Christina Zapatero

Mrs. Lamb (1st grade)

Waterman Elementary
3 November 2017
JMU LESSON PLAN OUTLINE
TITLE: Voting & Elections

CONTEXT OF LESSON: This is the first time my 1st graders will have been exposed to the
concept of voting. This lesson aligns with the SOL standard and curriculum framework. In the
lessons leading up to this one, students will have discussed communities and local and state
governments. We want our students to know that people in communities live and work together
and that local and state government affect these communities. In this lesson the students will
focus on recognizing that communities elect officials to make decisions for them. Even though
the SOL standard states that students learn about state and local government, I chose to read
Duck for President because I couldn’t find any student friendly books on state and local
government leaders. However, as I mentioned above, the students will have learned about
communities and state and local government in the lessons leading up to this one. During this
lesson students will review prior knowledge, listen to a story, and participate in their first
election!

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Understand
Students will understand that
communities in VA have state
and local government officials
who are elected by voters
Know
Students will know that voters
in VA elect officials to make
decisions for them in state and
local governments.
Do
Students will fill out
registration cards and vote in
a “real” election.

Students will understand that

the people of VA contribute to
their communities by
practicing the responsibilities
of good citizens.

ASSESSING LEARNING: The students will be assessed through informal observations and a
formative assessment. During the beginning of the lesson I will lead a mini-discussion on state
and local governments and how they affect our communities. During this discussion time I intend
to prompt students to think about prior knowledge. I will informally assess students by calling on
them to answer questions or having them put thumbs up if they understand. At the end of the
lesson the students will participate in a “real” voting activity and we will discuss the importance
of voting in communities.
RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING

Civics
1.13 The student will understand that the people of Virginia

a) have state and local government officials who are elected by voters
b) make contributions to their communities

MATERIALS NEEDED
• Duck for President: By Doreen Cronin
• State and local government anchor chart
• Voter Registration cards (15 copies)
• Ballot for vote (15 copies)
• Desk (for voting station)
• Ballot Box (tissue box)
• Tally graph worksheet (1 copy)
• Directions (projector)

VOCABULARY: Community, volunteer, government, citizen, responsibilities, voting, election,

state official, local official, local government, state government, laws

PROCEDURE
• Engage & Prior Knowledge
o Hello friends! This week we have learned all about communities and how our
local and state governments affect our communities! Who can quietly raise their
hand and remind me of what our local and state government do for us?
o Review anchor chart written from previous lesson. Discuss the ways that
government officials help communities. 10:20-10:25
• Lesson Implementation
o Why do you think we vote for government officials to make decisions for us? To
express our choices and what we want, it’s fair, everyone gets a say, etc…
o Now, we are going to read “Duck for President” and vote for who we think
should be a leader.
o Read the title and show cover of Duck for President.
§ What are some things you observe on the title?
§ Do you think that a duck could be president? (Thumbs up or down)
§ What do you think might happen in this story? 10:25-10:30
o Read the book and ask questions along the way. 10:30-10:40
o Discussion:
o Tell the students “In Duck for President, animals on the farm had an
election to choose a leader. In the United States, we also have an election
to vote for our leaders. Citizens make their choices for our leaders by
using a ballot. Show students ballot and ballot box at this time.
o Think about the story Duck for President. Who do you think should be the
leader on the farm, Duck or Farmer Brown? Why? BUT, don’t say it out
loud, we vote in secret elections. Keep it in your brain! 10:30-10:35
 o Activity:
o We are going to have an election just like the animals did on the farm!
You are going to fill out your very own voter registration card and a
ballot. The ballot is how you will vote for either the duck or farmer
brown.
o Model how to fill out voter registration card. Model how to fill out ballot
& place in the ballot box. Put directions on board.10:35-10:40
o Students will return to their seats and fill out a voter registration card.
o After students fill out registration cards, I will set up a desk for students to
come vote at. They will get in a line and hand me their registration card,
vote, and place it in the ballot box. Friends, now that you have filled out
your registration card, it is time to vote! You will quietly get into a line
and QUICKLY and QUIETLY mark your vote! Make sure you have whom
you want to pick in your head before you vote. Afterwards, sit on the
carpet and we will count the votes! Put directions under projector. 10:40-
11:00
o Count votes and tally them on graph. 11:00-11:05
o Who did you think should be the leader on the farm, Duck or Farmer
Brown? Why? We will get into a circle and use our talking stick to share.
Now that elections are over, we can talk about who we voted for and
why. 11:05-11:10
• Closure
o Why is voting a good way to make decisions?
o What is one thing you learned today? 11:10-11:15

DIFFERENTIATION: There are 3 EL’s in my class, one of which is a newcomer with zero
English. The 3 EL students in my class struggle to read and write in their native language as well,
so providing them with translated vocabulary words might confuse them more since the topic of
this lesson is a little abstract. I will provide everyone in the class with picture directions, that way
no one feels singled out. I will orally explain in their native language (Spanish) to further their
understanding of the activity.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG: There are a lot of things that could potentially go wrong with
any lesson! However, I am most concerned with students not being engaged in the lesson. At
times it is very difficult to keep my first graders on track and following directions. I also worry
that the content might be too difficult for some students, which would lead them to be
disinterested in the lesson. I will make sure to model well beforehand and there will be picture
directions with single words (in Spanish and English) on the projector. My students who speak
minimal English might become distracted since majority of the lesson will be taught in English.
There is one newcomer in my class who speaks no English and 2 students who speak minimal
English. I will translate for them in Spanish in a small group afterwards. I am also concerned that
I have included too many steps in this lesson, which might confuse and tire my students.

 Directions/Direcciones


1. Write/Escribe






2. Vote






3.Carpet/Alfombra