Elections and voting

Campaign Finance

Where campaign money comes from, what it buys, and the rules around it — starting from the donation ads students have already scrolled past.

Grades 3–5~35 minNonpartisan

Word document — open it in Word, Pages, or Google Docs and adapt it for your class.

This lesson will cover campaign finances and the key roles they play in the campaigns of the politicians and leaders we elect into power across all levels of government: Federal, State, and Local.

01 Warm-up 5 min

Warm-up question (5 minutes): Have you seen ads of leaders or politicians asking for donations and money on social media, YouTube, or while on TV? Even if you haven’t, if you did see your leaders asking for money on a screen, would you donate to them?

    • Let them talk about the question for about 3 minutes
    • Then transition to the topic of Political Campaigns, and in particular Campaign Finances.
02 Lecture 10 min

Lecture Time: Slideshow presentation (<10minutes):

    • General Overview:
      • What is a Campaign?
      • Why do they need money?
      • Where does the money come from?
      • What does campaign money do?
      • How is it spent?
      • Rules regarding the process
      • Timeline
      • Big Idea
      • Questions and End
03 Games 2 activities

Games #1: Campaign Signals

  • Game #2: The Coin Clapper Election
04 Wrap-up 5 min

Wrap-up Questions (5 minutes):

    • What do you think the best way to get donations and money for campaigns is?
    • If you were a politician, what way would you choose to raise money for your campaign?