NY Social Studies 12.G3d

Social Studies12th GradeKey Idea 12.G3

The Standard

Citizens have the right to represent their locality, state, or country as elected officials. Candidates develop a campaign, when they decide to seek public office.

New York State K–12 Social Studies Framework

Key Idea 12.G3

RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND DUTIES OF CITIZENSHIP: Active, engaged, and informed citizens are critical to the success of the United States representative democracy. United States citizens have certain rights, responsibilities, and duties, the fulfillment of which help to maintain the healthy functioning of the national, state, and local communities.

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do: Students explain how citizens can seek elected office at the local, state, or national level. They identify eligibility rules and build a basic campaign with issues, messages, outreach, and funding plans.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can choose an office, check its legal qualifications, and explain the steps needed to become a candidate. They can create a clear platform and select campaign methods for specific voters.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think any citizen can run for any office, regardless of age, residency, or filing rules. They may also confuse campaigning with governing or assume campaigns consist only of advertisements and speeches.
How to Assess It: Give this exit ticket: You plan to run for city council. Name two requirements to check, one issue to address, and one way to reach voters.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Teams create a campaign launch kit with a filing checklist, three-issue platform, sample flyer, and 30-second candidate speech.
Write a response to this prompt: Should money, age, residency, or experience limit who can seek public office?
Run a campaign strategy game where teams choose how to spend limited time and money on debates, canvassing, mailers, and social media.
Compare websites or flyers from two recent local candidates, then identify each candidate's audience, main issue, message, and outreach methods.

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