Vote for Me! Elections Unit Study Supplement: Balancing the Ticket

Hello budding politicos! Are we having fun with these conventions or what? I am almost ready to say my favorite thing about them is watching for the most awesome hats. Today I have two more short lessons for you about the conventions. I'm actually going to post these as online lessons, also as PDFs, and I'm also going to repost the link to the Week 2 lesson plan with these included. While they can be viewed online and discussed in the context of online images, it's also important to print the PDFs so that you can cut them up, move them around, and mix them in with the kids' own drawings.



This is another tough week in terms of handling issues of race and gender. It's hard to present the historical importance of having a black candidate and a female candidate without presenting some difficult information on discrimination and oppression. For our family, we've decided to just present the facts, and let the enormous significance come later. I know that Benny is not going to realize how important these groundbreaking moments are, even if I try to persuade him with examples and info. Maybe I don't truly grasp it well enough either. All I can do is let him know the facts and recognize that the real understanding may come much later.



BALANCING THE TICKET DISCUSSION

Look at the pictures on the previous page. Using the pictures and what you know about these candidates from watching the conventions, think about these questions:

1. List three things that are the same and three things that are different about John McCain and Sarah Palin. Think about physical appearance, identity, experience, geographic location, and personality.
2. List three things that are the same and three things that are different about Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Think about physical appearance, identity, experience, geographic location, and personality.
3. Do you think it’s more important to find a running mate who agrees with your ideas or a running mate who balances your ticket?
4. Do you think that appearance is important when choosing a running mate?
5. Try cutting out the pictures on the previous page and rearranging them. Mix and match. How would the tickets change if John McCain were with Joe Biden and Barack Obama were with Sarah Palin?
6. What would you think of a ticket with two women (like the Green party has) or a ticket with two men (like the Democrats)?
7. Sarah Palin is the first Republican woman to be on a presidential ticket. Why do you think John McCain chose her?
8. Draw pictures of yourself and your invented running mate. Mix and match yourself in with the candidate pictures you cut out on page 1. (You need the printed PDF for this.)

Link to the PDF for this lesson: Balancing the Ticket

Link to the updated Week 2 set: Unconventional Conventions