Virginia SOL 2.1.d

Social Studies2nd Grade

The Standard

voting for local, state, and national representatives

Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students explain that citizens use elections to choose people who make decisions for their community, state, and country. They sort elected offices by level of government.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can match a city council member, state delegate, and member of Congress to the correct level. They can explain that voters choose among candidates using ballots.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think children can vote in public elections or that voting means everyone gets their first choice. They may confuse elected leaders with workers who are hired, such as teachers or firefighters.
How to Assess It: Give students three office cards: city council member, state delegate, and member of Congress. Ask them to label each local, state, or national.

Lesson moves

Hold a class election with paper ballots, a ballot box, two choices, and a student vote count.
Ask students to write: Why should citizens get a say in choosing public leaders?
Play a sorting relay using office cards for city council member, state delegate, governor, and member of Congress.
Show a sample local ballot and have students circle candidate names, office titles, and voting instructions.

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