Electoral College

Grade 12 U.S. Government Lesson This lesson is intended for high functioning special education students. It is intended to address standard 12.6 ss. #1. The lesson is on the Electoral College and how the president is selected. Lesson addresses standards as well as social grouping and social interfacing. California High School Standard to be addressed: Students in grade twelve pursue a deeper understanding of the institutions of American government 12.6 Students evaluate issues regarding campaigns for national, state, and local elective offices. 1. Analyze trends in voter turnout; the causes and effects of reapportionment and redistricting, with special attention to spatial districting and the rights of minorities; and the function of the Electoral College. **Also fulfills technology standard for presentation for English. Set Up: • Materials Required: Computers, calculators, LCD • Time requirement: 50 minute x 2-3periods Background and procedure: • There are 538 total Electoral College votes. 270 are required in order to become president. • Students will learn about the Electoral College and the procedure to be elected president. • Class will be split into two groups, red and blue as in Republicans and Democrats • Warm Up activity: Using the internet students will identify the exact date on which the next presidential election will beheld. • Warm up 2: Student will search the internet for a map of the Electoral College with electoral votes displayed on the states. • Each group must find three different strategies to achieve 270 electoral votes. Students will write their states along with their electoral votes down to present to the class. Big state strategies, small states, interests groups and regional strategies will all be discussed. **This will require discussion, calculation and basic math formulas. **The wild card: Both groups will have their states listed on separate pieces of paper. A student service helper will then take three random states away from each group’s total. Both groups will then negotiate with the student service helper for the uncommitted states. **Allowable negotiating tools include: early dismissal, one free day, movie, pizza party (each group will randomly have two each of the tools). Each of the tools can be used ONLY ONCE but they can be traded. Other benefits not stated: Student will learn to interface with students that they might not normally interface with, students will negotiate, strategize, and have guided social interactions with in their own groups and they will practice addition and subtraction. Lastly both groups will present their winning formula for president allowing for public presentation and speaking. The very last activity will be an entire class activity where each student is given two states. At the nominating convention they will shout out their state and who they are voting for. Ie: “The Empire State of New York casts its 31 Electoral Votes for Charles Schultz.” Caution to teachers: This activity must be regulated with teacher and aide moving about to insure students are on task and doing what they are supposed to be doing during this lesson. This is not a time for the teacher to be behind his desk doing other work!

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This work is licensed by john kiernan under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 3.0), and is an Open Educational Resource.

Last edited by Ross J. Reedstrom on Oct 5, 2011 9:32 am -0500.