Students will take part in a simulation of the 1984 US presidential election by researching the candidates Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale on various websites. They will divide into campaign teams and promote their chosen candidate. After watching a video of election results, students will record a podcast reflecting on their experience in the election simulation and how they felt about supporting the winning or losing candidate. Their podcast will be assessed based on completion, facts presented about their feelings, and addressing why they supported their candidate and three reasons for doing so.
1. Johnathan Gomez
Dr. Blanco
CI 350
1984 U.S. Presidential Election Webquest
Introduction
You just turned 18 years old, just in time to vote in the 1984 Presidential Election. You
have narrowed your choices down to the Republican Party candidate (Ronald Reagan) and the
Democratic Party candidate (Walter Mondale). You realize as a voter it is your job to be as
informed as possible to make your choice on whom to vote for, and that is what you want to do.
Task
The learners will be able to make an informed decision on which candidate they would
vote for in the 1984 U.S. Presidential Election as if they were voting in it as it happened.
Process
Here is where the students will get into learning the information. I have listed three
websites in the resources that the students are required to view and read all three of the websites
in the resources as well.
The first step is where each student must read the article from the Encyclopedia Britannica
website. This will give them the background they need to get a start on their research on which
candidate will get their vote. There will be no assessment here for this step because it purely the
learners gaining background information for what is coming and what will proceed in the 1984
election.
The second step is where a lot of the lesson takes place. This is where the learner will take the
campaign materials website and review all the brochures on the candidates and for their first
choice of who they will support in the election. They will also review the television ads that are
there as well. Also, the learners are going to campaign the class for their candidate. They will
2. divide into groups of supports of each candidate and canvas other students both in the class
whom are undecided and some of the students in cooperating teachers’ classes. In addition those
whom are in support of a candidate will have to print out the sticker of said candidate and display
it on their desk like it was a yard sign. Those whom are undecided will get notecards that say "I
am Undecided Tell Me About the Candidates." This step will last the whole lesson until the
teacher holds an "Election Day" where the video from the night of the 1984 Presidential Election
showing the winner is played in the classroom.
The third step is played in the middle of the second. This will be after the students divide up into
groups; the teacher will spend a couple of days showing the 1984 debate in the classroom for the
students.
Lastly, will reflect on their feelings to the 1984 Presidential Election in a podcast after the
"Election Day" and tell about their experience with the project and how they felt after doing all
the campaigning and such and how winning or losing the election felt. The podcasts will be the
assessment used by the teacher.
Resources: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1575886/United-States-presidential-
election-of-1984 http://www.4president.org/ocmi1984.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jj_xt5G1sFE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e4t1qKGFao
Evaluation
The evaluation on this webquest is really quite simple. The student will be evaluated
individually on a podcast they on their feelings to the 1984 Presidential Election after the
"Election Day" and tell about their experience with the project and how they felt after doing all
the campaigning and such and how winning or losing the election felt. The grading will be
placed on the completion on the podcast, it being email to the teacher, and if the student presents
the teacher with a series of good facts supporting their feelings. Some of the expected things to
be expressed in the podcast is: The feeling when you see you're candidates name at the reading
of the election results, how do you go about your campaigning & what do you think you did
good and bad for campaigning and what will you do better next time. In addition, the student
should address why the supported their candidate and at three good reasons to that question. The
rest of the 2-3 minute podcast should be them addressing the way the feel about the 1984
Presidential Election as a whole and what made it so historical in their eyes.