Campaign Components

Overview

In this lesson (6 of 20) from “Exploring Government & Space,” students learn what makes a political campaign effective by examining real or sample campaign materials. They will organize information and write an explanatory response, building toward stronger writing in later lessons.

Learning intentions

• Students will be able to identify common components of political campaigns (like slogans, posters, and persuasive messages).
• Students will be able to group related campaign information together clearly.
• Students will be able to analyze campaign materials by stating what they show and what they try to persuade voters to believe or do.
• Students will be able to write an explanatory paragraph with an introduction and grouped details, optionally adding an illustration.

Success criteria

• I can list at least 3 elements of a campaign (for example: slogan, poster, colors/logo, candidate message).
• I can explain what each element is trying to persuade people to think or do.
• I can write an explanatory paragraph that has an introduction and grouped supporting details.
• I can include an illustration that helps my reader understand my campaign elements.

Curriculum links

• Writing — Write informative/explanatory texts by selecting and organizing relevant content clearly and accurately.
• Writing (Grade 3) — Write explanatory texts that examine a topic and convey ideas clearly.
• Writing (Grade 3) — Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful.
• Writing — Write over a short time frame (one sitting) to produce a clear draft.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Warm-up prompt. Teacher shows 2–3 campaign-style images (printouts or teacher-made slides) and asks, “What is this trying to get people to think or do?” Students give quick verbal responses.
2. 5–15 min · Mini-lesson on campaign parts. Teacher models a “campaign component” chart (Slogan, Poster/Colors, Candidate name/photo, Message/Promise, Call to action) and explains briefly how campaigns persuade. Students help fill in one shared example.
3. 15–30 min · Guided analysis: “Notice & Think.” Teacher hands out (or projects) one campaign poster per student and a simple graphic organizer with two columns: “I notice…” and “It seems trying to persuade me…” Students complete the organizer using sentence frames.
4. 30–42 min · Writing plan (explain + group). Teacher demonstrates how to turn the organizer into an explanatory paragraph:

• Introduction sentence (topic)
• Grouped details (3 elements in order)
• Closing sentence (main idea) Students choose 3 elements and write a short plan with bullet points.

5. 42–55 min · Independent writing draft. Teacher releases students to write their explanatory paragraph. Students write their paragraph and add a small illustration (drawing or labeling) that matches their chosen campaign elements.
6. 55–60 min · Share-out & quick check. Students read (or teacher reads if needed) one or two sentences from their paragraph and answer: “Which element was most persuasive, and why?” Teacher collects observations for next steps.

Resources

• 2–3 teacher-selected campaign poster examples (print or digital)
• “Campaign Components” chart (teacher-made)
• Graphic organizer: “I notice…” / “It seems trying to persuade me…”
• Sentence frames (one page) for explaining persuasion
• Lined paper and pencils
• Drawing paper or blank space for illustration
• Timer or visual schedule card

Assessment

• Formative check during Step 3: teacher listens for correct identification of campaign elements and basic explanations of purpose.
• Formative check during Step 5: teacher reviews whether students grouped related information and included an introduction sentence.
• Quick exit assessment during Step 6: students state one campaign element and its persuasive purpose using the sentence frame.

Differentiation

• Support for speech/language delays: provide sentence starters (“I notice…”, “It wants people to…”, “This makes me think…”). Allow pointing or choosing from word banks instead of only open response.
• Support for younger/struggling writers: offer a fill-in-the-blank paragraph template with 4–5 sentence slots (intro, 3 details, closing). Permit drawing first, then writing labels.
• Advanced learner (7-year-old) extension within the lesson: ask for a “reasoning upgrade” by adding one persuasive strategy word (for example: “fear,” “hope,” “pride,” “unity,” or “fairness”) and explaining how the poster uses it.
• Extension beyond standard paragraph (if time allows): students create a labeled mini poster showing one element from their paragraph and write a one-sentence slogan justification.

Extension (optional)

• Create a sample campaign slogan: Students write one slogan for a pretend candidate about “space exploration” or “public service,” then explain in one sentence how it would persuade voters (hope/fairness/achievement).