SECOND WEEK OF NOVEMBER

Vs. Non-Participation

• SUGGESTED READING:
  The Long Way to a New Land
  Abraham Lincoln
  Wagon Wheels
  The Federalist Papers
  The Declaration of Independence
  The Constitution of the United States
• MOVIES:
  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
  1776
• SONGS:
  America the Beautiful
  God Bless the USA

FAMILY ACTIVITY:

• Parents can take their children with them when they vote.
• Parents can also discuss with their children how getting an education is a privilege as well as a responsibility.
• Parents should encourage their older children to talk about the election campaign with them.
• Parents should talk to their children about what America means to them and what it has meant to members of their family.
• Parents should take their children to local government meetings. Afterward, introduce them to a member of the council or board.
• Take a trip to the capitol. Go on a guided tour so they can learn about the history of the building and the work that is done there.

SCHOOL ACTIVITY:

• Discuss the meaning of the word democracy with students. Talk about basic ideas like voting and freedom. If possible, hold a class election on something relevant to their time in school, like what game to play during P.E. or what art project to do.
• Discuss with your students how people are elected to office and the basic process of having to campaign and get elected.
• Every morning when students say the pledge of allegiance they pledge themselves "to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands." Talk to your students about what a republic is and how our republic is organized.
• Invite a member of the local government who is not facing re-election this year, or who is running unopposed, to visit your class talk to your students about the process of government.

HIGH SCHOOL ACTIVITY:

• Discuss ways that students can influence the political process both nationally and locally. Projects include attending a local government meeting, or writing a letter to an elected representative.
• Have students give presentations about different offices that are being elected. Discuss the duties of the offices and why they are important to people's lives.
• Have students give presentations on different sides of the major issues in the election.
• Make each student responsible for reporting at lease one election result to the class.
• Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the American system. Discuss other ways of running a government and their strengths and weaknesses (i.e. socialism, monarchy).
• Invite candidates to come to your class or school and talk about their vision for the future. While you should invite all major candidates, you may want to invite them to come at different times so that the atmosphere is more educational and less confrontational.

CREATING A POSITIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT:

• Election day is an opportunity to teach students about our political system, however, be careful. Discussions of candidates and issues, while useful and important can be dangerous. Some issues are so highly emotive, even political savvy adults have a hard time discussing them calmly. Set some ground rules: no personal attacks, no name-calling and no booing. Try to keep the discussion focused on areas that help to teach students about the political system and the political process, and away from highly charged racial and religious debates. Be especially careful if you have a candidate visit your class, make sure your class is informed and respectful.

"Socrates . . . said he was not an Athenian or Greek, but a citizen of the world." -Plutarch

"Citizenship comes first in our crowded world . . . No man can enjoy the privileges of education and thereafter with a clear conscience break his contract with society. To respect that contract is to be mature, to strengthen it is to be a good citizen, to do more than your share under it is noble." -Isaiah Bowman

"Vote early, and vote often." -Political joke

"Let us at all times remember that all American citizens are brothers of a common country, and should dwell together in bonds of fraternal feeling." -Abraham Lincoln

 "The most important office . . . that of private citizen." -Justice Louis D. Brandeis

Perform a Random Act of Kindness Each Day

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