Lesson Plan - The JS Guide to the Electoral College

About the Article

Learning Objective

Students will learn about how the Electoral College works and analyze an electoral map.

Curriculum Connections

• The Electoral College
• Elections
• The U.S. Constitution
• Congress

Key Skills

Social Studies:
• Understand structures of power, authority, and governance
• Consider citizens’ role in the nation
• Analyze important public issues

English Language Arts:
• Integrate information presented in diverse formats
• Use domain-specific vocabulary
• Argue a claim with relevant evidence

Key CCSS Standards

RH.6-8.1, RH.6-8.2, RH.6-8.4, RH.6-8.7, WHST.6-8.4, RI.6-8.1, RI.6-8.2, RI.6-8.4, RI.6-8.7, W.6-8.4, SL.6-8.1

1. Preparing to Read

Build Knowledge and Vocabulary

Give students this 3-2-1 task to complete as they watch the video “How the Electoral College Works”: What are three facts about the Electoral College? What are two questions you have about it? What one part of the video was most interesting or surprising? Discuss responses. Then use the Skill Builder Words to Know to preteach domain-specific terms in the article.

2. Reading and Discussing

Read the Article

Read the article aloud or have students read it independently. As students read, ask them to circle or jot down any words that are unfamiliar.

Answer Close-Reading Questions

Have students write their responses or use the Close-Reading Questions to guide a discussion.

• What is the Electoral College? How does it work? (Central Ideas)
The Electoral College is a group of 538 people who officially select the U.S. president. Each state has as many electors as it has members in Congress. In all but two states, the candidate who wins a state’s popular vote receives all of that state’s electoral votes.

• Why is 270 an important number in U.S. presidential elections? (Text Evidence)
The number 270 is important in presidential elections because that is the number of electoral votes a candidate needs to win the election. There are 538 electoral votes available. The number 270 represents half those votes plus one—a majority.

• How did Framers compromise to create the Electoral College? (Key Details)
Some of the Framers at the Constitutional Convention argued that Americans should vote directly for president. Others thought that Congress should select the president because they worried citizens wouldn’t know enough about the candidates to make an informed decision. The Electoral College is a compromise because it gives citizens some input and grants states the same level of representation in picking the president as they have in Congress.

3. Skill Building

Analyze a Map

Assign Map Reading: The 2020 Electoral Map to have students answer 10 questions about the map on page 15.

Read and Write About a Debate

Share this issue’s debate, “Should We Get Rid of the Electoral College?” on pages 30-31. You can hold a class debate or have students weigh in using the Argument Writing Toolkit.

Assess Comprehension

Use Quiz Wizard to assess students’ comprehension of this article and three others from the issue.

Printable Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan
Lesson: The JS Guide to the Electoral College

A step-by-step guide to teaching this article in your classroom

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