Schoolhouse Rock - The Electoral College
This engaging cartoon explains how the electoral college works in very simple terms and is appropriate for elementary and older students. (3:15)
Cost of Elections
Whether a candidate is campaigning for the presidency, the Senate, or for the House of Representatives, running for public office can be costly. It is rare for an individual to run a successful campaign by merely collecting signatures and placing his or her name on a ballot. Candidates who want to inform voters about their platforms must spend money on a campaign.
(Video is narrated with slides and speeches.)
Campaign Finance Reform
Congress enacted campaign finance reform due to criticism directed toward interest groups and Political Action Committees (PACs). Federal Election Campaign Acts were passed in 1971, 1974, and 1976. Early legislation limited individual donations to candidates to $1,000 and $5,000 to PACs. PACs in turn may only donate $5,000 to individual candidates
(Video is narrated with slides and speeches.)
House and Senate Elections
The United States Congress is made up of 535 members, 435 Representatives, and 100 senators. The number of House members is not fixed by the Constitution, which states in Article I, Section II, Clause III, “Representatives…shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers…” The Constitution does fix the size of the Senate in Article I, Section III, Clause I, “The Senate of the United States shall be composed of
The Electoral College
The Framers of the Constitution worked diligently to establish an effective system for electing a president and vice president. The members of the Constitutional Convention were reluctant to allow a popular vote because information dissemination, in their time, was very limited. They rejected direct election of the president by Congress because it would give too much power to the federal government. Likewise, they felt that presidential elections held by the various state assemblies would result
Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions
Political parties determine their presidential candidates through primaries, caucuses, and conventions. Until the early part of the twentieth century, every state used caucuses to choose a candidate. Caucuses began to lose favor because many of the “political machines” that controlled the caucuses were corrupt and did not necessarily carry out the will of the people. Still, caucuses continue to be used in 12 states. (Video is narrated with slides and speeches.)
General Elections
General elections are the final stage in the presidential election process. General elections are held on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November. By the time of the general election, presidential candidates have campaigned for approximately one year and have raised huge sums of money.
(Video is narrated with slides and speeches.)
U.S. Electoral System Explained
This video offers a brief description of how the voting process works in the US. The commentator in this video is talking very fast. Suitable for high school students and older. (01:26)
Incumbency
While the president is limited to serving two terms in office, members of Congress can serve an unlimited number of terms. In the mid-nineteenth century, most congressional representatives served only a single term because at that time politics was not considered a career. However, by the mid-twentieth century, congressional representatives began to view holding congressional office as a prestigious career. (Video is narrated with slides and speeches.)
Let's Discover French 1: Se Decrire
This animation, from the Let's Discover French Level 1 course, is aimed at grades 4 and 5, is an introduction to Theme 2, Unit 1. It is Jean-Francois describing himself in French. Jean-Francois introduces himself and tells us his age, his haircolor, and his weight.
Video is entirely in French.
Sock Seeds
The experiment demonstrated in this ZOOMSci video segment--wearing an old sock through a grassy or weedy field, planting the sock, and watching what grows--will not only give young scientists a better idea of the kinds of plants growing in their area, but will also help them begin to think about the evolutionary strategies of plants. Closed captioning included. Run time 03:00.
CBS News Reports on Front Yard Gardening
This video discusses how many people are turning their front yards into gardens to grow their own vegetables.(2:10)
Life Cycle of A Flowering Plant
This is a digital video that explains the process of pollenation and the life cycle of a flowering plant. This is a very informative, but short video.
Hyacinth Growing - Time Lapse
This is a stop-motion movie showing 4 days of a hyacinth's life. Pictures were taken every 20 minutes. The slight changes in lighting are between the sunlight during the day and electrict lighting during night. No audio. (0:32)
Abiotic and Biotic Factors
This 1:20 video is about plants and what they require to live. The video carefully gives an explanation of why each of these, abiotic and biotic, are needed.
Plants with Seeds - by StudyJams
Plants produce seeds in order to reproduce. Gymnosperm seeds develop in cones, and angiosperm seeds develop in fruit. When a seed is fertilized, in right conditions, it will germinate, starting the life of a new plant. This cartoon animated video from StudyJams would also be a nice addition to a lesson on fertilization, germination, seed dispersal, or sexual reproduction.
How to Fold an American Flag
Explicit directions on the correct (and respectful) way to fold the American flag.
Symbolism in the American Flag
This is an introductory one-minute history of the American Flag and the symbolism behind the stars and stripes presented by two adolescent girls. (well-done amateur video)
Development of the American Flag
This slide show video shows the progression (including dates) of the 28 flags that have been used officially by USA.
War of 1812 and the History of the Star Spangled Banner
David Barton gives a brief history of the War of 1812 and the true story behind our National Anthem.
