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Kids Voting Usa 9-12 Classroom Activities KIDS VOTING USA 9-12 CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES TABLE OF CONTENTS EDUCATOR’S GUIDE OVERVIEW SCOPE AND SEQUENCE INDEX TO ACTIVITIES BY SKILL AND DISCIPLINE CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES ELECTIONS AND THE VOTING EXPERIENCE AMERICAN DEMOCRACY AND CITIZENSHIP SUFFRAGE AND THE RIGHT TO VOTE ACTIVE CITIZENSHIP ADDITIONAL RESOURCES APPENDIX GLOSSARY BIBLIOGRAPHY LOCAL INFORMATION KIDS VOTING USA 9–12 EDUCATOR’S GUIDE Copyright © 2005 Kids Voting USA, Inc. All rights reserved. The materials contained herein are protected by copyright laws, and may not be reproduced, republished, distributed, transmitted or otherwise exploited in any manner without the express prior written permission of Kids Voting USA. The Kids Voting USA name and logo and all related trademarks, trade names, and other intellectual property are the property of Kids Voting USA and cannot be used without its express prior written permission. 9–12 EDUCATOR’S GUIDE TABLE OF CONTENTS AN OVERVIEW . 2 SCOPE AND SEQUENCE . 6 INDEX TO ACTIVITIES BY SKILL . 8 INDEX TO ACTIVITIES BY DISCIPLINE . 10 INDEX TO ACTIVITIES BY ADDITIONAL CATEGORIES . 11 THE TEACHER AND THE TOWN . 12 EDUCATOR’S GUIDE 1 ©2005 Kids Voting USA, Inc. – All rights reserved. 9–12 EDUCATOR’S GUIDE AN OVERVIEW WHAT IS KIDS VOTING USA? Kids Voting USA (KVUSA) is a national nonprofit organization working to secure the future of democracy by preparing young people to be educated, engaged voters. KVUSA operates through a national network of community-based affiliates that partner with schools and election officials. The program offers students in kindergarten through high school a wide range of opportunities for civic learning. It is the combination of classroom instruction, family dialogue, and an authentic voting experience throughout a young person’s formative years that makes Kids Voting USA a powerful strategy for achieving long-term change in voting behavior. DESCRIPTION OF KIDS VOTING USA CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES Kids Voting USA offers two resources for the classroom, one for primary school educators, Kids Voting USA Classroom Activities: K-8, and one for secondary school educators, Kids Voting USA Classroom Activities: 9-12. The information in this guide pertains to the Kids Voting USA Classroom Activities: 9-12 resource. Kids Voting USA Classroom Activities: 9-12 is designed to facilitate secondary school teachers in addressing civic learning objectives, especially those that relate to voting and elections. The resource is comprised of engaging activities that foster group discussion and the use of critical thinking skills. The goals of Kids Voting USA classroom activities are for students to: Cultivate information-gathering and decision-making skills Develop higher-order thinking skills Develop empathy towards others Gain a knowledge and appreciation of suffrage, democracy, citizenship, and elections Understand and participate in the direct voting process The activities are designed to emphasize self-discovery in a cooperative setting. This is effective because: Students master and retain knowledge and concepts better and develop problem-solving skills, creativity, verbal skills, and empathy — all of which are important for voters Group problem-solving provides a model of democracy In sum, Kids Voting USA’s resource for primary school educators, Kids Voting USA Classroom Activities: 9-12, is designed to train students to live as thoughtful, active citizens in a democracy. EDUCATOR’S GUIDE 2 ©2005 Kids Voting USA, Inc. – All rights reserved. 9–12 EDUCATOR’S GUIDE HOW ARE THE ACTIVITIES ORGANIZED? Within Kids Voting USA Classroom Activities: 9-12, activities are organized by four themes: Elections and the Voting Experience American Democracy and Citizenship Suffrage and the Right to Vote Active Citizenship To learn more about each theme, please refer to the “Scope and Sequence” section of this guide. Each theme has its own organization and consists of the following sections: 1. Introduction to Theme: a short description of the theme that includes the theme’s main learning objectives 2. General Activities: a collection of activities, organized by main concepts, that address specific civic learning objectives within the theme 3. Overarching Questions: lists of questions, organized by main concepts, that you can use to prepare for or to revisit an objective students have mastered 4. Literature Connection Activity: an activity that aligns a piece of literature with a civic learning objective 5. Culminating Activity: an activity that is a meaningful summarization of the theme’s main learning objectives Activities are marked by grade level, theme, and name. The time needed to complete an activity is specified under the name of the activity. Activities generally have the same format across themes and theme components: 1. Objective: a short and specific learning goal 2. Materials: a list of resources necessary for the activity 3. Get Ready: instructions for you to prepare the activity 4. Instructions: instructions for you to carry out the activity 5. Discussion Questions: questions you can use to evaluate students’ attainment of the objective 6. More!: item(s) the class may undertake to further explore the objective 7. Vote Quote: an inspiring quote that relates to the activity A final feature of Kids Voting USA Classroom Activities: 9-12 is the Additional Resources section. This section is comprised of the Appendix, Glossary, and Bibliography. EDUCATOR’S GUIDE 3 ©2005 Kids Voting USA, Inc. – All rights reserved. 