Feed for Thought: Election Edition
What happens when we all see different news?
Which candidate should win? Explore the link between information and decision-making, with this engaging activity. Two social-media feeds present two very different pictures of an election scenario. After reviewing their assigned feed, students choose sides through a vote, then discuss how the information they saw affected their choice.
Scenario: Election
There is a high-stakes election coming, with two candidates to choose from. People feel strongly about who should win, and it will likely be a close race. Everyone gets to vote, including students, but first they need to get informed about the issue
How to Use the Activity
Step 1: Distribute the feeds
Without revealing the existence of the two feeds, evenly distribute the links for each of the two feeds to the class.
Option 1: Send the activity link to students. The system will automatically assign one of two polarized feeds to each student at random.
Option 2: Download the feeds as PDFs and share each with half of the class.
Step 2: Hold the Vote
After students have formed an opinion, it’s time to hold the vote through a paper ballot or show of hands.
Step 3: Discuss & debrief
Share the results and ask students why they made the choice they did.
Downloads and Links
Feed For Thought Online Activity: Go to online activity
Copy link to share with students: https://bit.ly/feed-for-thought-election
Feed for Thought Downloadable PDFS: Feed A PDF, Feed B PDF
Informed Citizenship Lesson Plan: PDF, Google Doc
Informed Citizenship Slide Deck: PPT, Google Slides
Activity 1 Sample Ballots: PDF, Google Docs
Activity 2 Exit Card: PDF, Google Doc