Electoral College SAC (Structured Academic Controversy)
Question: Should the United States get rid of the Electoral College?
You will start by answering questions about the Electoral College to build your background knowledge for the debate.
Use the following resources:
What is the Electoral College?--National Archives and Records Administration
Presidential Election--BrainPop
Does Your Vote Count?--The Electoral College Explained--TED-Ed
How does the Electoral College Work?--The New York Times
Electoral College Background Questions:
1. How does the Electoral College work?
2. How many electoral votes are there? How many votes does a candidate need to win?
3. What happens if no candidate gets to the number of electoral votes needed to win?
4. How many electoral votes does Florida have? Choose four other states and write how many votes each of those states have.
5. How does the government determine how many electoral votes each state gets?
6. What does the term "swing state" mean?
7. Why is the electoral votes in each state referred to as a "winner take all" system? What two states are the exceptions?
8. What is the minimum number of states a candidate could win and become president?
Structured Academic Controversy (SAC):
You will be divided into teams of four. Once you have been given a team, you may decide who will pair up with whom within your team. One pair will argue that we should keep the Electoral College and the other pair will argue that we should get rid of the Electoral College. You will not know which side you will be arguing until the day of the debate so you will need to be ready to argue either side! After the debate, your group will need to come to a consensus (agree on whether or not the United States should get rid of the electoral college). Afterwards, each of you will write a P.E.A.R.L. paragraph supporting your group's position using the evidence you have gathered.
Before the Debate:
1. Set up your paper to look like the Structured Academic Controversy Evidence Template below. *If it is not visible on your computer, it is also available on Schoology.
2. Read each of the newspaper articles below. As you read, look for and fill in evidence on your paper. Do not forget to source your information (write down where you got the evidence from). Remember to use quotation marks around anything you are directly quoting. If you wish to include more than four pieces of evidence, you may add more to the back of your paper.
The Electoral College: Top 3 Pros and Cons--ProCon.org
Think we Should do away with the Electoral College? Think again--The Hill
Should We Abolish the Electoral College?--Stanford Magazine
You may also use other sources not listed above.
You will start by answering questions about the Electoral College to build your background knowledge for the debate.
Use the following resources:
What is the Electoral College?--National Archives and Records Administration
Presidential Election--BrainPop
Does Your Vote Count?--The Electoral College Explained--TED-Ed
How does the Electoral College Work?--The New York Times
Electoral College Background Questions:
1. How does the Electoral College work?
2. How many electoral votes are there? How many votes does a candidate need to win?
3. What happens if no candidate gets to the number of electoral votes needed to win?
4. How many electoral votes does Florida have? Choose four other states and write how many votes each of those states have.
5. How does the government determine how many electoral votes each state gets?
6. What does the term "swing state" mean?
7. Why is the electoral votes in each state referred to as a "winner take all" system? What two states are the exceptions?
8. What is the minimum number of states a candidate could win and become president?
Structured Academic Controversy (SAC):
You will be divided into teams of four. Once you have been given a team, you may decide who will pair up with whom within your team. One pair will argue that we should keep the Electoral College and the other pair will argue that we should get rid of the Electoral College. You will not know which side you will be arguing until the day of the debate so you will need to be ready to argue either side! After the debate, your group will need to come to a consensus (agree on whether or not the United States should get rid of the electoral college). Afterwards, each of you will write a P.E.A.R.L. paragraph supporting your group's position using the evidence you have gathered.
Before the Debate:
1. Set up your paper to look like the Structured Academic Controversy Evidence Template below. *If it is not visible on your computer, it is also available on Schoology.
2. Read each of the newspaper articles below. As you read, look for and fill in evidence on your paper. Do not forget to source your information (write down where you got the evidence from). Remember to use quotation marks around anything you are directly quoting. If you wish to include more than four pieces of evidence, you may add more to the back of your paper.
The Electoral College: Top 3 Pros and Cons--ProCon.org
Think we Should do away with the Electoral College? Think again--The Hill
Should We Abolish the Electoral College?--Stanford Magazine
You may also use other sources not listed above.