Ben's
Guide, Overview
This site gives a great overview in kid terms of the jobs and duties the
president is responsible for carrying out.Election, 2004:
It's Up To You!A WebQuest on the Presidential Election of
2004
by
Patty
Sutton
Introduction Task Guiding Questions
Process Background Info Roles Resources Evaluation Teacher Page Credits
Introduction:
| An important presidential election is coming soon, the results of which will have an impact on us all. What are the important issues on the minds of voters? How will they make their choices? You'll learn the answers by becoming a voter yourself. |
Task:
| Your task is to become informed about the presidential candidates and issues involved in this election and cast your ballot as if you were a particular kind of voter with concerns that might be different from your own. |
Guiding Questions
As you begin, consider the following to help guide your thinking.
1. Why is it important to understand the branches of our government and to
know what each branch is responsible for accomplishing?
2. Why are the people the source of the government's authority?
3. Do all citizens have the right to vote? What qualifications are placed
on voting and how can voting rights be suspended? Once voting rights are
suspended, can they be reinstated? If so, how?
4. Do all citizens have the responsibility to vote? Why or why not?
5. How is the government run directly by the people or through elected
representatives?
6. Why are the powers of the government limited by law?
7. What basic rights of individuals are guaranteed by the constitution?
Why is this guarantee of basic rights important? How are these basic
rights protected and preserved
| You've read over the
guided questions and should be formulating answers. As you work
through the WebQuest, record your thoughts and ideas as notes.
Follow the links below to choose a method to organize your notes and your
thinking. (You don't need to use them all, just pick one or two
formats that work for you.) You'll read some background information
that will help you answer some of the guided questions.
After you've researched your character, you'll research the candidates and see where they stand on various issues. This will help you make the best choice possible, based on the issues important to your character. On election day, you'll vote for your candidate, and then wait for the results. |
Background Info.
The President's Job
Ben's
Guide, Overview
This site gives a great overview in kid terms of the jobs and duties the
president is responsible for carrying out.
Encarta Article This Encarta article is four pages long, but is divided into sections that are clearly marked, guiding you to information on how the president becomes elected and the duties of the president, as well as other interesting information.
How is the President Elected?
Ben's Guide, How a President is Elected, Basic This site describes how the president is elected level and is written in kid friendly language.
Ben's Guide, How a President is Elected, Advanced This site, from the same location as the link above, describes how the president is elected, but gives more detailed information.
Ben's Guide, Citizen Responsibilities This link will help you understand the responsibilities of citizens to vote, and gives a good amount of detailed information, but not so much that it's overwhelming.
Who Can and Cannot Vote?
Ben's Guide, The Right to Vote This site is similar to the link above but describes how citizens were given the right to vote.
Who Can Vote? This is an interesting link that helps explain, indirectly, who cannot vote. It's also helpful in understanding what the numbers mean when sources report how many people do and do not exercise their right to vote.
Why Bother? How Important is One Vote Anyway?
Why Vote? This site is specific to South Carolina site but gives great, specific examples of how really important one vote is.
How Important is One Vote, Really? A broader site, similar to the South Carolina site above, which also gives specific examples of how important one vote is.
There's more than two candidates?!
Candidates, Candidates, Candidates listing of the presidential candidates on the 2000 ballot
Characters
| Examine your role description and think about
how the characteristics of that role will affect your vote.
Environmentalist - You are concerned about the quality of water in
natural bodies of water, animal populations, and a
decrease in natural ecosystems for species to inhabit, as well as
preservation of national parks. League of Conversation Voters League of Conversation Voters Military Personnel - You are an fifth generation military person.
You are concerned with National Security, protecting worldwide peace, and you
feel very strongly that the United States needs to be a model of
establishing representative governments and keeping peace in developing
countries. Citizens United Citizens United - support Bush, want withdrawal from United Nations Educator- You are a teacher and are concerned with the federal
mandates that have been put in place that are not funded by the government
but are costly to cities and states. You want to insure that high standards
are set for students but feel that student success should be measured in many ways, not
just performance on standardized tests. Fight For The Future listing of Bush, Kerry, and Kucinich with info relating to these candidates based on a questionnaire the candidate responded to Business Person - You own a large company your family built from
the ground up. You want to continue the success of your company, manage your
resources, and limit the amount of money it costs to do business. In other
words, you want to make a big profit in your company and keep that profit
for yourself and your company. |
Now that you understand the issues important to your character, research the candidates to determine who holds the same views as you.
Candidate Sites/ General Info
Conclusion
A
s you can see, the President of the United States has a job that carries a tremendous amount of responsibility. Although the Democratic and Republican parties get most of the press during election time, there are numerous candidates that want to be president, representing many different political parties. All citizens have an enormous responsibility to become knowledgeable voters and to exercise their opportunity to vote in every election that is held. And even if your candidate didn't win, feel proud knowing you did your part in the political process by not only voting, but being a knowledgeable voter. And one more thing; the next time you hear someone complain that "their vote doesn't really count" I hope you feel confident enough to respectfully remind them that through voting, one person really does have the power to change things.
