ACP PAPER 032119

Lone Star College, North Harris-Greenspoint Center
Government 2305

Chapter 7, Political Parties, Participation, and Elections

OBJECTIVES

1.Explain the roles that parties play in American elections and government.

2.Describe the American party system and how it has changed over time.

3.Identify the most common forms of political participation.

4.Examine the factors that influence voters’ decisions.

5.Explain the major rules, levels, and types of elections in the United States.

6.Describe how candidates raise the money they need to run.

ACTIVITIES

1. Based on assigned chapter reading, at least five characteristics of the two major American
political parties, Democrats and Republicans, will be listed. Students will be asked to match the
characteristic of each party with the appropriate written descriptions. Students will have
opportunities to write their selections on the board in front of the class.

2. Students will be asked to list in order how the American two-party system has changed
throughout American history. They will be asked to identify leaders who were associated with
starting major political parties, and to identify leaders who help bring about major party
realignment.

3. Students will be shown videos regarding the disturbances at the 1968 Democratic National
Convention in Chicago, the Tea Party movement, and the Occupy Wall Street movement.

4. Students will analyze polling data from the 2016 presidential and 2018 midterm elections.
They will be asked to give their opinions as to what some of the polling data reveals.

5. Mock elections. The class will select candidates to run in mock primary and general
elections. The candidates will have debates for both the primary and general elections. Students
will be chosen to represent members of the news media to ask questions of the candidates. The
whole class will participate in the voting process. I will allow for full-fledged campaign slogans,
songs, balloons, and “acceptable” campaign activity for fun and as part of a learning process.