Need help teaching the election? The October issue of Social Education will focus on the 2008 Election. NCSS has also put together a list of materials from NCSS and links to web sites that can help you in your classroom.
Election Related Articies in the October 2008 Social Education
The Updated Verdict of the Keys
See what a historically accurate prediction system forecasts as the outcome of the popular vote this presidential election.
Using the Internet to Teach About Political Cartoons and Their Influence on U.S. Elections
The visual imagery of political cartoons offers teachers the opportunity to explore the presidential election with students from a unique and stimulating angle.
The Electoral College
The Electoral College can normally seem dry to students, but it becomes very real in a close presidential election. In the featured lesson, students determine whether to keep or change the Electoral College System.
Turning Students on and Out to Vote
These election-related websites offer material that is specialized, timely, and appealing to students.
Not by Votes Alone...The Vital Imperative of Restoring the Civic Mission of Schools
Active citizenship requires more than spending a few minutes in a voting booth each November.
and more!
Helpful Websites as Election Day Draws Near
Turnout
KidsVoting USA [1] promotes voting experiances for students that replicate adult voting.
National Student-Parent Mock Election [2] will take place this year on October 30. This national-voter education program for students and their parents gives young Americans the chance to make their voices heard in the electoral process.
www.rockthevote.com [3] aims to turn out the youth vote; it provides information on how, where and when to vote, and offers programs for voter turnout.
www.declareyourself.com [4] is dedicated to encouraging every eligible 18-year-old to vote, and offers information on deadlines and election issues, as well as a Frequently Asked Questions section.
The Campaigns
The Federal Election Commission [5] has information on elections, voter turnout and campaign finance.
Project Vote Smart [6] is a nonpartisan resource that provides information on the voting records, positions, and interest group ratings of elected officials, state ballot measures in the upcoming elections, and links to information on campaign finances.
www.opensecrets.org [7] is the website of the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan, non-profit organization that tracks financial contributions to politicians.
www.presidentsusa.net/campaigns.html [8] has historical information on campaigns and results in past elections; its listing of campaign slogans from presidential elections from 1840 to 2004 will interest classes.
Predictions
An up-to-date record of nationwide presidential election polls can be found at www.polingreport.com [9], which is also an excellent archive of opinion pols on all important isues.
University of Virginia professor Larry Sabato offers regular analyses of political contests and predictions of trends in the popular and electoral votes on his Crystal Ball [10] site.
Some economists place their faith in predcitions based on a market system in which participants "bid" on the changes of different candidates. The Rassmussen market predictions [11] will interest those who want to explore that perspective.
As the election draws near, classes will want to evaluate the likely outcome in the Electoral College and not just review the nationwide opinion polls. Some sites offering Electoral College predictions are:
PBS News Hour [12]
New York Times [13]
Fivethirtyeight.com [14]
www.electoralvote.com [15]
www.livingroomcandidate.org [16]
History of the Presidency
As mentioned above, www.presidentsusa.net [17], offers a great deal of informationabout past presidents and their administrations.
Presidential portraits and photos and other information can be found at www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents [18]
The Department of Treasury [19] has details on presidents that appear on coans. Treasury also has the same information for presidents whose images appear on bills [20]
More Election Related Articles from the NCSS Archives [21] (NCSS members only)
More Election Resources
"Making Choices: An Exploration of Political Preferences" [22] , from Middle Level Learning
Teaching about the Electoral College [23]
Teaching the Election Process in Ten Days [24]
The Presidency and Presidential Elections in the Elementary Classrom [25]
ProCon.org [26]
ProCon summarized candidates' perspectives on various public issues.
FactCheck.org [27]
Analyses of candidate statements
Vote: The Machinery of Democracy [29] Smithsonian Museum of American History
Artifacts and pictorial history of voting in the United States
National Archives [30]Information on the Electoral College
PBS Kids: The Democracy Project [31]
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p> <a href="http://www.civiced.org/index.php?page=election_resources>Center for Civic Education
Have a Suggestion?
Found a great, free, classroom resource on the upcoming election? Share it in the comments section!