Helping Students Understand the 2024 Election

The 2024 election looks to be, interesting. Our kids are going to be talking about it, and even arguing about it, particularly in the upper grades. Our job is to give our students information about what an election is all about, why it is so important, and to help them use critical thinking as they watch what is going on not only on TV, but in their own neighborhoods. I hope the suggestions, links and the freeebie  below will help you enrich your students' understanding of our American voting process. Helping our students understand the importance of one vote, is always my goal! 

Critical Thinking

Election season is the perfect time to help students use critical thinking skills. Many students believe anything they hear on TV, so now is the perfect time to show them how to delve deeper and look for the truth. This skill can easily be carried over to commericials for food, or commericals for anything. Refusing to believe blindly is a critical skill for young citizens. There are a number of sites whose only mission is to debunk things that are untrue, and often tell when something is partially true and why. They are non-partician (and cover other things besides politics) so you get the real low down. Students can type in their question at the top of most of these sites. Check out  snopes , truthorfiction , factcheck.org and politifact

Respecting other's opinions

Discussions about candidates can get out of hand pretty fast. Students bring strong opinions from home. This is the perfect time to discuss how to talk with others when you don't agree with what they are saying. Discussions done in a respectful way can give all concerned new things to think about. Think about giving the following tools to use in classroom discussions, (they will help with a LOT more than just presidential elections).

Discuss with students:

Respect is an attitude. Without respect, it's almost impossible to succeed in life. To get respect, give respect to others.

Being rude or dismissive of other people's opinion will only cause an argument. As Taylor Swift has said, "We don't need to share the same opinions as others, but we need to be respetful."

Respect other people's right to have a different opinion as you do. It would be pretty boring if we all shared the same opinions.

Once someone raises their voice or touches someone else, the discussion is over.

Take turns speaking, and really listen when the other person is talking.

Agree to disagree.

Great Websites

What is a General Election?  This is a great video in plain English!

The General Election in Plain English

This terrific video is all about our very FIRST election in 1788

The Election of 1788

From icivics, Filled with great resources for teachers and students

Excellent!!  

FREEBIES

Below is a freebie that you might want to use with students. Discussion afterwards is always a great way to bring a lesson to a close. Click on the link below the picture to pick it up in Google Drive.

Click Here for Freebie!

helping students understand 

Be sure to Follow Me on Pinterest for more freebies, ideas and more! Follow Me on Pinterest

Why Vote?

Voting is the core of our democracy, yet the United States ranks toward the bottom of all democracies in the number of citizens who actually vote. That means we all need to do a better job teaching kids why voting is so important. I hope the great videos below are helpful!

This is a beautifully done short video on the importance of voting, done with simple posters. Perfect to start a discussion on the importance of voting!

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Upper Elementary students are all about celebrities…this celebritiy video gets to the root of why it's important to vote!

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This three minute Ted Talk is all about why we vote on a Tuesday. Kids will love this!

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LOVE this one! It's the history and importance of voting done in a really engaging cartoon style!

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If you are interested in holding a mock election in your classroom, don't miss this great post from civics.  

Happy Voting!

Get everything you need to teach about elections in this resource.  Click on the cover to learn more. 

How Does Government Work?

Every citizen needs to know about how our government works! That information needs to start early, and needs to be easy to understand. The one thing you never want to see is one of your past students being interviewed for an "on the street" survey missing an obvious question, like "Who is our Vice President?" Good grief, it's hard to believe how many people miss that one!!!  Below are websites, games and videos that can help you with your government unit. By the time you are done, your third through fifth graders will be citizen experts! Let the interview begin!

This site from iCivics is terrific for third through fifth grade students. Games include "Do I Have A Right" about the Bill of Rights, Cast Your Vote, Branches of Power and so much more! If you teach about government there is a game here for your students….terrific for centers!

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This is a learning site for the branches of government. Kids see what each branch is responsible for, then try to match the responsibility to the branch. It's almost like a memory game, which is something most kids love.

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You can't do better than Ben's Guide! There's three great games here!

This video from BrainPop is great...and free!

This great video is a terrific rap-type song that will really get kids' attention. The lyrics are available by clicking the Interactive Lyrics link at the top of the page.

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If you teach government don't miss this site! It has a number of great videos! The one on the three branches is super, super good…cute and catchy.  Other videos includes the Balance of Power, Checks and balances, separation of Power, Schoolhouse Rocks' I'm Just a Bill and much, much more!

Click Here

Oh My! I got a little crazy, but there is so much good stuff out there! I hope this gives you lots to choose from. 

If you are interested in a product that helps you teach students about government, and elections, check out:

We the People

Knowing how our government works is SO important for kids to know! They need to know not only how it works, but how they can make their own voices heard! It's what being a citizen is all about! In fact, when public education was started in our country, one of the main goals was to prepare students to be citizens.  My goal has always been to make government a little more fun with lots of roll playing, and fun activities.

To help out a bit, I am including a fun freebie here to help you in your government study, plus some great links! Hope your kids enjoy them! Click on the link below the picture to pick it up in google.drive

Click Here

This site from iCivics is perfect for older students. The games are more involved and make kids really think! Perfect for stations, or to play as a class together...discuss while you play. Includes crisis of nations, Do I have a right? and Bill of Rights Edition.

Click Here

All the goodies you need to teach government are right here, including the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Constitution of the U.S. and more! It includes the background of the document, a kids version and SO much more! This is an amazing resource!

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Want some great games/website on government? Check these out!

Government Jeopardy (AWESOME) 

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My favorite is Ben's Guide for Kids..Totally love this one!

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SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK just can't be beat.  This one is called: School House Rock, Government, No More Kings

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This one is really good for older students!

What is a Constitution?

This one is FULL of great information on branches of government, the Constitution and Elections!

Click Here

Check out my government resources below, all taught through the eyes of the Government Fairy!