Lesson by Tim Bailey
Essay by Alexander Keyssar, Harvard Kennedy School
Grade Level: 6–12
Number of Class Periods: 1–2
Primary Theme: Government and Civics
About This Lesson Plan Unit
Over the course of two lessons, students will learn how the Electoral College system was established and how it functions in determining who will be the President and Vice President of the United States. The students will demonstrate their understanding by reading complex documents, answering critical thinking questions, and writing a short argumentative essay based on the texts.
Lesson Plan Author: Tim Bailey
Historical Background Essay by Alexander Keyssar, Harvard Kennedy School
Additional Information About This Unit
Common Core State Standards
Common Core State Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.1: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. (A) Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.11-12.1: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content. (B) Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant data and evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
Essential Questions
Essential Questions
In what ways is the election of the US president democratic? In what ways is the election of the US president undemocratic?
In what ways should presidential elections be made more democratic?
To what extent does the Electoral College insulate the selection of a president from “popular passion” and the “fury of democracy”?
To what extent do presidential elections reflect the democratic and republican ideas and governing principles of the United States?
Documents
Documents
Article II of the United States Constitution, Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution
“How We Choose the President: What is the Electoral College?” by Tim Bailey
Excerpts from “The Electoral College” by William C. Kimberling, 1992