Free 8th Grade Basic Functions Of Political Parties Lesson Plan

Topic: Basic Functions of Political Parties

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to describe the major functions that Political Parties play in U.S. politics.

Materials

• Handout with information about the major functions of political parties
• Examples of political parties (in the U.S. or other countries)

Warm-up

• Ask students what they know about political parties. Write their answers on the board.
• Ask students if they know what the main purpose of political parties is. Write their answers on the board.

Direct Instruction

• Explain that political parties are groupings of people with similar political beliefs.
• Explain that the basic functions of political parties include winning elections, shaping public policy, and representing their members.
• Use examples to illustrate each function, such as how political parties use fundraising, campaigning, and advertising to win elections, how they use lobbying and committee work to shape public policy, and how they provide services and support to their members.

Guided Practice

• Provide students with a handout that lists examples of major political parties in the U.S.
• Ask students to work in small groups to discuss and agree on the major functions of each party.
• Bring the class back together and have each group share their findings and explain their reasoning.
• As a class, discuss any differences in reasoning and discuss how political parties accomplish these functions.

Independent Practice:

• Provide students with a handout that lists several political parties and their major functions.
• Ask students to research a political party of their choice and write a short paragraph describing the party's major functions.
• Be sure to check for proper grammar and spelling.

Closure:

• Review the major functions of political parties as a class.
• Ask students to share anything they learned about political parties during the lesson.

Assessment:

• Observe students during the group activity and take notes on their participation.
• Review students' answers on the worksheet and provide feedback on their understanding of the functions of political parties.