<WRWeb 15.1 webtask ****>
A glance at historical presidential elections
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Picking a president
Introduction
The 2016 US presidential elections marks the 58th time
Americans are casting their votes for whom they want to
be their next president. But were those elections all the
same? Were there always two major parties? Has
everyone 18 and over always had the right to vote? What
major changes, if any, has the electoral system
undergone? You can find the answer to these and many more questions at
http://www.270towin.com/historical-presidential-elections.
Your ultimate task is listed under Final task.
photo: alexwhite / Shutterstock.com 60 minutes
(small) group and individual work
1. Name at least three things that strike you about the presidential elections in the United
States. Share these things in a small group or with the rest of the class.
2. In a small group, or with a partner, discuss some of the major differences between the path
to becoming the prime minister in the Netherland and becoming the president of the United
States of America.
3. Do people – in the Netherlands – know much about past prime ministers? To what extent
does it – or does it not – matter, in your opinion?
Exploration
http://www.apnotes.net/presidents.html
1. Browse the list of US presidents. How many of these have you ever heard of?
2. How long is a term? Which US Ppesident served more than two terms?
3. How many presidents have been impeached ? What does impeached mean?
4. What is the difference between electoral votes and popular votes?
6. Compile a list of 5 past presidents that stand out to you, for whatever reason. State those
reasons.
Final task
Your assignment is to prepare and deliver a 5 – 8 minute in-depth presentation about two of
the 58 US Presidencies (i.e., not including President Obama): one Democratic (or
Democratic-Republican) and one Republican (or Whig).
You may use cue cards to help you remember certain facts, names, statistics. However, you
must come across as someone that knows what s/he is talking about. Your audience may vary
from a small group to your entire class – plus teacher, of course! You choose the president
you want to do your presentation about. You may use websites other than the two listed in this
webtask to prepare for your talk.