American Studies II College Prep Mr. Buggé 2014 Senatorial Election Research Project 85 Points

New Jersey is always at the forefront of politics. This year the voters go to the polls to elect our senator. The Senatorial election will have tremendous consequences for the nation as control of congress could switch political parties. The nation faces a myriad of issues such as the state of our economy, education, gay marriage, health care, foreign relations, and war. Over the past six years the only significant legislation to come out of congress was the Affordable Care Act and that was passed with a democrat in the white house and a democratic controlled congress. Currently congress is split with the republicans controlling the House of Representatives and democrats in control of the Senate. Congress has the lowest approval ratings over the past few years and the nation seems politically divided.

Two candidates, Cory Booker, the democrat, and Jeff Bell, the republican, are both campaigning for votes. Cory Booker is the current senator and has been there for the past year when he was elected in a special election to fill the seat of Frank Lautenberg who died while serving in office. Booker is also the former mayor of Newark, NJ. Jeff Bell is an author and politician who has run for senate in the past.

You will be assigned to either the Democratic or Republican Party with the goal of getting your candidate elected. In order to complete this assignment successfully, in- depth research surrounding the issues will be required. Additionally, you need to promote your candidate so the state can make an educated choice. Below are the roles that need to be fulfilled in your campaign as well as responsibilities.

1. Economic advisor – (2) Responsible for researching and understanding the economic issues faced by the State of New Jersey citizens today and your campaign’s response to them.

2. Fundraising Director – Where do you get the money to run for Senator?

3. Press Secretary – (2) Responsible for monitoring and coordinating all media information for the campaign

4. Advertising/Public Relations – (2) in charge of posters, slogans, bumper stickers, television and radio advertising, getting the candidate seen in a favorable light as well as news interviews

5. Campaign Manager – The individual responsible for the overall campaign strategy and direction

6. Chief Technology Officer – (2) How to communicate your candidates message via technology?

7. Legal Advisor/Scheduling Officer – This person is responsible for making sure your campaign is complying with all legal requirements as well as scheduling campaign appearances for your candidate.

8. Senator Candidate - must meet with each advisor to help formulate policy, develop the position paper, debate

Deliverables Everything must be submitted on your campaign website, and your blog with the exception of classroom advertisements. You will use your WWP Google account to build your site. ALL THINGS POSTED TO THE SITE, INCLUDING ANY BLOGS YOU MAY CREATE, MUST BE IN KEEPING WITH ALL SCHOOL RULES. THERE MAY NOT BE ANY NEGATIVE ADVERTISING OR BAD TASTE POSTS. IF IN DOUBT, DON’T DO IT OR SEE ME.

Progress Checks – 5 Points each - total of 20 points (individual grade) – posted to your own blog. Each group will meet a minimum of four times in class. You will be assessed for the second, third and fourth meetings, I am giving you today’s meeting to get organized. In your updates on your blog be sure to tell me what political party and role you have in the campaign. A few things to consider, but don’t limit yourself to only these suggestions: • How will any recent discoveries or research be used to enhance your candidate’s position? • Are there any different ways that the issues are being addressed since last week? Explain your answer for either yes or no. • What else should I know about your work, role, research, etc.?

One 60 – 90 second election video commercial posted to your campaign website – 10 Points (Group Grade) Everyone must participate in this process. • Commercial addresses the issues • Is not negative • Each person must have played a role • Accurate – did not just make up stuff • Contact and candidate approval info at the end • Posted to your website and run on Election Day during the debate

Posters, bumper stickers, signs, etc. around the room by the advertising committee – 15 Points – Remember it is also the quality of your advertisement, not just the number of items posted in the room. 5-7 items – 15 points 3-5 items – 10 points 1-3 items – 05 points Any and All open space, within the confines of the classroom and reason, is open for advertising on a first come – first served basis. • Advertising may be hung as soon as possible and throughout the campaign • Information must be accurate • Address the issues • Show your candidate in a favorable position • Be creative • May include photo ops

Party Platform – 10 Points • Two pages double-spaced • Written by both parties candidates with input from advisors • One per party • Explains why your party’s ideas are better for the state

Joint Debate on Election Day – 10 Points • How well did the candidates do? • Did they stick to the issues? • Were they well prepared? • Did they dress the part? • Visual performance? • Posture? • Contact with the audience? • Knowledge of their material? • Knowledge of your opponents’ position?

Works Cited – 10 points There are two parts to this section. You must create an individual annotated works cited, in proper MLA format, that will appear in your personal blog on my website for the information YOU contributed to the campaign. Remember to break them into primary and secondary sources. On your campaign website create a works cited subpage that compiles the entire team’s sources, without the annotations, in proper MLA format. Each student is responsible for uploading his or her own resources and being sure it is properly formatted.

Reflection – 10 points You will be reflecting on this assignment at the end. This will most likely take place on your blog.

Schedule of Events Please follow the calendar on the website for the schedule of days we will be working in the classroom. Debate day is Tuesday November 4, 2014 which is a C day so we meet first thing in the morning. Everyone should be here to be part of the debates and campaigning that will take place during class.

21st Century Competencies Everything we do in this class has the concept of the 21st Century Competencies built in to the assignment.

Flexible and Self-Directed Learner – You need to be self-motivated to complete your portion of the assignment.

Creative & Practical Problem Solver – This assignment is open-ended and therefore problems will arise. How do you solve them?

Collaborative Team Member – You need to be part of a larger team as well as work within a small group of individuals

Effective Communicator – How can you be sure your message is heard

Information Literate Researcher – Where did you find your knowledge? Was it just on Google and Wikipedia?

Globally Aware & Responsible Student/Citizen – What do you know about state issues and how does that connect, or relate, to the nation and world?

In addition to the district 21st century competencies there are also a number of Common Core standards you will be assessed against.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.6 Evaluate authors' differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors' claims, reasoning, and evidence.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.8 Evaluate an author's premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.9 Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.

Election Campaign Checklist

Political Party Candidate

Assignment Student Economic Advisor Economic Advisor Fundraising Director Press Secretary Press Secretary Advertising/Public Relations Advertising/Public Relations Campaign Manager Chief Technology Officer Chief Technology Officer Legal Advisor/Scheduling Officer Senator Candidate

Use this table to help your campaign team to manage deadlines and deliverables. I gave you an overview of the tasks; use this space to break them down into manageable sections for your team.

Task Person In Charge Deadline Complete

Task Person In Charge Deadline Complete

Individual Election Campaign Checklist

Name: Assignment:

Political Party Candidate

Use this table to help manage deadlines and deliverables. The deadlines below relate only to the entire class. You are encouraged to add in your own personal tasks and deadlines to keep you on track.

Individual Task Deadline Complete Progress Check #1 Posted to your blog Progress Check #2 Posted to your blog Progress Check #3 Posted to your blog Individual Works Cited Posted to Your Blog Individual Works Cited Posted to Your Campaign Website Reflection Use the space below to address any additional deadlines that you have for the group.