Understanding the U.S. Electoral College

A lot of people are arguing about the 2016 election and the Electoral College, but do your students understand how the president is really elected?. This packet introduces your students to the concept of the Electoral College by comparing the process to winning a sports championship. The packet includes three leveled reading passages that cover the same information, to meet the needs of students at different reading abilities. The estimated Lexile levels are:

Winning the Election – about 400L (Written with the beginning/low intermediate level ESL student in mind)
Winning the Big Game—about 750 L
The World Series of Politics—about 900 L

Each reading passage is followed by seven comprehension questions, mostly at the interpretive and evaluative levels. The question stems come directly from the seventh and eighth-grade STAAR Reading template.

Another activity requires students to research 2016 election results, compare the popular vote and electoral vote, and make inferences.

Finally, there are three leveled writing activities. All involve responses to the question “Should the president of the United States be elected by popular vote?”" and include pre-writing activities to guide the student writing.

Should we abolish the electoral college? Try this lesson with your students and start tomorrow's voters thinking about this issue today.