ELECTION PROJECT
INSPIRATION
Before we started this project we took a look at what the word patriotic meant to us. We did various activities where we decided what was patriotic or unpatriotic. We also learned about fact checking and making sure that you're an educated, informed voter. Part of being an educated voter is being able to listen and respecting other opinions while voicing your own.
We then went to the website, ISideWIth, and figured out which candidate our views aligned with most. My results are below.
We then went to the website, ISideWIth, and figured out which candidate our views aligned with most. My results are below.
WHO I SIDE WITH
DEAR FUTURE PRESIDENT LETTER
Our next step in the project was entering the 50 for 50 contest, which was a competition hosted by PBS where you wrote a letter to the future president about any topic you wanted. The winner got to attend the final Presidential debate. After looking at the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, we decided to format our letters in the same way.
DEAR FUTURE PRESIDENT LETTER FINAL DRAFT
CAMPAIGN TEAM DEBATE PREPARATION
After we finished the letter our two classes split into two teams per class, each representing the four candidates. There were smaller roles on each team such as President, Vice President, Campaign Manager, Social team, Economy team, and Foreign Policy team. In those smaller groups we researched topics and the candidates' stances on those topics. For example, I was in the Foreign Policy Team for Donald Trump and I researched his positions on China and North Korea. I then drafted an opening statement based of his stances.
OPENING STATEMENT FINAL DRAFT
TRUTH CAMPAIGN AD
The second to last step in the process was the Truth Campaign Ad. Working together with the rest of the Foreign Policy team, we fact checked what Donald Trump has said regarding foreign policy. We then used that info to create a video and an infographic to go with it that matched his statements with facts that either proved or disproved what he said.
FINAL VIDEO |
INFOGRAPHIC |
EXHIBITION
The final part of this project was exhibition. We had two exhibitions; one was a voter info night for parents and one was a debate in front of our school. I think our exhibition for the parents went well. Personally, I could've engaged with parents more while I was standing at my station but the night overall was very informative and entertaining. I was nervous about debating in front of the whole school however it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be.
SELF-REFLECTION
To me, an educated voter is someone who fact checks what candidates are saying so they know what they're voting for. An educated voter is someone who doesn't blindly follow a candidate because they heard one thing they liked. An educated voter is someone who takes it upon themselves to learn more about what issues are important to them and where the candidates stand. The most challenging parts of this project to me were finding enough information to use and debating in front of the school. To overcome these challenges I kept looking at every place possible to gather more information and I told myself that speaking in front of the school was not as big of a deal as I was making it out to be. Through this project I've learned how important it is to be an educated voter and to always fact check people. While I'm a bit disappointed by the outcome of the Presidential election I hope that people will hold Donald Trump accountable for what he does and I hope our country continues on its current progressive path.