centered active engagement to maximize your students' involvement and motivation.

Check out these SAMPLE student activities

Civic Lemonade Stand	Candidate Debate with "Spin Room"
Students Blog the Issues	Create Online Newspaper for "First" in White House
Kid Reporters in Action	Kid to Kid: teach younger students
All politics is local: predict by county	Students conduct own survey
Make campaign ads	Create "Why Vote" pamphlet

Organized around essential questions
Aligned to national standards
Accompanied by well-developed rubrics
Include extensions to other subjects like math, English and art

You are invited to select from among this downloadable collection those elements that work best for you and your class. The units are designed to be used in parts or as a whole -- pick and choose, mix and match. All of the units are designed to foster collaboration within and between classes, grades, schools, districts and states, if desired.

In addition to the lesson plans, this site also contains a list of links to free, Web-based resources that you and your students will find valuable in teaching and learning about the 2008 election. They have been carefully screened by teachers like you, so that you can feel confident that they are accurate and appropriate for students to explore.

The technology required for these lessons and activities is fairly basic: Internet access, and Microsoft Office tools (such as Word and PowerPoint) and video cameras or webcams are useful if available.

We hope that you find these free activities and resources valuable and we would like to hear of your experience using any of them in your classrooms. PLEASE fill out our quick survey here.