5th and 6th Graders Dive into the US Electoral System Through Storypath

Students in each class have formed three political parties, and have started developing their platforms, symbols, and slogans. They used their own ideas about the most pressing issues to create their basic platforms, which they’re now fleshing out with further research and interviews. Then, they worked on creating biographies for their candidates and campaign workers!

Parties also learned about their campaign budgets and the different expenses that are either required (such as headquarters rental) or discretionary (such as different forms of advertising). Armed with this information, the campaign managers, candidates, communication directors, and artistic directors continue to work on their campaigns. The treasurers are keeping careful track of the budget along the way!

A field trip to a local campaign headquarters also gave students the opportunity to see a campaign in action, including learning about voter registration and the different methods used to reach undecided voters. Students learned how phone calls, postcards, and other materials are used to reach potential voters and volunteers.

In one class, The Freedom Party, The Party Beyond and The Business Builder Party are working hard to earn the support of the registered student voters who will be lining up to cast their ballots on November 5. Through the Storypath process, students are experiencing first hand how actual presidential campaigns are run.