Fifth Grade Current Events Current Events WebQuest Frank Monitello

1. Fifth Grade Current Events Current Events WebQuest Frank Monitello

2. Unemployment Failing Economy Rising Gas Prices Healthcare Do we move FORWARD? Or do we make a CHANGE? LET YOURVOICE BE HEARD!!! FIND OUT HOW

3. Welcome to the Election 2012 WebQuest! Some of you are about to take part in a once in a lifetime experience….you will be running for President of the UnitedStates! • Others will have an even more important job…voting for the bestcandidate! Click to Find Out More ! ! !

4. Goal: 1. Students will develop an understanding of their candidate’s policies (Democrats and Republicans). 2. Studentswill develop their own opinion based on which socio-economic class he or she is a part of (Citizens). Strategies 1. Democratsand Republicans will develop a Persuasive Piece, attempting to persuade the citizen in their group to vote for him or her. The persuasion piece can take many forms: • Persuasive speech. Public Service Announcement, or Commercial. • Citizenswill develop their own persuasive speech explaining who they would vote for and why this person is the greatest candidate. Remember to keep in mind that citizens should take their assigned socio-economic status into account while forming their opinions. TASK 

5. Task: • The class will be broken up into groups of 3 students. Each student will be assigned a title (Democrat, Republican, and Citizen). • Each member of the group will be required to carry out different responsibilities. However, none is more important than the other. In order for your group to reach all of their goals, each member of your group will have to complete their political and civilian responsibilities. • WEEK 1: Once assigned their titles, students will begin to researching. They will bring in research from home and use their class time to discuss what they have discovered with their group. • WEEK 2: Once students have researched their Titles, each group member will work on their persuasive piece. Presentations will begin on Friday of Week 2. Class time will be used to work on speeches and scripts for public service announcements and commercials. Click here to choose your Title!!! Click here to find out how you will be graded.

6. Be a Democrat ! ! ! Be a Republican ! ! ! Be a Citizen ! ! ! Back to Task

7. President Obama Bio Policies Interview Watch Me Debate Choose Another Title

8. Governor Romney Interview Policies Watch Me Debate Bio Choose Another Title

9. The CitizenChoose Your Status Learn About the Election Meet your Candidates!!! Choose Another Title Back to Task

10. Working ClassCitizen “I am a working class citizen. I take the bus to get to work. I have 2 jobs and still find it hard to pay my bills. I receive public assistance to help me pay my rent. Whoshould I votefor?!” BACK

11. Middle ClassCitizen “I am a middle class citizen. I am a firefighter in the FDNY. I make enough money to pay my bills, but I am afraid gas prices will keep rising. It costs me 60 dollars per week to fill up my truck. Whoshould I votefor?! BACK

12. Upper ClassCitizen “I am an upper class citizen. I work as a CEO of a successful company. I pay all of my bills and still have plenty of money to spend on luxuries. I have a driver that takes me to and from work every day. WhoshouldIvotefor?!” BACK

13. Rubric Conclusion Back to Task

14. Conclusion - Congratulations! You have completed your Election 2012 WebQuest! • Whether you were a Democrat, Republican, or Citizen, by now you should have developed your own views and opinions about both President Obama and Governor Romney! Apart from having fun, this was the purpose of the activity. • Understanding how elections work and building awareness of the issues and policies of our presidential candidates is an important part of being a Unites States citizen. Each one of you are more knowledgeable as a result of your hard work and dedication over the past 2 weeks. Great Job Everyone!!! Click Here to View the Teacher’s Page

15. Standards • 5.RL.3 Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text. • 5.RL.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently. • 5.RL.9 Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. • 5.RL.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently. • 5.W.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information ((A) Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose (B) Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details. C) Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically) (D) Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented. • 5.W. 4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.) Back to Beginning