Great for '12
Suggested Kids Voting lessons for Fall Elections
Including correlations to NC Essential Standards
Grades 3-5
The 2012 election season includes races for US President, US Congress, NC Governor, Lt.Governor, NC Council of State, NC Senate and NC House as well as local county/municipal elections in some areas. The Kids Voting USA lessons are an outstanding resource for teaching students civic knowledge and responsibility, and many are also correlated to the NC Essential Standards for Social Studies - and will soon be aligned to the Common Core (look for them at The following lessons can be used throughout the Fall including Constitution Day*, September 17 – and are just some of many excellent lessons available on the website. They are listed by theme and lesson title with concept, with accompanying objective(s) of the North Carolina Essential Standards for Social Studies.
Theme: Elections and Voting
Voter Apathy Experience(My Vote Gives me Power)
3rd: 3.C&G.2.1
4th: 4.C&G.2.2; 4.C&G.2.3
5th: 5.C&G.2.3
Voting Graphics (My Vote Gives me Power)
4th: 4.C&G.2. 3
5th: 5.C&G.2.3; 5.CS&G.2.4
Watching the Returns (I Register & Vote) - great activity for all grade levels!
3rd: 3.C&G.2.1
5th: 5.C&G.2.4
Nonvoter Simulation (Suffrage Then and Now)
4th: 4.C&G.2.3
5th: 5.C&G.2.2
Suffrage Timeline (Suffrage Then and Now)
3rd: 3.H.1.1
5th: 5.H.2.2
Theme: Democracy and the People –
Democracy: What Is It and What Does It Have To Do With Me? (What is Democracy?)
4th: 4.C&G.2.2;
5th: 5.H.2.2; 5.C&G.2.3
Our Homes, Our Town, Our Country (What is Democracy?)
3rd: 3.C&G.1.1; 3.C&G.1.2
4th: 4.C&G.1.4
5th: 5.C&G.2.3
My Life (What is Democracy?)
3rd: 3.C&G.1.1; 3.C&G.1.2; 3.C&G.1.3
4th: 4.C&G.1.4
5th: 5.C&G.1.2
The President’s Hats (Democracy in America)
3rd: 3.C&G.1.3
5th: 5.C&G.1.2
*Freedom Connection (A Citizen’s Rights and Responsibilities)
3rd: 3.H.1.1
4th: 4.C&G.1.1; 4.C&G.2.1; 4C&G.2.3
5th: 5.H.2.2; 5.C&G.1.1; 5.C&G.1.3; 5.C&G.2.3
Pledge Anew(Democracy and the People, con’t. - A Citizen’s Rights and Responsibilities)
3rd: 3.C&G.2.3
5th: 5.H.2.2; 5.C&G.1.1; 5.C&G.1.3
*Democracy: Who, What, Where?(Democracy in the World)
Good for background information
Theme: Informed Citizen
Two Ballots (Gathering and Weighing Information –also shows importance of informed voting)3rd: 3.C&G.2.3
Promises to Keep (Technology/Media Literacy)
3rd: 3.C&G.2.3
5th: 5C&G.2.4
Where Did You Hear That? (I Study the Candidates and Issues)
3rd: 3.C&G.2.3
Theme: Civic Engagement/Service Learning –
Debates for Classroom Decisions (Communicating with Others)
3rd: 3.C&G.2.3
5th: 5.C&G.2.4
**The Wish Tree(I Make a Difference) - excellent school wide activity too – students make
3rd: 3.LC&G.2.2; 3.C&G.2.3 wishes for their country that express changes they
want to see)
* suggested Constitution Day lessons
** can be used as school wide activity as well
Kids Voting Literature Suggestions for 3-5
The Day Gogo Went to Vote by Elinor Batezat Sisulu (Elections and Voting)
Ideas of the Modern World: Democracy by Nathaniel Harris (Democracy and the People)
The Vote: Making Your Voice Heard by Linda Scher(Informed Citizen)
The Kid’s Guide to Social Action by Barbara A. Lewis (Civic Engagement/Service
Learning)
Weblinks
Kids Voting NC Teachers page Access lessons & other websites
NC Civic Ed Consortium Teaching Strategies Good lessons & ideas
Congress.org, Info on current elected officials and candidates
Project Vote Smart, Info on national candidates
NC Center for Voter Education
NC State Board of Elections
School House Rock Preamble
NC FunFacts NC SecretaryState's kids page
Early Voting begins online,
Thursday October 18 at
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2012