C-SPAN.ORG/CLASSROOM

	Campaign 2008
	110th Congress
	Bush Administration
	Supreme Court
	Energy
	Iraq
	Response to Terrorism


C-SPAN SERIES

	America & the Courts
	American Perspectives
	Booknotes
	Book TV \| Schedule
	The Communicators
	Newsmakers
	Prime Minister's Questions
	Q&A
	Road to the White House
	Washington Journal


C-SPAN RADIO >>

	Radio \| Schedule
	American Political Archive
	LBJ White House Tapes


OTHER C-SPAN SITES

	American Presidents
	American Writers
	Book TV
	Booknotes
	C-SPAN Classroom
	Campaign 2008 Bus
	C-SPAN Video Library
	Capital News
	The Capitol
	Capitol Hearings
	Lincoln 200 Years
	Must Carry
	Politics
	Presidential Libraries
	Q&A
	Students & Leaders
	Tocqueville


NEED HELP?

	Download RealPlayer
	Download Windows Player
	Problems With Video?
	C-SPAN Copyright Policy
	Contact Us

Road to the White House Mini-Lesson
TOPIC: Party Platforms
CREDIT: This lesson was created by Chris Carrier, a social studies teacher at Harden Middle School in Salinas, CA.
STANDARD:

TOPIC: PARTY PLATFORMS
Event Date: 4/17/04 | Air Date: 4/18/04 |

Watch entire program

links in the lesson |

Lesson Index

OVERVIEW
Vice President Cheney spoke to the members of the National Rifle Association in Pittsburgh on April 17. In the video clips, the Vice President offers substantiation for several of the Republican Party campaign platform issues including, Homeland Security, Foreign Policy, Economy and Tax Reform. He also speaks about the principles and values held by President Bush, which may not be an official platform issue, but could be considered to be a campaign issue. Students are asked to listen to two video clips totalling 10-minutes and identify evidence presented on the four "platform" topics. Students are asked to decide if the evidence is opinion or fact and to support their conclusions of facts. Discussion questions ask students to explore further questions to understand the interaction of these four platform topics. It is suggested the video be presented in whole to high school students and in two segments to middle school students.	Video Clip 1- Homeland security & foreign policy Clip 2-Economic growth & tax reform Watch entire Event
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Download a worksheet for use while watching the video clips. 1. The first clip presents the Republican Party's policy and plans for Homeland Security and Foreign Policy. a. What do you understand to be the job of the Department of Homeland Security? b. What do you understand the topic of Foreign Policy to mean? Listen to the second clip write brief notes of the points made on the topics of Homeland Security and Foreign Policy. 2. The second clip presents evidence of the Party's position on Economic Growth and Tax Reform. a. What do you understand by the term 'Economic Growth? b. What do you understand about the Republican Party's ideas for Tax Reform?" Listen to the second clip write brief notes on the points made on the topics of Economic Growth and Tax Reform. 3. Take notes from both clips in the "Values/Principals" section.
STUDENT ACTIVITY
Have students use their 'evidence sheets' of arguments presented by Vice President Cheney and discuss their conclusions about his use of facts and opinions. Divide students into teams of four, with one student in each group representing one of the four platform issues discussed by the Vice President. Students should seek to identify ways the positions compliment and/or contradict one another. Students should consider both consistencies and inconsistencies across the topics. For example: Are Vice President Cheney's comments for Homeland Security and Foreign Policy consistent with each other or is there a potential conflict when each topic is put into action?" Are statements regarding Homeland Security and Foreign Policy consistent with the action plan for Economic Growth and Reduced Taxes or is there a potential conflict when each is put into action? APPLY YOUR KNOWLEDGE: Have students play the role of a campaign advisor to Bush/Cheney. Offer a critique of the speech based on their observations. Identify ways the speech was effective and ways it can be improved the next time it is delivered.

C-SPAN in the Classroom
FREE membership service

Curriculum Advisory Team

Road to the White House
C-SPAN's weekly look at the candidates, issues and events that shape the 2004 Presidential race.

2004 Vote
Information about presidential and congressional candidates running in the 2004 election.

3 Branches of Government
Learn about the legislative, judicial and executive branches of the U.S. government.

Vocabulary & Definitions
Check back for more terms as the campaign progresses.

Standard-Based Topics
Review standard-based topics with
C-SPAN in the Classroom's 2004 Vote web resources.

Campaigns & Elections Home
Link from here to all of our Vote 2004 Resources for the classroom.

Classroom Resources
Search our teaching resources by curriculum topic.

FEATURED DISCUSSION
Find Out about C-SPAN's Community. Enter Discussion Central & discuss with community members.

IN THE COMMUNITY