Did you know that voters in the
People
actually vote for a group of electors when they go to the polls on Election
Day. The electors have promised to support a party's nominee for president. In
many states only the names of the nominees are on the ballot and not the names
of the electors, so some people believe they are voting directly for the
president.
Many people have
criticized the Electoral College system over the years. There have been some
attempts to change it but, two important criticisms still remain unanswered.
First, there is no guarantee that an elector who is pledged to vote for a
certain candidate will actually vote for that candidate. Historically, only a
few electors have switched their vote. The second criticism is the
winner-take-all system. By getting just one more popular vote then their
opponent, a nominee can get all of a state's electoral votes. As a result,
three nominees have been elected president even though their opponents received
more popular votes nationally. (Remember Al Gore!!!!!)
You are the person that is
going to change the Electoral College.
You are creating a report that will be sent to the Committee on
Elections. You project could change the
world!!!
1) Each group
will be responsible for creating a book or power point detailing the history of
the Electoral College, how it works, and how they think it should be revised or
why it should be done away with all together.
The power point or book should be at least ten slides or pages.
2) There are
two parts to this project that must be fulfilled, the history of the Electoral
Collage and how you think it should be changed and why.
3) Students also must fill out six PUBLIC POLICY ANANLYST
worksheets which will be a major component of their grade. You must explain why you think the Electoral
College is a social problem.
4) Finally
students must give a ten minute oral presentation about their
project. Students will be expected to
talk about the history of the Electoral College, how they would change it, and
why it is a social problem (students will be graded on
how well they incorporate the PPA worksheets into their oral presentation!)
1) Part 1 requirements.
a. The
background of the Electoral Collage.
b. Detail the
social problems with the Electoral Collage?
c. How were
these problems fixed?
This
will be the focus of the PPA steps as well
2) Part 2
requirements-Focus on these as you complete the PPA
a. What are
some problems with the Electoral College today? Give examples!!!!
b. What are
some ways that people propose to fix the problems of the Electoral College?
c. What do you
think is the best solution? Why? Make sure to explain this in-depth!!
d. Explain why
certain states want to keep the Electoral College as it is.
3) Your project should include graphics, charts,
animations, or other illustrations.
4) Complete the
six PUBLIC POLICY ANANLYST worksheets
linked below. Your power point and oral
report MUST be based on these worksheets.
a. Worksheet #1 DEFINE THE SOCIAL PROBLEM
b. Worksheet #2 GATHER THE EVIDENCE FOR THE SOCIAL PROBLEM
c. Worksheet #3 FIND CAUSES FOR THE SOCIAL PROBLEM
d. Worksheet #4 EVALUATE EXISITING PUBLIC POLICY
e. Worksheet #5 DEVELOP SOLUTIONS FOR THE SOCIAL PROBLEM
f. Worksheet #6 SELECT THE BEST SOLUTION
5) Each group
must give a ten minute oral presentation about their project. Students will be expected to talk about the
history of the Electoral College, how they would change it, and why it is a
social problem (students will be graded on how well they incorporate the PPA
worksheets into their oral presentation!) Use the PPA steps as an outline for
ALL your tasks
6) EVERY
project must have a completed bibliography. This will be a critical part of
your grade! Be sure to show where, in
your task products, you used the hyperlinks found in the “resource” section.
Remember, you may use other outside
sources as well.
Here are some great sites and
activities dealing with the Electoral College
Electoral College Links
Concerns with the Electoral College
General Links
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CATEGORY
|
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
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Sequencing of Information |
Information is organized in a clear, logical way. It is easy to
anticipate the type of material that might be on the next slide. |
Most information is organized in a clear, logical way. One slide
or item of information seems out of place. |
Some information is logically sequenced. An occasional slide or
item of information seems out of place. |
There is no clear plan for the organization of information. |
|
Content - Accuracy |
All content throughout the presentation is accurate. There are
no factual errors. |
Most of the content is accurate but there is one piece of
information that might be inaccurate. |
The content is generally accurate, but one piece of information
is clearly flawed or inaccurate. |
Content is typically confusing or contains more than one factual
error. |
|
Originality |
Presentation shows considerable originality and inventiveness.
The content and ideas are presented in a unique and interesting way. |
Presentation shows some originality and inventiveness. The
content and ideas are presented in an interesting way. |
Presentation shows an attempt at originality and inventiveness
on 1-2 cards. |
Presentation is a rehash of other people's ideas and/or graphics
and shows very little attempt at original thought. |
|
Spelling and Grammar |
Presentation has no misspellings or grammatical errors. |
Presentation has 1-2 misspellings, but no grammatical errors. |
Presentation has 1-2 grammatical errors but no misspellings. |
Presentation has more than 2 grammatical and/or spelling errors.
