2009 Classroom Lesson Plans
National elections offer great opportunities to introduce students to our electoral process and the issues currently facing our nation. The lessons and resources in this section are designed to reach students in all grade levels. Below, you will find some lesson plans and resources you can use to explore voting-related issues in your classroom.
Please note that some lessons include handouts that are .pdfs; you may need to download Adobe's free Acrobat Reader in order to view them.
Grades 3 - 5
Mock election lesson planGrades 6 - 8
Who Can Vote for Student Council?Grades 9 - 12
Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Challenges of RedistrictingVoter Identification and the Right to Vote
Additional Activities:
- Ask students to read "The Real Story on Election Day = You" written by Mary G. Wilson, President of the League of Women Voters of the United States. Use the article as a platform to discuss with your students opportunities for them to get involved with the 2008 elections. Possibilities include:
- Holding a voter registration drive at your school. Invite a local county official (or other appropriate representative from the State Board of Elections or Secretary of State) to preside over the registration on a selected date. Students should create posters, brochures, and other materials to encourage their peers to register to vote.
- Similarly, students can volunteer to work on a voter registration initiative in their community. A number of organizations actively seek the participation of young people in voter registration drives.
- Serving as an election official at a local polling place. More than 30 states allow young people under the age of 18 to serve as election workers. A listing of those states and additional information is provided by the National Association of Secretaries of State.
- Conducting a town hall meeting simulation. On a local level, students can explore negotiation, decision-making, and the power of one voter's voice by discussing proposed legislation. For a firsthand look at town hall meetings, check your local city hall’s calendar of events and arrange a field trip for your students.
- Setting up a mock election at your school. Even if your students are not old enough to vote officially, a mock election enables them to learn about the election process firsthand. For more information, visit the National Student/Parent Mock Election website at www.nationalmockelection.org.
Classroom Resources
- Sure-Fire Presentations, Volume 2 (Voting Rights Classroom Section) - $4.95
- Insights on Law & Society (V3.1): Youth, Rights, and the Constitution - $10
- Insights on Law and Society (V4.1): A Colorblind Constitution? Then, Now, In 25 Years - $10
- Insights on Law and Society (V5.1): Interpreting the Constitution - $10
- Focus on Law Studies: Campaigns, Elections, and Campaign Finance Reform (S. 2006) - Download
- Focus on Law Studies: Voting Rights Issues in the New Millennium (F. 2001) - Download
- Update on Law-Related Education – Election 1996: What's New? What's Old? What's Remarkable?
Students engage in a role play demonstrating separation of powers concepts; recognize constitutional provisions provides for separation of powers; and speculate on rationales for the Constitution’s separation of powers.
Student Privacy Rights (Secondary)
Students learn about 4th Amendment concepts by analyzing Katz v. United States (1967) and about student privacy rights in schools by comparing/contrasting excerpts (majority opinion with a dissent) in Independent School District No. 92 of Pottawatomie County v. Earls (2002).
Teaching About Guns and Gun Control (Secondary)
Students identify and describe the main arguments of groups and organizations for and against gun control by creating a commercial. What Does the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution Mean? (Secondary)
Students compare/contrast the preambles of constitutions; compare/contrast state constitution preambles with the U.S. Constitution preamble; identify the values underlying these preamble provisions; and draft an alternative U.S. Constitution preamble and give rationales for its provisions.
What are Conversation starters?
Conversation starters are short, easily read text or images that are meant to be thought-provoking. They have been selected to illuminate issues, raise or explore areas of conflict, highlight ideas associated with each Conversation topic, and to foster conversation and ongoing dialogue. Accompanying each starter is a set of focus questions designed to open discussion about the topic and related issues. We have also identified resources specific to each starter designed to provide further information or context. The starters require no preparation or study by participants in advance of the discussion, although the suggested resources might be useful for such purposes.
NEW! The Right to Bear Arms
Starter 1: State Constitutions: Massachusetts and Wisconsin
Starter 2: Gun Rights and America's Culture Wars
Starter 3: A Well-Regulated Militia Needs Handguns
The Preamble
Starter 1: The Preamble, U.S. Constitution
Starter 2: We the People
Starter 3: "We...do."
Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Starter 1: DNA Proof
Starter 2: Trop v. Dulles
Starter 3: Roper v. Simmons
War Powers
Starter 1: Checkout
Starter 2: Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company v. Sawyer
Starter 3: The Federalist No. 4, John Jay
Separation of Powers
Starter 1: The Federalist No. 48, James Madison
Starter 2: Hamdi et al. v. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, et al.
Starter 3: Letter from President Eisenhower to Senator John Stennis (D-MS), October 7, 1957
The Advice and Consent of the Senate
Starter 1: The Framers and Advice and Consent
Starter 2: Advice and Consent Viewed from the Bench
Starter 3: Advice and Consent in a Democracy
An Establishment of Religion
Starter 1: Letter from Thomas Jefferson
Starter 2: Dissent in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris
Starter 3: Wall Between Church and State
Unreasonable Searches and Seizures
Starter 1: Important Notice for U.S. Citizens
Starter 2: Illinois v. Caballes
Starter 3: "Give Me Your Metal Detectors."
