How to Create a Presidential Election Bulletin Board
During the fall of a presidential election year, kids generally get excited about the race for the White House. You can take advantage of that enthusiasm to teach a variety of social studies, language, research and even math skills. A great way to start an election unit is by creating an appealing bulletin board featuring the basic information students need to know about presidential elections as well as pertinent facts about each of the candidates.
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Things You'll Need
- Butcher paper
- Wide markers (red, blue, black)
- Stencils (elephant, donkey)
- Photos of candidates
- 2 sandwich bags
Instructions
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Plan your bulletin board in three sections. Across the top third of the board, print the title “Election Facts.” Divide the rest of the board in half with a vertical line. Write the names of the candidates on each side of the vertical line using the blue and red markers. Justify where you have placed each name; you might use the “left and right” political terms if you plan to explain that terminology, or you can simply put the names in alphabetical reading order.
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Fill the top part of your bulletin board with items such as a November calendar page with the election date circled, a list of the requirements needed to run for president, a list of the states with the number of electoral votes for each and a blank map of the United States. After the election, you can use red and blue pushpins to designate how each state voted.
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Post a photo of each presidential candidate under his name. Under the name write his political party and a picture of the party mascot. Next to the photo post a chart listing a dozen or so of the top campaign issues, particularly ones that you think would be of interest to your students. For example, write an issue such as “high gas prices” and then an abbreviated statement about what the candidate has to say on the issue. Older students could be assigned topics, given a lesson in summarizing and asked to write these on the chart. Ask students to rank the issues in their order of importance; do this individually and as a class.
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Keep a running record of endorsements for each candidate from both individuals and organizations. Write each of these on index cards and slip into a sandwich bag you’ve attached to the bulletin board. Ask kids to discuss these endorsements and whether or not they would take them into consideration if they could vote.
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Tips & Warnings
Students sometimes become more interested in the presidential election bulletin board if they know they will be voting in a mock election.
Keep your bulletin board as neutral and nonrevealing of your personal viewpoints as possible.
