I can describe what an election is and how voting works.

Elections and voting for adults

Lesson
Grade 2, 3, 4, 5
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Created for Gynzy by: Jade Pelzl

General
A big election is coming up in the United States. As we get closer, it is important to understand how the voting process works. In this lesson, students will learn about different aspects of voting, including the requirements for voters, the voting process, ballots, and candidates.

Learning objective
Students will be able to describe what an election is and how voting works.

Introduction
Students will vote for their favorites in three "elections": cats or dogs, sports or video games, and cookies or cupcakes. They will discuss why it is important to understand voting and the things people might vote for.

Instruction
Students will be introduced to the concept of elections. They'll talk about how decisions are made from elections and when they are held. They will then look at some things that people in the US can vote for. They will also discuss the requirements for voting: be a citizen of the United States, be at least 18 years old, and cannot be a criminal. They will study the voting process that includes registering to vote, learning about the candidates, casting the vote, and finding out the results.

Students will learn what a ballot is and vote for their favorite subjects, colors, and foods using the ballot in the lesson. Next, students will discover that candidates debate on issues and try to persuade people to agree with them. Students take a look at two different (fictitious) candidates and decide who they would vote for. They will then watch a video to review the voting process.

Quiz
Review elections with 6 true/false and 4 multiple-choice questions.

Closing
Students will recall what they learned about elections, including who can vote and the voting process. Lastly, they will create election posters to encourage people to vote for themselves.