U.S. Presidential Election- Anticipation Guide, Questions, Discussion

We want our students to grow up to be civically engaged and participate in our democracy. We want them to become informed voters! This 12-page lesson, U.S. Presidential Election- Anticipation Guide, Questions, Discussion, is a perfect introductory lesson for your 6th to 12th grade students to any unit on the United States Presidential Election and on the United States Constitution. A handy About this Resource includes all the information you need about this lesson: the link to the google doc, an overview, the Essential and Guiding Questions, Objectives, Learning Targets, Standards, list of resources, etc. In addition, the Table of Contents is hyperlinked.

Students complete the Anticipation Guide after reading 8 "I know about..." statements about the election. They select Agree or Disagree for each statement based upon their current knowledge. Then they work with a partner or in a small group to find the answers to the statements. For example, "I know how often the United States holds a presidential election." Whether they selected Agree or Disagree, they have to write the answer. For homework, they have to ask a family member of voting age to complete the same assignment. Then the students reflect on this experience.

The Essential Question asks students to consider What factors influence our understanding of the upcoming election, and how can we critically evaluate our knowledge to become more informed participants in the democratic process? The 2 Guiding Questions guide students to probe deeper: What criteria can we use to assess the accuracy, relevance, and completeness of our current understanding of the upcoming elections? How can we identify gaps in our knowledge about the election process, candidates' platforms, and key issues, and what strategies can we employ to address these gaps effectively? The Objectives include students identifying how much they know about the upcoming general election and then asking an adult in their family to identify how much they know.

The detailed lesson plan includes History Standards as well as standards related to discussions. In addition, the Essential Statements about the Election require students to reflect on what they know and what they don't know about the presidential election. Once completed, students collaborate on checking their answers and finding the correct responses to the questions. Then students will ask an adult in their family or community the same questions. Even if the person they are questioning isn't a voter for whatever reason, your students and their family or community member will learn from this activity. Finally, they will briefly reflect on what they learned from this activity.

Whether you choose to use more of my lessons on the election (see below) or add this one lesson to your arsenal of lessons, your students will find this lesson both engaging and intellectually stimulating.