I have been absolutely bombarded with political text messages and emails now for months, all asking for money and all in a state of utter panic. So it came as a relief today to read this opinion piece - As a first-time voter, I feel empowered knowing I can make a difference in Colorado and the country - published in The Colorado Sun and written by a first-time voter from Aurora, Colorado (yes, that Aurora).
Ayah Al-Masyabi, Author
(I have had a subscription to this online newspaper since a group of Denver Post journalists broke away from their previous jobs after a hedge fund manager purchased the Post a few years ago - but that's another story.)
Anyway, if you need a break from election anxiety on this all-important day, or if you'd like to read this piece to a class, the young writer tells a very personal story of her growing interest from the age of six in an immigrant family that has always talked politics around the dinner table. Two lines in particular drew my attention:
"My parents and communities have always instilled in me the knowledge that contributing to society through civic and political engagement is the best way to be a good American, and the epitome of that is voting."
"Last year, one of the most influential ways I learned to see current events through the eyes of history was in my American Government class. My teacher explained the importance of voting through the perspective of those who dedicated their lives to gaining the right to vote and tried to put us in their shoes."
I know that teachers in the TPS Teachers Network have had the same kind of impact on their students, so I'd like to dedicate this article to YOU!
6 - 8 9 - 12 Social Studies/History elections voting right to vote teacher influence
In part 3 of a Teaching with the Library blog post series shining a spotlight on the new Elections Presentation, Colleen Smith explores how various groups—women, African Americans, Native Americans, and youth—have worked to secure and keep the right to vote.
45th Anniversary of the Civil Rights March from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama
In Spotlight on Elections Presentation: General Election Campaigns, (part 2 of a Teaching with the Library blog post series), Colleen Smith provides teachers with suggestions for helping students make connections between campaign operations of the past and those of today, including looking at the role played by the media.
Another resource is this Network album - Presidential Elections: Then vs. Now.
Does anyone have other primary source learning resources for teaching about elections and the media?
In this Teaching with the Library blog post, Colleen Smith suggests ways for teachers to use the first section of the newly updated resource, Presidential Elections and Voting in U.S. History, to explore different ways in which the process for selecting candidates for president has changed over time and to consider why these changes matter today. Specific ideas for classroom activities are included.
For more Library resources related to nominating U.S. presidential candidates, check out this curated set, Primary Source Spotlight: National Party Conventions.
What sources and teaching strategies stand out to you?
In honor of National Voter Registration Day tomorrow, the Broadway company of Hamilton headed into the booth to record "The Election of 2024." I heard the recording on Twitter/X, but I haven't found it elsewhere yet. It's really catchy, and I'm guessing students would enjoy watching it as part of discussions around voter registration, the upcoming presidential election, and civics. Plus music, of course!
Screenshot from Hamilton the Musical recording studio
The piece reminded me of the exciting Hamilton-based TPS project called Civics! An American Musical, a collaboration of grant partners FableVision, the Library of Congress, Maryland Public Television, Maryland Humanities, and Tufts' CIRCLE. I invite members of the TPS Teachers Network to try this engaging learning game with students soon. After all, there are only 50 days left before the presidential election of 2024!
3 - 5 6 - 8 9 - 12 Social Studies/History Civics Voter Rights Presidential Elections Voter Registration Musical Performance Art/Music
It’s likely your students have been following the Cats memes and the back and forth banter in the election news. Memes and cartoons with cats certainly aren’t new.
https://www.loc.gov/item/2011647599/
Title
"Goodness gracious! I must have been dozing!"
Summary
Illustration shows President Taft sitting in a rocking chair, tangled in yarn from balls labeled "Conservation, Rail Road Legislation, Postal Savings Tax, Income Tax, [and] Corporation Tax" that have fallen onto the floor and are the playthings of three cats labeled "The House, Senate, [and] The Cabinet" and a dog labeled "The Courts"; one ball of yarn labeled "My Policies" remains in a box shaped like the U.S. Capitol. Theodore Roosevelt is watching, disapprovingly, from a window on the side of the room.
And finding “cat ladies” throughout history via Library of Congress resources is pretty easy. Here is a wonderful one that was included in a Picture This Library of Congress Prints and Photos blog Everything including the Kitchen Sink by Melissa Lindberg which for me rivals the Taylor Swift Instagram Cat Lady photo.
https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017825299/
Additional cat photos can be found in the Library of Congress in Free to Use and Reuse: Cats. Also check out the blog post from Minerva’s Kaleidoscope Resources for Kids and Families No "Kitten" Around: Cats in the Library of Congress Collection by Dianne Choie
And for some great cat discussions in our TPS Teachers Network, put “Cats” in the search box in the upper right.
I imagine students can come up with some great cat political memes using these resources to kick off a media literacy discussion on how memes and political cartoons are a part of political discourse.
What does poetry have to do with elections? Isn't poetry the responsibility of English Language Arts teachers? What does poetry have to do with Social Studies teachers? Bear with me while I explain an interdisciplinary teaching idea that begins with a poem, but ends with a lesson in representational government.
Langston Hughes' 1924 poem, "I, Too," got me thinking about the democratic principle that elected government officials represent all voices - all ethnic groups, all economic levels, all gender identities, all ages, all geographic areas, and all demographics.
__________________
I, Too
Among the vast number of Library of Congress resources on Langston Hughes, I discovered a poem written for a Community College competition that was inspired by "I, Too." What might our students write in a similar way about how they, too, sing America? As the 2024 elections approach, how are local, state, and national candidates responding to the concerns of groups that define our students or their families, their communities, their socio-economic status, and so on?
Below is the poem inspired by "I, Too" from the Poetry and Literature pages of the Library of Congress:
I, too, sing America.
I am the working mother.
You offer me glimpses of the “good life”
As I pass by your stores.
Well meaning, you show my child a wonderful time
Flaunting the fanciness I will never afford
Before dropping him off at my trailer door.
“Why don’t we have those things Mommy?”
“What happened that made US poor?”
This lot of poverty is looked on with disdain
As though this position is solely my blame.
Tomorrow,
You could be at my table
If your job was no more.
I would never offer you
the scraps off of my floor.
Then you will see how valuable I am
As the rich get richer on the backs of the poor.
And be ashamed that you thought I was just
Stupid, ignorant or a whore.
I, too, am America
_____________________
I am neither an English Language Arts teacher nor a Social Studies teacher, but I am curious how the experts would connect the Langston Hughes poem and the student poem to voting, democratic ideals, and even activism throughout an election season. How do you think students would respond to an assignment to write an "I, Too" poem of their own? Would such an exercise increase their interest in elections and candidate speeches? Do you have other ideas of how to turn poetry into community action?
Please share your ideas in the comments. (You're welcome to tell me my idea is crazy, too!)
6 - 8 9 - 12 13+ English/Language Arts Social Studies/History Poetry Voting Representational Government
1. Why Vote? This highly effective tool from TPS Consortium member, The Right Question Institute, is just what you need to get students thinking about issues that matter to them and how they are impacted by voting. There's a video intro, a lesson plan, and a version in Spanish. Below is a screenshot of the first page: 
There's another section for working with adults, too.
2. The grammy award winning musician, Ani di Franco, has written a children's book titled Show Up and Vote! The publisher, Penguin Young Readers, has partnered with Bookshop.org and a voter registration organization called HeadCount to donate books to underserved communities. (FYI, I sometimes order books from Bookshop.org because they contribute a portion of sales to support independent booksellers, and you can even choose your favorite independent bookstore to receive that donation. It's almost as fast as Amazon!) In addition to informing children about voting, this might make a meaningful civic engagement service project for school clubs or classes.
The Library of Congress has hundreds of primary sources related to voting and voter registration. Both of the above resources could easily be paired with such items as the political cartoon below by Thomas Nast (only a beginning):
Pre K - 2 3 - 5 6 - 8 9 - 12 Social Studies/History Library English/Language Arts Right Question Institute voting rights elections voter registration
Wonderful blog post in Teaching with the Library Primary Sources and Ideas for Educators - Political Parties and Primary Sources: Civic Participation that demonstrates the importance of oral histories.
When exploring the Library’s blogs, encourage students to investigate also the embedded links that often lead to additional rich information such as this image:
How can stories like that of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party lead to active student civic participation during election seasons?
Political Conventions 1964 Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party 9 - 12 13+
Hang on to your hats! We're about to enter the official campaign season for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, and I've found a fun drawing to introduce a discussion of third party candidates. I was actually doing a search on the keyword chaos, and this came up! Can you identify the politicians without reading the item description (answer key below)?
Simply arithmetic
Ireland, Billy, 1880-1935, artist
Created/published 1912
https://www.loc.gov/item/2017646676/
Drawing shows the hair of Senator Robert M. La Follette, the lower half of William Jennings Bryan's face, a donkey labeled "Third Party Talk", the pince-nez of Theodore Roosevelt, the lower half of William Howard Taft's face, perspiring, a mortarboard labeled "P" representing Woodrow Wilson, and the top half of Eugene Deb's head in a series of mathematical equations. First equation: La Follette + Bryan = 3rd party talk, second equation: La Follette + Roosevelt = trouble for Taft, third equation: Wilson + Bryan = trouble for Debs, and final equation: La Follette + Bryan + Roosevelt = "Chaos" for the Democratic and Republican parties.
6 - 8 9 - 12 13+ Social Studies/History Third Party Candidates