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Text - Font Choice & Formatting |
Font formats (e.g., color, bold, italic) have been carefully
planned to enhance readability and content. |
Font formats have been carefully planned to enhance readability.
|
Font formatting has been carefully planned to complement the
content. It may be a little hard to read. |
Font formatting makes it very difficult to read the material. |
|
Graphics Sources |
Graphics are hand-drawn. The illustrator(s) are given credit
somewhere in the presentation. |
A combination of hand-drawn and Hyper Studio graphics are used.
Sources are documented in the presentation for all images. |
Some graphics are from sources that clearly state that
non-commercial use is allowed without written permission. Sources are
documented in the presentation for all "borrowed" images. |
Some graphics are borrowed from sites that do not have copyright
statements or do not state that non-commercial use is allowed, OR sources are
not documented for all images. |
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Use of Graphics |
All graphics are attractive (size and colors) and support the
theme/content of the presentation. |
A few graphics are not attractive but all support the
theme/content of the presentation. |
All graphics are attractive but a few do not seem to support the
theme/content of the presentation. |
Several graphics are unattractive AND detract from the content
of the presentation. |
|
Buttons and Links Work Correctly |
All buttons and links work correctly. |
Most (99-90%) buttons and links work correctly |
Many (89-75%) of the buttons and links work correctly. |
Fewer than 75% of the buttons work correctly. |
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Cooperation |
Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively all
of the time. |
Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively most
of the time. |
Group delegates tasks and shares responsibility effectively some
of the time. |
Group often is not effective in delegating tasks and/or sharing
responsibility |
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CATEGORY
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4 - Excellent |
3 - Good |
2 - Satisfactory |
1 - Unacceptable |
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Length of Presentation |
Presentation is 10 minutes long. |
Presentation is 8-10 minutes long. |
Presentation is 5 minutes long. |
Presentation is less than 3 minutes. |
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Enthusiasm |
Shows enthusiasm (hands and facial expressions) through
animation of presentation. |
Shows some enthusiasm (hands and facial expressions) through
animation of presentation. |
Shows little enthusiasm (hands and facial expressions) through
animation of presentation. |
Very little use of facial expressions or body language. Did not
generate much interest in topic being presented. |
|
Speaks Loud and Clear |
Speaks loud, clear, and distinctly all (100-90%) the time. |
Speaks loud, clear, and distinctly all (89-80%) the time. |
Speaks loud, clear, and distinctly most (79-70%) of the time. |
Often mumbles or can not be understood or heard. |
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Uses Complete Sentences |
Uses complete sentences all of the time. |
Uses complete sentences most of the time. |
Uses complete sentence some of the time. |
Rarely speaks in complete sentences. |
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Cultures |
Presentation includes 4 or more cultures |
Presentation includes at least 3 cultures. |
Presentation includes at least 2 cultures. |
Presentation includes less than 2 cultures. |
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Components |
Presentation includes at more than 6 of the required components.
|
Presentation includes all 6 of the required components. |
Presentation includes at least 5 of the required components. |
Presentation includes less than 5 of the required components. |
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Understanding |
Student is able to accurately answer almost all questions posed
by classmates about the topic. |
Student is able to accurately answer most questions posed by
classmates about the topic. |
Student is able to accurately answer a few questions posed by
classmates about the topic. |
Student is unable to accurately answer questions posed by
classmates about the topic. |
By completing this web quest, you should have learned
from this web quest how the Electoral College works, its history, and the
problems associated with it. You should
understand why some people view the Electoral College as a social issue. The PUBLIC
POLICY ANANLYST should have taught you to analyze and be critical of social
issues. You now understand the critical
job a public policy analyst plays in our society. This political scientists
searches for social problems and attempts to find solutions that help millions.
Remember students- you are the future and it is up to you to change the
future!! Our democracy depends on you!!
Thanks for participating!!
Standard
1: History of the
Students will use a variety of
intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the major ideas,
eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the
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.
Standard
1: Language for Information and Understanding
Students will listen, speak, read, and
write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students
will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and
generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and
electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and
written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to
acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.
Standard
3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation
Students will listen, speak, read, and
write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students
will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others
using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use
oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English
language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and
judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.
