100’s of Free Resources from YLI – Including a Mock Student Election Starting February 22!
Super Tuesday comes to your classroom February 22-29! Empower your students to weigh in on the 2016 presidential hopefuls with the Super Student mock election from Youth Leadership Initiative (YLI)!
Once again, Chase the Race 2016 brings exciting new election activities to your classroom, courtesy of our civics education partner, YLI. These resources are free to educators, including the Super Student Mock Presidential Primary, the E-Congress simulation and the Democracy Corps lesson plans. Take advantage of these feature-rich resources now – the primary mock election starts February 22, with results posting on March 1!
Youth Leadership Initiative
By providing teachers with exceptional civics education materials and programs, the YLI, at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, helps empower students to take responsibility for our democracy. Register for FREE online to access their curriculum, lesson plans and activities, including the mock election, starting February 22.
YLI Mock Election – Get in the Game!
Each year, YLI conducts the largest secure, student-only, online mock election in the nation, using electronic ballots tailored to each student’s home legislative district. This year your students can participate in the Super Student Presidential Primary, February 22-29th, as well as the mock Presidential Election in November. Support materials available from YLI include teacher lesson plans, customizable ballots and free online election resources such as posters, decorations and stickers, to help you generate election excitement at your school.
E-Congress
Looking for an interactive way to teach students about the U.S. legislative branch? YLI’s E-Congress program brings your students directly into the role of Congressmen, as they research and draft original legislation, debate in committees and vote to pass proposals into law. Your class can participate in two ways: 1) the interactive National E-Congress session that runs from January through April and 2) the My E-Congress that lets you use YLI technology to run a classroom simulation anytime during the school year.
Democracy Corps
YLI’s Democracy Corps brings your civics lessons to the community, while instilling lifelong civic engagement in your students. This series of 16 lessons teaches students about the purpose and meaning of our democracy, and the responsibilities of our citizens to uphold it. Students then move quickly from the blackboard to the blacktop as they participate in a hands-on community service project, interacting with local leaders, grass-root organizations and citizens to deliberate solutions for real problems and influence public policy.
100 Additional Lesson Plans
And there’s more! YLI offers more than 100 K-12 teacher-developed civics lessons and rigorous course units, covering all aspects of civic education, from voting, to service learning, to the legislative process. All lessons are searchable by grade, topic or keyword. Many include PowerPoint presentations. Elementary resources include a resources guide, morning meeting lesson plans, mini-modules and a dramatic reading of the Constitutional Convention. Sample lessons include: Presidential Election 2016: Economy & Politics, What Is Government and Do We Need It? and the Constitutional Compromise Game.
Remember, all of the above resources are free. Sign up now, so your students will be ready to participate in the Super Student Mock Presidential Primary, starting February 22!