READY FOR REVOLUTION
Voices of Change… Voting is My Voice !!
Developed by: Gwynn White-Best, Rasheedah L.Nasir
School: Dr. Ronald E. McNair/P.S. 5
Voices of Change… Voting is My Voice !!
Description of presentation: Voices of Change… Voting is My Voice !!
Due to the present climate of voter suppression in our country and the fact that the majority of Americans normally vote only in the national elections. This project will inform and enlighten students about the importance of voting in ALL elections. Students will encourage their parents to vote in school based elections, citywide general elections, and more…thereby planting the SEED(S) for future activists and voters to be BORN !!!
Grade:
Grades K-2
Standards:
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas(KR9/1R9/2R9): Make connections between self, text, and the world.
K-2.CT.6 Follow an algorithm to complete a task.
Voices of Change… Voting is My Voice !!
Pitfalls: This unit was specifically designed NOT to be a standalone unit. Consequently, it has numerous entry point. Lastly, the integration of other content areas is essential.
Gains: Once students understand the voting process, they will be actively engaged in problem solving and will be able to make meaningful choices in their everyday lives.�
Voices of Change… Voting is My Voice !!
Gwynn White-Best
Rasheedah L.Nasir
Grades K-2
HELLO! I’m…Gwynn White-Best
My Computer Science Experience:
CS4ALL SEPjr. Courses Taught:
Introduction to Computer Science, Fundamentals of CS, Robots and Robotics, PBL, Physical Computing
Team: CS4All’s Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Ingenuity Team Member (2019 - Present), EECS Member Cohort 3
HELLO! I’m…Rasheedah L. Nasir
My Computer Science Experience:
CS4ALL SEPjr. Courses Taught:
Exploring Equity in Computer Science(EECS)-Level 2
Hobbies: Listening to music, movie buff, adult coloring books, love line dancing and cooking.
Pursuits/Learning Goals
I’s of Oppression
Learning Objectives
Pursuits/Learning Goals*
Identity: Students will consider their school identities and decide upon issues in their school that needs to be addressed.
Skills: Students will conduct surveys to identify voting habits. Students will analyze the data. Students will present findings to school staff and school administration.
Intellectualism: Students will learn what it means to be an agent of change.
Pursuits/Learning Goals*
Criticality: Students will come up with an action plan to solve an identified problem in their school.
Joy: Students will understand that no matter what your age, voting matters because it makes the future better.
Computer Science:
Plugged:
Students will create a Scratch voting game.
Students will program Bee Bot to travel to different polling sites in the neighborhood.
Unplugged:
Students will program Bee Bot and Robot Mouse to follow the sequence of the voting process. Students will use the community mat to explore the locations of the places to vote.
Social Justice Curriculum Design for Elementary Education
Element 3. Issues of Social Injustice: Voter suppression and barriers to voting
Elements 5. Awareness Raising:, Social Media, Pictures, Posters, Slogans, letter writing campaign for local politicians
Extensions:
Institutional Oppression
What is that?
Institutional Oppression are events or things that you want to do but can not due because of unforeseen barriers.
A barrier is anything that gets in the way of action or progress.
Institutional Oppression: School-wide barriers that we have at our school
Learning Objectives:
Students will role play the voting process to further understand that:
Awesome
Vocabulary Words
Elect
Means to choose!
Question: What do you notice?
Ballot
A piece of paper that has choices and is a secret vote.
Question: What do you notice?
Election Day
Is the day that all Americans vote
for elected officials.
Questions: What do you notice?
Accessing
Prior Knowledge
Read Aloud /Mentor Text
Pre-Reading Activity
Before reading the book, hold a class discussion Ask: Who votes? When and where? Why do people vote? Who is elected through voting?
Post- Reading Activity
Mentor Text:
Vote for Our Future
by Margaret McNamara & Micah Player
Response to Literature - Probing Questions
What We Think Matters Too !
Pre-Reading Activity
Who votes?
People, adults, man.woman, and parents
When and where?
Election Day
Polling stations throughout the neighborhood
Why do people vote?
Something or someone they like, a good person, or for a winner
Who is elected through voting?
The president, mayor, and governor
Post- Reading Activity
” How does voting affect the future?
Mentor Text:
Vote for Our Future
by Margaret McNamara & Micah Player
Brainstorm :
Student Ideas about Voting
Student need to understand that the reason people vote is to make the future better. Students will complete a circle map to show what they already know about voting. New learning/discoveries will be added to this circle map.
What we learned about voting…
Making Thinking Visible
Thinking Routine: See, Think, Wonder
Use this simple critical-viewing strategy to guide students' analysis of any visual media. By prompting students to slow down their thinking and simply observe before drawing conclusions and asking questions, you can help them engage more deeply with and analyze more thoughtfully the media they are viewing.
See, Think, Wonder Gallery Walk
Have students look at each picture. Have them either write or record a response based on what they see, think or wonder.
What students
will vote on?
Skills: Students will conduct surveys to identify voting habits. Students will analyze the data. Students will present findings to school staff and school administration.
Grade K: Demonstrate and Model:
Students stated their favorite fruit and a favorite fruit anchor chart was created. Students wrote their names and then tallied the number of votes. Next, students noticed their favorite fruit is not a part of breakfast or lunch. Then, students shared their noticings with school cafeteria worker and conducted an interview.
