Content Focus: Social Studies
Grade Level: Middle School
Major Concept(s): Elections, Polls, Voting
Targeted LoTi Level: LoTi 3
Targeted Goals and Objectives:
Goals:
I. To improve student achievement in Social Studies.
II. To elevate technology implementation in the Social Studies Department.
Objectives:
A. Target Social Studies instructors will successfully implement this professional development intervention in their classroom.
B. Target Social Studies instructors will successfully implement technology at a LoTi 3 relating to The Constitution and American Democracy (Discuss the role of political parties in the American democratic system including candidates, campaigns, financing, primary elections, and voting systems)
Professional Development Agenda:
1. Greetings!
2. Content Standards Discussion: Campaigns, Primary Elections, and Voting
3. "Can Our Candidate Win the White House?"
4. Campaign Scoring Guide
5. Scaffolding and Differentiation Issues
Required Materials:
* One Computer for the Classroom
* Internet Access
Internet Resources:
270ToWin
Election Calculator
Free Online Surveys
CSPAN
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
President of the United States
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Electoral College
Brief summary of Professional Development Intervention:
This intervention will involve participants working as campaign strategies for the 2012 Presidential Election and devising an action plan by first:
1. Randomly being assigned a party affiliation (i.e., Democrats, Republicans, Independents) using the roll of a die
2. Reviewing the results of the 2008 Presidential Election.
3. Creating a tentative strategy and including a projected Electoral College Map of the United States
Culminating Performance Task
Participants will work in teams representing campaign strategists for the 2012 Presidential Election and devise an action plan strategy to get their candidate elected into the Oval Office. Remember, it only requires 270 Electoral Votes!. Each campaign team's action plan must include the following deliverables:
* An Executive Summary outlining the broad strategy to win the White House for their political party including an Electoral College Map projection
* An identification of the major issues that will likely be discussed and debated during the 2012 Presidential Election based on current trends.
* An Action Plan outline for "one" target state - Download Action Plan Template
* Final multimedia presentation to share goal, objectives, and action plan for the "one" target state
Assessment:
RubiStar
