This was my first year teaching during an election year and I was certain that I needed to do something special for it! First place I decided to look...of course...was Pinterest! I was super pumped for the amount of resources that were being posted dealing with the election. I found a wonderful site called Hoosier Teacher that had an amazing idea! She used Coke vs. Pepsi..but here's my twist:
First we discussed the huge event occurring tomorrow, why it is important, and why it helps America as a Republic. After discussing these topics, we looked closely at the Electoral College and how it worked. We determined the difference between Popular Votes and Electoral Votes. In order to help with their understanding, students were then given a chance for a "Mock Election." Each student was given 2 States to represent as their Electoral Votes. Then students voted for their winner of the popular M&M vs. KitKat Election. Students wrote down their vote and then we used the interactive map found linked to Hoosier Teacher's site. Check Out the Map To Use Here!
Students then casted their vote on our SmartBoard and changed the color of their state to match their choice! Students picked blue for M&M and red for KitKat. Here are some updates:
After casting our votes and coloring our map, we discussed how the various states counted differently. It was important for students to understand that Blue won very few states, but yet lost by less than 100 Electoral Votes! Students were really into the voting process as they watched their classmates color change the map. It was awesome seeing them get so excited about the whole election process and understanding what it takes to win the presidency. Students also know to watch the news tomorrow and look for the "Magic Number" 270!
P.S...Homework for the night = Go voting with parents, grandparents!!!
Check out the Dolphin Team Elections Here -
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