Election Day Activities | Printable Lesson Plans and Ideas, Skills ... - Free Printable

- Class Discussions: Ask students to list various national and international issues that they care about. Discuss how these issues are addressed in campaign advertisements and how the methods by which money is raised to pay for political ads affect their content. Have students compare local newspaper listings with a sample ad on the class bulletin board.
- Political Cartoons: Ask students to collect cartoons from local newspapers and magazines that relate to the election and current issues. Students should analyze the message and tone of each cartoon.
- Polling Places: Ask students to find out the location of the closest polling place in their town. Polls are located at schools, churches, or community centers. Arrange for a visit if possible. A poll worker may be able to explain the voting process to students. Remind students to remain quiet during voting. Do not forget to conduct a secret ballot election in your classroom.
- Early Night: Inform students that most polls close at 7 p.m. and results are reported as soon as votes are counted. Students should watch the news from home that night to see how quickly results come in. Encourage students to record results to report to the class the next day.
- Electoral College: Help students understand that the president is elected by the electoral college, not by popular vote. Explain that electors are chosen by voters who then vote for the president. The new president is not officially elected until the electoral college meets in December. Note that the electoral college will meet again in January to formally elect the president.
- Election Analysis: Review the outcome of the classroom election and discuss how it turned out differently from the national election. Ask students to reflect on what they learned and what they will remember most. Encourage them to write letters to local officials expressing their views on issues discussed during Inauguration Day in January.