As a social studies teacher, I usually teach about the election process and the issues that become part of each candidate's platform. This year, students come in talking about a candidate with very little prompting from me. Students have become more interested in politics because all their media feeds are sending Pins, Tweets, and Instagram photos that get them excited or concerned about the future.

I think that this image from a pinterest.com board called Whispers on Politics is a bold statement for non participation. It is a good starting point for a discussion on current issues facing America and what issues each candidate claims to stand for. With this picture, I would recommend challenging students to take a side and prove that one or the other candidate would make a good choice. Students can debate the issues and decide for themselves what qualifications they require in a president.

Another great tool is role playing. At iCivics.org, students can log on to role play a candidate's

election strategy to win electoral votes. This tool is great to help students understand the electoral process and how some states with few electoral votes can still help determine the race.

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#communicate #lessondesign #eLearning #socialstudies