It's Election Day! Lesson Plan

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Academic Standards

 

Reading Objective:

Children will explore what kids and grownups may experience on Election Day.

 

Social Studies Focus:

Election Day, citizenship

 

ELA Skills:

key details, vocabulary, text evidence, writing, diagraphs

 

Page 4 Skill:

read a bar graph

 

Vocabulary:

vote, polling place, voting booths, private

 

CCSS:

RI.2.1 key details; RI.2.2 identify the main topic; RI.2.4 determine meanings of words; RF.2.3, decode words; RF.2.4 read on-level texts; W.2.2 writing; SL.2.1 collaborative conversations; SL.2.3 ask and answer questions

 

Lexile level: 

500L

Download TEKS Standards
Download Common Core Standards

Provide students with some background on the election process.

 

Build background knowledge (10 min.)

Watch our video "Time to Vote.” After children have finished watching the video, discuss the following question:

  • What is one thing you learned about Election Day?

Set a purpose for reading (5 min.)

  • Pass out the issue, and discuss the cover. What do students already know about what to expect on Election Day?
  • Next, read the As You Read prompt on page 3: “Think about what you can do on Election Day.” Encourage children to think about this prompt as they read.

 

Read together (20 min.)

Pass out the Read and Think printable. Use it to check comprehension as you read the issue together, pausing to ask the questions. 

 

Review vocabulary (3 min.)

Next, play the online vocabulary slideshow. This issue’s featured terms are vote, polling place, voting booths, and private.

 

Assessment: Reading Quiz

Pass out the Reading Quiz to review key concepts from the issue and assess students’ proficiency on key nonfiction reading skills.

Everyone Gets A Say by Jill Twiss (20 min.)

Forest pals decide someone should be in charge, and then have to figure out how to pick that leader. The friends learn the value each of their voices has, and vote for someone to be in charge. This teaches how democracy works, where everyone gets a say!

With the “Make a Campaign Poster” game, students pretend they are running for president and make a campaign poster while also reviewing text features. When they are done, they can save the poster and print it out!

You can use our printable worksheets to focus on important ELA skills. Here's how.

ELA Focus: Vocabulary (15 min.)

  • Use the Word Work printable to deepen students’ understanding of the terms vote, polling place, voting booths, and private.

Editor’s Pick: Text Evidence/Writing (15 min.)

  • Use the A Letter to Norbert Know- It-All skill sheet for a fun way to teach text evidence. Read Norbert’s letter to students. They will see that he is definitely NOT an expert! They can use what they learned in the issue to set him straight. Send Norbert a response at norbert@ scholastic.com. Norbert will write back!

ELA Focus: Diagraphs (15 min.)

  • Students can practice decoding words with digraphs while revealing a fun image with the Color by Digraphs skill sheet.

Here is a past issue you can use to extend your lesson on the election process:

  • “Can a Kid Be President?,” October 2020. Students will analyze how voting works by examining the presidential election process.

You can find a higher-Lexile-level and a lower-Lexile-level version of the article online here:

  • Higher Lexile level: 570L
  • Lower Lexile level: 450L