From Primary to General Election Lesson Plan: Win the White House

Lesson Procedure:

1. Create a spider map on the whiteboard with the words “Running for President” in the center. Tell the class that there are lots of tasks a presidential candidate needs to think about in order to “win the White House.” Ask students to brainstorm what they think those tasks may include. If they need help getting started, you can share a few ideas, such as creating a campaign slogan or raising money.  
2. Display the BrainPOP movie Presidential Election on the whiteboard and watch as a whole class. After, discuss key terms concepts such as democratic party, republican party, nominee, liberal, conservative, primaries, caucuses, nominating conventions, third-party candidate, electoral college, popular vote, and inauguration. 
3. Now have pairs of students watch the movie again at their own computers but this time within the Make-a-Map tool. Have them create a sequence map identifying the steps a candidate takes to run for president. Suggest that they pause the movie as Rita describes the steps, so they can add them to their maps. When everyone is finished, have students share their sequences with another pair.
4. Have students play the game in pairs. Distribute the Election Glossary and Issue Guide to each pair. Make sure they select the appropriate grade level at the beginning of the game.  Encourage students to discuss strategies with each other before making decisions about everything from selecting your candidate and his or her party to determining which issues to discuss in the debate.
5. Allow between 30-40 minutes to play. Circulate as students play, offering help as needed. You can also suggest they click the “Help” button at the top right of the screen for tutorials relevant to where they are in the game. You may choose to have students play the game over two class periods.
6. If students have individual logins, encourage them to use the SnapThought® tool to take snapshots and describe their thinking as they play.  For suggested prompts, see Win the White House 2020: SnapThought Prompts.
7. After students have played the game, come together as a class to debrief by asking the following questions:  
   • Which states did you spend most of your time conducting campaign activities in? Why?  
   • Why would a candidate choose not to campaign in a state?  
   • What is momentum, why does it change when you work in a state?  
   • Why do you think personal appearances are considered more effective than advertisements in the game?
   • Do you think this is like real life? Why or why not?  
   • Does the campaign process give all Americans the chance to learn about a candidate and make an informed decision? Why or why not?  
   • What role do political parties play in an election?