 | ||
|
|
||
|
|
Electionwhynotvote.com: A great educational tool for teachers and students whynotvote.com is a fun and interactive Web site designed to engage both students and teachers. It provides a bipartisan perspective on issues relevant to the 2004 Presidential Election. Site visitors are offered the opportunity to vote the issues before knowing the candidates! In addition to opening up classroom dialog for campaign issues and candidates, whynotvote.com provides teachers and students free reports that couple student voter preferences with demographics. These reports will help students understand that their votes really do count, and how demographics can affect voter preference. Here is the site link for the Educational Edition overview and projects: http://www.whynotvote.com/whynotvote-education.pdf
Whynotvote.com is not funded by any political party, Political Action Committee, political affiliation, or "527" organization. We are an LLC, governed by two founding partners: Mary Gillis and Jeffrey Adik.
Media Construction of Presidential Campaigns Bring the history of American electorial politics to life in your classroom with Media Construction of Presidential Campaigns, a high-interest, document-based multi-media kit that enables teachers to engage their classes in dynamic and interactive learning about American political history. The kit offers teachers the materials and training to lead students through engaging classroom analysis of primary source campaign documents from 26 elections between 1800-2000. The kit contains 146 historic media documents on CD-ROM, Audio CD, and DVD including:
For more information and 4 free online media literacy lessons for the 2004 Presidential Election, go to: http://www.ithaca.edu/looksharp
Census Bureau Resources Every four years, voters head to the polls to select our nation's president. The process begins with a series of primaries and caucuses in the winter and spring and culminates with the general election in November. With the 2004 presidential election fast approaching on Nov. 2, the Census Bureau has culled from previously released statistical reports the following election-related facts: The Electoral College
8
10 Voting-Age Population
217.8 million
California had the highest number of residents 18 and older (26.1 million) in 2003, followed by Texas (15.9 million), New York (14.7 million), Florida (13.1 million) and Pennsylvania (9.5 million).
California added the highest number of voting-age persons since 2000 (1.4 million), followed by Texas (913,000), Florida (759,000), and Georgia and New York (371,000 each). Nationally, 8.6 million adult residents were added. Presidential Election: 2000 The following data are from the November 2000 Current Population Survey (CPS). The CPS routinely overestimates participation: its estimate of overall turnout (111 million) exceeds the "official" turnout (105.6 million votes cast), as reported by the Clerk of the House. State Turnout Trends
At or about 70% National Turnout Trends
60%
70%
111 million
86%
61%
72%
21%
Campaign ads online learning environment EASE History Campaign Ads is an interactive learning environment where presidential campaign ads are entry points to learn about campaign issues, historical events, historical context, presidential leadership attributes, persuasive techniques, and campaign strategy. It is available online at http://www.easehistory.org.
Constitutional Rights Foundation's Election Central Constitutional Rights Foundation's Election Central gives teachers and students balanced, up-to-date information and methods to explore the electoral process past and present, in the United States and around the world.
Election Central won't disappear after the 2004 election is over. Designed to feature both historical background and breaking news on upcoming elections, Election Central is a teacher resource for all seasons, with or without a pending vote. Visit CRF's Election Central at http://www.crf-usa.org/election_central/election_central.htm.
Campaign 2004: Classroom Electorate In this lesson plan students take on the role of a political analyst, forecasting the electoral vote count for the 2004 presidential election. In order to make a prediction, students are introduced to campaign issues, the Electoral College, the role of swing states, and the importance of political participation. The lesson plan includes a fun, interactive classroom competition where students make electoral predictions and compare with the actual results following the November 2nd voting deadline.
Lesson plan available at: http://www.electoralchallenge.com/lesson_plan.htm
Election 2004: "Iraq: The Challenge of Securing the Peace" and other online resources from The CHOICES Program Iraq is in the news daily. The threat of terrorism hangs over the nation. And America's role in the world is debated at home and abroad. The first presidential debate focused on foreign policy. These issues promise to be at the forefront as the presidential election approaches. Teaching resources posted to The CHOICES Program's TEACHING WITH THE NEWS will give your students the tools to consider a range of perspectives on these and other topics being discussed. "Iraq: The Challenge of Securing the Peace" is a newly updated online lesson plan. It includes four diverse policy options, and links to suggested background resources including key speeches by President Bush and Senator Kerry. "Responding to Terrorism: Challenges for Democracy" is excerpted from the published unit by this title. It includes a lesson plan, policy options, and links to suggested background resources. "The U.S. Role in the World" features four distinct alternatives - or Futures - that frame the current debate and an online student ballot that allows your students' opinions to be included in a nationally distrubuted report. These online resources are updated frequently, and they are FREE. See The CHOICES Program's web site at http://www.choices.edu.
The CHOICES Program is a program of Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies.
Election 2004 Internet Project http://fayette.k12.in.us/eastview/vote/election2000.htm
Election 2004 is a developmentally appropriate hands-on, technology rich project that will help develop students' concepts of the election process and how Americans select their leaders. In the culminating activity, a voting simulation, students will apply their learnings.This Internet project is suggested for students in grades 1-3. Students are invited to participate in election activities that will lead to voting for their favorite book characters, Arthur or Miss Frizzle. Register by October 22, 2004.
Teachers Urged to Bring 2004 Election into the Classroom Legislative Update National Council for the Social Studies September 24, 2004 Teachers Urged to Bring 2004 Election into the Classroom The following is a news release from Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. describing a free teacher resource that is available on the web at http://www.lesley.edu/election04. For Immediate Release Sept. 24, 2004 Paul Karoff Vice President for University Affairs Lesley University 29 Everett Street Cambridge, MA 02138 617 349-8522 www.lesley.edu Teachers Urged to Bring 2004 Election into the Classroom Lesley University Makes Curriculum for Grades 1-12 Available on the Web CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- A new Web-based resource for teachers will help bring the 2004 elections into classrooms nationwide. The resource, Growing Voters and Election 2004: Complete Materials for Teachers, Grades 1-12, includes free downloadable lesson plans, activities, websites, rubrics and more. Any teacher can access the curriculum at www.lesley.edu/election04. The materials are being made available by Lesley University, the national leader in graduate education for classroom teachers. Teachers will find a broad range of original, ready-to-use lesson plans and activity-based curricular materials designed to help them integrate the 2004 election immediately into their classrooms. Units include one in which students mount a ≥Civic Lemonade Stand,≈ another in which they research and produce Why Vote pamphlets and set up voter information/registration tables in their communities, and others in which students learn graphing skills by plotting poll results. The Growing Voters curriculum was developed and compiled by classroom teachers from around the country under the direction of Lesley University Professor Jo-Anne Hart. ≥The site includes a series of grade-specific materials to help classroom educators bring the 2004 election to life, make it relevant to their students, and assist them in using this quintessential ‘teachable moment≠ creatively and effectively,≈ Hart says. ≥Much is made of the fact that a majority of young people eligible to vote do not do so,≈ Hart adds. ≥Schools can play a strong role in helping to nurture a generation of new voters that understands the importance of participating in electoral politics. These materials, developed by teachers for teachers, address a variety of key skills while reinforcing the importance of voting.≈ All of the materials are organized around essential questions, accompanied by well-developed rubrics and aligned to national standards. The units are designed to be used in parts or as a whole. All of the units are designed to foster collaboration within and between classes, grades, schools, districts and states. In addition to the lesson plans, the site also contains a list of links to free, fully vetted Web-based resources that teachers and students will find valuable in teaching and learning about the 2004 election. The technology required for these lessons and activities is fairly basic: Internet access, and basic Microsoft Office tools such as Word, PowerPoint and spreadsheets. Lesley University (www.lesley.edu) is a 13,000-student, multi-site university offering undergraduate and graduate programs in education, the arts, human services and the environment at its Cambridge and Boston campuses and at more than 200 sites in 22 states. More classroom teachers turn to Lesley for Master≠s degrees than any other university. -30-
CNN Student News Free Election Kit Every Vote Counts... Now Is A Good Time To Teach Them Why. The race is on! CNN Student News has created a valuable teaching tool for you to help your students learn about our country's electoral process. Register to sign up for:
Follow the road to the White House with CNN Student News.
It's FREE and it's easy.
To register go to http://www.CNNStudentNews.com and click on the CNN Student News election banner.
Election Co-nection Project Who do students want to see in the White House? Co-nect, Inc. invites every K-12 classroom to vote in an online mock presidential election. The online voting begins Monday, October 18 and runs through Friday, October 22. Participating students learn about presidential qualifications, key issues, political parties and campaign strategies. In addition, they can create a fictitious presidential candidate to run in the online election. A Teacher's Guide, Election 2004 Curriculum, and other resources are provided for participating teachers.
To learn more about the Election Co-nection, go to: http://exchange.co-nect.net/election.
The Presidency and Presidential Elections: Elementary Web Resources Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/election/index.html Click on election process.
Cyber Bee
Dirksen Congressional Center
Federal Election Commission
Kids Voting USA
National Archives and Records Administration's Federal Registry Electoral College Calculator
PBS Kids Democracy Project
Scholastic Teacher Resources for the 2004 Election
Council for Excellence in Government "Take Your Kids to Vote" Program
The Smithsonian Institution
The Role of American Values in the 2004 Election: Web Resources The Christian Science Monitor http://www.csmonitor.com/classroom/k12.html The Christian Science Monitor has a superb section for teachers and students. Unfortunately, access to all facets isn't free anymore, but there are still some great resources. The CSM did a five-part series titled "Continental Divide: A Look at America's Polarized Electorate" which began on July 14. The series discusses the role of values and religion and discusses how the once "Solid South," is still there, but it has shifted from Democrat to Republican. They also have an excellent "Election 2004" section with lots of features including an interactive quiz titled "Who's Your Candidate?" that elicits student opinions on issues such as economics, foreign policy, and "cultural issues" (which includes several questions on "personal/moral" issues). At the end of a short, but interesting, three-page survey, students will see where on a continuum from the far left to the far right, their answers put them. It's a great way to have students examine their own values without having to openly discuss them in class.
Project Vote Smart
PBS: Now With Bill Moyers
American Values: What Values Should America Uphold?
The Economist "American Values: Living with a Superpower"
The 2004 Debates First presidential debate Thursday, September 30, 2004 University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla.
Vice-presidential debate
Second presidential debate
Third presidential debate Useful Websites Commission on Presidential Debates: http://www.debates.org League of Women Voters: http://www.lwv.org LWV's Debate Archive on the Stuhler E-Library: http://www.lwv.org/elibrary/video.html Citizens' Debate Commission: http://www.citizensdebate.org Open Debates: http://www.OpenDebates.org DemocracyNet (DNet): http://www.DNet.org Public Agenda: http://www.publicagenda.org/firstchoice2004
The Debate Book: http://www.debateproject.com
Resources on the Electoral College system The Electoral College consists of 538 electors [the number of U.S. House members (435) plus the number of U.S. Senators (100) plus the electors for the District of Columbia (3)]. A candidate must win a majority of these (270 in total) in order to become president-elect. While this system seems convoluted, the Founding Fathers who instituted it had their reasons; many of these can be found in the writings of Alexander Hamilton in Federalist Paper #68: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/histdox/fed_68.html For a more detailed description of the process, see the Electoral College web page at the National Archives -- http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/2004/dates.html Why do we still use the Electoral College? What are the alternatives? What are the pros and cons of using a different system to elect the president--the national popular vote, for instance? Why do most states use a winner-take-all method, rather than a proportional method in their assignment of electoral votes? (See for instance, the Frequently Asked Questions page at the National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/faq.html). Past election results can give us great clues as to how the 2004 election will go. Examine the election results from 2000 (http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/2000/popular_vote.html). Based on the trends you find in previous election results (with special attention to 2000), and on current opinion polls, what can you say about the 2004 election? Use the Electoral College Calculator (http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/electoral_college/calculator.html) to assign electoral votes to different states that you think are nearly certain to be in either Bush's or Kerry's column on election night. For other campaign and voting information see the Federal Voting Assistance Program website at http://www.fvap.gov for their Get-Out-The-Vote Public Service Announcement (PSA) Campaign. Also see http://cnnstudentnews.cnn.com/fyi/ for CNN Student News and http://www.cspan.org/classroom/index.asp?code=Classroom for C-SPAN in the Classroom.
For additional activities and campaign information go to http://www.nationalmockelection.org.
Project Vote Smart Project Vote Smart's "2004 Voter's Self Defense Manual" is a national library of "abundant, accurate, unbiased and relevant information". From an easy to navigate home page, this site directs researchers to information on every candidate and elected official in the U.S. Categories covered for each candidate or official include biographical information, issue positions, voting records, campaign financing, and interest group ratings. http://www.vote-smart.org
The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commercials, 1952-2004 The American Museum of the Moving Image's current online exhibition, "The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commercials, 1952-2004", presents more than 250 television commericials from every presidential election year since 1952. The site includes streaming video, historical analysis, election results, and a searchable database. Particularly timely as we approach the November elections, teachers and students can explore the evolution of political advertising and styles over the years, up to and including current ads for John Kerry and George W. Bush.
