Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: The Veepstakes!
Take a step back in time with this political cartoon analysis worksheet, which features editorial cartoons from the 2008 presidential campaign. Background information allows pupils to "read between the lines" in their analysis, and three...
Curated OER
Presidential Election One Year Away
Learners identify political parties, then read a news article about the 2008 election. In this current events lesson (written prior to the 2008 election), the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, then...
PBS
Analyzing the Candidates in the 2008 Presidential Election
High schoolers research the 2008 presidential candidates and the required process for becoming an American presidential candidate. The class discusses both the process and the candidates, and some of the reasons someone might want to run...
Curated OER
Breaking News English: McCain Picks Female Running Mate
For this English worksheet, students read "McCain Picks Female Running Mate," and then respond to 1 essay, 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.
Cyberbee
Cyberbee: Election Lessons
These Election Lessons contain a variety of activities to use in your classroom, including a history of campaign buttons. Many of the links use primary sources from the Library of Congress.
Museum of the Moving Image
Museum of the Moving Image: 2008 Obama vs. Mc Cain
View presidential campaign advertisement from the 2008 election that included the slogans "Change We Can Believe In" and "Country First". Features video clips, information about the candidates, and election results.
PBS
Why Vote?
This lesson plan is designed to help students identify, develop, and share their positions on 2008 election issues.
CNN
Cnn: Election Center 2008
A great center for information on the election of 2008, this includes information on the candidates, the path to the presidency, money raised and spent by candidates and the important issues at stake.
NPR: National Public Radio
Npr: 2008 Election Map of Primaries
Great interactive map that shows primary and caucus results for the 2008 Presidential election plus House, Senate, and Governor elections. Click on a state for up to date news stories.
ProCon.org
Pro Con: 2008 Election: Which Candidate Would Make the Best u.s. President?
Archived Material. Who are the 2008 presidential candidates and what are their views on today's most important issues? This site offers a comprehensive overview of the question "Which candidate would make the best President?" The topic...
Other
Wall Street Journal: Mc Cain Versus Obama: Battle Lines Over Policy
The Wall Street Journal explores how presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain differ in their views on important policy issues such as business, economy, energy, healthcare, taxes, and education, among others. Includes links...
Museum of the Moving Image
Museum of the Moving Image: Admaker, Obama vs. Mc Cain: "Fundamentals" (2008)
A lesson plan to accompany two interactive activities. In the first activity, young scholars must convert a political ad for Barack Obama into one that promotes John McCain. The second activity has them create their own campaign ad. The...
PBS
Pbs Online News Hour: Presidential Election Coverage: Vote 2008: Candidates
PBS Online NewsHour provides current election news on the 2008 presidential race with biographical information on Democratic candidate Barack Obama, Republican candidate John McCain, and Third Party candidates Bob Barr and Ralph Nadar....
PBS
Pbs News Hour: Race to Watch: Campaign 2008, Role of Technology and the Internet
Is the internet effective as a campaign tool? Help your students explore how presidential candidates use technology and the internet in their political campaigning in the twenty first century with this lesson plan from PBS NewsHour.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Election Choices: 2008
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...
American Presidency Project
American Presidency Project: Election of 2008
Online resource that provides detailed data for the presidential election of 2008 won by Democratic candidate, Barack Obama.
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Election Choices [Pdf]
"Election Choices" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the 2008 Presidental election between Barack Obama and John McCain. It is followed by constructed-response questions which require students to provide evidence from the...
National Cable Satellite Corporation
C Span: Election Guide: Candidates and Information
C-SPAN provides profiles of the presidential candidates and their running mates. Also given are the candidates' position on various campaign issues. Content updates with each Presidential election.
PBS
Pbs Online News Hour: Presidential Election Coverage: Vote 2008: Lesson Plans
PBS Online NewsHour provides lesson plans to help students become informed about the 2008 presidential election.
PBS
Pbs News Hour: The Big Picture Economic Security in the Country & Your Community
This detailed lesson plan from the NewsHour With Jim Lehrer is designed to help students identify current economic concerns both in United States and in their communities.The estimated time commitment is two-three class sessions 45...
PBS
Pbs News Hour: Vote 2008
Vote 2008 is the official election web page for PBS Online News Hour. Find analysis of candidates and their latest moves as they journey down the presidential campaign trail. There is also a link to the Election 2008 Vote by Issue Quiz.
New York Times
New York Times: Election 2008 Lesson Plans
Features a collection of over fifty lesson plans relating to different aspects of the election process arranged according to currentness.
Other
Opensecrets.org: 2008 Presidential Election Fundraising
Find out all the campaign finance information at this thoroughly comprehensive site. If you want to know who's giving what, how much each candidate is getting, and where the money is coming from, this is the place to look.
NPR: National Public Radio
Npr: Election 2008
NPR's page on Election 2008 includes various stories on the political candidates, the election and an interactive map of primaries and caucuses as well as follow-up reports.