Vote!
The Race for the White House
A WebQuest by
Gail Greenberg
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êTask |
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Did you know that George Washington was the first President to be on a postage stamp? Did you know that Millard Fillmore was the first President to have a stove in the White House or that Benjamin Harrison was the first President to have a Christmas tree in the White House? Do you know how many Presidents are from Ohio?
With the
2008 Presidential Election less than 100 days from now, our new
school publishing company, Tiger Tales, has put you on a special
I-Team assignment. You and your partner will be digging for facts
and giving your class the latest and greatest scoops on Since we have been reading about Judson Moon, The Kid Who Ran for President, you probably already have some ideas about the job and the kinds of things you would do to change the country if you were ever elected to the top post. So, here’s your chance to try your skills as a journalist. Grab a pad of paper and a pencil and prepare to meet the challenges of a star reporter! |
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ê Task Get aboard the campaign trail! Your editor has asked you to write a five-part feature story, based upon your investigation, which will be printed in Tiger Tales. (The titles of books and Web sites you will use are given in the Resources section of this WebQuest.) Here is a list of subjects for the stories you will write and the activities you will complete: |
êProcess
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êResources:
Print
Voting by Sarah DeCapua America Votes: How Our President Is Elected by Linda Granfield, Steve Björkman (Illustrator) The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman The Kid Who Became President by Dan Gutman Voting and Elections by Patricia J. Murphy The Presidency by Patricia Ryon Quiri So, You Want to Be President by Judith St. George, David Small (Illustrator) Presidential Elections and Other Cool Facts (2nd Edition) by Syl Sobel, J.D. |
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Congratulations on your effort and accomplishments! Through this WebQuest, you have explored the election process and the duties and responsibilities of our nation's Chief Executive -- The President. You have also had the opportunity to vote, one of your rights as a citizen in a democracy. You accepted your role as an I-Team reporter for Tiger Tales. If you feel you have worked to the best of your abilities to complete the tasks you were given, you deserve to be a star! |
¢ Introduction: This WebQuest features resources related to the upcoming U.S.
Presidential election, the voting process, and the Office of the President.
The primary purpose of this WebQuest is to enable the students to
purposefully organize and integrate the information they locate into meaningful
models of civic ideals and responsibilities in a democratic society. This WebQuest also is an extension of the reading and
discussion of The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman.
The students will gain a better understanding of the President’s roles
and duties and how government affects everyone’s lives. The Tasks provided for students in this WebQuest facilitate
information literacy skills, reading comprehension, knowledge acquisition, and
critical thinking. By way of
virtual reality, students will visit a voting booth and the White House, and
pretend to be President for a Day. Students
will become more familiar with the campaign through a hands-on activity, journal
writing, and a class discussion. ¢ Content Areas: This
interdisciplinary WebQuest includes the following content areas:
Information Literacy; Social Studies; and English Language Arts. It
is designed for third and fourth grade students, and is and
is a collaboratively planned activity between the classroom teachers and the library media
specialist. ¢ Standards and Indicators: (Ohio Academic Content Standards and ALA Information Literacy Standard for Student Learning) |
êêêêêêInformation
Literacy Standardsêêêêêê
Accesses information efficiently and
effectively. Evaluates information critically and
competently. Describes
types of information:
facts, opinions, primary/secondary sources; and formats of
information:
number, text, sound, visual, multimedia; and uses information for a
purpose. Recognize
that information gathering is based upon a need.
(Grade Three) Collect
information and data and identify answers to questions.
(Grade Four) |
êêêêêêSocial
Studies Standardsêêêêêê
Citizenship Rights and
Responsibilities
Uses
knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in order to
examine and evaluate civic ideals and to participate in community life and
the American democratic system. Describe
the responsibilities of citizenship. (Grade Three) Describe
the ways in which citizens can promote the common good and influence their
government.
(Grade Four) |
êêêêêêEnglish
Language Arts Standardsêêêêêê
Read
and comprehend a variety of literary and nonfiction genres. Identify
and list the important central ideas and supporting details of
informational text. (Grade
Three) Locate
important details about a topic using different sources of information,
including books, magazines, newspapers and online resources.
(Grade Four) Informs
others through reports or informational writing. Acquire
information from multiple sources and collect data about the topic.
(Grade Three) Write informational reports that include facts and examples, and present important details in a logical order. (Grade Four) |
¢ Implementation Overview: Students will work individually or with a partner, depending upon
computer access and time availability. Together,
the students and their teacher will decide how to divide the various tasks
required to complete the project. Students will need time to collect data (whether from print
or electronic sources), complete activities, and prepare an oral or written
presentation for their classmates. This
WebQuest can be extended by examining other topics related to the election process
and the lives of U.S. Presidents throughout history. To increase the students’ and the teachers’ comfort
level with technology, one option would be to begin the WebQuest as a group.
Any activity pages should be printed in advance and in sufficient
quantities for the entire class. (Reproducible
materials are listed under Special Resources Needed.) |
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Computers with Internet access. Print and Electronic resources as listed in the WebQuest’s
Resources. Index cards. Candidate Fact Sheet Assorted art supplies for campaign button activity Folder with paper for writing a journal and creating an election dictionary. |
¢ Entry Level Skills and Knowledge: Students
will need to have basic technology skills i.e., the ability to use the
computer and navigate the WWW. Students
will also need to have basic research and reference skills with both print and
electronic resources. The materials
built into this WebQuest allow for a broad range of ability levels and for
students with special needs. ¢ Evaluation: A rubric will be used to allow students to self-assess and for
the teacher assessment. The
rubric’s criteria are designed to evaluate student performance, related to
both the process and products of this WebQuest.
The final product is a journal, authored by each student individually or
with his partner, that presents thoughts, feelings, and information discovered
on this WebQuest. Student scores
will be based upon participation and writing samples. ¢ Conclusion: This short
term WebQuest is an interdisciplinary (Information Literacy, Social Studies, and
English Language Arts) inquiry approach to learning.
Students are engaged in activities individually, with a partner, and as a
class. Students access, evaluate,
and organize information found on the Web and in informational books to develop
a better understanding of the election process and the responsibilities of the
President of the United States. |
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êReturn
to the Giddings
Library Media Center Web page. Copyright
© 2004 Gail Greenberg E-mail questions or comments to the author of this site: Gail.Greenberg@cmsdnet.net |