Election Day is an important day in our government’s history. Finding ways to fit the electoral process into your curriculum can be difficult. Social studies teachers may be apprehensive about how to objectively cover the election since there are so many controversial issues surrounding the 2024 presidential election. Below, you can read about 5 2024 election day activities that cover the electoral process in your classroom. 

Five Ways to Incorporate the 2024 Election into Your Classroom Curriculum

1.    Character Elections: 

     We all know about classroom mock elections. For a fun twist on a mock election, leave popularity out by having a character election. In ELA class, discussing the presidential election may not be part of your curriculum. However, you can teach students about the electoral process by having a mock election—not with students in the class—but with favorite book characters. This would be a great way for students to demonstrate their understanding of character traits and their ability to analyze these traits to determine why and how those traits would make them great presidential candidates.

1.    Videos: 

    Several short videos can be shown to students on Election Day. 

a.    Past presidents: Learn the names and dates that past presidents held office. 

b.    Voting: Learn about democratic government and the voting process.

2.    Electoral College: 

     Keep politics and personal beliefs out of the classroom and teach “just the facts.” Many students (and adults) don’t fully understand how the Electoral College works or the difference between the electoral and popular votes. Use this video, which includes support materials, to destroy these misconceptions! 

3.    Branches of Government: 

    Teach the basics of our system of government by using these FREE worksheets from The Mailbox about the three branches of government: the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. Click on the worksheet, and you’ll be able to download it to print and use in your classroom. If you need to turn this into a digital copy, read here to learn how.

4.    All in One: 

     If you are looking for ready-made lessons and activities to cover the presidential election and have a bit of time to spend on it, you may like this resource. It covers the electoral college, political parties (including the Democratic, Republican, and Independent parties), the election process, and how to write a presidential election campaign speech. 

This 2024 election day activity is especially useful if you want to cover the electoral process but are hesitant to dive into the backgrounds of the candidates of each political party. Students will have a fair and objective overview of the process of becoming a presidential candidate in the United States. 

I hope these 5 ideas help you to cover the presidential election in your classroom. Click here to learn ways to engage your social studies classes.