Our Class Election

Overview

In lesson 7 of 9 in Power and Participation in Aotearoa, students take part in a simple mock election. They explore how people share ideas, make choices, vote fairly and contribute to decisions affecting their classroom community.

Learning intentions

• WALT explain why communities make decisions together.
• WALT share an idea respectfully during a campaign.
• WALT follow a fair voting process.
• WALT describe how voting can affect a community.

Success criteria

• I can explain what an election is.
• I can listen to candidates and identify their ideas.
• I can vote privately and fairly.
• I can share one way an election result may help our class.

Curriculum links

• Social Sciences: understand how people participate individually and collectively in response to community needs.
• Social Sciences: explore how people make decisions and how those decisions affect groups.
• New Zealand Curriculum key competencies: participating and contributing; relating to others; managing self; thinking.
• Literacy: listen, speak, present ideas and record simple information for a purpose.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Connect to prior learning Welcome students and remind them that this is lesson 7 of 9. Ask: “Who makes decisions in our class, school or community?” and “How can people have a say?” Open with the election question and learning intention slides. Explain that today the class will hold a mock election about one realistic classroom improvement.

2. 5–10 minutes – Introduce elections Use simple language: an election is a way for people to choose someone or choose an idea. Voters listen, think about choices, make a decision and cast a vote. Emphasise that everyone’s vote is private and every person follows the same rules. Show the simple election process slides and model the sequence: campaign, listen, vote, count and respond.

3. 10–17 minutes – Choose candidates and prepare campaigns Present two or three teacher-selected choices, such as “Which class improvement should we work towards next: a class garden, more outdoor equipment or a quiet reading space?” Keep the options visible. Invite three or four pairs of students to volunteer as candidate teams, with each team supporting one option. Distribute the campaign and voting worksheet. Teams draw or write one reason for their choice and prepare a 30-second campaign message. Support students to use the sentence frame: “We think our class should choose __ because __.”

4. 17–25 minutes – Campaign presentations Each candidate team presents its message. The audience listens without interrupting and may show quiet applause at the end. After each presentation, allow one respectful question, such as “How could this help our class?” Use the campaign instructions and respectful listening prompts. Remind students that campaigning means explaining an idea, not saying unkind things about another choice.

5. 25–33 minutes – Hold the election Model how to complete a ballot: choose one option, make one clear mark and fold the paper. Students vote one at a time while others complete the listening/reflection section of the campaign and voting worksheet. Provide a ballot box or named container. Students must not show others their vote. Adults can read options aloud or provide picture symbols where needed.

6. 33–39 minutes – Count and interpret the result Count the votes together. Ask students to predict which option may win before counting, then compare the prediction with the result. Record the totals on the board or on the vote-counting and result slides. Explain that the option with the most votes wins in this mock election, while recognising that people may have chosen differently and still participated fairly.

7. 39–45 minutes – Reflect and link to community participation Students complete the final reflection on the campaign and voting worksheet: “I participated by…”, “The result was…”, and “This could affect our class by…”. Invite several students to share. Finish with the question on the reflection and next-steps slide: “How can we keep participating after the election?” Explain that the next lesson will consider how communities respond after decisions are made.

Resources

• the complete mock-election slide deck
• the campaign and voting worksheet
• Three clearly displayed classroom improvement options
• Small ballot papers, one per student, plus a few spares
• A ballot box or suitable container
• Pencils and crayons
• Whiteboard or chart paper for vote totals
• Timer
• Optional picture symbols for the three choices

Assessment

• Observe whether students listen respectfully, explain an idea and follow the voting process.
• Check the worksheet for a reason supporting an option and a reflection about participation or the result.
• Use discussion responses to identify whether students understand that elections allow people to contribute to shared decisions.

Differentiation

• Provide picture-supported choices, sentence frames, adult scribing and opportunities to rehearse campaign messages with a partner.
• Pair students strategically and allow drawing, oral responses or dictated ideas instead of requiring extended writing.
• Support students who need help with turn-taking by giving them a clear role, such as campaign speaker, question asker, ballot distributor or vote recorder.
• Extend confident students by asking them to explain why fair rules matter, compare the result with the class’s original predictions, or suggest how the winning idea could be implemented responsibly.