WebQuest

//__Presidential Election 08__//

= Introduction =

This WebQuest is designed for students in grades 10-12 to analyze the arguments of the major candidates for president, interpret polling data that shows public attitudes towards their positions, and conclude who has the best chance of winning the election. Students will learn the candidate’s views on the major issues confronting the United States, study electoral college and demographic trends over the past 20 years, and will analyze opinion polling data for reliability and accuracy. The end result will be a digital presentation

Thank you for joining my team of crack journalists. As you know, one of the big stories of this year is the presidential election. Our online newspaper has always given the statistics describing the candidates’ positions and said which candidate is in the lead. I want us to go further. I don’t want us just to describe the facts, but to analyze them. I want us to help our readers understand why the candidates’ positions are important and how these issues ultimately are influencing the polls. Then I want us to analyze those polls, say if they are meaningful and allow us to intelligently predict the winner. You are the team I need to accomplish this challenge. Get analyzing and good luck!

= Description of Task =

You are a team of journalists preparing to produce a news report on the 2008 Presidential Election. Your report must include:
 * 1) An introduction that compares and contrasts the candidate’s views on any **two** of the following issues:
 * The economy
 * Their views on what the US should do in Iraq and Afghanistan
 * Health care
 * Homeland Security
 * The environment
 * 1) A section that analyzes Electoral College trends since the election of 1980 to determine how demographics and political shifts (more conservative to more liberal) might effect this election. You also need to study **two** swing states and use your historical analysis to predict which candidate has the best chance of winning each state.
 * 2) A graphical representation and analysis of public opinion polls that determines the reliability and accuracy of the data. Students should include one national poll and one state poll in their analysis.

The end result of your efforts will be a video newscast where your team presents a section of the report. Include videos of the candidates, podcasts, presentations (such as PowerPoint) and an interactive map to support your research.

Make sure you complete what is needed by referencing the rubric. = Description of the Process =

//__Get Your Team Organized__// As a team of journalists preparing to produce a news report on the 2008 Presidential Election, you will need to be involved in all aspects of this project. However, you will need to take on separate rolls to get your project done effectively.
 * Project Manager - You need to make sure the group is on schedule and focused. You are responsible for the overall organization and make sure that all the pieces are completed for your final project.
 * Statistician - You need to make sure that your group selects the right numbers and that they make sense for your project. You must make sure that your group's conclusions are supported by the numbers.
 * Political Analyst - You need to make sure the group understands each candidate's positions. You will work closely with the statistician to make sure that you connect the right positions to the supporting numbers.
 * Media Expert - You need to make sure that the presentation is done well. Think of how to get the points across to the class with style.

__//Let's Compare & Contrast the Candidates' Views//__

Today there are many sources available in which candidate’s views are presented. Websites, podcasts, TV, radio and printed publications report this news to the public. It is our job a media literate journalists to locate articles, reports and audio/video clips to effectively compare and contrast candidate’s views that are important to voters.

Use the web to locate information on the candidate’s views on these issues using the following checklist broken down by media type: (locate 2 sources from each category below in order to compare and contrast – you may use the examples given as one of your sources) http://uspolitics.america.gov/uspolitics/elections/issues.html [| http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/index.html] http://www.americaspromise.org/CandidatesVideo.aspx?ref=google&gclid=CPOor_n92pQCFQKaFQodkAnakg http://www.npr.org/templates/topics/topic.php?topicId=1102 http://elections.foxnews.com/
 * Websites
 * Print
 * Podcasting/Streaming Video
 * Radio
 * Television

Be sure to save screenshots, audio and video clips. These will be integrated into your media presentation.

//__Let's Study the Electorial Trends__// 1. Use the year dropdown menu to determine geographical trends from 1980 to 2004. What states are solidly Democratic? Republican? Which states have changed their results over the past 24 years? 2. Click on the States tab for more detailed information on that state’s voting patterns and polling data. 1. How have demographic trends affected the Electoral College map?
 * Go to** http://www.270towin.com/
 * Go to** http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2005/0605demographics_frey.aspx

//__Let's Look at the Data__// We want to take this a step at a time. We shouldn’t just use the first set of numbers we find and end there. We also cannot get bogged down in every little number. That’s the difference between information and data: data has potential, but information has meaning!

Here are your steps:
 * 1) Select our data.
 * 2) Is this data any good?
 * 3) Is the lead meaningful?


 * Conclusion
 * Teacher Page

//__Organize Our Data__// <<<<<<<<<< I'm no longer sure this still fits in with the data section..... Think that the census data may be too advanced.... But the PBS site s/b mixed in with where we have the students select their two issues.... candidate view?????

There are lots of ways to organize your data. Don’t just list everything out. That makes it data, not information! How you organize your data will impact your analysis and conclusions.

Why is this true? The “groups” we belong to change http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/voting.html from year to year. Our needs change. Our expectations change. How many of us actually take the time to learn the issues and vote. Further, what motivates people changes from year to year. Will this year’s elections be based on personal freedoms or security, proving world dominance or cooperation, health and environmental issues or corporate growth, building new technologies or protecting old industries, creating safety-nets for the unfortunate or letting a free market run, focus on the future or looking at today. See other students’ thoughts on http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2008/election/pov/.

This is one thing that separates the pros from everyone else. Don’t worry, we are not yet pros. But organize your work with a theme.

//__Let’s Analyze__// Here are our steps:
 * 1) Compare the polls to the Candidate’s positions
 * 2) Analyze the results
 * 3) Make our Conclusions & Predictions

Bob, figure you have standard points when you ask students to do this type of thing?

//__Let’s Put Our Presentation Together.__//

Our presentation will consist of three sections 1) A podcast / newsreport of your findings (Jeff thought you would flesh this out)

You will produce a 3 minute news report of your findings in a video digital story format. Remember to integrate audio/video clips and images from your research into your video. Creative Commons music and sound effects are available at http://ccmixter.org/people/jeffhumphreytrio

Your video: (work in progress as I'm creating sample project)

2) Supporting charts or graphs 3) A written analysis