Shannon Burns

3-20-2015
Grade 11
U.S. Government
Utica High School
Utica Community Schools
The Campaign Process
3.5.6 -- Explain the significance of campaigns and elections in American politics, current
criticisms of campaigns, and proposals for their reform.
In this lesson, students will be learning about the six steps involved in the presidential campaign
process. Not only will they be learning what the six steps are, but they will learn the order in
which they occur and the meaning behind them. This individualized activity gives students to
channel their creative side while learning at the same time.
Objective:
-Students will be able to name the six steps of the presidential campaign process in order.
-Students will be able to briefly describe each of the six steps of the presidential campaign
process.
Materials:
Students:
-Lined paper
-Writing utensil
-Large paper
-Colored pencils
-Scissors
-Glue sticks
-Textbooks
-Laptops
-Project rubric

Procedure:
Day 1
-Bell work: Would you ever want to be president? Why or Why not?
-Students will answer the bell work question in their notebooks
-When students finish their bell work writing, we will engage in a short classroom
discussion/debate
-Teacher will explain Journey to the Presidency! timeline project to students
-Teacher will show student examples from previous years to help encourage creative ideas
-Students will have the rest of the class period to begin working on their posters
-Teacher will circulate the room, assisting students as needed

Day 2
-Students will utilize the entire class period to continue working on their posters
-Teacher will circulate the room, assisting students as needed
Assessment:
Students will be assessed on the accuracy of the information provided on the poster.
Students will be assessed on the amount of effort they put into their project.
Technology:
Although the required information for this project can be found in the textbook, students will
have access to department laptops to perform further research the six steps in the presidential
campaign process.
Accommodations/Adaptations:
Because this is an individual project, students will be able to work at their own pace. Special
education students will be assessed with consideration to their individual ability level.
Reflection:
I am very pleased with the outcome of this project. I like that this assignment required students
to do individual research. I believe that when students do their own research instead of taking
notes from lecture, they learn and understand the content better. I have noticed that many
students who do not do well on written assignments (notes, worksheets, essays, etc.) really excel
in the art-based projects. Performing an art-based lesson every now and then promotes
differentiation in the classroom.