Election Coverage in Newman Middle School

[FULL STORY]

 

Election Day is November 6; do you know who you are voting for? If you have any questions about the candidates, their policies, or the election in general, Newman has hundreds of political science experts ready to answer your questions: our middle school students. Though they are still too young to vote, they have been following the election all season, and they are likely more knowledgeable than the scores of pundits we see on television every night. Their teachers explained how they have watched the debates, vetted the candidates, and discussed the issues in their classes over the past couple of months.

 

Newman’s sixth graders have spent every Friday in history class covering the 2012 presidential election. They started by identifying issues that were important to them and then researching them and summarizing them for the class. They then completed a candidate profile assignment to inform the rest of the Middle School on each of the five candidate’s views on the ten selected political issues. The class has focused not only on Romney and Obama but also on third party candidates Goode, Stein, and Johnson. The candidate profile project was presented in the form of a flyer (all of which are posted in the History Hall) and in a presentation to the sixth grade history classes.

 

In preparation for the debate season, the students used the Lynn University Debate Curriculum, available through NBC Learn, to watch some sample debates and expand their debate knowledge. The debate scorecard provided in this curriculum served as the students’ guide when watching the debate. During each of the four debates, the sixth graders conversed online through the iNEWMAN message board about their impressions of the candidates and their views on the issues. They also spent two class sessions learning about the Electoral College. Just before Election Day, the students will take an online quiz on isidewith.com to determine which candidate is most in line with their personal views. The group will see a mock debate from the AP Government class next Tuesday, and then they will participate in the Mock Election on November 6.

 

Throughout the last 10 weeks of school, the seventh graders have discussed the upcoming presidential election at least once a week. Their discussions began with the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. They then decided upon ten issues that students felt were important to them and would help determine the outcome of the election. Seventh graders then watched all four debates and engaged in meaningful conversation about the issues discussed at the debates, as well as debate strategies. Students will conclude their study of the election with a two page argumentative essay on who they feel is the best candidate and why.

 

The eighth grade started off their election unit by choosing issues of interest and spending Fridays discussing them. They watched the debates (including the one while they were at Kanuga) and, based on a prompt, posted observations and opinions on the iNEWMAN message board. After the debates concluded, each student took an online quiz to see which candidate most closely aligned with their views. Based on their candidate “matches,” the students will write a research paper about which candidate they would vote for and discuss three of the candidate’s views that they agree with.

 

We don’t know who will win on November 6, but we do know that our students in Middle School have learned a wealth of information about the candidates and the political process. We look forward to them continuing to follow the issues and step up when they become eligible to vote. 

 

If you would like to know more about how the students followed the elections and the resources they used, please review the following links: