Course: _Demo - US Election2020

Topic outline

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The U.S. Embassy School Election Project 2020

Will our state go red or blue?

Course Forum

Election Lingo

Learner Texts

Project Journal
- TEACHING NOTES: U.S. Election Project URL
  
  Hidden from students
- Student tutorials ('how to' videos) URL
  
  A collection of short videos introducing the functions of this Moodle course.
- 'How to' videos, U.S. Election Project H5P
Introduction
- This course section introduces you to the U.S. Embassy School Election Project and your adopted U.S. state. In the next weeks, you will become a 'virtual citizen' of one U.S. state, an expert on its population, and predict how it is going to vote on Election Day.
- TEACHING NOTES: Introduction URL
  
  Hidden from students
- General Contents
- Announcements Forum
  
  General announcements for this course. Only teachers can post here. Posts are automatically forwarded to all students via email.
- Getting Started
  
  Get a first impression of your adopted U.S. state and make a first prediction how it's going to vote.
- ★ TASK: Explore Your State Assignment
- TASK: Who Would You Vote For? Assignment
- POLL: Me, My State, and the Candidates Feedback
- FORUM: First Assumptions
- WARM UP: Political Vocabulary Word Search H5P
1. The Electoral System
- Section 1 introduces you to the electoral system of the U.S. Learn how the President of the U.S. is elected, what happens during the individual phases of the election campaign, and why it is necessary to focus on the individual states.
- TEACHING NOTES: Section 1 URL
  
  Hidden from students
- The Electoral System—Basics
  
  Learn from a video and a viewing guide how the U.S. President is elected.
- ★ TASK: Electing the U.S. President Assignment
- Electing a US President in Plain English: Interactive Video with Comprehension Questions H5P
- Does Your Vote Count? The Electoral College Explained: Interactive Video with Comprehension Questions H5P
- QUIZ: Electing a U.S. President URL
  
  Take a quiz on the U.S. electoral system and compete against your classmates. One person (a classmate or your teacher) must set up the quiz and share the quiz code with the class. A registration is not required.
- LINK: More quizzes... Page
  
  Hidden from students
- The Electoral System—Step by Step
  
  Form expert groups and explore the individual phases of the election campaign in more detail.
- TASK: The Electoral System – Step by Step Assignment
- CHOICE: Electoral System Expert Groups
- QUIZ: The Electoral System
- Reflection and feedback (The electoral system) Assignment
- This section contains the state fact sheets with loads of information, statistics, and further resources to help you predict, how the citizens of your state will vote on Election Day.
2. The Candidates
- Section 2 is about the two candidates, Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump. Learn about their biographical background, their public personas, and their perception by the American public. This includes different text types: political advertisements, campaign websites and social media, and political cartoons.
- TEACHING NOTES: Section 2 URL
  
  Hidden from students
- Meet the Candidates
  
  Get to know the Republican and Democratic candidates for President of the U.S. - who they are and where they come from - and prepare a role play of their 'character whitnesses'.
- ★ TASK: Meet the Candidates Assignment
- TASK: Job Posting Assignment
- Campaign Ads
  
  Understand how the candidates want to be seen by the public by analyzing their campaign advertisements.
- TASK: Campaign Ads Assignment
- TASK: The Candidates' Secret Playbook Assignment
- Understanding Political Cartoons
  
  Learn how the public and the media see the candidates by analyzing their depiction in political cartoons.
- TASK: What Are Political Cartoons? Assignment
- TASK: Writing a Political Cartoon Analysis Assignment
- GALLERY: Political Cartoons of the 2020 Campaign Glossary
- TASK: Working with Political Cartoons Creatively Assignment
- TASK: Understanding Political Memes Assignment
- How Do Internet Memes Shape Our Politics? H5P
- Reflection and feedback (The candidates) Assignment
3. The Campaign Issues
- Section 3 explores the topics and issues that American voters will be discussing this fall. This includes getting an overview of the 2020 campaign issues, researching select issues in more detail, and finding out where the candidates stand on these issues.
- TEACHING NOTES: Section 3 URL
  
  Hidden from students
- The Campaign Issues
  
  Review the issues that might decide the election outcome and what the candidates say about them by conducting an online research and producing an 'issues chart'.
- ★ TASK: The Campaign Issues and Where the Candidates Stand Assignment
- TASK: Biden's and Trump’s Campaign Managers on the Ground Assignment
- TASK: Reaction to the Campaign Issues Assignment
- Reflection and feedback (The campaign issues) Assignment
4. The Election In Our State
- Section 4 is the most important section of the project: Here you will return to the focus on your adopted state, get to know its history, culture, population, and local news media. Is your state going to turn red or blue? Make a well-researched prediction and participate in the school competition.
- TEACHING NOTES: Section 4 URL
  
