Election resources? Electoral college?

Hello colleagues, Since our fall classes will begin soon, I'm starting to think about a unit focused on the upcoming presidential election. I'm sure many of you are planning to focus on the election, too. What resources can you recommend on this topic? Do you have a website and/or a video that explains how the electoral college works?

Thanks so much for any suggestions!

Take care, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, Teaching & Learning CoP 

Comments

Hi, Susan and group!  One resource Literacy New York makes available to our state funded programs is the Thinknology Reading Library (www.thinknology.net).  The library includes over 100 articles and stories written especially for adult learners, and they've just added a great article-- Election 2020-- https://www.thinknology.net/p/election-2020.  The Thinknology resources include vocabulary and comprehension work within the articles and work well for remote instruction. Teachers/tutors can have accounts, students can have accounts, and articles can be downloaded for working together or independently. Right now, Thinknology is offering a year's subscription for just $10-- a 90% discount from the typical cost.

Hope you find this helpful!

Kathy 

The Electoral College song from Schoolhouse Rock is running through my head as I write this! 

I love the video, Does your vote count? The Electoral College explained - Christina Greer, which does a great job explaining the system and its potential pratfalls in about 5 minutes. It is also interesting to see that a candidate can secure the presidency by winning only 11 states and 23% of the popular vote.

When the Electoral College was created, our present understanding of the United States did not exist. People identified with their states (and their localities) far more than with the United States as a whole which we do today. Until the Civil War, most people would say the United States are (seeing the U.S. as a collection of powerful states) versus the United State is (seeing the country as a whole). Since states were so powerful, the Electoral College was designed to help small states still have a voice in the election process. 

The Electoral College seems to be like the weather. Everyone complains about it but no one does much about it!

Hope the video is helpful,

Steve Schmidt

Moderator, LINCS Reading and Writing CoP