Spark students’ interest in politics and build reading skills with this packet of reading comprehension activities for learning about elections and the U.S. voting system. Perfect for Election Day – or any time of the year!
Learning about how elections work is an important life lesson for young people. This set of reading passages and close reading activities will help your middle school students learn about the history and significance of elections, the impacts of local elections on communities, and the importance of voter registration and voter education.
What’s Included in This Printable
- 4 printable nonfiction reading passages
- Close reading activities to accompany each reading passage
- Paired reading prompts for reflection
- Social media-inspired activities to summarise learning
- Printable worksheets for each activity.
Reading Activities for Election Day
This set of reading activities can be used for Election Day in November, or throughout the school year, to help your middle schoolers learn more about the voting system and the importance of elections.
Elections
Have students use close reading skills with this reading passage on the history and importance of elections. It includes information about the origins of the word “democracy”, and why citizen participation is important.Local Elections
Working in pairs, students can use close reading skills to learn about why local elections are important, and the impact they have on local communities, before answering paired reading prompts to encourage reflection.Voter Registration
Help students learn about voter registration as a critical step in the democratic process, by reading the informational text and answering paired reading questions. Have students create a school advertisement or social media advertisement that explains why it is important to register to vote.Voter Education
Have students read the passage and answer paired reading prompts to help them learn what we mean by “voter education”, and why it’s important for individuals to make informed decisions, understand the issues, and actively participate in the democratic process. Afterward, students could choose two current events or topics that they would like to learn more about.Elections: Social Media-Inspired Imagery
These social media-inspired activities are a great way to summarise and consolidate what students have learned about elections while building communication skills and practicing creating digital content.More Like This
Expand students' vocabulary around elections with these Election Vocabulary Bingo Cards for middle school grades.
If you're looking for teaching resources on elections for elementary grades, then try Election Day Activities for Elementary for a selection of fun activities for grades 3-5.