9–12 EDUCATOR’S GUIDE HOW DO I USE THE ACTIVITIES? Kids Voting USA Classroom Activities: 9-12 allows for great flexibility of use as multiple teachers can use the same theme in a variety of ways. Some teachers may use only a few activities at a specific time of the year, such as before an election. Others may thoroughly investigate a theme with their class over a longer period of time; these teachers may incorporate many activities, including literature connection and culminating activities, into their short- and long-term plans. This resource takes into account that every class and year is different, though there are multiple things you may want to consider in any given year: The Elections and the Voting Experience theme is integral to the Kids Voting USA program. Make sure that you and your students investigate this theme prior to any elections. Consider investigating the American Democracy and Citizenship theme in preparation for teaching about elections and voting. This will provide an invaluable context. Investigate the Suffrage and the Right to Vote theme with your class to enhance your students’ appreciation of voting, elections, and democracy. Consider using this theme during February, African-American History Month, or March, Women’s History Month. Take advantage of the Active Citizenship theme at any point in the school year to underscore to your students that being a proactive citizen is not limited to voting. It will be helpful for you to treat the themes as menus, not recipes: You should pick and choose what works for your classroom as opposed to following a prescribed formula. Take a look at each theme, consider where the activities fit into your plans, and make modifications where you deem them necessary. (Take advantage of the indexes and other tools included in this guide to help individualize the Kids Voting experience for your class.) If you are concerned about finding time for these activities, just remember that Kids Voting USA activities are not an add-on to an already very busy day. The learning involved is required learning as outlined in the National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies and your State Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. (To see how our activities align to the national standards, go to the “In the Classroom” section of our Web site, www.kidsvotingusa.org, and click on Educator’s Guide. For state standard correlation, check with your local Kids Voting USA affiliate.) ADDITIONAL NOTES ON THE ACTIVITIES It is important to note that while Kids Voting USA Classroom Activities: 9-12 is designed to address civic learning objectives, many of the activities reinforce the work teachers are doing with their students in regard to language arts and math. Moreover, Kids Voting USA activities often make connections to service. Kids Voting USA places high value on activities that bridge the classroom to the community. (To find activities that incorporate language arts, math, and/or service-learning, refer to the indexes in this guide.) EDUCATOR’S GUIDE 4 ©2005 Kids Voting USA, Inc. – All rights reserved. 9–12 EDUCATOR’S GUIDE Some final things to be aware of are supplemental activities that can be found on the Kids Voting USA Web site. (To access them, go to the “In the Classroom” section of www.kidsvotingusa.org and select Supplemental Activities.) They include: 1. Family activities 2. Spanish-language activities HOW DO I ACCESS THE ACTIVITIES? Your local Kids Voting USA affiliate will make the classroom activities available to you in one of a few ways. You may receive a CD version of Kids Voting USA Classroom Activities: 9-12. You may alternatively receive some or all of the themes as a hard copy. A final way to access the activities, which is important in the case that you do not have a CD version or a complete hard copy, is to access the activities through the Kids Voting USA Web site. Just log onto the Kids Voting USA Web site at www.kidsvotingusa.org and click “In The Classroom.” WHAT IF I NEED HELP? Each school should have a coordinator who works directly with the Kids Voting USA affiliate staff in your area. If a coordinator is not available, call your local Kids Voting USA affiliate. The number is listed on the Kids Voting Web page at www.kidsvotingusa.org or in your telephone directory. WHAT IF KIDS VOTING USA NEEDS MY HELP? We do! Please send us your ideas, your photographs, your stories of success, your challenges and con- cerns, and your comments.
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