Procedures
Day One:
Students will be shown a series of political cartoons from the election, some for certain candidates, others against and others in between. As a whole group we will discuss the cartoons and the election so that the students have a good foundation to start forming their own opinions on what they think is important during the election.
Day Two:
Before the students come into the classroom, I will have them draw a number (1-4) out of a cup. There will be 4 tables set up with folders each table that have the candidate's names on the inside, this way no one moves around to a different candidate's table. There will be one folder for each candidate: Bell, Breckinridge, Douglas, and Lincoln.
Each group will have a group of sources to help them determine where their party stands, what they should be abdicating for and in the end help them create material for a mock debate. Each group will have two debaters who will work together to answer the debate questions, two supporters who will work together to write a paragraph on who they are portraying and why they support the candidate and one person will be a campaign manager and create a poster for the candidate.
Day Three:
Some time will be allotted for final touches on the debate notes and poster. Then we will arrange the tables to make one long table for the debaters to sit at while everyone else will sit in their chairs in the audience. I will lead the debate by asking a series of questions to each candidate, allowing them to answer and their supporters to applaud. Breaks in between the questions will be enhanced by a word from the supporters telling the people who they think they should vote based on their paragraph they wrote the previous day.
Day Four:
Students will be asked to write a small DBQ based on the documents they were given and the answers their candidates gave. The topic is going to be simple: Who would you vote for; but the meat of the essay should be why they support that candidate. At the end of the day their papers will be turned in for review.
Day Five:
On the last day, we will discuss as a group why this election was so significant as it leads up to the Civil War. Discussion can be about what they think will happen next, what they know will happen next and I will also let them discuss what they think would have happened if someone other than Lincoln was elected. Segueing into the next chapter/discussion/week.
Students will be shown a series of political cartoons from the election, some for certain candidates, others against and others in between. As a whole group we will discuss the cartoons and the election so that the students have a good foundation to start forming their own opinions on what they think is important during the election.
Day Two:
Before the students come into the classroom, I will have them draw a number (1-4) out of a cup. There will be 4 tables set up with folders each table that have the candidate's names on the inside, this way no one moves around to a different candidate's table. There will be one folder for each candidate: Bell, Breckinridge, Douglas, and Lincoln.
Each group will have a group of sources to help them determine where their party stands, what they should be abdicating for and in the end help them create material for a mock debate. Each group will have two debaters who will work together to answer the debate questions, two supporters who will work together to write a paragraph on who they are portraying and why they support the candidate and one person will be a campaign manager and create a poster for the candidate.
Day Three:
Some time will be allotted for final touches on the debate notes and poster. Then we will arrange the tables to make one long table for the debaters to sit at while everyone else will sit in their chairs in the audience. I will lead the debate by asking a series of questions to each candidate, allowing them to answer and their supporters to applaud. Breaks in between the questions will be enhanced by a word from the supporters telling the people who they think they should vote based on their paragraph they wrote the previous day.
Day Four:
Students will be asked to write a small DBQ based on the documents they were given and the answers their candidates gave. The topic is going to be simple: Who would you vote for; but the meat of the essay should be why they support that candidate. At the end of the day their papers will be turned in for review.
Day Five:
On the last day, we will discuss as a group why this election was so significant as it leads up to the Civil War. Discussion can be about what they think will happen next, what they know will happen next and I will also let them discuss what they think would have happened if someone other than Lincoln was elected. Segueing into the next chapter/discussion/week.