It can be difficult for students to make sense of the real issues with such partisan and aggressive political messages flooding them at every turn during election season.
View lessons and other teacher suggestions at the Vote Smart Classroom.
To counter the political media barrage, Project Vote Smart, a citizen’s organization dedicated to providing U.S. voters with abundant and unbiased information on state and congressional candidates, has launched the “Vote Smart Classroom” to help young and upcoming voters make more informative choices.
The Vote Smart Classroom provides teachers with classroom lessons to help students become “smart voters.” Activities include questions to help students get to know their local candidates as well as exercises to learn how Congress works.
The site offers a list of election vocabulary words and allows users to look up biographical information, voting records, and the stances of their local candidates, as well as keep track of those candidates’ actions after the election.
Students and teachers can also order free publications from the Web site, including “The Voter’s Self-Defense Manual.”
