Discuss government at the local, state and national levels. Use charts to show the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government and how taxes are used to pay for the functions of government. Provide a copy of the Constitution for class discussion. If possible, visit the mayor's and state representative's offices.
Assign homework to research the meanings of democracy, politics and its platforms, political parties and conventions. Encourage students to watch newscasts containing political news. Develop a questionnaire for students to ask parents and grandparents about political views. Organize student groups to research the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian and Green political parties. Brainstorm ideas for party names so that students can organize a political party. Email other classes for ideas and opinions.
Choose political party affiliations for student groups. Allow students to discuss the attributes of a class president, then allow students to decide which students are right for the job. Hold nominations for class president from each party. Ask students to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each party's candidates. Prepare campaign T-shirts, posters and buttons for students. Host a forum or debate for the candidates and encourage the parties to coach their candidates prior to the debate. Ask students to vote for the candidate's best performance during the debate.
Form a student election commission that will help the election judge conduct the voting and count the votes. Prepare paper, pencils, ballots, absentee ballots and a ballot box for voting. Invite parents to be pollsters. Have each candidate prepare an acceptance speech. Decorate the polling place with patriotic signs that students have made at home. On election day, have students sign a registration form to vote, then vote in secret. Have the election commission count the votes and report the results. Evaluate what role the debate or forum played in the election results.
Organize a mock election to be run at the same time elections are being held in the community. Post political news clippings from several local newspapers for class discussion. Discuss the responsibilities and requirements of the offices of mayor, senate, representative and president. Visit the websites of the candidates to learn the political views. Brainstorm a list of student questions for the candidates. Send the questions by email or in letter form and include an invitation for the candidate to visit the class. Ask students to choose a candidate to support, then write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper about the candidate. On election day, run a mock election in class, then compare election results the next day.