Social Studies6-8
Steps of an Election: 8th Grade Matching Activity
By Dominique H.
A short matching and sequencing activity for 8th graders that walks through the five steps of a local or state election: registration, campaigning, voting, counting, and certification. Students connect real-world scenarios to each step and then put the steps in order, building civics vocabulary and close-reading skills in a modified format suited to a single class period.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as an introduction to a civics unit or as a warm-up before a lesson on how elections work; it fits comfortably in a 20 to 30 minute block.
- Discussion question: Why do you think the steps happen in this particular order, and what could go wrong if counting started before voting ended?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Read the scenarios aloud, or pair students so they can talk through each one before drawing a line to a step; a word bank of the five step names can help.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to research one real step in your state's election process and explain how it differs from the generic version in the activity.
- Estimated time: About 10 minutes for the matching, 10 minutes for the sequencing section, and 5 to 10 minutes for discussion.
Social Studies6-8
Steps of an Election: 8th Grade Matching Activity
By Dominique H.
A short matching and sequencing activity for 8th graders that walks through the five steps of a local or state election: registration, campaigning, voting, counting, and certification. Students connect real-world scenarios to each step and then put the steps in order, building civics vocabulary and close-reading skills in a modified format suited to a single class period.
Customize for your classroom
Teacher Guide & Tips
- Use this as an introduction to a civics unit or as a warm-up before a lesson on how elections work; it fits comfortably in a 20 to 30 minute block.
- Discussion question: Why do you think the steps happen in this particular order, and what could go wrong if counting started before voting ended?
- Scaffold for struggling readers: Read the scenarios aloud, or pair students so they can talk through each one before drawing a line to a step; a word bank of the five step names can help.
- Extension for advanced students: Ask them to research one real step in your state's election process and explain how it differs from the generic version in the activity.
- Estimated time: About 10 minutes for the matching, 10 minutes for the sequencing section, and 5 to 10 minutes for discussion.