The site can be accessed at: http://livingroomcandidate.movingimage.us
2004 Election Central from Constitutional Rights Foundation Constitutional Rights Foundation has created Election Central, an online resource to help teachers and students explore the electoral process past and present, in the United States and around the world. Election Central is divided into five sections: The Electoral Process: Readings and activities that provide teachers with classroom resources in U.S. history, world history, and government. Who Are the Candidates?: Web sites representing the candidates for the current U.S. presidential election. The Media and the Election: Online, up-to-date media resources on U.S. election campaigns and the issues surrounding them. Online Lesson: Political Parties, Platforms, and Planks: Students read about the origins and functions of American political parties and create a party platform to address typical election-year political issues. Take Action: Methods and resources to help young people get involved in the electoral process.
Please visit Election Central at http://www.crf-usa.org/election_central/election_central.htm
C-SPAN Classroom Great for the 2004 elections and beyond, the C-SPAN classroom web site at http://www.c-span.org/classroom/ gives students and teachers access to political process as it happens. The site provides teachers with lesson guides and activities using the vast resources of balanced C-SPAN programming. Lessons feature primary source video where students are challenged to think about candidates and politics. All the C-SPAN classroom lessons are teacher created and with a variety of student activities, downloadable handouts, streaming video and comprehensive analysis questions. Content on the C-SPAN classroom web site can be used as a package or as separate activities to supplement lessons. Besides politics there are a wealth of additional lessons and ideas that can be used in History, Government, English, Speech and Current events classes. The clip of the day (at http://www.c-span.org/classroom/clipoftheday.asp) is a great way to start a class discussion. The site also has an easy to use index -- http://www.c-span.org/classroom/govt/campaigns.asp -- where teachers will find links to interactive election quizzes. And on the site teachers can join the free C-SPAN Classroom (http://www.c-span.org/classroom/enroll/) and get programming guides, updates on lessons and supplemental materials. Lesson on the C-SPAN site are based on National Social Studies Standards, effectively integrate technology into classroom curriculum and meet multiple learning styles.
Elections and Government software Elections and Government 1.0 provides up-to-date information for the 2004 presidential and congressional elections, along with built-in quizzes, details of every presidential election in U.S. history, information on the Electoral College, past voting behavior in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, links to hundreds of campaign and political web sites, explanations of the role of money in politics, and detailed descriptions of terms and concepts. Elections and Government is $24.99 for Mac OS X, Classic Mac OS, and Windows. An educational site license is $250.) More information at http://www.purq.com/purqeandg.html.
Politics 1 This site, located at http://www.politics1.com/p2004.htm, lists every candidate for president, including all independents and write-in candidates. Also available is a page listing all state congressional candidates (http://www.politics1.com/states.htm).
How the Electoral College Works This page from the Federal Election Commission describes the workings of the Electoral College, the system by which the president is elected. http://www.fec.gov/pages/ecworks.htm
By the People: PBS Election 2004 The Public Broadcasting Service brings you in-depth coverage and analysis from signature programs, as well as tools to research candidates and elections, a roundup of the best election Web sites, and a calendar to keep you current on campaign events. The site brings together the resources of all PBS programs, including Frontline, News Hour, Washington Week, and Tavis Smiley. http://www.pbs.org/elections/
A section designed specifically for students and teachers is available at http://www.pbs.org/elections/kids/index.html
NPR: The Candidates on the Issues National Public Radio maintains an archive of interviews with candidates Bush and Kerry, documenting their positions on such diverse issues as immigration, Iraq, the PATRIOT Act, No Child Left Behind, and same-sex marriage. Visit http://www.npr.org/politics/issues2004/ .
