While adults vote for real on Election Day, the 5th graders at Will Rogers Learning Community will be voting for President in a mock election in order to learn about the electoral process.
Information about the Presidential candidates is being given to the students in a “blind” format, with the two major-party candidates being identified as “Candidate A” and “Candidate B.” Students are learning to evaluate the candidates on five critical issues, without knowing what views are actually supported or opposed by Obama and McCain.
On November 4, the 5th grade students will vote in a “popular” election at 9:30 a.m.. In the afternoon, they will have the chance to learn about the Electoral College procedure by holding their own Electoral College. At 2:30 p.m., the winner of the popular election will be revealed.
The election will be held in the Learning Library of Will Rogers Learning Community. Students must register to vote in the election. Supervising will be Board of Education members, SMMUSD Superintendent Tim Cuneo, and Will Rogers principal Irma Lyons.
Will Rogers Learning Community is a Title I (K-5) school in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. The school serves a large and diverse population of 528 students, 47 percent Hispanic/Latino, 30 percent White, 13 percent African American, 4 percent Asian, and 6 percent Other). Will Rogerss’ teachers stress college exposure and expectations for all of its upper-grade students. For more information about WRLC, visit rogers.smmusd.org.
