Guest Blogger Lydia Breiseth is the manager of the bilingual English-Spanish website Colorín Colorado, whose mission is to provide educators and parents with information about teaching English language learners to read and succeed. Ms. Breiseth began her career teaching English to adults in Ecuador with the educational exchange program WorldTeach, and has subsequently taught English and Spanish in a variety of educational and family literacy programs to students of all ages. Prior to working at Colorín Colorado, Ms. Breiseth served as the Community Affairs Liaison at Telemundo Washington DC, managing outreach initiatives to the region’s Hispanic community.

I recently had the opportunity to visit a class of middle school English language learners (ELLs) in St. Paul, MN.  Many of the students were refugees, and as I sat through their social studies class, it was moving to see them discuss the 3 branches of U.S. government and discuss the responsibilities of Supreme Court justices, the Congress, and the President.  Here were students who may have been born in refugee camps or escaped military dictatorships, sitting in a classroom in Minnesota together and learning about our democracy – a democracy in which they themselves may one day participate.

The teacher later remarked to me that the students had been very excited about the U.S. presidential election, and were enthusiastic when Barack Obama defeated Hillary Clinton to become president.  Yes, you read that correctly – the Democratic primary race was so long and fierce that many of her students thought it was the actual presidential race, and didn’t know that there was still another round to go (something we can all understand after the long primary season, and a reminder of the importance of background knowledge).

This year’s elections, from the local to the national level, offer a great opportunity for ELLs to learn about the U.S. system of government, electoral processes, and election campaigns. For students who were not born in the U.S., this may be the first time they see democracy in action – what a special opportunity!

What’s important to remember, however, is that many ELLs were in fact born in the U.S. and are U.S. citizens.  The numbers range from 50-80%, but most demographers agree that at least half of English language learners in the U.S. were born in this country.  Teaching ELLs about civics, government, and elections, then, is not simply a question of enrichment – it is a question of preparing our students to be the best citizens they can be, because they are our future.

Here are some ideas to help you get started:

Take advantage of this year’s historic elections to get your students thinking about politics and government.  If they feel comfortable discussing it, ask them about the kinds of political campaigns they’ve seen in their neighborhoods, or perhaps in their native countries.  Discuss differences among political campaigns, candidates, or styles of campaigning.  How do other countries hold elections?  Many countries vote on a weekend or have a national holiday on Election Day – should the U.S. consider that model?  What should the role of government be in a person’s life?  How does the desire for power affect politics?

Check out Colorín Colorado’s Election Day page.  From PBS to Weekly Reader, we’ve compiled the best online election resources that we could find featuring election activities, games, worksheets, puzzles, Electoral College demonstrations and more. Many of the sites are interactive and give students hands-on opportunities to see elections in action.

Look for books about elections, presidents, and the White House to read with your students.  Reading Rockets offers some great suggestions for younger readers in their Inside the White House and Hail to the Chief booklists.

One book particularly worth mentioning is Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio – it provides a wonderful introduction to the Electoral College (even for adults) and will get students thinking about what it takes to run a successful campaign.  In this book, it all came down to the 3 electoral votes of Wyoming.

Once the elections are over, talk with your students about how the new president will prepare for office, and talk about the Presidential Inauguration.  What are some of the issues the new president will have to work on?  What do the students think the new president should focus on?

If you’d like some tips for how to create effective lesson plans for ELLs while you’re at it, check out How to Develop a Lesson Plan that Includes ELLs.

There is no shortage of educational material this election season – make the most of it and enjoy the ride!