Win the White House

Recommended Grade Level: 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Related Categories: Democracy, Elections, President, Executive, Electoral College, General Election, Primary Election

Teacher: Sarah Roy, Strafford Elementary School

Editor: Rachel M. Stanton, M.Ed.

General Description

Objective:

  • In this lesson, students learn the complexities of the election process, with a focus on the electoral college and its effect on the campaign process. Students play "Win the White House" from iCivics after an introduction to the electoral college.
  • Explain the electoral process (primary and general elections, Electoral College)
  • Identify the influence of the media in forming public opinion Analyze how parts of a whole interact to produce outcomes in complex systems


Assessments:

  • Students will be formatively assessed throughout the informal class and group discussions
  • Students will be summatively assessed by completing a reflection sheet from their experiences


Materials:

  • Computers with internet access
  • Win the White House Teacher Guides:
  • iCivics Teacher User Guide
  • Win the White House Guide
  • Win the White House Game
  • Win the White House Reflection Sheets


Differentiation:
For students needing more of a challenge, provide more questions or ask for more in-depth reflections about their experience.

Students with reading challenges can work with the support of an educational assistant or work with a partner during the Win the White House Game. Students can complete Win the White House reflection orally with classroom teacher or support staff.

Materials and Documents

  • iCivics Teacher User Guide

    A teacher account allows you full access to all of the iCivics resources contained on the site—including lesson plans and the Drafting Board tools which cannot be viewed by students. Once you’ve signed up, you can establish virtual classrooms, send out assignments, track student progress, and manage class discussions.

  • Win the White House Guide

    In Win the White House, students take on the role of presidential candidate from the primary season all the way through to the general election. The player strategically manages time and resources to gain control of as many electoral votes as possible over a ten-week campaign.

  • Win the White House Lesson Plan

    Full lesson plan for Win the White House

  • Win the White House Reflection Sheet

    “Win The White House” worksheet

Related Links

  • Win the White House Game

    Do you want to be the next President of the United States? This refreshed version of Win the White House challenges you to build your campaign by: (1) Building arguments to support timely issues that are relevant to you; (2) Strategically raise funds to support your campaign; (3)Keeping campaign momentum through targeted media campaigns and personal appearances; and (4) Polling local voters to see what issues resonate.

  • Win the White House Reflection Sheet

    Win the White House Campaign: Reflections worksheet

Quote
I enjoyed the content-oriented approach. Having such an engaging speaker was awesome.
- Teacher, 2015
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