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Chapter Planner and Suggested Pacing Guide

UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN®

Enduring Understanding

  • Voting in elections is one of the main ways that citizens can participate in government.

Essential Questions

  • Who should have the right to vote in a democracy?
  • What factors influence voters and election campaigns?
  • What are key steps in voting?

Students will know:

  • voting in early America was restricted on the basis of race, education level, wealth, and gender.
  • the Fifteenth Amendment formally extended suffrage to African Americans, but many African Americans were still prevented from voting.
  • the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and later voting rights laws expanded suffrage by barring discrimination against African Americans and other minority groups.
  • women suffragists organized for the right to vote, which was granted in the Nineteenth Amendment.
  • youth 18 to 21 years of age obtained the right to vote with the Twenty-sixth Amendment.
  • the term lengths of the president and members of Congress.
  • how voters use referendums and initiatives to influence public policy.
  • that a candidate’s image can be as, if not more, important than his or her qualifications.
  • why voter participation in the United States is so low.
  • ways that have been proposed to increase voter turnout.
  • a strong campaign organization and effective campaign strategies are crucial to winning elections.
  • election campaigns use propaganda techniques, television advertisements, the Internet, and social media to get their message across to the American people.
  • the history of campaign finance reform in the United States.
  • the arguments for and against limitations on campaign donations and spending.
  • who qualifies as a voter.
  • the process of registering to vote.
  • the procedure for voting.

Students will be able to:

  • define suffrage and disenfranchise.
  • determine how the Voting Rights Act of 1965 increased the number of African American voters.
  • theorize why women did not face the same barriers to voting as African Americans after achieving suffrage.
  • describe arguments for and against term limits.
  • explain the major factors that influence voters.
  • identify ways to increase voter turnout.
  • identify common propaganda techniques.
  • analyze the effectiveness of campaign commercials.
  • analyze the impact of campaign finance reform.
  • identify the steps a person must take to vote.
  • analyze the role of voter registration efforts in the civil rights movement.
  • describe the procedure for voting.

Predictable Misunderstandings

Students may think:

  • that the federal government sets all laws and regulations regarding elections. Although voters may be electing candidates to federal offices, the states retain a great deal of control over how elections will be run. Students may be surprised to learn that states are not even required to hold their elections on the same day, though most still do so.
  • that anyone 18 years of age or older can show up at their polling place on Election Day and vote. Encourage students to learn all of the necessary steps to register to vote and to find out whether any other restrictions, such as ID laws, apply in their state.
  • that if a voter is unable to get to the polls on Election Day, he/she cannot vote in that election. Students may not know about the process of absentee voting, but many are likely to use this voting method if they go to college away from home.

Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks:

  • Hands-On Chapter Project

Other Evidence:

  • Guided Reading Activities
  • Vocabulary Activity
  • Lesson Quizzes
  • Chapter Tests, Forms A and B

SUGGESTED PACING

½ Day — Introducing the Chapter
½ Day — Lesson 1
 1 Day — Lesson 2
 1 Day — Lesson 3
½ Day — Lesson 4
½ Day — Chapter Wrap-Up and Assessment

4 Days — Total

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

The activities presented are suitable for all levels. Modifications for student ability levels are available for many of the activities. The types of modifications available are indicated by the icons below.

DI for AL Approaching Level

DI for BL Beyond Level

DI for ELL English Language Learner

All students benefit from activities that utilize different learning styles. Activities are designated with the labels below to help you differentiate teaching by the types of learners.

Intrapersonal                           
Logical/Mathematical               
Visual/Spatial                          
Verbal/Linguistic                      
Interpersonal
Auditory/Musical
Kinesthetic
Naturalist

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

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  • Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

    Below are the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills covered in this chapter.

    (2) History. The student understands the roles played by individuals, political parties, interest groups, and the media in the U.S. political system, past and present. The student is expected to:

    (A) give examples of the processes used by individuals, political parties, interest groups, or the media to affect public policy

    (B) analyze the impact of political changes brought about by individuals, political parties, interest groups, or the media, past and present

     

    (3) Geography. The student understands how geography can influence U.S. political divisions and policies. The student is expected to:

    (A) understand how population shifts affect voting patterns

    (B) examine political boundaries to make inferences regarding the distribution of political power

     

    (7) Government. The student understands the American beliefs and principles reflected in the U.S. Constitution and why these are significant. The student is expected to:

    (D) evaluate constitutional provisions for limiting the role of government, including republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual rights

     

    (8) Government. The student understands the structure and functions of the government created by the U.S. Constitution. The student is expected to:

    (A) analyze the structure and functions of the legislative branch of government, including the bicameral structure of Congress, the role of committees, and the procedure for enacting laws

    (C) analyze the structure and functions of the judicial branch of government, including the federal court system, types of jurisdiction, and judicial review

     

    (10) Government. The student understands the processes for filling public offices in the U.S. system of government. The student is expected to:

    (A) compare different methods of filling public offices, including elected and appointed offices at the local, state, and national levels

    (B) explain the process of electing the president of the United States and analyze the Electoral College

     

    (14) Citizenship. The student understands the difference between personal and civic responsibilities. The student is expected to:

    (B) evaluate whether and/or when the obligation of citizenship requires that personal desires and interests be subordinated to the public good

    (C) understand the responsibilities, duties, and obligations of citizenship such as being well informed about civic affairs, serving in the military, voting, serving on a jury, observing the laws, paying taxes, and serving the public good

    (D) understand the voter registration process and the criteria for voting in elections

     

    (15) Citizenship. The student understands the importance of voluntary individual participation in the U.S. constitutional republic. The student is expected to:

    (A) analyze the effectiveness of various methods of participation in the political process at local, state, and national levels

    (B) analyze historical and contemporary examples of citizen movements to bring about political change or to maintain continuity

    (C) understand the factors that influence an individual’s political attitudes and actions

     

    (17) Culture. The student understands the relationship between government policies and the culture of the United States. The student is expected to:

    (A) evaluate a U.S. government policy or court decision that has affected a particular racial, ethnic, or religious group such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the U.S. Supreme Court cases of Hernandez v. Texas and Grutter v. Bollinger

     

    (19) Science, technology, and society. The student understands the impact of advances in science and technology on government and society. The student is expected to:

    (A) understand the potential impact on society of recent scientific discoveries and technological innovations

     

    (20) Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to:

    (A) analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions

    (B) create a product on a contemporary government issue or topic using critical methods of inquiry

    (C) analyze and defend a point of view on a current political issue

    (D) analyze and evaluate the validity of information, arguments, and counterarguments from primary and secondary sources for bias, propaganda, point of view, and frame of reference

    (E) evaluate government data using charts, tables, graphs, and maps

    (F) use appropriate mathematical skills to interpret social studies information such as maps and graphs

     

    (21) Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:

    (C) transfer information from one medium to another, including written to visual and statistical to written or visual, using computer software as appropriate

    (D) create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information

     

    (22) Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings. The student is expected to:

    (A) use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution