Title: TEACHING NOTES: Introduction section
Course: US Election 2016-Leuphana Copy > Section: Introduction

[fa-info-circle] This is only visible to teachers. Take a look at this introduction when preparing this part of the project for your students.

This introductory course section leads the students into the project by setting the goal and context of the subsequent curriculum. Participant courses adopt one U.S. state and become its virtual citizens – research its population's demography, culture, economy, and voting history. As a final task in the project, students will make an informed prediction for their state's voting behavior on Election Day and participate in the U.S. Election Project School Competition.

In this introduction, students explore their state for the first time and form hypotheses about its voting behavior.

[fa-info-circle]   The section includes two task cycles

- ★ TASK: Explore Your State
- TASK: Who Would You Vote For?

★ TASK: Explore Your State

The ★ TASK: Explore Your State asks students to take a first look at their adopted state. This is an open task allowing students to decide what aspects of their state they wish to look into and how to get a first overview of their state's culture, history, political landscape, and economy. One suggestion is to fill out a K-W-L chart (know – want to know – learned) and collect information in the Project Journal. Task support is provided in the form of the state fact sheet with condensed information on the mentioned aspects and links for further research.

If you are participating with a transatlantic partner, then this task provides an excellent opportunity for a first virtual exchange between both courses. Students in Germany could, for example, design questionnaires or interview questions to be forwarded to their U.S. peers about their home U.S. state.

[fa-gears]   Tech tips

- Ask students to bring their own devices or reserve the computer lab (although the research portion of the task could be done at home).
- Students should get an initial impression of their state and having web-access during this phase would be helpful.
- If participating together with a transatlantic partner, discuss with your students how this exchange could best be facilitated (synchronously via Skype, or asynchronously through e-mails and forum discussions etc.).

TASK: Who Would You Vote For?

In the TASK: Who Would You Vote For? students take a first poll as to who they would vote for in they were allowed to cast their votes on Election Day. In the first part of the task, students take the Societly President quiz in order to find out which platform aligns best with their personal political views.

In the second step, they cast their vote in this course and make a first 'impromptu' prediction of how their state might vote in November. The result of this poll can be used as a first hypothesis of the course participants and a backdrop against which to compare the final prediction that they will make in the final section of this course.

The FORUM: First Assumptions provides space to discuss the students' initial ideas and predictions as they enter the project and which will shape their subsequent project participation.

[fa-gears]   Tech tips

- The President quiz and both polls require access to computers/electronic devices.
- Both tasks can be used as homework assignments to generate first ideas and hypotheses as the foundation for a subsequent classroom discussion, especially if the forum discussion is integrated.
- Discuss criteria for the forum with your students (no criteria at all? everyone should make at least one posting? everyone should react to one posting? etc.)