Vote for Our Future!

How to Teach This Book

1. Introduce information about the powers and responsibilities of government and explore how local elections impact your community and affect kids’ lives. Safe water, new books in the library, and parks to play in are all connected to who is in office and running local governments.
2. Ask students to think about the many ways local governments affect them. Talk about what students can do to be heard about issues important to them, even if they aren’t old enough to vote. 
3. Together, research the types of local government in your community (county, city, school district, etc.) and learn about the various roles politicians, citizens, and others play in local government. 
4. Have your class “vote” on a local elected official to research and learn more about the office he or she occupies. 
5. Invite this politician to your class (or to make a video visit) to read aloud, give a talk about the election process, and explain what it is like to work as an elected official.

Questions for Discussion & Reflective Writing

1. Who can vote?
2. Why can’t kids vote? Do you think that kids should get to vote? Why or why not?
3. Why should people vote?
4. How does voting help people?
5. What is important to you and your future?

Additional Resources for Teaching Civics

• Vote for Our Future Classroom Guide from Random House Children’s Books
• Today is Election Day resources from ReadWriteThink
• My Voice, My Voter’s Guide student activity from Teaching Tolerance
• Reading Adventure Pack: Government (in English and Spanish) from Reading Rockets