In a comprehensive Election 2008 unit, seventh-grade students and staff at Wayzata Public Schools – West Middle School are engaging in a multi-disciplinary approach to teach students about political campaigns, polls, debates, advertising, and civic responsibility.
The initiative spans all core classes, recreating various aspects of both presidential and senate campaigns.
Initiated three elections ago by the social studies teachers at West Middle School, the interdisciplinary election unit involves teachers across different subjects dedicating a week to focus exclusively on the election.
Megan Speers, a history teacher at WMS, highlighted the success of the approach in fostering active student involvement and knowledge surpassing that of many adults, “We asked our teammates to give up a week of teaching their standard curriculum and totally focus on the election and they willingly agreed.”
This year, the commitment to the project remains strong, with teachers willingly agreeing to dedicate a week to the Election 2008 unit.
In U.S. history classes, students assume various roles in the campaigns, such as candidates, secret service agents, reporters, key advisors, campaign workers, and campaign managers.
Each student is tasked with specific duties associated with their assigned roles.
Language arts classes focus on political advertising, teaching students about different techniques and evaluating current ads.
Campaigns create their own television commercials, leaflets, posters, and announcements, along with distribution plans for the election week.
Math classes transform into pollsters and the Electoral College analysis center.
Students from each party create effective polls to gather information on issues and candidate progress.
They also delve into the validity of polls and debate the role of the Electoral College in campaigns.
In science classes, students study effective debate and speech methods, analyzing candidates’ participation in debates and rallies.
Issue groups write speech segments for candidates to use during “town hall” meetings, with candidates practicing and receiving feedback from their peers.
The election week for the project is scheduled from October 27-31, featuring a town hall meeting planned for November 3 at 11 a.m. and a school-wide election on Tuesday, November 4.
Students have the opportunity to vote before school or during lunch, and results are announced at the end of the day.
The project has generated remarkable enthusiasm among students, fostering debates and discussions in various school settings.
Mandy Kraus, a social studies teacher at WMS, remarked on the remarkable student engagement and enthusiasm for the election, “The enthusiasm that students have for the election is amazing. One hears debates happening in the lunchroom, in encore classes and during passing time.”
