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\nA lot goes into electing a president. The 24 hour news cycle has certainly improved the public consciousness about campaigning and each political party’s convention, but there is still much undiscovered territory for students, especially the role of the Electoral College in electing the 45th chief executive. As the 2020 presidential election nears, here are some terrific resources for teaching students of all ages how the next president will be chosen.<\/p>\n
How did we get here?<\/strong><\/p>\n Scholastic provides the “Road to the White House<\/a>” that chronicles the journey from campaign to convention and through the election in an entertaining and illustrative interactive tour. Students of all ages will appreciate this journey as a refresher of how the United States narrowed a long list of candidates down to just two major party contenders in the last 12 months.<\/p>\n What are “blue and red states”?<\/strong><\/p>\n When discussing an historical topic, teachers often rely on textbooks or handouts to explain common vocabulary terms in advance to avoid student confusion. But when discussing current events or “general knowledge” topics, we sometimes forgo a\u00a0primer on the jargon\u00a0\u00a0necessary for understanding. Scholastic has provided a concise list of need to know terms<\/a> as you discuss the electoral process to ensure no one is left behind when you reference “GOP” or a party’s “platform”.<\/p>\n What is the \u00a0Electoral College?<\/strong><\/p>\n Here is where\u00a0your electoral adventure takes a turn\u00a0toward surprise, and maybe even befuddlement. \u00a0Many students may not know what the Electoral College is and why it determines the next president.<\/p>\n One way to explain this system is to use music. Musical Media for Education has a song about the Electoral College, which includes a lyrics list so your students can follow along with the song.<\/p>\n