Online Election Resources for Students

Copyright free image from US Gov Images

The new Common Core Standards emphasizes critical thinking skills as important for all students.  A basic premise of the standards is that critical thinking skills are crucial to learning and growth.  It states, "To be ready for college, workforce training, and life in a technological society, students need the ability to gather, comprehend, evaluate, synthesize, and report on information and ideas, to conduct original research in order to answer questions or solve problems, and to analyze and create a high volume and extensive range of print and nonprint texts in media forms old and new."
How does this relate to the election, you ask?  Apparently the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press reported in June that Americans are more polarized along partisan lines right now than at any point in the past 25 years.  They are going to be seeing a lot of campaign adds on television, and it is our job to discern help them form their own opinions of what they are seeing and hearing.  Here are some great sites to use with younger students as you examine the election and election process.

Ben's Guide to Government for Kids
This site offers general information about voting and government, but doesn't specifically address the 2012 election.  I do like the way it allows you to search for K-2 resources or 3-5 resources.

November 6 is Election Day (lesson plan)
A Read/Write/Think site from the International Reading Association.  Includes a nice service learning activity for students as well as links to other great online resources.

Classroom magazines websites like Time For Kids and Weekly Reader feature campaign information prior to the election. Time for Kids   weeklyreader.com (search election, voting, etc.)

Newseum Digital Classroom Decision 2012
Includes resources for upper elementary through high school.  Sponsored by the Newseum's Education Department.

The Living Room Candidate
Contains more than 300 commercials from every presidential election since 1952.

Kids Voting Buncombe County
Local nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to involving youth in the election process.