Election Challenge specifics — Game On!
The November 8 Election is almost here and we’re thrilled to give you all the details about the how the Fanschool “Election Challenge” will work:
No one’s ever done this before, but we’re confident it’s going to be the most Fun, Authentic, Networked, and Strategic way to learn about and interact with the election system alongside thousands of other teachers and students who are also fans of learning.
Picture a March Madness round-style contest for the Electoral College, where students can vote for + predict who they think will become President in a series of rounds — Round 1: Solid States (2 points each), Round 2: Leaning States (5 points each), Round 3: Battleground States (10 points each), Round 4: Election Statistics (tiebreaker, if needed).
Then, they’ll submit their predictions to a giant, public contest to see who can out-learn and out-predict their classmates across the country and compete for cash + curriculum prizes.
We can’t wait for a middle schooler to out-think guys like Nate Silver as we all compete for civic competence!
Students will open these curated resources in another tab as they fill out their electoral map. And they’ll use these resources to dive into data to analyze and predict outcomes of the Electoral College, as well as interpret the influence of 3rd parties, campaign finance, and which elections (national, state, or local) matter more.
When combined with your own classroom designs, schedules, and lessons, this will become an even more powerful learning tool.
What teachers should know
- If you want to facilitate a more organized Election Challenge in your classroom, use fanschool.org/election as your starting point.
When you add the Election Challenge as part of a countries or states league, you’ll be able to see how many students in your league completed the Election Challenge and view their maps. Paid subscribers will be able to see this for all of their students in all of their leagues.
What students should know
- You can only fill out one map, but you can edit this map up until midnight pacific time on November 7th.
- We need to be able to contact you (and your teacher) if you win.
- When you submit to the public Challenge, click the box that says “I’m a student”
- You have until midnight pacific time on November 7th to edit and submit your map to the public, national challenge.
The top learning will then be awarded the Grand Prize Scholarship of $500 and you’ll be featured throughout our network.
What everyone should know
Our Election Challenge is also available to everyone and their mom — and they can sponsor a subscription for a classroom if they want. Tell your friends!
