Welcome to Mrs. Ganley’s Blog on the Presidential Campaign Project for Grades 9-12, and Student or Teacher Resources at permalink: http://kimganley.edublogs.org/2012/02/28/hello-world/.

Students’ Authentic Tasks

Background Scenario for the Civics Presidential Campaign and the Executive Branch:

You are running for President in the 2012 race. Take the two indicated quizzes to determine your party affiliation, political compass or direction to run the country. Use the Civics class worksheets, suggested websites, The Big 6 Research Strategy, and fact-finding, note taking skills to locate relevant information and cite primary sources. Decide how to represent your platform and take a stand on the issues. Present your ideas on how to run a Presidential campaign and how the Executive Branch works by including a slogan, biography, clip art, photograph, and highlights that you want your constituents to know in the mailer brochure created in Publisher, and the scripted radio commercial using VoiceThread.

Essential Questions:

Task One: As a Presidential candidate in 2012, how would you determine and communicate your political compass, party affiliation, slogan, biography and stand on the campaign issues in the Publisher brochure?

Task Two: As a Presidential candidate in 2012, how would you concisely vocalize your political platform or direction that best addresses your constituents’ key concerns on the economy, foreign policy, health care or other important issues? Present your point of view by designing the VoiceThread dialogue script and narrated radio commercial.

Task Part One:

1. Take the two indicated quizzes at: http://politicalcompass.org/test, and http://www.quizrocket.com/political-party-quiz to determine your party affiliation, political compass and direction to run the country.

2. Use the Civics class worksheets at: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwCQW9Q73qBMa0RxNVkzSlpUWU8tc2F1ZnlnS1QyUQ.

3. Use the The Big 6 Organizer, Cards and Research Strategy at: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwCQW9Q73qBMSkdMNmdyOGFSVTJ1aTR5RGk2UVlyUQ to take notes and cite primary sources, also using EasyBib at www.easybib.com.

4. Decide how to represent your platform and take a stand on the issues after reviewing your research.

5. Present your ideas on how to run a Presidential campaign by including a slogan, biography, clip art, photograph, and highlights in the mailer brochure (example: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwCQW9Q73qBMb29RWTVsX2tTVmVjQUVENy1qUEN5Zw). Reference the PowerPoint on Publisher basics at https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwCQW9Q73qBMMU5PcFdJVmVDTjg.

6. Download, open, and save the template created in Publisher http://publisherproject.wikispaces.com/file/detail/sample+brochure+final+2+21+12.pub.

7. Edit, save and submit your final work.

8. Follow the Checklist Rubric and Technology Rubric as your teacher indicates at https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwCQW9Q73qBMT3ZMd2I3SW9UWlcxdV9haDZuX2gxdw and https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwCQW9Q73qBMeWhpSXV5MURRelNyZUJybWFtdUc4UQ.

9. Take the pre/post information literacy test as your teacher indicates: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwCQW9Q73qBMUnBJVjd0dENRTGUwY05VbVo1NFJwQQ.

Task Part Two:

1. To reach your target audience, plan a brief radio commercial to announce your platform issues. Use your Publisher Brochure details and The Big Six Organizer https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwCQW9Q73qBMSkdMNmdyOGFSVTJ1aTR5RGk2UVlyUQto design a dialogue script which you will then narrate into a radio commercial.

2. Review candidates’ first-hand speeches, campaign photographs, radio commercials located at websites e.g. the Museum of the Moving Image, the Presidency Project, or the Library of Congress election process video indicated in this PowerPoint: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwCQW9Q73qBMWWpuTHNCSHVSaFN2NTUyeFUwT1FiUQ.

3. Follow the Jing Tutorial as your teacher indicates to see how to use VoiceThread to prepare your scripted 60 second commercial and paste the URL on your website or Facebook page to utilize social media and the Internet to broadcast your campaign platform. Reference the Jing tutorial and image at http://screencast.com/t/oo7zKsPVc and http://screencast.com/t/xPSTv9NdU, and VoiceThread at http://voicethread.com.

Additional Tools:

Reference this LiveBinder tab video to learn how to share documents in Google Docs that include your commercial’s URL at http://www.livebinders.com/edit/index/364138.

Reference this PowerPoint for basics on EasyBib citations, The Big Six Organizer, website evaluation and other tools at https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwCQW9Q73qBMQVJDTE5CeC14aTQ.