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Introductory Activity: 45-minutes
Learning Activity: 60-minutes
Culminating Activity: 60-minutes
The Webster dictionary states that voting is a formal expression of
preference for a particular candidate for office or for a proposed
resolution to an issue. This process is demonstrated by a show of
raised hands or by ballots. This is a tradition that has been used
since the New England settlers arrived on the Mayflower.
In 1619 the settlers of Jamestown in Virginia founded the House of
Burgesses as America’s first representative accessibly for making
laws. In 1620 English Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower agreed that the
laws for Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts would be subject to their
approval and consent. The document formalizing this agreement was the
Mayflower Compact. (Reviewing U.S. History and Government: revised
1997)
During the next 150 years, other English colonies were founded, from
New Hampshire to Georgia. The laws of each were made, in part by the
popularly elected assembly. The assemblies often successfully opposed
colonial governors appointed by England’s monarch. Even though,
there were elected assemblies, no English Colony was full democratic.
Some people were not allowed to vote. Women, slaves and white men who
did not own property were not allowed to vote for representatives.
White males who owned property set the tone and future for the voting
privileges for this country.
Today the Voting Rights Act is in place to protect the rights of all
citizens.The activities in this lesson are designed to help students
understand the voting process to elect a political candidate or political
issues. The main focus is giving students the experience of voting.
Some students may be of age or become of age to vote in the next few
years. In addition, the activities will help students understand the
kinds of issues developed in government and help them make informed
decisions or choices.
Students will use the video entitled Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics
as one of the major resource components for this lesson.
Civics,
Current Events &Government,
Language Arts
The learner will:
• Connect speaking, listening, reading, writing, and viewing, and tie the
connection to numerous research and inquiry activities, while developing and
enhancing their communication skills.
• Design or create a ballot slip for student voting.
• Tally election results.
• Compose slogans, and create a brochure for a chosen political candidate.
• Demonstrate knowledge of candidates and issues by making an oral presentation.
US
Education National Standards for English
http://www.ncte.org/about/over/standards
English
NL-ENG.K-12.4: Communication Skills
Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language
(e.g., communications, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively
with variety of audience and for different purpose.
NL-ENG.K-12.5: Communication Strategies
Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and
use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate
with different audience for a variety of purposes.NL-ENG.K-12.8
Developing Research Skills
Students use a variety of technological and information research
(e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather
and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
EL-ENG.K.12: Applying Language Skills
Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish
their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion,
and the exchange of information).
The Louisiana Content Standards and Benchmarks for Language Arts
http://www.doe.state.la.us.
Standard 1: Students will read, comprehend and respond to a range
of materials, using a variety of strategies for different purposes.
ELA-1-H1: Using knowledge of words meaning and extending basic
and technical vocabulary, employing a variety of strategies (e.g.,
context clues, affixes, dictionary the thesaurus)
Standard 3: Students communicate using standard English grammar,
usage, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, spelling,
and handwriting.
ELA-3H3: Spelling accurately using strategies and resources (e.g.,
glossary, dictionary, thesaurus, spell check) when necessary.
Standard 4: Students will demonstrate competence in speaking and
listening as tools for learning and communicating.
ELA-4H5: Listening and responding to a wide variety of media (e.g.,
music, TV, film, speech, CD-Rom)
ELA- 4H6: Participating in a variety of roles in group discussion
(e.g.) active listener contribute discussion, leader, facilitator,
recording, & mediation.
Standard 5:
Language Arts: Students will locate, select and synthesize information
from a variety of text, media, references, and technological sources
to acquire and communicate knowledge.
ELA-5-HE-2: Locating and evaluating information sources (e.g.)
print materials, databases, CD-ROM references, internet information,
electronics references works, community and government data, television
and radio resources, audio and visual materials.
ELA-5-H3: Accessing information and conducting research using graphic
organizers, outlining, note-taking, summarizing, interviewing and
surveying to produce documented text and graphics.
Louisiana Social Studies Content Standards & Benchmarks
for Grades 9-12
http://www.la.doe.state.la.us
Students develop an understanding of the structure and purposes
of government, the foundations of the American democratic system,
and the role of the United States in the world, while learning
about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Civics: Citizenship and Government
B. Foundations of the American Political System
C-1B-H5: Evaluating the roles of political parties, campaigns,
elections in American Politics.
H-1A-H1: Applying key concepts, such as chronology conflict, to
explain and analyze patterns of historical change continually.
H-1A-H2: Explaining and analyzing events, ideals, and issues within
a historical content.
H-11A-H3: Interpreting, evaluating historical evidence in primary
and secondary sources.
From the State of Louisiana History Content standards
http://www.doe.state.la.us
H-1D-M1: Describing the contributions of people, events, movements,
and ideals that have been significant in the history of Louisiana.
H-1D-M2: Tracing the development of the various governments that
have been established in Louisiana throughout its history.
H-1D-M6: Examine and recognizing how folklores and other cultural
elements have contributed to our local, state and national heritage.
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