Free Graphic Organizers and Resources for Teaching the Election

From newspapers to blogs, from TV to Twitter, the election is everywhere. And that means arguments are everywhere. Candidates are making arguments, commentators are making arguments about those arguments--everybody's CERCA-ing!

To help you and your students discuss and debate election-season topics, we've created some graphic organizers.

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CERCA the Vote

You and your students can CERCA about almost any issue or campaign in the election: a national race or a local one, a single candidate or a particular issue--the possibilities are endless! Use the tips on the first page of this resource to find relevant, authoritative source texts and develop an interesting, debatable question about any election topic. Then have your kids CERCA it out in a straight-foward argumentative essay or one of these additional options supported by the graphic organizers:

  • Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper or a local representative
  • Have a whole-class debate or discussion
  • Give a persuasive speech or presentation