Growing Voters and Election 2004
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Grades: 1-3
Reporters in Action

Overview

This lesson is intended for younger students, Grades 1-3, although it could be adapted for upper level students. The focus of this lesson is on learning about the Presidential Election. In this lesson the students become TV interviewers and go out to the community (parents, grandparents, teachers, principal, soccer coach, etc.) to ask whom these adults are planning to vote for and why. Elementary students will learn the basic steps of choosing a president, how people decide whom to vote for, and graph and tally election information during the Presidential Election.

Essential Questions:

- Can the answers of ____ number of voters predict who will win the election?

- Why should people vote?

- Does one person’s vote make a difference?

- Is our nation’s method of electing a President fair? Do the results of the election reflect the desires of the citizens in our community? Do the results of the election reflect the preferences of the citizens in our e-mail buddy's class’s community?

- How is it possible that the majority of people interviewed voted for X, yet Y won the election?

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