NEW: Homeschool Presidential Election Unit Study 2020

It’s finally here! We at Silverdale Press are thrilled to announce the re-release of our popular Presidential Election Unit Study 2020 edition. If you’ve loved our Veterans Day Unit Study, Martin Luther King, Jr. Unit Study, or any of our White House unit studies, you will really love Presidential Election Unit Study 2020 for homeschool families and co-ops. 
 
Click here to buy now or download a free sample chapter.
 
Presidential elections are a chance to make learning come alive! 
 
Presidential elections in the United States can be both exciting and confusing for students and parents alike. For homeschool families and co-ops, they are also a tremendous learning opportunity. 
 
Here's confusing part. Most people don’t know how presidential elections work. How does a candidate win a primary? What are delegates, and how are they “captured”? What’s the difference between a primary and a caucus? What are parties, and why do we have them? Why do we have the Electoral College, and how does it even work? How does a candidate win a presidential election? These are important questions. It is vital that we as homeschool parents can help our kids navigate the election process. 
 
Now, here’s exciting part. Presidential elections get so much buzz. They are fast-paced and exciting. The debates, advertisements, the strategy all capture our attention for months. This is a great time to get our kids involved and interested in our democracy. It is our job to make sure our kids grow up to be active and involved citizens. It is up to us to make sure that they know about our government and will grow up participate in our democratic process. They need to understand how presidential elections work. 
 
What kids should know about presidential elections
 
Kids should know about presidential elections from start to finish. They should know what the Constitution says about who can run and how the winner is decided. They should know about how primaries work and the history of the primary system. They should know about what political parties are and what happens at conventions. They need to know what issues are important in 2020 and what the parties and candidates believe about those issues. The need to know about the Electoral College, the actual system we use for electing a president. They need to know about how candidates win in the Electoral College, and this includes campaign strategy, advertising, and media. They need to know about the debates—what to do and not to do. And they need to know what happens on Election Day, from how voters make decisions all the way through the Inauguration.
 
What you’ll learn in the Presidential Election Unit Study 2020
 
The Presidential Election Unit Study 2020 for families and co-ops is all you need to energize your homeschool this election season. The Presidential Election Unit Study 2020 has all of your questions covered:
 
The table of contents comes with the free sample chapter. Click here to download or buy now.

• The Primaries: Who can be a candidate? What’s the difference between a primary and general election? Why are Iowa and New Hampshire first in the nation? What is Super Tuesday? What’s the difference between a primary and a caucus? What’s the difference between an open and closed primary? How does a candidate win the nomination? What’s a delegate, how are they captured, and what’s a superdelegate? We answer these questions and more in our lesson on the primaries.
• Political Parties and Conventions: What are political parties, and why are there only two main ones? What’s the history of how parties have selected candidates—from King Caucus to smoke filled rooms to today’s system? What happened in 1968 that changed the primaries? What’s balloting, and what’s a brokered convention? What goes on at a convention—from themes to speakers to the balloon drop? You’ll learn all this and more in our lesson on parties and conventions.
• Issues and Platforms: What are the differences between the parties on issues? What’s an ideology, and what are the main ones in the U.S.? What are the important issues in 2020? What’s a red state, and what’s a blue state?
• The Electoral College: What did the founding fathers set up the Electoral College? How many electoral votes does each state get? Why does a candidate need 270 votes to win? Who are the electors today? What’s a faithless elector, and how can they cause trouble? Why was the Electoral College controversial in the 2000 election? What’s a safe state, and what’s a swing state? Homeschooling during the presidential election will mean so much more if your students know how the Electoral College works—and they’ll be well ahead of most of the rest of America. It’s a tricky topic, but we’ll guide you through the Electoral College step-by-step.
• Campaign Strategy: What are the candidates’ plans to win the election? What’s the history of campaigning—from front porch campaigns to whistle stop tours to television to social media? How do the candidates paint a leadership image? What makes a good stump speech and photo op? How does the candidate choose a vice presidential running mate? How much money can they raise and spend? You’ll learn all this and more in the lesson on campaign strategy.
• Advertising and Media: This is such a fun lesson. Students will watch campaign ads from history and study how they’ve changed over the years. What are positive and negative ads? How did Lyndon Johnson’s “Daisy” ad change everything? How are ads put together—from pictures to music to voiceovers and everything in between? How do the media cover elections? Why is social media so important today?
• The Debates: In the fall of each election year, candidates face off in a series of debates. How are debates set up? What’s the history of presidential debates, and why were the Nixon/Kennedy debates a watershed moment in election history? What are gaffes, and why do they matter?
• Election Day to the Inauguration: What’s the history of voting in America? Why don’t more Americans vote? Can we predict whether someone will vote? How do people vote today? What are exit polls, and how do the media predict who will win? What happens from Election Day to Inauguration Day?

 
What you’ll do in the Presidential Election Unit Study 2020
 
Each lesson is also loaded with fun activities designed to get your homeschool students engaged in the presidential election.

• Key Words and Questions for Review—Parents can ensure students are equipped with knowledge for good citizenship. An answer key is also included.
• Questions for Debate—Should third party candidates be allowed in debates? Do negative ads cause people to stay home on Election Day? Questions like these can be used for group debates, kitchen table discussions, and position papers.
• 2020 Exercises—We’ve designed activities just for the 2020 election. From tracking the delegate count in the primaries to predicting Electoral College results, our 2020 activities are hands-on and visual.
• Historical Exercises—These exercises will help you understand how elections have changed over time, whether it’s by watching Nixon’s “Checkers” speech or researching a campaign of the past.
• Get Involved!—Each lesson includes suggestions for getting involved in the campaign, whether by hosting a debate-watching party, canvassing, or by holding a mock constitutional convention.
• Videos—Best of all, and NEW this year, the study is Internet-linked! At the end of each lesson, we have a list of family-friendly videos that highlight topics from the lesson. Each linked video includes questions for thought and discussion.

 
The Presidential Election Unit Study 2020 will be a great addition to your homeschool or co-op. The Presidential Election Unit Study 2020 comes as a digital download. The study is high-quality and easy to use, and we promise it will enrich your whole family. 

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