Teachers' Forum:
How Do You Teach about the Election?

Integrating the Election into My
High School Economics Class

by Kerry Schaefer

There are many ways to address the election in the classroom. It is a chance to use current events in the classroom, while helping to teach students how to become informed and productive members of society.

I teach grade 12 economics. Some of the seniors are eligible to vote in this election, but most of them just miss the date. Even before beginning an election project, I gave them voting registration applications and websites where they can register.

It is easy to tie the election into economics. A major issue for both Bush and Kerry is campaign finance. Other issues the candidates face are how to use the economic numbers to their advantage, soft money contributions, war finances, and how and when to use the country's resources.

I will set up the election project by handing out a sheet of the issues. I will ask the students, "Which issue is most important to this year's presidential campaign?" We will discuss some the issues.

The project itself will be to ask students to collect two articles a week on election issuesópreferably related to economicsófrom the New York Times, Washington Post, or another approved, reputable newspaper. I will ask students to summarize the two articles and include at least five sentences on their opinion of the issue described in the article.

Every Friday, in class, I'll randomly call on a student to tell the class about his article and explain his opinion.

At the conclusion of the project, students will hand in all summarized articles and a one-page paper answering these questions:

• Who am I voting for? Why?
• How do economic issues play a role in presidential elections?

As a conclusion to the project, in November, I will hold a class election where students elect their own president. We can discover if my students think along the same political lines as the rest of America (and hopefully not just the electoral college).

We'll have discussions about the project and election throughout the marking period. I know that at some point, a student will want to know my opinion and who I plan to vote for in November. I feel that it is inappropriate to reveal which candidate I support. I realize I have the right to expose my political stance, but I do not think my opinion is pertinent to class conversation. I do not have a problem telling them that the union has endorsed Kerry, but I would follow it with an explanation of why the union chose him.

A presidential election is an opportunity to tie in current events and enhance literacy. The most effective way to address the election is to use a reputable source with a high reading level, like the New York Times, to provide students access to accurate information while augmenting their reading skills. The process of choosing an article, summarizing it, and interjecting their own opinions are all vital pieces of becoming an informed, productive citizen.

Kerry Schaefer teaches in Levittown, New York.

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