Government classes hold mock elections
December 7, 2015
The on-level government classes researched the candidates running in the 2016 presidential election. Each student and their partner chose a candidate to research and then created a commercial as if they were that candidate. The PowerPoints and commercials were shared in class last Thursday and Friday.
“This is the first time the majority of students will be voting,” government teacher Nina Legg said. “I wanted to give students the opportunity to learn something about all of the candidates to get a better idea of what’s out there.”
The first slide of the PowerPoint included an introduction to the candidate, including
their name, age, current job, political party, a picture and reason for running. The bulk of the PowerPoint was what issues are present in our society that the candidate is focusing on. The next few slides included information about their family and fun facts. Lastly, the students included their personal opinion of the candidate.
“I’ve enjoyed this project because I enjoyed working with my partner,” senior government student Alyssa Castrillon said. “I learned a lot more than I knew before about the candidates.”
After completing their research, students then created a commercial that accentuates the candidate’s positive characteristics. The commercial was expected to include a catch phrase and a line about the candidate approving the message. The goal was to make the commercial as much like an actual ad that the up-and-running presidents use to gain voters.
“The project really did help me learn more about the upcoming election and about each candidate,” senior government student Aaron Andrade said.
The AP government class will complete a similar project this week, except they will have to make three separate advertisements. These can be in the form of a commercial, print advertisement or political poster, but a 30 second commercial is required. The advertisements are focused on the candidate, the main issue that they are handling and an attack on that particular candidate. Projects are due Wednesday, where they will be presented to the class.
