Elections 101:
A Curriculum For Iowans, By Iowans
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The Secretary of State wanted to give teachers an opportunity to engage their students through meaningful discussion and active participation. Developed by Iowa teachers for Iowa teachers, Elections 101 is a curriculum designed for flexibility with an emphasis on social media enhancements to appeal to how students learn today.
The ultimate goal of Elections 101 is to involve students, parents, and the community in civic engagement while educating them about Iowa’s unique role in the political process through modern technology and social media enhancements.
Discuss ideas with other teachers across the state using the discussion tab above. Feel free to submit feedback with suggestions to improve the curriculum and ideas for enhancements using the feedback form above. You can also offer suggestions for how to improve the Elections 101 site to make it more applicable or user friendly.
How It Works
The Elections 101 curriculum is easy to use and implement in the classroom. It is a ten-day curriculum with each lesson plan having three different options to accommodate the amount of instruction time teachers have to present the material and for their students to complete the activities.
Choose the option that suits your classroom. The best thing about the Elections 101 curriculum is that it is completely customizable. Feel free to modify lesson plans to better align with your unique teaching style and your students’ needs. Keep in mind that the curriculum is designed to encourage participation and engagement for students, parents, and educators. Discuss your lesson plans and ideas with your fellow teachers, share your students’ work, and promote your classroom’s involvement on social media.
As you know, education is ongoing and constantly evolving. Let us know what you think about the Elections 101 website as well as the curriculum and how you plan to implement it in your classroom by submitting feedback using the form above. You can also share ideas and experiences with your peers in the discussion forum.
WHY Elections 101
The Elections 101 curriculum is unique in that it was created by Iowa teachers for Iowa teachers. Each lesson plan has been crafted to appeal to how students learn today, incorporating social media enhancements. Furthermore, Elections 101 is pioneering a social media platform that has not been developed yet, allowing students, universities, and other civic groups to add their own social media enhancements. Finally, the curriculum eliminates geographical barriers by allowing teachers to see what other educators are doing in their classroom.
Student Benefits
- Ease of use
- Students will have the ability to upload their homework to the website and social media outlets.
- Engagement
- The curriculum encourages students to apply what they learn beyond the classroom by helping them become active participants in the community through a relatable medium they use every day.
- Applicability
- Students will learn life skills such as how to formulate an argument and engage in healthy, constructive debates.
- Relevance
- Through social media enhancements, students have the opportunity to become more invested in civic responsibilities such as learning about political candidates, attending the Iowa Caucus, and registering to vote.
- Versatility
- The curriculum and enhancements can be matched to student behavior and interests and appeal not only to students, but to parents and community members as well. Additionally, other civic groups can modify the curriculum to suit their needs while the social media enhancements initiate discussion and engagement within and beyond Iowa’s borders.
Teacher Benefits
- Fulfillment
- Elections 101 fulfills the Iowa Core requirement for social studies in just 10 days.
- Choice
- Choose 90, 60, or 30 minute lesson plans.
- Flexibility
- Supplement what you already teach. Use as much or as little of the material as you want.
- Convenience
- Lesson plans are already completed and are tied to Iowa Core with clear learning objectives and downloadable lesson components.
- Support
- Submit enhancement ideas for other teachers to use or adapt and share your experiences with peers.
- Interaction
- Connect with students by utilizing the tools they use every day, specifically social media, to enhance learning.
Get Involved With
Social Media!
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Join the community on the Elections 101 Facebook page, where you can engage with other teachers to ask questions and stay informed about developments in the curriculum.
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Twitter will be used most heavily during the statewide Youth Straw Poll on November 1st.
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Get involved and share your school's participation leading up to the Youth Straw Poll on November 1st.
