Unless you’ve been somewhere that doesn’t have TV, radio, or the Internet, you probably know that 2008 is a Presidential Election year in the United States. Currently, we are in the midst of Primary Season where Republican and Democrats select their candidate for the main Presidential Election in November. During Advisory we try to spend a few minutes talking about current events. Since the Presidential race is in the news, this topic comes up often. As one student noted, the new President will likely still be President when my students they turn 18. Some of them may have the opportunity to reelect the person who wins this year. I am quite proud of them for taking such an interest in the race.
With the short 5-7 minutes we have to discuss the Presidential race on the mornings after a debate or primary vote I have found the CNN Election Center to be quite helpful for following this year’s election. The information is up to date an the graphics help to explain our sometimes confusing election process to students. The Today Show website also has the same interviews from broadcast television posted on their site. When appropriate these video clips can be a fantastic additional resource. Take a moment and check these out and post any other ones you think are great.
Thanks!
Joe
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Joe
I want to applaud you for getting your students excited and involved in democratic citizenship. The election makes me wish I were still teaching social studies. You might also think about the mobile campaigns on most of the candidates sites such as http://www.barackobama.com/mobilev2/ (just one example), where students can get text message updates on their favorite candidate—the updates might lend themselves to some interesting discussions. I wonder if these mobile campaigns will impact the younger voters?
Vote!
Liz