Electoral College Lesson Plan

Name: Amelia Jennings Date: 10/26/2016 Content/Grade: Social Studies/Grade 5-6

DAY ONE:

Preparation to Teach
Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERA CY.RH.6-8.7 IS TE 6
Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, Students communicate
photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print clearly and express
and digital texts. themselves creatively for
CCSS.ELA-LITERA CY.SL.5.1 a variety of purposes
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions using the platforms,
(one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse tools, styles, formats and
partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' ideas digital media appropriate
and expressing their own clearly. to their goals.
CCSS.ELA-LITERA CY.SL.5.2 IS TE 7
Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented Students use digital tools
in diverse media and formats, including visually, to broaden their
quantitatively, and orally. perspectives and enrich
their learning by
collaborating with others
and working effectively in
teams locally and
globally.
Lesson --Students will be able to identify the function and selection of --
Objectives: the electoral college. Verbal/Logical/Naturalist
--Students will be able to describe the relationship of
individual and electoral college vot es in presidential elections. --
--Students will assess the fairness and importance of having Visual/Logical/ Naturalist/
the electoral college with individual voters. Existential
--Interpersonal/
Intrapersonal

Essential --What is the electoral college?

Questions: --Is this system fair?

Materials: --Pens/pencils
--Scrap paper squares
--Whiteboard and markers (optional)

Hardware
--Projection equipment (projector, Monitor, etc.)
--Computers/Smart Devices with Access to Google Apps
--Microphone/speaker device (for hearing and text to speech)
Website s
--Google Forms
https://docs.google.com/forms/u/0/ --Interpersonal/Existential
--Popplet --
http://popplet.com/ Naturalist/Interpersonal/V
--Google Docs (with accessibility features) isual
https://docs.google.com/doc ument/u/0/
--National Archives on the Electoral College --Verbal/ Interpersonal
https://www.archives.gov/ federal-register/electoral -
college/electors.html (general information)
--Logical/Naturalist
https://www.archives.gov/ federal-register/electoral -
college/map/historic.html#1980 (maps of outcomes in history
of elections)
--Visual/Musical
--Ballotpedia on the Electoral College
https://ballotpedia.org/Electoral_College

Video Resource s
--PBS Learning Media on the General Election
http://ca.pbslearningmedia. org/ resource/7fdb872a -b4ec-4fe8-
85de-b105c6974bf2/7fdb872a-b4ec-4fe8-85de- --Visual/Verbal
b105c6974bf2/
--TE Ded Video on Electoral College
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9H3gvnN468 --Visual/Verbal/
Interpersonal/Existential
 Instructional Sequence
Anticipatory Set:
Instructional Strategy and/or Student Activity
Im thinking of Topic Intro Activity: No vember 8th
Show PBS Video on the General Election to introduce the
Electoral College (Pause esp. At first minute, question on
focusing on states instead of votes).
--Ask students to take note of things that surprise or interest
them. (picture, key words, phrases, etc.)
Formative Monitoring/Assessment
Ask at 1 minute mark why students think candidates would
focus on states instead of individual voters, referring to the
big issues and the importance of debates, etc.
Ask students to share from surprise squares.
Instructional Input:
Instructional Strategy and/or Student Activity
Investigation Instruction
--Develop Research Questions (what do we wonder?
--Explore surprises and interests, but try to guide students
especially toward questions about how the college gets
selected, what the role of individual votes is, how those work
together, etc.
Investigation Modeling
--Blaze the trail by looking at maps of past elections
--Thinking aloud and writing on the board in bubble map form
OR directly projecting Popplet map while constructing it
--Determine a theme for the center bubble/Popple, from and to
which the other information will branch
--Note the color scheme and dominant color
--Note the facts about the popular votes and electoral votes,
consider any apparent discrepancies
--Record any judgement type questions related to findings
Formative Monitoring/Assessment
Monitor student feedback, engagement.
Encourage/allow students to take notes, writing down or
creating a Popplet of their own after the example.
Rationale
Introduces the topic, shows the relevance to today
Visual and Verbal learning addressed in this image
and audio-rich video and note activity.
Not hefty note-taking, but requires that the students
pay attention and decide what to note). Allows
Intrapersonal learners to make value judgements.
Rationale
Introducing the issue for later -does your vote matter
if the electoral college is more state-focused?
Sharing gives Interpersonal learners a chance to talk
and relate to each others ideas.
Rationale
Starting as a group atunes to Interpersonal
learners and promotes general sharing/pooling of
knowledge and questions.
--Thinking aloud helps students see the process.
--Maps of past elections cater to Visual learning
--Popplet allows Naturalist mapping of
understanding.
--Consider the Visual itself to see patterns
(Musical) in the relationship between electoral
vote results and popular vote results.
--Encourages Intrapersonal engagement early
Rationale
Verb al students will benefit from reading and
copying down the example, but Visual learners
will benefit from seeing the model, so assessment
can be varied.
 Guided Practice:

