US Government PRESENTATION INSTRUCTIONS

Twice this semester you will present to the class as part of a group. You will have the entire class period to present, though you are expected to leave at least 15 minutes for questions and feedback from the class. Here are the requirementsand grading method:

1) First Presentation - You will teach the class about the political parties and candidates running for office in Texas:

a) First Presentation - Group 1: Nonpartisan Voter Information Your group will teach the class about the importance of voting, and provide them with information on how to vote or to participate in other ways

i) First explain why it is important for citizens (and students in particular) to vote. It is your group's job to inspire your classmates to take part in political action.

ii) Explain the legal requirements for voter eligibility in Texas - who can and cannot vote?

iii) Explain the process of voting in Texas

(1) By when must one be registered and how does one get registered to vote?

(2) How does one find one's voting location?

(3) When does voting happen?

(4) How does voting work during early voting and on election day? In other words, what is the process?

iv) For those who are not eligible to vote or who want to do more than just vote, explain how they might take part in the political process in Texas in ways other than voting.

b) First Presentation - Groups 2-4 : Parties and Candidates - Your group will teach the class about the candidates running for President of the United States and the parties they represent. Your job is to inform us using solid academic sources and to make the presentation interesting and engaging. Using specifics and evidence (facts, statistics, studies, etc.), you will:

i) Explain as objectively as possible (and in whatever order works best for you):

(1) The candidate's background - education, previous work and political experience, successes and failures.

(2) Major politicians and other public figures who endorse the candidate, and any members of the candidate's own party that will not endorse the candidate.

(3) Major interest groups that endorse the candidate

(4) The party they represent: its basic philosophy and its official stances on 5 political issues chosen by the class.

(5) The candidate's stance on the 5 issues chosen by the class (candidates often diverge from the official platform).

(6) An "honesty report" based on research by non-partisan fact checkers Politifact.com and Factcheck.org

(7) An assessment of the candidate's chances to win based on reputable scientific polls.

ii) Explain your own opinions of the candidate as a group (you may have differing opinions within the group)

(1) What do you think are the candidate's strengths?

(a) On what issues do you agree with the candidate and what do you think are their positive leadership qualities?

(2) What do you think are the candidate's weaknesses?

(a) On what issues do you disagree with the candidate and what do you think are their drawbacks as a leader?

2) Second Presentation: Pre and Post-election News Updates: Your group will act as a news crew. Your job is to update the class on election projections and results and the state of politics before and after the polls have closed and the campaigns are over.

a) Because this has already been one of the strangest elections in history, there is no telling what will happen when the election is over. As such, it is impossible to give much advance direction for this assignment. Again, your job is to use and cite solid academic sources to inform the class, and to make it as interesting and engaging as possible.

2) I am giving some creative freedom in how you do that:

a. You may present the information in the form of a debate, Prezi or PowerPoint presentation, skit, interactive gameshow-style game, whatever. Make it interesting and engaging as well as informative.

b. You may use handouts, visual aids, the classroom computer and projector, review games (ex: Jeopardy, Kahoot, Bingo, etc) or other enhancements

3) Your presentation will be graded on these three factors:

a. Did you use and present information from solid academic sources AND make clear what the source of the information was as you presented it? Did your presentation show an understanding of the topic grounded in research?

b. Did you make the presentation informative, engaging and interesting? How well did you handle the question and answer portion of the presentation? Did you manage questions respectfully and thoughtfully?

c. What was your individual contribution to the group presentation? You will turn in, at the time of the presentation, a self/group grade form. You will have a chance to explain on this form what you did to contribute to the presentation and what others in your group did (or failed to do).