INFOhio's Core Collection of Electronic Resources has several resources which will help your students keep up-to-date on the 2008 U.S. presidential election to be held on November 4.

EBSCOhost – Each level -- Searchasaurus, Kids Search,  SRC Grades 6-8, SRC Grades 9-12 and All Database Search -- contains the latest magazine, journal and newspaper articles, not only on the 2008 presidential election, but also other political issues. In addition to articles, many searches will also provide Biographies, Reference Books, Primary Source Documents and Photos. While the articles are appropriate for the grade levels where they are indexed, EBSCOhost's Lexile Levels help teachers and students select the appropriate level of reading difficulty for individual abilities. Click on the displayed Lexile number for a chart showing grade level comparisons.

NewsBank Newspapers – INFOhio’s subscription to NewsBank contains 17 Ohio and 13 National newspapers, all in full-text. While these 30 titles contain a wealth of articles, NewsBank provides a Special Report on the U.S. Presidential Campaign 2008. Articles from the Associated Press News Service are updated daily and divided by sub-headings such as International Response to the 2008 Presidential Campaign, Democratic Party, Republican Party, links for each candidate, etc. Near the top of the screen are links to Background Information, Images, Related Maps and more.

SIRS Discoverer – There are two easy ways to locate information in SIRS Discoverer. Type in a Keyword Search and get plenty of results from Discoverer’s full-text articles and images that are selected from thousands of domestic and international publications. Students can also browse the Subject Tree. Click on any one of the Subjects, and several articles will be listed. Along the right side of the screen, are a variety of Subtopics. For presidential election information, click on Notable People and scroll down to Politicians & Government Officials (for information on the current election) or U.S. Presidents (for information on our current and past presidents.

World Book Web Complete Suite – This new INFOhio electronic resource has a wealth of information about P\presidents and the presidency. Click on the link for the appropriate level for articles, charts, biographies and images.  World Book Advanced also has In the Headlines with current items in the news.

Other Resources from INFOhio include additional databases such as FirstGov, FirstGov for Kids and National First Ladies' Library. Click on each to find out what is available on the presidency.

Ohio Social Studies Resource Center has a listing of excellent Election 2008 Resources. These include Time for Kids, Election Central From Weekly Reader and much more. On the top menu bar, click Resources / Search Resources and type in presidential election for lesson plans.

Additional Online Resources

Recommended by Frank W. Baker, media-education consultant

Cable in the Classroom Magazine, September 2008. Includes articles and other resources by Baker and others. Teaching With and About the Conventions: Resources for K-12 Educators, by Frank W. Baker, 2008

Scholastic Teachers’ Resources – This is a great site with excellent coverage of all aspects of the election. It is updated daily with a countdown clock, news updates and more. Scroll down to see Games and Quizzes. Teachers, be sure to take a look at For Teachers for lesson plans and more.

PBS Vote 2008  – Access, Analyze, Act: A Blueprint for 21^st Century Engagement. This exceptional site contains resources including elementary and secondary lesson plans, interactive sites for students, Web-based tools and access RSS Feeds and Podcasts.

Time for Kids – Terrific coverage of the election for younger students.  This site includes information on the issues, games, biographies and much more.

Electing a President: Lessons for Teaching About the Presidential Primaries – Lesson plans and activities for teaching all grades about the presidential election. Published by Education World.

Election Center 2008 – CNN provides excellent up-to-the-minute coverage of the election. This site is geared to upper grades.

Sheila Benedum
Librarian, Bay High School

Suggestions
INFOhio participants and visitors to this site are encouraged to submit suggestions to INFOhio about our Electronic Resources and this Spotlights.