We voted!!!

We had the absolute best time learning about the election this week!  On Monday we viewed a powerpoint presentation I made highlighting the important words we would need to know.  These included: Republican, Democrat, delegate, campaign, electoral college, and ballot.

We read about the differences between the two major parties in this great country of ours, and learned that there are also third parties.  We used the Scholastic News site to watch two short videos about the qualifications of a president and how the voting process works.

We practiced our Nonfiction reading skills by reading an article in our Time For Kids magazines.  The article told us about the Republican and Democratic candidates and how campaigning works. We made these super adorable lap books that I found at Homeschool Share!  My student absolutely loved this project!

We wrapped up our short week with a Coke vs. Pepsi election.  We first watched a short Scholastic News video on how the electoral college works.  My kiddos were floored to find out that the American people do not choose our president by popular vote.  I loved this video because it explained things so simply.  We stopped several times through to re-explain, discuss, and ask questions.

We used the interactive Electoral College map here.  The kids each got 2 or 3 note cards with various states listed on them.  The card also included the number of electoral votes that state receives.  The students wrote their vote on the back of the note card and then I tallied the votes by changing the color on our electoral map.  Coke changed to red and Pepsi to blue.  My student were so excited about this activity.  They were all just bursting to get home and tell their parents what they'd learned.  I will definitely be using the format again in 4 years when we elect another president!!