Instructional Strategy and/or Student Activity Rationale

Investigation Preparation
--Distribute information (QR codes or links) for National --Assumes pre-knowledge gained in this more
Archives and Ballotpedia articles and remind students
Verbal intelligence strategy. Allows them to focus on
of closereading strategies (assumed pre-knowledge for
summarizing and pulling out the information they
this lesson) for navigating these chunks of text.
--Remind them of their goal of considering different find is important.
topics to meet their research questions. Ask for
example of approaching the text with goal of learning --Reminds/prepares students to engage Logical
about the voter/college relationship (or something like intelligence of reasoning through material to discern
that). the relationship
--Break class into work groups so they can divide up
work among members and collaborate on Popplet
online.
Investigation --Group work encourages Interpersonal learners to
--Students read text, construct concept webs in groups engage and offers peer support

--Verbal and Naturalist strengths emerge in

engaging in the text and arranging concepts in
maps. (still group work, so also Interpersonal)

Formative Monitoring/Assessment Rationale

Monitor feedback, engagement during preparation
Monitor group and individual progress 1) directly by
walking the room and 2) virtually by viewing student
Popplets (shared with teacher before completion)
Both monitoring and walking give a personal interaction to
assess what concepts and process es students are
grasping, and the proof of that is in the product of the
Popplets themselves.

Independent Practice:

Instructional Strategy and/or Student Activity Rationale

Investigation Interpretation --The premise of whether votes count
--Introduce the issues by showing the TEDed Video on Does Your engages Intrapersonal and Existential
Vote Really Count? learners on what is the value of vot er
--Ask for students to offer and record the issues/questions raised in
participation in the greater whole of the
the video, or in research. (Write Questions in the Google Form)
election.
--Allow students to take a stance on the questions, based on what
they have read in research, by completing the form on their own. --The video format is Verbal and
Visual
--Intrapersonal activity of filling out
form on the important questions

Formative Monitoring/Assessment Rationale

Students will regroup after completing the form and compare Regrouping gives Interpersonal learners a
answers, assessing their own answers in light of their peers as well chance to share, and peer assessment
as weighing their peers answers. gives students opportunity to self-assess.

Teacher collects/views all student answers from the form.

 Closure:
Instructional Strategy and/or Student Activity
Low pressure survey (quiz) to review what we have
learned overall:
--Who/what decides how the electoral collegiates vote?
--What is a good reason to have the electoral college,
not just popular vote?
--How does the electoral college affect how candidates
campaign?
Delivery/completion methods: Students get a Google
Doc with the questions, use accessibility functions to
read questions to students if needed and to convert
speech to text for students if needed.
Formative Monitoring/Assessment
Acti vity itself is an assessment.
Rationale
Quizzes offer low stress, practicing building low
stress pathways in the brain for the information.
Questions engage students memory recall from
the lesson, along with asking them to make
judgements and inferenc es (Intrapersonal and
Logical).
Format is attuned to Verbal Intelligence, which
matches the mainly verbal input of information.
Rationale
Ending on a quiz gives a soft summative assessment.
DAY TWO:

Preparation to Teach

Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERA CY.SL.5.1 IS TE 6

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions Students communicate
(one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse clearly and express
partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others' themselves creatively for
ideas and expressing their own clearly. a variety of purposes
CCSS.ELA-LITERA CY.SL.5.2 using the platforms, tools,
Summarize a written text read aloud or information styles, formats and digit al
presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, media appropriat e to their
quantitatively, and orally.
goals.
CCSS.ELA-LITERA CY.SL.5.4
IS TE 7
Report on a topic or text or present an opinion,
Students use digital tools
sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and
to broaden their
relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or perspectives and enrich
themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. their learning by
collaborating with others
and working effectively in
teams locally and globally.
Lesson --Students will assess the fairness and importance of --Interpersonal/Existential
Objectives: having the electoral college with individual voters.
--Students will hypot hesize what the election --Interpersonal/Visual
process/product might look like without the electoral
college system.

Essential --Is this system fair?

Questions: --What would happen if this system was not in place?