1st Grade: Demonstrate/Model :
Scenario: The student council of your school is sponsoring Movie Night but they can not agree on which movie to show.
Your help is needed… write the name of your favorite movie and place it in the ballot box. The results will be shared with the student council. Will your favorite movie be selected ?
2nd Grade: Demonstrate/Model : Vote for your favorite video game
Students will create an anchor chart. They will list the names of the video games they like to play. Using a voting ballot box, students will vote on the video game they like the most. Next, students will discuss their noticings. Students will answer questions about the results.
Different Ways to Vote
Skills: Students will conduct surveys to identify voting habits. Students will analyze the data. Students will present findings to school staff and school administration.
Students explore different ways they can vote and why it is important.
Which do you like the best?
Vote: Voting Chain
Objective: Students vote, tally and implement the results.
Question: Should school be open year round? Yes or No
Vote: Survey Voting
Kindergarten students will
complete a survey to vote for
their favorite fruit.
Students will discuss
their noticings. Students will
answer questions about the
Results and analyze.
Is your favorite fruit on the menu
at your school?
Favorite Video Games
Vote for your favorite game!
Vote: Ballot Voting
Survey: Our Caregivers
In order to understand the importance of voting, students will survey staff and caregivers to find out:
Student need to understand that the reason people vote is to make the future better.
Students will analyze the data to better understand its findings. Information will be shared with others.
Survey/Voting Results
Intellectualism: Students will learn what it means to be an agent of change.
Survey Results/Noticing: Caregivers
Voting Results/Noticing (Kindergarten)
Only a few of our favorite fruits are served for breakfast and lunch.
Most of the students don’t eat the other fruits that is not their favorite.
Students usually throw the fruit away.
Voting Results/Noticings (Grade 1)
Most students voted for movies that were recent releases in the movie theatres. They voted on movies that the student council did not have immediate access to.
Other popular movie choices were Disney movies and Action Hero Movies.
Voting Results/Noticings (Grade 2)
We noticed that the top three games voted for were Roblox, Fortnite, and Minecraft. These games were extremely popular with most students.
Call To Action
Criticality: Students will come up with an action plan to solve an identified problem in their school.
Call to Action:
Kindergarten Favorite Fruit Survey
What can we do?
Call to Action: First Grade Movie Night
If the student council chooses to show the popular movies that are available for family engagement night, it will increase parent participation for the event!
Computer Science Activities
Computer Science Voting Activities: Plugged Activities
Program Bee-Bot to travel to different polling places.
Program Coby to find your favorite fruit.
Create a Scratch project showing the voting process.
Bee-Bot Unplugged: Bee-Bot Gets to Vote
Program Bee-Bot to travel
to a voting destination.
Directions:
Code and Go Mouse Unplugged: My Favorite Fruit
Using the fruit mat, program Coby to move to your favorite fruit.
Directions:
Make a Scratch Voting Program
Students will use Scratch to make a Scratch voting game.
Students’ Artifacts
Joy: Students will understand that no matter what your age, voting matters because it makes the future better.
Root Cause Tree
VOTER SUPPRESSION
BARRIERS TO VOTING
Long Lines
Changes in Polling Place
Accessibility to voting sites
Hours to vote
Work schedules Election Day
low voter
turnout
Inaccurate or lack of information about candidates
Equity in information and resources
Artifacts: results from caregiver’s voting survey.
Citizenship
Lack of interest in voting
Missing voting deadline
Belief that nothing is going to change
Not voting for all unknown candidates
Artifact: Class response to GoNoodle voting video.
Artifacts: See Think Wonder Video and Written Responses
Artifacts: See, Think, Wonder Video and Written Responses
Artifacts: See, Think, Wonder Video and Written Responses
Artifacts: See, Think, Wonder Video and Written Responses
Artifacts: Kindergarten Fruit Survey
After completing the survey students speak about what they noticed.
Artifacts: Interview Cafeteria School Worker
Students decide to discuss their favorite fruit survey results with school cafeteria worker.
Artifacts: First Grade Movie Night Survey
Artifacts: Second Grade Favorite Video Game Survey
Artifacts: Second Grade Favorite Video Game Survey
Artifacts: Sample Voting Scratch Projects
Artifacts: Bee-Bot Goes to Vote
Artifacts: Sample Voting Scratch Projects
Resources
Integration of Other Subjects
Social Studies
Mathematics
Writing
Art
Root Cause Tree
Root Cause Tree Graphic Organizer
Community Problem Solution Graphic Organizer
Collective Action Graphic Organizer
Action Steps Graphic Organizer
Action Steps Graphic Organizer
Resources
KIDS VOTING USA K–2 CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
Books About Voting: Click on the book to view videos
Engagement Videos about Voting-Teacher can
choose a video to use with their class.
Resources
Learning Standards
K-2 Next Generation
Learning Standards
Express thoughts and ideas
New York State K12 Computer Science and Digital Fluency Learning Standard
K-2.CT.6 Follow an algorithm to complete a task.
K-2.CT.1 Identify and fix (debug) errors within a simple algorithm.
K-2.DL.1 Identify and explore the keys on a keyboard.
K-2.DL.4 Use a least one digital tool to create a digital artifact.