Election 2012 Scavenger Hunt

Election 2012 Scavenger Hunt

http://www.barackobama.com

http://www.politifact.com

http://www.mittromney.com/

http://www.c-span.org/Campaign2012/

http://www.270towin.com/

http://magazines.scholastic.com/election-2012

http://www.npr.org/sections/elections/

http://online.wsj.com/public/page/news-politics-campaign.html

http://elections.reuters.com/#

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/elections/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/campaigns

http://www.politico.com/2012-election/

http://www.pollingreport.com/2012.htm

http://www.gallup.com

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2012/

http://www.timeforkids.com/minisite/election-2012

http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/electoral-map

http://www.usatoday.com/topic/5c6e1f38-dba8-4faf-ae15-2fe7161db766/elections-2012/

http://www.nationaljournal.com/2012-election

Expectation

The student will demonstrate understanding of the structure and functions of government and politics in the United States

Topic (1)

The Foundations and Function of Government

Indicator

The student will evaluate how the principles of government assist or impede the functioning of government
Objective
Describe the selection process for the president of the United States including the Electoral College
Topic (2)
Individual and Group Participation in the Political System
Indicator
The student will explain roles and analyze strategies individuals or groups may use to initiate change in governmental policy and institutions
Objective

Ø Evaluate the reliability and influence of the media on elections, elected officials and public opinion

Ø Describe the roles of political parties in the United States and how they influence elections, elected officials and public opinion

Ø Analyze the roles of participants in the election process including voting, contributing, and electioneering

Ø Analyze how citizens make informed decisions regarding candidates, issues, and policies
Describe the importance of being informed on civic issues, volunteering and public service

TASK: There are less than three weeks to go until this year's Presidential Election and both candidates need your help. You will be divided at random into Team Donkey and Team Elephant. After discovering each candidate's position on the issues of job growth, environmental protection, heath care, women’s rights, education, and defense spending, and researching campaign ads from the past, your job will be to create a 30 second campaign ad that will explain your candidate's position on one of these key issues and discuss these issues with the class.
**YOU MAY ONLY USE THE APPROVED WEBSITES LISTED ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE

Each part of the scavenger hunt will be graded separately. I will distribute a rubric for this scavenger hunt; you should refer back to it before completing each assignment.

There will be 9 parts within this scavenger hunt, they are:

1. Vocabulary search (completed 10/18)

2. Candidates Key Issues

3. Political Cartoon Analysis

4. Candidates Quotation Analysis

5. The Electoral College: All About the Numbers Game Part I

6. The Electoral College: All About the Numbers Game Part II

7. Election 2012 Campaign Portfolio

8. Election 2012 Collage

9. Election 2012 Group 30-second Campaign Ad (iMovie)

10. Brainpop Election 2012 Videos and Activities (5)

Sources Used:

http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=156928

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Chalk-Dust-Diva

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/election-candidate-note-sheet

Candidates on the Key Issues

Directions: Your campaign team will research each candidate’s platform and where they stand on the key issues surrounding the 2012 Presidential election. Each member of the team must fill out their own Candidate Note Sheet in full with the information you find using the APPROVED websites provided. You must cross-reference at least three sources.

Candidate Name: ______Party: ______

Candidate’s Key Issues:

Key Issue / Summary of Candidate’s Platform
Education
U.S. Military Involvement
Women’s Issues
Global Warming
Health Care
National Security
Immigration
Economy
Employment/Job Market

Three new things I learned about each candidate:

My Candidate: ______

1. / 2. / 3.

Opposing Candidate: ______

1. / 2. / 3.

SOURCES CITED:

1. 2.

3. 4.

5. 6.

7. 8.

Introducing the Concept / Editorial cartoons are NOT just like other comics. They may be funny,
but their main purpose is to offer an
opinion or point of view about some
issue or problem in the news
Symbolism / A symbol is any object or design that stands for some other thing, person, or idea.
Exaggeration and Distortion / Changes in size or shape often add to the cartoon’s point. Distorting an
object means changing it in some
way to make it look funny, ugly, etc.
Stereotypes / A stereotype is a simplistic view of some group. It is often insulting, but
it can also help the cartoon make its
point quickly
Caricature / Caricature is a portrayal of an
Individual’s features in an exaggerated or distorted way.
Humor and Irony / Humor is important in many editorial cartoons. Irony is one kind of humor. In it, a viewpoint is expressed in such an odd way as to make that view actually seem ridiculous.
Captions / Words are used to reinforce the cartoon’s nonverbal features. Words help the other parts of the cartoon make one overall point. Famous sayings, slogans, song lyrics, and well-known phrases can be used as captions.

Political Cartoon Analyst

Directions: Your job is to find one political cartoon and analyze it based upon the analysis sheet activity provided. Use the table below to find the description of each element of a political cartoon and apply the terms to your analysis.

Elements of Political Cartoons

The Electoral College: All about the Numbers Part I

Directions: Using at least two of the following websites, (you must cross-reference with at least two sites), you are to fill out your map of the United States with the names of each state and the number of electoral votes each state gets in the upcoming election. Then based upon which candidate is predicted to win the Electoral College votes, color each state red, blue, or a color of your choice for a swing state or split state. Be sure to include a key or legend which shows which color represents which category. Once you have completed your map, gather data to fill out the “Distribution of 2012 Electoral Votes Chart” top 25 states. [DO NOT RUSH! Neatness and spelling count!]

http://electoral-vote.com/

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2012/ecalculator#?battleground

http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/2012/romney-vs-obama-electoral-map

http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/electoral-map

The Electoral College: All about the Numbers Part II

Directions: Working with your group, answer all the questions on the activity sheet. You MUST use complete sentences to answer question #7. What doesn’t get completed in class must be finished as homework.

Distribution of 2012 Electoral Votes

Number / State / Voted in 2004 / Voted in 2008 / 2012 Electoral Votes
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5
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