Unlocking the Excitement: Teaching the Electoral College with Engaging Games
Teaching the intricacies of the electoral college can be a challenging task, especially when students commonly perceive that the candidate with the most popular votes automatically wins the presidency. In reality, the electoral college plays a pivotal role in shaping the outcome of the presidential election, as envisioned by the founding fathers. To simplify and invigorate this lesson, incorporating interactive activities like the Electoral College Game can not only clarify the concept but also make the learning experience enjoyable for students.
The Electoral College Game: A Fun and Educational Approach
Engaging students in activities like the Electoral College Game transforms a potentially complex subject into an enjoyable and memorable experience. This hands-on approach not only clarifies the nuances of the electoral college but also fosters a deeper understanding of how the presidential election process unfolds. By incorporating friendly competition, students become active participants in their learning, eagerly absorbing crucial concepts while having fun.
As you have probably experienced before, many students think that whichever presidential candidate gets the most votes will win the presidency and become the next President of the United States! This sounds like a reasonable way to vote for President, but many students are surprised when I explain that it doesn’t necessarily work that way. Voting for President, as you well know and some find rather debatable, is determined by the Electoral College. This Electoral College voting plan, as established by the founding fathers and included in the Constitution, was to make sure large and small states, as well as urban and rural regions, would have a more equal voice in determining who would become the next President.
HOW TO PLAY THE ELECTORAL MAP GAME
There are certainly some fantastic discussions that can be had from the electoral process alone, but since it can be somewhat confusing for students to comprehend, playing an Electoral College Game is definitely a more engaging and fun way to teach this concept to students. Here’s how you can play this game in your classroom:
What You Will Need:
One Die, A pair of dice, or Online Dice
Two different colored crayons, markers, or colored pencils
An Electoral College Map of the United States - (or download Electoral College Map here)
How to Play:
Pair students into groups of two. These two students will play against each other.
Give each group a red and blue crayon, a pair of dice, and a printed Electoral College Map of the United States that includes the number of electoral votes for each state. One player will be red representing the candidate for the Republican Party and the other player will be a blue representing the candidate for the Democratic Party. (You can choose any two colors, but red and blue are certainly a fun and realistic set of colors to play with.)
The game begins in this manner. For each round, both players roll the dice. Whoever has the highest dice total that round gets to choose the state they want to win and proceeds to color in that state with their colored crayon.
The points gained, or electoral votes captured in that state, are then added to the winning player’s point total for that round. This colored state is now captured and is no longer able to be won in future rounds. Students will enjoy seeing their map being filled in with their color.
The game continues to proceed in the same way round after round, coloring in states and capturing points, until one player advances to a grand total of 270 electoral votes or points.
Winning the Game: The player to reach 270 electoral college points wins the game and becomes the next President of the United States!
Alternative Game Play: Another fun way to play the game is to agree upon a state prior to each roll. In this manner, both players would choose an agreed upon state and then the highest roll would win that state. This alternative method is fun because it allows for more potential suspense as the largest states won’t come off the board so fast. Whether you choose the classic play, alternative mode, or both, you’re guaranteed to have a fun and enjoyable time winning the most electoral votes to become president.
“This is a win! I have a couple of classes that don’t want to do anything - at all - ever. They loved this game! This was the most engaged they have been all semester. They even wanted to play again! Most importantly, it led them to think more deeply about the electoral college after they had so much fun with this game. I highly recommend!”
Making the Electoral College Fun & Engaging
This gamification of the presidential election is such a simple yet enjoyable way for students to better understand how the electoral college, and the race to become President, actually works! Whether you play the Electoral College Game in class with your students or take it home and compete with a family member, those who play the game will love you for sharing it with them!
In conclusion, teaching about the electoral college need not be a dry and confusing endeavor. Utilizing interactive games like the Electoral College Game not only brings vitality to the classroom but also ensures that students grasp the significance of this unique voting system. Beyond the enjoyable competition, the game serves as a powerful tool for imparting essential civics knowledge, equipping students with a solid understanding of the democratic process. As educators, introducing such engaging activities is not just about making learning fun but also about shaping informed and active citizens who comprehend the intricacies of the presidential election process.
What other helpful resources and ideas have you used to help your students understand the election process? Contact Mister Harms or comment below. I’d love to hear your input! If you’re looking for more election based ideas, I put together this blog post 5 Lesson Ideas for Teaching the Presidential Election. Check it out and see what you can incorporate in your upcoming unit.
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