Materials: --Pens/pencils
--Stickynotes, note cards
--Whiteboard, mark ers

Website s
--National Archives Image, Transcript of The Constitution
--Verbal/Existential
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1667751 (Image)
https://www.archives.gov/ founding-docs/constitution-
transcript#toc -section-1--2 (Transcript)
--Visual/Logical
--Electoral College Prediction Map
http://www.cent erforpolitics.org/crystalball/
--Quora Discussion Board on Popular Vote and Electoral --Interpersonal/Existential
College Election Impact
https://www.quora.com/How-would-Presidential-campaign-
strategy-change-if-the-election-were-decided-by-popular-
vote-instead-of-the-electoral-college
--FiveThirtyEight Prediction Report for 2016 --Visual/Verbal/Logical
http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2016-election-forecast/
Hardware
--Projection equipment (projector, Monitor, etc.) --Visual
--Computers/Smart Devices with Access to Google Apps --Verbal/ Interpersonal

Software
--Google Docs --Verbal/ Interpersonal
https://docs.google.com/doc ument/u/0/
 Instructional Sequence

Anticipatory Set:

Instructional Strategy and/or Student Activity Rationale

Return yesterdays quizzes, printed out (not marked, though Builds direct tie with previous lesson
teacher may have graded them already when looking over
them)

Turn and tell a neighbor, sharing in pairs the questions and

Sharing stimulates Verbal and Interpersonal
answers that most interested them, and writing additional
engagement, requires that students actually read
information based on what partner shared.
their responses from the day before.

Share as a class via volunteers.

Formative Monitoring/Assessment Rationale

Students self-assess by reading through quizzes with each See above
other

Instructional Input:

Instructional Strategy and/or Student Activity Rationale

Travel back in time Existential exercise in thinking retrospectively to
--Ask students to imagine they are the framers of the think about reasons behind what is in place
Constitution, figuring out what kind of government to establish today
--Consider the issues that relate to the election process for the
President (draw on assumed pre-knowledge from Unit on
American History, of fear of democracy as a system, of
intentions for republic, of fear that people would not make such
a very important decision well, of individual states concerns
about power in the electoral process)
--View the Constitution (Article II. Section 1) and see what they
decided based on what is written

Step back and assess

Intrapersonal exercise of viewing others values
--Turn and talk with a neighbor: based on that discussion, what
--Interpersonal and Verb al aspects of sharing
did the founding fathers value? Why did they think this was
and recording
important? (record findings on sticky notes)

Share as a class
--Pairs post notes on the board, lumping similar/same ideas --Naturalist activity of organizing information,
together and separating different ones. Interpersonal as a collaborative project

Formative Monitoring/Assessment Rationale

Monitor student feedback, engagement The goal is for students to talk to each other to
Monitor pair work for contribution, success figure out the values.
Assess posted answers The answers give a concrete measurement of
understanding
 Guided Practice:

Instructional Strategy and/or Student Activity Rationale

Now imagine if it were different
--Ask students (Guided Discussion):If the
founding fathers had decided not to use an
electoral college, what would, could elections look
like?
Interpersonal discussion format
Apply understanding of how the electoral college
DOES affect the elections to then infer what it
would be like wit hout it.

Formative Monitoring/Asse ssment Rationale

Monitor student feedback, engagement Student participation of various forms is important since
this is a discussion.

Independent Practice:

Instructional Strategy and/or Student Activity Rationale

Students individually access Quora blog, read responses, write Interpersonal/Existential engagement
up key word summaries of the different res ponses in Google with a discussion that is already going
Docs. on in current society.
Verbal intelligence engaged in
Students brainstorm ot her possible outcomes, keyword them in reading/summarizing text.
Google Docs as well.

Share Docs with partner/group to compare and discuss Interpersonal sharing

brainstormed outcomes.

Formative Monitoring/Asse ssment Rationale

Assess summaries as students write them (shared Doc with
teacher along the way), in addition to circling the room to
monitor and assist
Both monitoring and walking give a
personal interaction to assess what
concepts and processes students are
grasping, and the proof of that is in the
product of the Docs themselves.

Peer assessment gives students

Students self and peer assess by comparing summaries and opportunity to self-assess.
especially ideas with peers
 Closure:
Instructional Strategy and/or Student Activity
Present students with prediction map, polls, etc., recap
the processes in the electoral college system that lead
to those predictions.
Close with quick reflect questions (posted on the board,
answered on Google Doc from earlier part of lesson OR
on note card) :
1) With the electoral vote and these predictions,
why would/would you not vote?
2) With these predictions, but without the
electoral vote, what do you think the impact of
your vote would be?
Formative Monitoring/Assessment
Quick reflect questions offer personal assessment as
well as a written piece for teacher assessment.
Rationale
Logical exercise of reviewing cause/effect
reasoning in Visual/Verbal content.
Verbal process of composing written answers,
Intrapersonal/Existential activity of returning to the
value of the individual voter in the grand scheme of
the election.
Rationale
Personal reflection is part of the goal of the lesson, for
students to weight the importance of the individual voter
and the electoral college.
Written reflection requires knowledge that has been built
up over the lesson.