Matters of Education

Learning Happens Everywhere

Political Parties and Electing Presidents, 9-12

Length of Time:   30 Minutes during Class; time out of class

Description

When the Constitution was adopted in 1789, there were no political parties. The framers were wary of political parties but somehow they have become one of the permanent fixtures of the political landscape. For a while, politics has been simplified into voter results as shown on maps, i.e. Red States and Blue States. The reality of both election results and party adherence is much more complicated.

Essential Questions

What role do political parties play in the election of a president?

Common Core Standards

Grades 9-10

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:

RH.9-10.7. Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.

RH.9-10.8. Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims.

RH.9-10.9. Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.

Grades 11-12

RH.11-12.7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.

RH.11-12.8. Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.

RH.11-12.9. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.

Content Standards

US History 1:             Revolution through Reconstruction

Concepts: Origins of Sectionalism

Formation and Framework of American Democracy and Concepts of Government

Political Democratization, 1790-1860

 

US History 2: 1877-2001

Industrializing America, 1870-1920

Age of Reform, 1900-1940

Contemporary America

 

Government elective