Political Parties: Where Do I Belong?

Introduction

Mrs. Cole - SPARK 2015

This WebQuest will allow students to study some of the main ideas of our major political parties in America. They will then decide where they fit in and design a poster or brochure highlighting the importance of their political party.

Introduction

You have just turned 18! Finally you are an adult. One of the responsibilities that comes with becoming an adult is voting. So you decide to register to vote, but on the form it asks what political party you are in. Political party? Huh? Of course you have heard of the Democrats and Republicans, but what do they really stand for? You decide to do a little more investigation before declaring your political affiliation. Its time to do some research!

What is a political party?

Task

You are going to research six of the major political parties in the U.S. and decide which one you fit in with the best. Once you decide where you fit in find another person in the class that shares your political affiliation. You and your partner will then create a poster or brochure that explains why you feel the party you chose is the best one for you. You will present this to the class and be able to defend your choice to them. For those of you that are unable to pick just one party you will have the option of creating your own political party or combining two that already exist.

Process

1. The first thing you should do is think about what you want your political party to accomplish for the country. Do you want more taxes and more government services, or less taxes and government services? Do you agree with the war in Iraq? Do you think we need to tighten up immigration or have open borders? Should we have free health care for all, or should people provide that for themselves? Once you have an idea on what you want the government to do for you, look for the political party that you most identify with.

2. Look at the political party web sites listed below and read the goals (sometimes called platforms) at the following web sites:

a. Repblican party- www.rnc.org

b. Democrat party- www.democrats.org

c. Green Party- www.greenparty.org

d. Libertarian Party- www.lp.org

e. Reform Party- www.reformparty.org

f. Socialist Party- www.socialist.org/base.html 

After researching the sites choose a party to join. For those of you that did not find one that fits your needs you may create your own political party.

3. After you declare your political party affiliation find another person in the class that shares your views and is a member of your party. If there is no one else in your party you may work alone. For those of you who could not find a party to join you will be creating your own political party.

4. With your partner you will be creating a poster or a brochure for your political party. You will present this to the class and field questions and commments about your party. Your poster or brochure will contain the following information:

A brief description of the main beliefs of your party
Three of the main issues that your party is currently concerned with and where they stand on those issues
Your party's slogan needs to be on the project or you may create a new one based on what you learn about the party
The party symbol must be on the project, you may also create anew one if you like based upon your knowledge of the party's beliefs
Highlight a famous or important member of your party. They may be alive or dead.

For those of you creating your own political party follow the steps above, just create your own answers. As for the important person that can be yourself, just explain your importance ( creator of the party).

5. Now that your poster or brochure in finished you will present your political party to the class. The presentation should highlight the information on your project. After your presentation you will field questions and comments from your fellow classmates. They will challenge your assertion that you belong to the best political party. Be prepared to respond to them.

Evaluation

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Required Elements	The poster includes the party's main goals, all three of the major issues, the slogan and symbol, an important party member and other additional information about your party.	The poster includes the party's main goals, three major issues, the slogan and symbol, and an important party member.	The poster includes some of the party's main goals, 1-2 major issues, the slogan and symbol, and an important party member.	Poster is missing several of the required elements.
Class Presentation	Student can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the poster and defend their political beliefs	Student can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the poster and defend their political beliefs.	Student can accurately answer about 75% of questions related to facts in the poster and defend some of their political beliefs	Student appears to have insufficient knowledge about the facts or their own political beliefs.
Content - Accuracy	At least 7 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.	5-6 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.	3-4 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.	Less than 3 accurate facts are displayed on the poster.
Graphics - Relevance	All graphics are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics are related to the topic and most make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics relate to the topic. Most borrowed graphics have a source citation.	Graphics do not relate to the topic OR several borrowed graphics do not have a source citation.
Mechanics	Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the poster.	There is 1 error in capitalization or punctuation.	There are 2 errors in capitalization or punctuation.	There are more than 2 errors in capitalization or punctuation.
Grammar	There are no grammatical mistakes on the poster.	There is 1 grammatical mistake on the poster.	There are 2 grammatical mistakes on the poster.	There are more than 2 grammatical mistakes on the poster.

Conclusion

So you figured out where you stand in the world of political parties. Hopefully this will help you to better understand our government and how it works. For those of you that were unhappy with your choices for political parties there are more available. The United States has well over 100 formal political parties. If you would like to learn more please visit
www.politics.com/parties.html . I hope you enjoyed your journey!