Essential QuestionsWhat are the systems and rules that govern our society? Who decides, and how do they affect my life?
How can we improve American society? Project OverviewIn November 2018, Americans all across the country cast ballots for Governors, Senators, Representatives, local initiatives, and more. The ability to make your voice heard through the ballot box is one of the core features of our American democracy. Many people, however, head to the ballot box without an understanding of what they’re actually voting for. Maybe they get their news from Internet memes and believe whatever they read. Maybe they only consume biased media and have a one-sided view of the issues. Maybe they just don’t like politics and have no idea what is going on in the world.
You can’t change the world until you understand how it works. This was the inspiration for this project. At the very beginning of this project, students sorted themselves into groups and formed their own political parties based on their views of some of the biggest problems facing our country today: What do we do about all these school shootings? Do we need to secure our borders? How can we fix our healthcare system? Within group, students selected roles: political candidate, filmmaker, journalist, or scientist. Each role worked on a different product, and together the groups debated the issues and developed their party platforms. Our culminating exhibition was held in the Council Chambers at San Marcos City Hall. The political candidates participated in a Town Hall style debate on the dais, filmmakers shared their videos, journalists shared their stories and photographs, and scientists shared their research. At City Hall, we held a "primary election." The top vote getters advanced to a final debate at our whole-school exhibition the following week. After this debate, another election was held and winners were announced - congrats to Ryan and Gio for winning the elections! |