Today's Classroom Activities :

Getting to Know the Candidates

Who are the presidential candidates in 2008? What would students like to know about each of them? Who are the candidates for vice president? Split students into four groups and make short "baseball card" biographies of each person, with a photo clipped from a magazine.

Types of Ads
Using this activity your students can learn to recognize the different types of political ads and gain an understanding of why candidates may chose to conduct issue-less campaigns.

Donkeys and Elephants and Voters, Oh My!
These activities will help your students learn about politics from “grassroots” to a national convention through the creation of a new political party and the development of the convention’s national platform.

Divided We Stand
In this lesson, students research historic issues and events that have divided Americans in the past. They then assess the division in American society shown by the 2000 presidential election by writing from the perspectives of people who experienced other divisive situations in United States history.

Teaching About the Election
Teachers across the United States are using news stories about the upcoming national election as a timely lesson in citizenship. But don't forget one other tool for teaching citizenship and critical thinking -- newspaper editorial cartoons! Bring the power of editorial cartoons -- the strength of their images and the power of their messages -- into your classroom.