Blog Post
Citizenship in the Primary Classroom
May 27, 2023
By: Charlene Sacher
Grade 1/2 Multiage Teacher
General Vanier
With the next provincial election just around the corner this upcoming October, I was thinking ahead to how to teach voting and our current democratic process to some of our youngest learners. This one is a throwback to 2021 during that election, but I plan on using this again!
We started with having conversations to draw their attention to the fact that there is an upcoming election and that many of their family members over 18 get to decide who to vote for. As a class, we discuss things we see, such as all the signs and how people who are running are sharing why they think they would be the best person to help their community. On our class calendar, we mark the day of the upcoming election, but I mention that their families might go and vote in the days leading up to the elections. We then hold our own election. However, my students are just in grades 1-2, so we are not looking at the political policies and platforms of the various parties in Manitoba like our older peers may be doing. Instead, we go through the process with the addition of a class fish!
I will purchase a classroom fish and let the student know that we will go through all of the same steps that the people who are running in the election will go through, but to choose the name for the fish. Students start by putting a name forward, they then need ten signatures to get the name on the ballot. During this nomination of name stage, it does not mean you are voting for that name, instead that you think it is a name that should be given a chance (students decided if it was an accurate word and it wasn’t a mean word, it should be accepted at the nomination stage). Once the names have been nominated, they become officially registered as possible names for our classroom pet. Students then work independently or in groups to create posters for the name and give a short speech about why this is a good name for our new fish. This is an excellent opportunity for all students to practice public speaking. Some students will write notes using words, some draw pictures to help them remember what to say, and some just go up and speak. We spend some time as a class listening to each group or person share why their name is the best name for the fish. The other students can then also ask some questions if they would like.
On election day, we have our election. Students each come into the classroom, where they are checked in by a poll clerk and they are marked off the class list. Each child is handed a ballot and then directed to the voting booth to make their selection. There are adults available to help them read the different names when needed. Students then fold their paper in half and place it in the ballot box, each getting a sticker. I act as the deputy returning officer of the polling station (our classroom), and with the help of our scrutineers, we count the ballots, and a name is selected. Students then go home with their “I voted!” stickers on with a new level of knowledge that they can share with their families. Many students shared that they got to accompany their family to a voting booth that evening and that it was very similar!
It is a great way to introduce a tricky topic and help students feel more comfortable with the actual voting process. This will help them feel more confident in polling stations as they grow into young adults when they encounter their first voting booths in our many important elections.
