Mapping to MN State Standards
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The resources on this page have been selected by eLibraryMN and Minnesota Digital Library librarians and curators to support the MN English Language Arts and the Social Studies standards, both current and pending, specifically related to elections and voting, that are relevant to students. Resources in eLibraryMN and EbooksMN have unlimited simultaneous user access and are freely available to anyone geolocated in Minnesota. The primary source resources detailed are available to all, regardless of location.
Please reach out with questions or suggestions about linking to, using, or sharing these resources.
Academic Research
Below is a collection of available topic overviews that link to many related articles and resources within ELM.
Britannica Kids Voting Overview
Britannica Middle Elections Overview
Britannica is a great place to start with students ready to learn about voting and elections. Use these articles to start with some foundational, shared, information.
Ebsco Explora Kids Voting Topic
Get kids excited to learn about democracy with the Explora Kids collection of resources on voting and elections.
EBSCO Explora Middle Voting Rights
For middle school students who understand the basics of elections, it might be time to move into some more nuanced analysis of voting rights. Use this collection from EBSCO to get started.
Gale Middle Elections Overview
Finally, you can trust Gale to have several modalities for students to choose from when engaging with topics. Never forget to scroll to the bottom to look at the related topic collections as well.
Ebooks
This is a curated group of fiction and nonfiction ebooks, Grade Interest Level K-8. All titles are available to students geolocated in MN without login. Linking directly to chapters is also possible. To link directly to the titles and share in your LMS or libguides, copy the link to the title(s) you want from our persistent link spreadsheet (if you are not accessing through the MackinVia app). Reach out to us with questions about linking.
Understanding Your Role in Elections
Explains the American political system, describing the role of the citizens in the election process, the function and design of the government, and the processes involved in keeping the government running. Includes a section about how young people can get involved in politics, a glossary, critical thinking questions, sources for further learning, and an index.
Introduces young readers to the democratic voting process, including how people vote, why they vote, and the history of voting rights.
As Miss Garcia's class gets ready to elect a class president, the student candidates make posters and give speeches.
David Mortimore Baxter runs against Rose Thornton in a class election. The campaign is tough but the final debate in front of the school is wild.
Discusses how to practice good citizenship through simple acts such as helping your neighbor, welcoming a new family in town, picking up trash, and voting.
Primary Sources
Resources below are recommended by MDL curators from partners in primary source history.
First vote recorded in Olmsted County, 1857
People in Olmsted County started voting for local officials in an election held before Minnesota was even a state.
Teddy Roosevelt giving a speech from a train, 1910
Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States from 1901 to 1909. He traveled the country giving speeches in 1910 and 1911 before unsuccessfully running for president again.
Governor Eberhart at a rally in Northfield, 1910
Adolph Olson Eberhart became Minnesota’s governor in 1909 after Gov. John A. Johnson died in office. Eberhart was reelected in 1912.
City of Duluth Election Districts, 1920
In the 1920s, Duluth was divided into special election districts for city council, legislative, and county commissioner elections.
Trial run for voting in Coleraine, 1962
Coleraine city clerk Ruth Harris and local citizen Sidney Tregillis practiced voting for an upcoming election on the cover of the “Ore, Iron, and Men” magazine.
Mark Dayton senate campaign stop at St. Cloud State University, 1982
In election years, politicians often speak at college campuses to drum up support from students and communities in those regions.
Geraldine Ferraro speaking at at Minneapolis rally, 1984
When Walter Mondale ran for president in 1984, he chose Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. She would have been the first female vice president if they had won that election.
Primary Source Set: Women's Suffrage
Explore resources related to the women's suffrage movement in Minnesota.
Interlibrary Loan/Resource Sharing
For in depth research into these topics, sometimes you need to request materials from other libraries. These can be digital or they can sometimes be printed books. There are two main options for requesting these materials. One, MNLINK, allows you to search all Minnesota libraries for the requires the use of a public library card and PIN. While many educators use their own library card to help students, it is recommended that students use their own. However, this is not always possible, so there is a second option: Minitex Resource sharing for schools. This allows one staff member per school to request items on behalf of students and have the items sent directly to the school building. If you have questions about which option is better for you and your students, reach out to us and we can help.