Choice on Election Day: Clifford or Arthur
By: Venecia A. Thompson
The kindergartners at Dayton-Deans School are eagerly awaiting Election Day so they can vote for their favorite presidential candidates.
As the day of decision approaches, students are reading as much information about the candidates as possible, and some have already made their decisions.
These youngsters will not be casting their ballots for Vice President Al Gore or Gov. George W. Bush. They will be deciding if their new president will be two popular children’s book characters, "Clifford" or "Arthur." Clifford, a huge red canine, is featured in books written by Norman Birdwell. Arthur, a young aardvark, is a character featured in literary works by Marc Brown. He also is the subject of a well-known children’s television cartoon. Children began learning about the electoral process the week of Oct. 8 and will continue to do so until Election Day.
Kindergarten teachers Jill Rubenstein, Vicki Porcelli, Kelly Hunt and student teacher Erica Nathanson are helping their classes at Deans School learn about the elections. Many books are being read to the children by their instructors about Clifford and Arthur. Afterward, they will be asked to find reasons in the stories that will help them decide which candidate to vote for.
"We read different stories during the day," Ms. Rubenstein said.
Ian Rodriguez, 5, a student in Ms. Porcelli’s class, said he is "undecided" if he will choose Clifford or Arthur. He said he will listen to stories about both characters and determine who will be the better choice for "president," though he does like Arthur because he is smart.
Paul Gramieri, 5, a pupil in Ms. Rubenstein’s class, said he has already decided to elect Clifford simply because he likes him.
A kindergarten election word list is being developed with definitions that are age appropriate. These words include "candidate," "secret ballot" and "election." Also, a practice secret ballot from which the children will choose a favorite candy will precede the voting for the storybook character.
As Election Day draws closer, the classes will participate in decorating a voting booth constructed from a large cardboard box. The children will then team up in pairs of two in order to create campaign posters for their chosen character.
Finally, the boys and girls will cast their ballots and receive buttons that say they voted at Deans School. The votes will then be tallied and the results will be discussed in the kindergarten classes.
According to Ms. Rubenstein, children are being taught to vote "because they’re going to be seeing it happen in their families. We felt it was important to realize why we have elections."
Ms. Porcelli said she and the other kindergarten teachers devised the program because their students were coming to school telling who their parents will be voting for. Since the elections were being discussed by the children, Ms. Porcelli said the teachers wanted "to extend it to school on their level."
In addition to learning the fundamental procedures of voting, the children also are learning other facets about the voting process. Ms. Rubenstein said children have developed a heightened awareness about the upcoming elections. For example, they are well aware of who Gov. Bush and Vice President Gore are.
"One of the boys brought in a Time magazine today because he saw Al Gore’s picture," said Ms. Hunt.
Ms. Porcelli said she wants kindergartners to recognize leadership qualities so that they can understand what a good leader should be like.
Ms. Rubenstein hopes the election activity will help students comprehend "how to make good choices."
During their lessons about the electoral process, students have also learned significant details about the U.S. presidency.
Kelly Zielinski, 5, a student in Ms. Hunt’s class, learned that the president’s house is white and is located in Washington, D.C.
Ms. Rubenstein said the study about elections "was a joint team decision.
"Our only concern was to make it at a level that was real for the children. We wanted to do things that they would understand and be a part of," she said.
"They’re very excited," Ms. Porcelli said.