McKinley and Hobart
Investigation
Elections today are extremely different than they were at the beginning of the 20th century. Today, television, radio, and the internet play a large role in how we receive our information. In 1900, newspapers, weekly magazines, and word of mouth were the ways in which people received information and news.
We are going to pretend we are residing in the United States in 1903. The class will be broken up into groups of 4. Each member of the group will be responsible for a PowerPoint presentation. The group will decide whether they will be campaign staff for a candidate for president or a newspaper staff responsible for designing a full page add for a candidate. Each group will be graded for either a political poster advertising their candidate or the newspaper add. Each individual will be graded for their PowerPoint presentation. See the rubric for a clear understanding of what you will be graded on.
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McKinley and Hobart |
We are changing history. Garrett Hobart didn't die in office therefore Hobart served a second term as vice president. William McKinley wasn't assassinated in September, 1901. McKinley finished his 2nd term as president. Who would have been the front runner to be president in 1904?
After a brainstorming session to decide who the candidates will be, the class will break up into groups of 4. We will then hold a draft to determine which group represents a candidate. Each group will decide which activity they will be doing: either the newspaper ad or the campaign poster. Groups will be chosen by mixed ability. The group will use the strategy of cooperative learning to discover who their candidate was.
Example of a Campaign Poster
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Example of a Newspaper Ad
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Ads and Posters
The ads and posters are to be done on poster board which I will hand out to each group. Above are examples but the are only examples!! The poster board should contain who your candidate is and some qualifications. People should have some reason to vote for him. Remember who could vote at this time period.
Teacher's Role
The Teacher's role during group work will be that of a facilitator.
Roles within the group.
1. Group Leader
The group leader will be responsible for the group project. The leader maintains a good attitude among members and makes sure discussions don't get out of hand. The leader will lead the presentation of the group's poster to the class.
2. Graphic Artist
The graphic artist will lead in the production of the campaign poster or the newspaper ad.
3. Fact Checker
The fact checker will be responsible for all facts placed in the newspaper ad of the campaign poster.
4. Lead Researcher
The lead researcher will be responsible to make sure the information on the web sites are credible. Also, the researcher will help other group members if they are having trouble finding information.
PowerPoint
The PowerPoint should contain the following:
1. Title
2. Qualifications
3. Past experience
4. Personality
5. Background Information
6. Graphics or text from free web site
7. Miscellaneous Information (information you feel should be presented).
Be creative with your posters, adds, and Power Points. Demonstrate why you feel your candidate should be elected president. Give reasons why they are the best candidate. Most of all, have fun with this. Revisionist history can be fun. Hopefully, we will see a difference in the elections of the early 20th century and today.
Time Table for the Assignment
The project will take approximately 1 week but flexibility will be provided if we run into any problems.
Google Docs & Spreadsheets
If your parents send in written permission that your allowed to use an email address, we will sign up for Google Docs & Spreadsheets. This will allow for sharing of information between group members in the computer room without making too much noise.
Final Evaluation
The class will decide who becomes president in 1904. After all the presentations, we will conduct a secret ballot to see who becomes president.
