“So You Want to be President”
Previewing and/or Extending Activities
Grades 4 – 8
Grade 4 and 5
AKS: 4SS_D1998-26 (QCC)
4SS_E1998-31 (QCC)
4SS_B1998 – 8 (QCC)
5SS_B1998-8 (QCC)
I. Discuss the three branches of government with the acronym: JELLO
J: Judicial Branch – has judges and is the court system
E: Executive Branch – has the President and enforces laws
L: Legislative Branch – has Congress which makes laws
These three branches working together ensure:
L: Law and
O: Order
Point out that there are two branches of government for which we elect members.
(Legislative and Executive) The President appoints the Federal Judicial Branch.
II. Compare the federal government to Georgia’s government.
Discuss how the state government is set up with the same three branches. Using an
attribute chart, compare the federal and state governments.
Federal
State (GA)
Executive Branch
YES
YES
Legislative Branch
YES
YES
Judicial Branch
YES
YES
It seems obvious, but this graphic helps students solidify this concept.
III. Use analogies to help students explain the role of the president.
Example:
The President of the United States is to the federal government
as
The governor is to the state government.
So You Want to be President / page 2
-ORVoting is to the age 18 as the presidency is to the age 35.
IV. Visit Ben’s Guide to US Government for Kids - http://bensguide.gpo.gov
It’s fairly sophisticated, so I usually guide my fourth graders into the K-2 section.
Visit: Kids Voting U.S.A. - www.kidsvotingusa.org
V. Compare our government with that of Great Britain’s during colonial times.
(Democratic Republic to a monarchy) to answer the question: Why do you think
colonists were willing to fight a war in order to have a democratic government?
What are the similarities? What are the differences? Apply this discussion to answer
the question.
Other books to read with your class about the elections:
America Votes: How Our President is Elected by Linda Granfield (Scholastic)
VOTE! by Eileen Christelow (Scholastic)
Election Connection: The Official Nick Guide to Electing the President
(Nickelodeon)
[This book is actually a good reference.]
Grades 6 – 8
6SS_B1998 – 8 (QCC)
6SS_B1998 – 10 (QCC)
7SS_B1998-17 (QCC)
7SS_B1998 –8
8SS_D2000-4 (QCC)
8SS_B1998-8 (QCC)
8SS_B1998- 11 (QCC)
6SS_B1998-16 (QCC)
6SS_B1998-17 (QCC)
7SS_B1998 – 9 (QCC)
8SS_G2001-15 (QCC)
8SS_B1998-7
8SS_B1998- 18 (QCC)
I. Discuss the election process including the electoral college. Have students reflect on
this discussion with a one page ‘essay’ answering this question: Do you think the
election process we have today is a fair one? Use information from the discussion to
support your point of view.
II. Define and discuss the two main political parties: democrats and republicans.
 Identify each party’s presidential candidate.
 Compare each party’s views (and candidate’s views) on subjects like: the war in
Iraq, taxes, medical care, and education.
(Be careful not to show favoritism to either party. This is an intellectual discussion,
not who is right and who is wrong.)
So You Want to be President / page 3
III. Using current events, discuss some of the countries that are having or are preparing to
have free elections for the first time. Students should find an article in the paper,
summarize it, and then discuss it with the class. Some discussion questions may
include: Why is this an important world event? What kind of government did these
countries have before? Afterwards, students can write a one-page reflection about the
conversation. They may want to try and answer: Do you think every country should
be able to elect their own leaders?
IV. Compare the criteria for being President of the United States to that of being a
candidate for Congress. Using this data, discuss why did the ‘founding fathers’ make
the criteria different for the different jobs in government?
V. Good leadership qualities were discussed during the show. What are some other
qualities of good leaders? What are some other ways we have leaders in our society
other than in government? Do they have the same qualities?
Have students write a one-page ‘essay’ on someone they think is a leader in their
community. Students should be able to give examples to support their point of view.
Websites and books:
http://bensguide.gpo.gov
www.kidsvoting.org
------America Votes: How Our President is Elected by Linda Granfield (Scholastic)
VOTE! by Eileen Christelow (Scholastic)
Election Connection: The Official Nick Guide to Electing the President (Nickelodeon)
[This book is actually a good reference.]