Susan M. Baxter, Harborview School, Juneau, AK

CANDIDATE DEBATE

Appropriate for grades 3-8.

OVERVIEW:  In the team classroom, a modified open classroom
setting for 55 third to fifth graders, in the fall of 1983 my two
co-teachers and I decided to teach the concept that informed
voters make conscientious voting decisions based on personal
research, background information, and issues rather than a
superficial knowledge of a candidate.

We began the unit with an in-depth unit on government, focusing on
the appropriate level for each grade as specified by our local
curriculum (third grade - local city, fourth grade - state, and
fifth grade - national).  There were elections that year at all
levels.  Because these were introductory units at each level, we
also included a geography strand.

We established the need for a governing body at each level and
studied the structure of checks and balances, leading to the check
of election by the people.  We required viewing of presidential,
state and local political debates.  We collected articles
concerning the political campaigns and organized them by
governmental levels and discussed them in small groups.  We
encouraged students to discuss their political opinions with their
peers, parents and other adults.  Our goal was to have the
students use familiar methods of gaining information as well as
newly introduced methods.

PURPOSE:  To stimulate a political debate based upon issues
relevant to third to fifth graders, their parents, and the
community.

To introduce and develop the concept that an informed voter uses
his/her voting power to support issues that are important to
him/her.

OBJECTIVES:  Students will be able to:

 1.  Participate in a political debate by developing questions,
     listening and analyzing responses.

 2.  Apply their knowledge of a candidate to make an informed
     choice.

ACTIVITIES:� 

 1.  We invited the local campaign managers for the candidates for
     Alaska's one seat in the House of Representatives, Don Young,
     Republican incumbent and Peggy Begich, Democratic challenger.
     We informed them that they would be representing their
     candidate in a 45 minute debate.

 2.  The students were divided into multi-grade level small groups
     and they listed issues of concern at local, state, and
     national levels.

 3.  The large group met and focused the issues into five basic
     ones:  the environment, natural resources, pollution,
     education, and local hire.

 4.  The students read one-two pages of campaign literature on
     each candidate.  Reading partners were used.  Post-reading
     literal and inferential comprehension questions were used to
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     questions were edited and submitted to the questioning panel.

 6.  The questioning panel was chosen from student volunteers.

 7.  All students voted on the candidates and filled out a short
     questionnaire concerning the reasons for their choice.

 8.  Parents and community members were invited to the debate.
     The debate proceeded without a hitch except that it was held
     on Halloween so the campaign managers were questioned by a
     punk rocker, a gorilla and a mummy.  At the end of the formal
     questioning, before the final comments, four questions were
     taken from the audience.  the level and concerns of the
     questions showed that the students had listened to the
     responses and comments closely.

 9.  The students voted again and were required to interview at
     least two classmates concerning their vote and reasons for
     change or consistency with their previous vote.  They wrote
     thank-you notes to the campaign managers citing at least one
     specific reaction or response to information revealed in the
     debate.

10.  The students predicted statewide results using their
     knowledge of the issues.

11.  The students monitored the statewide election results on
     election day and compared their predictions.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS NEEDED:  None.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:  Our students were able to experience the
fact-finding procedure of informed voters.  We chose not to
develop the concept of political parties beyond the introductory
level, but many student visited election headquarters of various
candidates.

Later that year when a decrease in school population threatened
the closure of the school, our students felt empowered to
represent themselves at school board and city assembly meetings
and to write letters to the newspaper editor.  The feedback that
we received from parents was an increase in newspaper reading and
participation in political discussions.  Our goal to give students
methods for finding out about candidates was met and we were
encouraged by the students' choice to participate in other aspects
of the political process.