Grade Levels: 6-8, 9-12

*Click to open and customize your own copy of the Primaries and Caucuses Lesson Plan.

This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Primaries and Caucuses, and supports the standard of distinguishing the powers and responsibilities of citizens, political parties, interest groups, and the media in a variety of governmental and nongovernmental contexts. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Ask students:

  • What are some responsibilities of U.S. citizens?
  • Why do you think it’s important to vote in elections?

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Assign Primaries and Caucuses Challenge and Quiz, prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about primaries and caucuses while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

  • Make-a-Movie: Produce a tutorial explaining the structure of primaries and caucuses, and identify the roles of candidates and citizens in each process. 
  • Make-a-Map: Identify the timeline of events leading to a general election.
  • Creative Coding: Code a learning game challenging players to sort terms as relating to primaries or caucuses.

More to Explore 

Time Zone X: Primaries and Caucuses: Place historical events in chronological order in this interactive timeline game.

Cast Your Vote: Apply knowledge of the civic institutions to act as an informed voter in a primary election.

U.S. Government Unit: Continue to build understanding around civic and political institutions by exploring more BrainPOP social studies topics.

Teacher Support Resources:

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments