As a first-time voter, I feel empowered...

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  

Super cool,   Cheryl Davis  -- I hope to master a fraction of your digital art skills, someday!

Here is a link to Cheryl's animated poster: https://tpsteachersnetwork.org/tps-commons/vote-poster. 

I like that poster too  Wendy Stephens  .  I actually spent some time animating it.  The design is so lovely and the meaning so important!

Very timely,   Julie Schaul . I particularly love the aesthetic on this poster coincident with the 26th amendment.  

Voters and Voting Rights

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

Elections and the Media

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?