PBS By the People: Election 2004 PBS offers teachers and students a comprehensive Web site for teaching and learning about the elections. "By the People" features a database of candidate information including voting record, issue positions and interest group ratings, produced in cooperation with Project Vote-Smart. It also provides guidance about registering to vote in your state and an election glossary. Special features help site visitors learn how to analyze political ads; evaluate a political debate; evaluate candidate platforms; interpret opinion polls; and view news critically. Finally, the site features special content for kids in grades 3-5 and more than 30 lesson plans for teachers K-12. http://www.pbs.org/elections/index.html
Media for Democracy 2004 Media for Democracy states that television stations will make more than $1.5 billion this year from political ads, but most are refusing to give viewers more time to hear candidates discuss the issues. Media for Democracy urges you to tell your local stations: "Money shouldn't be all that talks in campaign 2004!" The majority of local newscasts that aired in September and October of 2002 contained no information about the upcoming mid-term elections. With so much at stake in 2004, we can't afford local media that pass on their obligation to inform citizens about our democracy. That's why Media for Democracy is working with 20 other grassroots, policy and media reform groups (the Public Airwaves, Public Interest Coalition) to organize meetings between citizens and the leadership of local television stations across the country. Join this effort by asking your local television station to go beyond typical coverage of campaign sound bytes and the "horserace" to pledge to air more meaningful information about candidates' views and positions. With your involvement, we can encourage broadcasters to sign a pledge to cover campaigns in depth so that Americans can become more engaged with our nation's elections at all levels of government. The airwaves belong to us, the American people. Let's remind station managers that they have a responsibility and obligation to serve our community, and ask them to make a pledge to serve the public interest. Sign up today to be part of a nationwide effort to improve election and political coverage, one station at a time. For more information concerning Media for Democracy visit the website. Register to attend, organize or support a meeting with a local broadcaster. Download the Grassroots Toolkit Can't come to a meeting? You can still help by becoming a Citizens Media Watchdog. The Public Airwaves, Public Interest Coalition will be rolling out a local news monitoring initiative in the next weeks. Register to become a Media Watchdog at the Media for Democracy website. Stay tuned!
Timothy Karr
Media for Democracy 2004
The Role of Media In Politics A web site devoted to helping teachers (and students) better understand the role and influence of 30 second political campaign commercials, developed by media educator Frank Baker. http://www.med.sc.edu/medialit/mediapolitics.htm
Kids Voting USA, Gannett Media Technologies International, and Votenet Solutions, Inc. Collaborate on Web-based Voting Platform for K-12 Students TEMPE, Ariz. (June 15, 2004): Kids Voting USA, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and engaging students in the electoral process and civic life, announced the development of a Web-based voting system that will be tested during the 2004 presidential election. An estimated 500,000 K-12 students in five states will participate in the pilot. The Kids Voting USA affiliates that will test the online voting system are North Alaska (Fairbanks), Arkansas, North Carolina, Chester County (Pa.) and Southwest Ohio (Cincinnati). Online ballots will replicate the races and issues on the adult ballot for each electoral district. The online ballots will include candidate biographies, photos and age-appropriate instructions for students. "Kids Voting USA works to turn around declining voter turnout rates by getting students interested in and educated about the voting process when they're young," commented Carleton Rosenburgh, Kids Voting USA national board member and a retired executive of Gannett, Inc. "Technology adds a new and effective way to connect with them." According to Rosenburgh, students who participate in the Kids Voting USA program are more likely to vote when they become adults. In the upcoming election, more than 4 million students will have an opportunity to participate in the traditional paper-ballot voting experience in which students vote alongside adults at the polls on the same issues and candidates. This is in addition to the estimated 500,000 students expected to vote online.
Kids Voting USA is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that fosters an informed, participating electorate by educating and actively engaging students and their families in voting and other elements of effective civic engagement. For more information, visit http://www.kidsvotingusa.org
e-Lection Connection With the 2004 Presidential Election just around the corner, now is an excellent time to teach high school or middle school students how to participate in the election process. The new e-Lection Connection Curriculum package from The Genium Group, Inc. provides everything teachers need to organize and conduct a 2004 Presidential election inside their schools. Instead of lecturing students about the US election process and the importance of voting, teachers can provide them an opportunity to actually participate and vote in the upcoming election, right from their classroom. The e-Lection Connection Curriculum Package includes complete lesson plan, step-by-step instructions, and a template-based, wizard driven Web site each class uses to serve as the information and activity center for their in-school election. The Web site component of the package is specifically designed so that no content can be publicly posted without being first approved by the teacher in charge of the project. Students at schools using this package get the opportunity to work in real-world campaign-related jobs. Components of an in-school E-Lection Connection campaign include voter registration, campaign rallies, on-line debates, polling exercises, political endorsements, publicity campaigns, and the actual election itself. An election campaign developed with the product can be completed in as few as three and as many as eight weeks depending upon how long each high school desires the project to last. An on-line demonstration of what the Web site of a participating high school would typically include can be viewed at the following URL: http://www.scoresup.com/Votesburgh. For more information, visit http://www.ScoresUp.com, e-mail: information@scoresup.com, or call 1-800-243-6486.
|
|
 National Council for the Social Studies8555 Sixteenth Street Silver Spring, Maryland 20910 |
||
