Lesson Plan - Meet the Candidates

Learning Objectives

Students will read about the main candidates in the 2020 election and explain how each is trying to gain voter support.

Text Structure

Compare/Contrast, Description

Content-Area Connections

Social Studies: Civics

Standards Correlations

CCSS: RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, RI.3.5, RI.3.6, RI.3.7, RI.3.8, RI.3.10, L.3.4, SL.3.1

NCSS: Civic Ideals and Practices

1. Preparing to Read

Watch a Video: Newsie Challenge: What It Takes to Be President 

As students watch this interactive video, have them record their answers to Newsie’s Challenge questions. You can use this video to assess background knowledge before reading the article.

Preview Words to Know

Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.

  • candidates
  • election
  • rallies

2. Close-Reading Questions

1. What is the main purpose of the article? The article explains who each candidate is and how they will try to win the support of voters. 

(RI.3.2 MAIN IDEA)


2. How are this year’s rallies different from those of the past? In the past, rallies would take place in arenas filled with crowds. Candidates would meet with voters there and shake their hands. But because of Covid-19, they are switching to virtual events.

(RI.3.3 COMPARE/CONTRAST)


3. How does the sidebar “A Day in the Life of a Candidate” connect to the article? The article introduces the two main candidates running for president. The sidebar explains what a typical day looks like for a candidate. 

(RI.3.5 TEXT FEATURES)

3. Skill Building

FEATURED SKILL: Build Vocabulary

Use the Skill Builder “Election Words to Know” to have students use key vocabulary from the article to write and complete sentences and other tasks.

(RI.3.4 VOCABULARY)

Text-to-Speech