Virginia SOL CE.8.b
The Standard
analyzing campaigns for elective office, with emphasis on the roles of candidates, volunteers, the media, voters, and poll watchers
Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science · The student will apply history and social science skills to examine the political process at the local, state, and national levels of government by
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students explain how candidates, volunteers, news media, voters, and poll watchers take part in an election. They analyze how each role can influence campaign messages, voter choices, or election fairness.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a campaign scenario, students can identify each participant and explain the effect of that person's actions. They can distinguish campaigning, reporting, voting, and observing election procedures.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may confuse news reporting with paid campaign advertising or assume all media support a candidate. They may think volunteers are paid employees. They may also think poll watchers count ballots, direct voters, or enforce laws.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: A volunteer distributes flyers, a reporter checks a claim, and a poll watcher observes check-in. Name each role and explain its purpose.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Run a mock election with candidate speeches, volunteer-made flyers, reporter questions, secret ballots, and poll watchers recording whether procedures are followed.
Discuss this prompt: Which campaign role has the greatest influence on voters, and what evidence supports your answer?
Give teams campaign action cards to sort by candidate, volunteer, media, voter, or poll watcher, then defend two difficult choices.
Compare a local candidate's advertisement with a news report, and mark which statements persuade, inform, or verify claims.
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Printable CE.8.b Worksheet
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Related Standards
- CE.8.c
explaining the role of campaign contributions and the cost of campaigns;
- CE.6.d
examining how civic participation can address community needs and serve the public good, including the importance of volunteering, staying informed about curren...
- CE.6.c
examining ways to peacefully work for change in communities or the nation by participating in political campaigns and methods of peacefully petitioning the gove...
- CE.9.d
evaluating the effect of social media on political campaigns, politics, and civic discourse;
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