What’s at Stake

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question to guide discussion: Why do elections matter?

2. List Vocabulary
Share with students some of the challenging vocabulary words in this article. Encourage them to use context to infer meanings as they read. 

• nonconsecutive (p. 9)
• deportation (p. 9)
• divergent (p. 10)
• intractable (p. 10)
• assuage (p. 13)
• disunited (p. 13)

3. Engage
Ask students to share what they know about the upcoming election. Revisit this discussion after the lesson, having students share any new insights they’ve gained.

4. Read 
Have students read the article, marking the text to note key ideas or questions.

5. Discuss
Distribute or project Up Close: What’s at Stake, a close-reading activity for students to work on in small groups. (Note: The questions on the PDF also appear on the following page of this lesson, with possible responses.) Follow up with a class discussion. If you’re short on time, have each group tackle one or two of the questions. Collect students’ work or have each group report its findings to the class.

• What is the purpose of the section “Why I’m Registering Voters”? Do you think the author is successful in achieving his purpose? Why or why not?  (Author’s purpose, evaluate text)(The purpose of the section is to explain why the author believes voting is important and, indirectly, to persuade the reader to feel the same way. Students’ evaluations may vary but should reference specific details the author includes and specific points he makes.) 

• In “Looking for Change,” the author writes, “Americans don’t just disagree with each other, they live in different realities, each with its own self-reinforcing Internet-and-media bubble.” What does she mean? Which main idea from the article does this detail support? (Paraphrase, make inferences)(The author means that, with all of the choices we have for where we get our news—including using popular sites with algorithms that cater to our preferences­—Americans can ensure that they’re exposed only to people that they agree with, which, in turn, allows them to feel more secure in the “correctness” of their opinions. This detail supports the idea that America is politically divided and that this divide will be difficult to overcome.)

• In the final section, Kathleen Hall Jamieson says, “The country needs leadership that can unify us.” What does she mean? Based on the article, do you think that’s possible? Why or why not? (Paraphrase, evaluate argument)(She means that Americans need a leader who can bridge the divide between groups with incredibly divergent viewpoints, because federal leadership represents everyone, regardless of their stances. Regarding whether it’s possible, students’ answers will vary but should be supported with text evidence.)

• The author includes two statistics about President Trump’s approval ratings. What do they suggest about the overall political climate? (Compare & contrast, make inferences)
  (The two statistics—Trump never having achieved a 50 percent or higher general approval, but having an approximately 90 percent approval from Republicans—suggest that the country is deeply divided about the “pathway” the country should head down. More than half of those polled want a big change, but many others want Trump to be re-elected.)

• What were experts predicting about voter turnout in late 2019? What do many experts now think might happen? What caused the change in thinking? (Compare & contrast, cause & effect)
  (In late 2019, experts were predicting a record voter turnout because of strong feelings over Trump’s impeachment. However, because of fears about Covid-19 and social distancing recommendations, experts now believe that voter turnout might not be as high as previously predicted.) 

• What does the phrase “defining issue” in the last section head mean? Why do you think the author ended the heading with a question mark? (Word meaning, make inferences)
  (The phrase “defining issue” means the most important issue or factor that critically affects something. The author explains that, in the past, the defining issue for sitting presidents has been the economy—when the economy is bad, sitting presidents are usually not re-elected. The author most likely ends the heading with a question mark because so many things could happen before Election Day that we don’t yet know if the current bad economy will play a role in how voters cast their votes in this election or if another factor will be the defining issue.)   

6. Writing Prompt
Who are the “third parties” in American politics? Why do you think Americans pay so little attention to them? Should we take them more seriously? Explain in a brief essay.

7. Video
Watch the video about political parties in America. What does it add to your understanding?

8. Classroom Debate
Are political parties good or bad for America? 

9. Quiz & Skills
Use the quiz to assess comprehension and the Analyze the Graph skill sheet to practice data analysis.