Lesson Plan #2 The Electoral College

The Lesson Plan I selected is titled “The Electoral College” and revolves around the creation, purpose and necessity of the Electoral College. The plan is designed for high school (9 - -12) Government/Civics and Politics subject areas.  I chose this because there is a great misunderstanding about why the Electoral College was created and does it still serve the desired purpose. In addition, it can create debate in the classroom and because there are a vast amount of outside resources available.  The lesson can be found at

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/socialstudies/Vote2004/electoral_college.html

The purpose of the lesson is to show why the Electoral College was first established under the Constitution and to have my students analyze whether it is still a viable system. It is my goal to open up my class the varying points of view and to create debate.  As I stated in a previous discussion, I want my students to be able to present their opinions and defend their position supported by facts.

The day before the lesson, I will take a vote in all six of my classes on the students’ preference of vanilla or chocolate ice cream. The next day, after the lesson, I will reveal the results of the vote, the popular vote and how the vote would turn out using the Electoral College system.  I will first asses my student’s prior knowledge by asking them if they know where the Electoral College is located, to determine if they know that it is not a place. Then we will use the recommended material to build on and expand their prior knowledge. We will start with a short video and then we will read Article II and the 12^th amendment of the Constitution for the exact wording of the plan. We will then explore how the territories of the United States vote in presidential elections yet do not have any electoral votes. The students will also be required to do independent research and reading to establish their views and opinions and finally to present them to the class.