Virginia SOL 2.3.c
The Standard
Election Day
Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain that citizens vote to choose leaders and make some public decisions. They identify Election Day as the time set aside for voting.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can describe what happens at a polling place and why people cast ballots. They know votes are counted to decide the result.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think children can vote in public elections or that everyone must choose the same candidate. They may also think Election Day only happens during presidential elections.
How to Assess It
- Ask students to draw and label what happens on Election Day, then complete this sentence: “Citizens vote because _____.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Hold a mock class election with paper ballots, a ballot box, voting booths, and student helpers who count the votes.
Ask students to write: “Why should each voter choose for themselves and keep their ballot private?”
Play an Election Day sequence game by ordering cards showing registration, checking in, marking a ballot, submitting it, and counting votes.
Examine a November calendar and a sample local ballot, then identify when voting occurs and what choices voters may make.
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