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Civics and Election Resources

Educate your students about civics and Election Day (Tuesday, November 2). This list contains resources for all grade levels and includes lesson plans, interactives, podcasts, and other learning activities. 

Grades 5-12

60-Second Civics

Listen to a 60-second podcast with your class everyday to learn about the United States government. Themes include constitutional issues related to today's headlines, presidential powers, and more. Most episodes pertain to current events topics.

Grades 6-12

A Starting Point

This site offers starting points (two-minute answers to common questions asked of elected officials), daily points (officials having the opportunity to share their points), and counterpoints (the point of view from each side of the aisle).

Grades K-12

Elections and Civics Lesson Plans

Find lesson plans and activities about voting and campaigning for all grade levels. Activities include producing candidate commercials. Click on any lesson to view a PDF that includes the lesson objectives, procedures, and rubrics for evaluation.

Grades 6-8

My Case Maker

Peruse this collection of 20 civics challenges (including primary sources) for middle school students. Share individual challenges with students using the provided challenge code. The site offers tools for adding annotations and creating case folders.

Grades 5-12

Eagle Eye Citizen

Share these activities that use primary sources from the Library of Congress to teach middle and high school students about American History. The Solve link provides challenge puzzles to help students learn about historical events and see the big picture.

Grades 6-12

Decoding Elections: Process, Persuasion & Participation

Study the historical conditions and circumstances of controversial political campaigns to gain an understanding of today's campaign tactics and messages. Go back as far as the 1880s to learn about mudslinging and negative accusations in the elections.

Grades 4-12

Does Your Vote Count? The Electoral College Explained

Many students (and adults) don't fully understand the role of the Electoral College in presidential elections. This video provides a clear explanation of the Electoral College and how it works as part of the election process.

Grades 4-12

iCivics, Win the White House

In this lively, colorful simulation, students will experience being part of a campaign, including creating a candidate avatar, selecting either Democratic or Republican issues, participating in debates, and developing a media campaign.

Grades 8-12

Rock the Vote

Check out this nonprofit organization dedicated to getting young people out to vote. Find information for citizens across the country about voter registration, where to vote, how to contact elected officials, and general election information.

Grades 6-12

I Side With

Take the online quiz to learn which candidate aligns with your beliefs the most. Explore the many polls on the site to view results from across the country. Break down information from the polls into categories, such as by state or by party.

Grades K-12

TeachersFirst's Elections Resources

Whether it’s a presidential year or an off-year election cycle, there are many excellent resources to help your students understand and become involved in the electoral process. This collection highlights some favorites for every age level.

This Week at TeachersFirst

This Tuesday, we pause our Tuesday virtual workshops to encourage everyone to get out and vote! Join us this Thursday (11/4) at 8 PM ET for our bi-monthly Twitter chat. We're also excited to share a timely blog post and a global collaboration opportunity. Finally, we kindly ask for your reply in our weekly poll.