  Hidden from students
- Predict Your State's Vote
  
  Dive into your adopted state - it's culture, voting history, political discourse, population statistics, economy, local media, and much more - to predict its vote on Election Day.
- ★ TASK: Predict the Election Outcome Assignment
- Participate in the Student Competition
  
  Make a prediction of your state's election outcome and create a well-researched and creative outcome to enter the nationwide school competition of the U.S. Embassy School Election Project 2020.
- TASK: Participate in the Student Competition Assignment
- The competition deadline is Sunday, October 25, 2020, at midnight (Central European Time).
- Reflection and feedback (Our state) Assignment
5. Tips and tools
More resources from the Virtual Town Hall
- This section contains useful online resources that will help you design a creative outcome to present your election prediction. For example, you will find web tools to create timelines, videos, presentations, comics, etc. Also, take a look at the resources for royalty-free images, videos, and audio.
- TEACHING NOTES: U.S. Election Project Book
  
  Hidden from students
- GALLERY: Political Cartoons of the 2016 Campaign (high resolution) Lightbox Gallery
- Tools
- OVERVIEW: Creating Word Clouds Page
- OVERVIEW: Voice, Sound, Podcast Page
- OVERVIEW: Presentation and Visualization Page
- OVERVIEW: Timelines, Puzzles, Brainstorming Page
- OVERVIEW: Create your own comic Page
- LINK: Creative commons platforms URL
- LINK: Using GoogleDocs with Moodle URL
- LINK: Surprise your students - free technology for teachers URL
- LINK: GEMA-free Music for your projects URL
- LINK: Royalty-free music, recommended by the State Department URL
- LINK: Stock video footage for free URL
- Resources for this task
- TIP: Analyzing cartoons File
  
  172.7 KB PDF document
- TIP: Conducting research File
  
  141.4 KB PDF document
- TIP: Doing project work File
  
  184.8 KB PDF document
- TIP: Giving presentations File
  
  159.2 KB PDF document
- TIP: Golden rules of cooperation File
  
  233.8 KB PDF document
- TIP: Independent work File
  
  383.4 KB PDF document
- TIP: Linking ideas and sentences (vocabulary) File
  
  88.0 KB PDF document
- TIP: Role plays File
  
  588.5 KB PDF document
- TIP: Solving a mediation task File
  
  112.7 KB PDF document
- TIP: Writing an article File
  
  151.9 KB PDF document
- TIP: Writing (general) File
  
  688.0 KB PDF document
- TIP: Viewing films File
  
  398.4 KB PDF document
- TIP: Materialien zum selbstgesteuerten, standardorientierten Lernen - text production File
  
  4.7 MB PDF document
- TIP: Materialien zum selbstständigen, standardorientierten Lernen - classroom work File
  
  Uploaded 21/07/16, 15:17
- How to Moodle
- 'How to' videos, U.S. Election Project H5P
- LINK: Moodle Docs - Comprehensive documentation URL
- LINK: "Think" Moodle Tutorials (in German & English) URL
- LINK: Learn Moodle - Training videos for teachers and administrators URL
Transatlantic collaboration
- If your course is working together with a (German or American) transatlantic partner, this section offers so-called 'tandem activities' that will help you to get to know each other and cooperate on the election project.
- Teachers' corner
  
  These resources are meant for German and U.S. teachers collaborating in the same course. Resources in this section are invisible to students.
- FORUM: Teacher to Teacher
- Telecollaboration Manual: A Teachers' Guide File
  
  Uploaded 15/07/20, 12:03
- Telecollaboration Manual: A Teachers' Guide (PDF) File
  
  Uploaded 15/07/20, 12:04
- 1. Information exchange tasks
  
  Tasks in this category are intended for the first phase of your virtual exchange. These activities will help your students get to know each other, including their peers schools, home towns and states, and develop rapport and trust between both sides.
- TASK: Hi, my name is... Glossary
- TASK: What's it like in your town? Glossary
- WORD SEARCH: False Friends in German/English H5P
- PHOTO FLASHCARDS: Where is that celebrity from? H5P
- Record a Soundscape Assignment
- Impressions at school, home, and in the community Glossary
- 2. Comparison and analysis tasks
  
  Tasks in this category engage learners in going one step further and carrying out comparisons or analyses of cultural products from both cultures and exploring differences, similarities, and below-the-surface information about both sides.
- LESSON PLAN: American and German Cultural Differences URL
- A Deeper Look at How Corona Changed Our Community Assignment
- Fake News Manual: How to Avoid it, Recognise it, and Deal with it Assignment
- 3. Collaborative tasks
  
  Tasks in this category ask learners to work together to produce a joint product or conclusion, such as the prediction of the election outcome. These tasks involve a great deal of coordination and planning but also bring about substantial amounts of negotiation of meaning both on linguistic and cultural levels as learners strive to reach agreement on their final product.
- Assessment and reflection
  
  Activities and resources in this section provide some useful ideas for engaging your students in reflection about their virtual exchange and possible ways of including assessment in this teaching unit.

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