Martin Luther King Jr. School

Presented by

Mrs. Robson & Mrs. Florin

When the founding Father’s of our nation designed a system for electing Presidents they had no idea how crazy the system would eventually be. “Well, it’s that time again.” The Electoral College is a process by which the president is elected. Is it time for the Electoral College to change? Some think it is. They think it is undemocratic and makes voting unequal.

Should we continue to believe in the intentions of our forefathers “a government of the people, by the people and for the people” or find a better method for electing our Chief Executive?

You are now newspaper reporters! As a newspaper reporter you are going to conduct a public policy analysis. There are many criticisms of the Electoral College. Will the Electoral College rock the vote in the 2008 Presidential election? Has it affected other elections? This you will find out in this web quest. You will become public policy analysts and try to evaluate the current electoral system and, possibly find better alternatives.

What happened in the “2000” Presidential election?

Your task will be to write an essay explaining the controversy surrounding the Electoral College and how it has affected several presidential elections. You will include the SIX STEP Public Policy Analyst method in order to bring about a change based on your readings and research.

The six-step PPA will allow you to become more knowledgeable of the electoral process. You will examine some of the solutions that are being used to correct the problem. Through your reading and research you will write an essay on the Electoral College its problems and what you think will bring about a change.

THE RESEARCH ESSAY STANDARDS

Your essay must include the following:

· 1-type written page(minimum)

· Pictures to support the information in your essay

· Catchy opening sentence

You will examine several sites in the “Resource” section of the web quest and learn about the problems candidates are facing using the Electoral College. Your goal is to gather information about the electoral process and its problems by completing all six worksheets of the PPA. These worksheets will form the outline of your research paper. ALL SIX STEPS MUST BE INCLUDED IN THE RESEARCH PAPER.

There will be four students in each group. Each person will be responsible for collecting information and completing the worksheets linked below which will be used in your essay. The jobs are:

· Historian: Examine the existing policy of the Electoral College

· Legal Expert: How does the Electoral College affect a presidential election?

· Social Activist: will examine what changes are needed in to bring the Electoral College to the 21^st century?

· Recorder: will decide if the Electoral College is fair and feasible in a presidential election

Your data will be organized and displayed:

Complete all the worksheets linked on the web sites below and answer the questions under each step

· Step 1 Define the Problem

Does the Electoral College process cause problems when we elect a president?

· Step 2 Gather the Evidence

What is the evidence showing problems posed by the present election system?

· Step 3 Determine the Causes

What caused these problems?

· Step 4 Examine an Existing Policy

How was the Electoral College used in 1787?

Is the Electoral College used the same way today?

· Step 5 Develop (3) changes from your readings

From your research what Public Policy changes might be needed in to bring the Electoral College to the 21^st century?

· Step 6 Select the Best Solution/Policy

Why are your suggested changes the best ones for the country today?

Specific Web Sites

· ELECTION CONTROVERSIES

· Does My Vote Count

· Changes to the electoral college

· Existing Policies

· Effectiveness of the Electoral College

· Data on Presidential Elections

General Web Sites

· www.gooble.com

· www.Yahoo.com

Grading Rubric

CATEGORY	4  Excellent	3 Very Good	2 Satisfactory	1 Needs Improvement
Knowledge Gained	Student can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster.	Student can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster.	Student can accurately answer about 75% of questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster.	Student appears to have insufficient knowledge about the facts or processes used in the poster.
Graphics - Originality	Several of the graphics used on the poster reflect a exceptional degree of student creativity in their creation and/or display.	One or two of the graphics used on the poster reflect student creativity in their creation and/or display.	The graphics are made by the student, but are based on the designs or ideas of others.	No graphics made by the student are included.
Graphics - Relevance	All graphics are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics are related to the topic and most make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics relate to the topic. Most borrowed graphics have a source citation.	Graphics do not relate to the topic OR several borrowed graphics do not have a source citation.
Content - Accuracy	At least 7 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.	5-6 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.	3-4 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.	Less than 3 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.
Knowledge Gained	Student can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster.	Student can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster.	Student can accurately answer about 75% of questions related to facts in the poster and processes used to create the poster.	Student appears to have insufficient knowledge about the facts or processes used in the poster.
Attractiveness	The poster is exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness.	The poster is attractive in terms of design, layout and neatness.	The poster is acceptably attractive though it may be a bit messy.	The poster is distractingly messy or very poorly designed. It is not attractive.
Uses PPA steps	Uses all six steps	Uses three to four steps	Uses one to two steps	Did not use any PPA steps

Grade	1-Excellent	2-Very Good	3-Satisfactory	4-Needs Improvement
Oral Presentation	No knowledge of the Electoral College and presents no data to support the essay	Little knowledge of the Electoral College and presents several sources of data in a logical format to support the proposed essay	Acceptable amount of knowledge on the Electoral College and several sources of data	Superior Knowledge of the uses of Electoral College and presents an exceptional amount of data in the essay
Research	Little Support	Not enough information to their understanding of the reasons the Electoral College needs to be changed	Lots of information that supports the essay	All in format and supports the subject
Worksheets	Incomplete	Complete with only a little information	Complete with some information	Complete with a lot of information

Is the present Electoral College system the best way to elect a president? Not only have you learned about how the Electoral College is used but you have developed an understanding of many of issues and criticisms. You have evaluated a major social and political problem. You have become a historian and a public policy analyst by completing this web quest. You have used the six steps of the Public Policy Analyst. The problem you have examined does not have an easy solution. Let’s hope you have found one! Thank you for your participation.

ELA Standards:

1. Students will read and write for information and understanding.

2. Students will read and write for literary response and expression

3. Students will read and write for critical analysis and evaluation

4. Students will speak and listen for social interaction

Social Studies Standards:

Standard 1:   History of the United States and New York

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States and New York.

Standard 2:   World History

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

Standard 4:   Economics

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of how the United States and other societies develop economic systems and associated institutions to allocate scarce resources, how major decision-making units function in the United States and other national economies, and how an economy solves the scarcity problem through market and nonmarket mechanisms.

Standard 5:   Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.