Evaluation
Follow the rubric below to insure you earn the best score possible.
|
Beginning 1 |
Developing 2 |
Accomplished 3 |
Exemplary 4 |
Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Guiding Questions |
Few questions are answered. Responses given are vague and lack support for answers given. |
A minimum of five questions
are answered. Answers demonstrate an understanding of the issue and provide minimal support for answers given. |
A minimum of five questions are answered. Answers demonstrate an understanding of the issue and provide some support for answers given. | All questions are answered. Answers demonstrate an understanding of the issue and provide ample support for answers given. |
|
Character Background |
No evidence given to demonstrate an understanding of the issues from the point of view of your character. | Demonstrate a minimal understanding of the issues from the point of view of your character. | Demonstrate a good understanding of the issues from the point of view of your character. | Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the issues from the point of view of your character. |
|
Debate |
Few, if any, persuasive techniques for public speaking are employed (used). The point of view of your character is not recognizable. | Few persuasive techniques for public speaking employed (used), but not effectively. The point of view of your character is somewhat clear. | Some persuasive techniques for public speaking effectively employed (used). The point of view of your character is clear. | Numerous persuasive techniques for public speaking effectively employed (used). The point of view of your character is clear. |
|
Ballot |
Ballot cast from your point of view, not the point of view of your character. |
X |
X |
Ballot cast from the point of view of your character. |
|
Teacher Page
· This unit was designed to provide a problem based, hands -on approach to the presidential election of 2004 for students in fifth grade. The unit is still valuable after the election in helping students to understand the variety of political parties in existence, the responsibility of citizens to vote and become actively involved in researching and obtaining information on candidates running so that they can be informed voters, and to understand the responsibilities and duties of the president of the United States.
· This unit integrates language arts with the reading of the book, The Kid Who Ran For President, by Dan Gutman.
· At the publishing of this WebQuest, worksheets to accompany the various stages of work have not yet been refined and completed. It is my goal to include such materials for my students to help in their scaffolding and to assess their understanding of the unit and make changes, as needed, to better fit the needs of my students. Once the worksheets are completed I will link PDF versions to the WebQuest. If you would like these worksheets and do not see them posted or have trouble accessing the links, feel free to email me at suttonp@ih.k12.oh.us.
· Students are usually surprised by the number of candidates on the ballot for the president. Plan some time daily for debriefing and to let the students share what they found and their thoughts. For many, this may be their first exposure to political parties outside of the Democrats and Republicans. The platforms for other parties, as well as the issues surrounding the election will also be new for many children. Be sensitive to this, providing a time for open discussion (debriefing as a group) as well as quiet reflection (journal writing with the entries to be private between you and the student) daily.
Standards
District Standards
1. The students will name and describe the offices, powers, duties, and functions of the three interdependent branches of U.S. government
2. Given specific guidelines and using multiple resources including various technology applications, the students will obtain, organize, and synthesize information to research a United States President and complete a formal written research report and/or project(s).
Ohio State Standards * Social Studies
Government
Role of Government
1. Explain major responsibilities of each of the three branches of the U.S. government:
b. The executive branch, headed by the president, carries out and enforces the laws made by Congress.
2. Explain the essential characteristics of American democracy including:
a. The people are the source of the government's authority.
b. All citizens have the right and responsibility to vote and influence the decisions of the government.
c. The government is run directly by the people or through elected representatives.
d. The powers of government are limited by law.
e. Basic rights of individuals are guaranteed by the Constitution.
People and Society
Thinking and Organizing
4. Read information critically in order to identify:
a. The author;
b. The author's perspective;
c. The purpose.
5. Compare points of agreement and disagreement among sources.
6. Draw inferences from relevant information.
7. Organize key ideas by taking notes that paraphrase or summarize.
Ohio State Standards * Language Arts
Reading Applications * Literary text
1. Explain how a character's thoughts, words and actions reveal his or her motivations
2. Explain the influence of setting on the selection.
3. Identify the main incidents of a plot sequence and explain how they influence future action.
4. identify the speaker and explain how point of view affects the text.
5. Summarize stated and implied themes.
6. describe the defining characteristics of literary forms and genres including poetry, drama, chapter books, biographies, fiction, and non-fiction.
Research
1. Identify important information found in sources and paraphrase the findings in a systematic way.
2. Compare and contrast important findings and select sources to support central ideas, concepts and themes.
3. Use a variety of communication techniques to present information gathered.
Communication * Oral and Visual
1. Deliver persuasive presentations that :
a. establish a clear position
b. include relevant evidence to support a position and to address potential concerns of listeners; and
c. follow common organizational structures when appropriate
International Society for Technology in Education National Technology Standards
Standard 4: Technology productivity tools: Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
Standard 4: Technology productivity tools: Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce other creative works.
Standard 5: Technology research tools: Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
Standard 5: Technology research tools: Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
Standard 5: Technology research tools: Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
Standard 6: Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools: Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
Standard 6: Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools: Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.
Credits:
· We all benefit by being generous with our work. Permission is hereby granted for other educators to copy this WebQuest, update or otherwise modify it, and post it elsewhere provided that the original author's name is retained along with a link back to the original URL of this WebQuest. On the line after the original author's name, you may add Modified by (your name) on (date). If you do modify it, please let me know and provide the new URL.
· Based on a template from The WebQuest Page.
· Special thanks to Becky Mathers and my fellow students in her Problem Based Learning with WebQuests online course. The high quality course Becky designed guided me every step of the way in creating this WebQuest, and her feedback during every phase was invaluable in keeping me on target. The feedback and contributions from my classmates were also of high quality and enormously valuable.
· I'm grateful to the University Of Wisconsin * Stout for offering high quality online learning experiences. Formally affiliated with University of Northern Iowa, if you haven't checked these courses out you should! Follow this link for more information http://www.uwstout.edu.
· And in the tradition of saving the best for last, I'd like to acknowledge the help, love, support, and encouragement of my family. My husband, also a wonderfully dynamic teacher whom I have a great deal of respect, for helping me in creating a social studies WebQuest since I haven't taught social studies in four years but will next fall. And for my daughters Becca and Olivia, for understanding the time commitment the project took, for making me laugh and smile throughout the course, especially when I was really tired.
Contact Information: Please contact me with comments, questions, and constructive criticism at suttonp@ih.k12.oh.us.