Lesson Overview:
Students will research the process used to elect a U.S. president and plan a campaign. They will develop a campaign platform and plan a campaign train tour for a fictional presidential candidate. Students will also compose a campaign song to use on the train tour.
Length of Lesson:
Five 45-minute class periods
Notes:
This is lesson is particulary suitable for grades 6-8.
Instructional Objectives:
Students will:
- learn about and use political terms appropriately.
- understand the political process relevant to elections through research and discussion.
- research the basic processes for state and national elections, and learn about the role of the electoral college.
- learn about the historical importance of campaign train tours, and research railway lines in different geographical areas in the U.S.
- develop a campaign train tour, estimate distances using mileage keys, plan itineraries and schedule events for the train tour.
- learn about the historical importance of campaign songs and write a campaign song, using simple music notation, for a fictional presidential candidate.
Supplies:
- Paper
- Pens, pencils
- Color pencils, markers, or crayons
- Computer with Internet access and audio capabilities
- Atlas
- Outline maps of U.S.
- Blank music sheets
Instructional Plan:
Warm Up
Ask the students to list four important facts about the last presidential election in the US. Call on students to share their answers. The students' responses will provide some indication of the their background knowledge and help to guide the lesson.
Begin the lesson by asking the students broad questions about the election process: How is the U.S. president is elected? Have they heard of the electoral college? How many political parties are there in U.S. presidential elections? How are political campaigns organized and run? Ask students if they have ever created an itinerary for completing a task or for taking a trip. As students discuss these questions, create a list of sources where they can find answers to these questions and write them on the board or chart paper.
Next, discuss the basic process for electing the U.S. president and vice president. Provide background information on the primary season and the nominating process. Distribute the Vocabulary handout, and complete the activity with the students. You may want to have the students visit the following sites for information to read.
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/election/primary.html
Federal Election Commission
http://www.fec.gov/index.shtml
Introductory Activity
Review the list of collected information sources that students compiled in the beginning activity. Direct students to additional resources that they may have overlooked. (Books, encyclopedias, textbooks, websites, computer software, photographs, and works of art are some of the sources that should be on their list.)
Divide students into four groups and give each group one of the four handouts with research questions. The handouts are:
Students should work in small groups to complete the handouts, answering the questions by using the resources which they identified. Each group will report to the class on its specific topic. Allow time for discussion during the presentations.
After the presentations and discussion, ask questions to check for understanding. Students should now have a basic understanding of the state primaries and caucuses, the national conventions, the November general election, and the electoral college.
Guided Activity
Brainstorm ideas on how students would get voters to join their political party and vote for the candidate their party supports. Discuss methods for how this could be done (mail, Internet web sites, newspapers, radio, television, etc.).
Then introduce students to the idea of using a campaign train and campaign song. Allow students to visit sites that have information on former elections that used trains on the campaign route, such as the Truman 1948 Whistle Stop Tour.
Explain to students that the U.S. had numerous railways that spanned from north to south and coast to coast. Allow them to view some of the maps showing routes used long ago by using the Library of Congress Railroad Map Collection. In small groups, have students choose one railroad and map a route for a campaign train. Students should use these railroad lines: Union-Pacific, Norfolk & Western, Baltimore & Ohio, Santa Fe, Illinois Central, and Erie Railroads.
Students can print a map of the U.S. and develop an itinerary for the route their train will follow, selecting the best locations for a campaign speech and for encouraging citizens to vote. Draw the route on the map and mark where each stop will be.
Using a mileage key, have students estimate the number of miles between the stops for their campaign trip. Make sure that when a time zone is crossed that groups allow for the difference in their schedules. After the routes are drawn, have students create an accurate schedule and campaign train itinerary by making a chart, graph, timeline, or other organizational tool.
Have students assess their campaign train maps by answering the following questions:
- Have they chosen stops where they can influence large numbers of voters? Why? Why not?
- Have they chosen several different geographic areas to present their speeches, i.e., rural, urban, northern, southern?
- Did they select a specific political issue that will be the main focus of their political song? (Suggest that students use issues that are important to them at home or at school).
Independent Activity
(Note: Prior to this portion of the lesson, you and your students will need to have some knowledge of basic music notation and how to write a simple melody eight-measure melody. To facilitate these activities, you may wish to collaborate with the music specialist at your school.)
Play songs for students that have been used in presidential campaigns, i.e., "Happy Days are Here Again" (Franklin Roosevelt), "Don't Stop Thinkin' About Tomorrow" (Bill Clinton). Explain that these songs were already popular and were used by the candidates because of the positive message they represented. Explain to students that they will work in their groups to write a simple campaign song or rap that will rally votes for their candidate. Each group should begin to brainstorm lyrics for their piece. If they wish, students can use a melody they already know and adapt the lyrics to fit their candidate.
Students should take into consideration that they are creating a method for advertising the beliefs and ideas for a specific, fictional political candidate.
Review with students the basics of music composition, including bass and treble clef, note values (whole, half, and quarter), time signature, and tempo. You may wish to spend more than one class period on this review. (This review may be done with the assistance of a music specialist). An informative, fun interactive on music notation that students may want to explore is The San Francisco Symphony Music Lab.
Print copies of staff music paper from Musictheory.net for students to write their music. You may choose either the blank or piano version. Have these sheets available for the students to use.
Students should continue working, in their groups, on the campaign songs. You may wish to assign the writing of lyrics to a few students, and the writing of the melody to the other students in each group. As students work, remind them that they are writing a persuasive song. How do political candidates persuade potential voters? What tools do they use ? Encourage students to think about the use of imagery, metaphor, and even exaggeration in political campaigns, and how students might use these tools to create a persuasive campaign song or rap.
When the students have completed their campaign songs, invite other classes, parents, or groups to see the students perform them. If this is not possible, consider videotaping the students' performances for others to see.
Assessment:
Use the Assessment Rubric to assess your students' works.
Sources:
Web:
Authors:
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Rebecca Holden, Educator
Virginia Beach, VA
