During the election season, Americans are bombarded with the stands candidates are taking on public issues ranging from immigration to abortion. Whether outlined as sound bites or detailed in lengthy speeches, the coverage of these issues spurs debates at dinner tables across the country. But do you have any luck getting your students to hotly debate such topics as health care or taxes in your classroom? Probably not. Yet there´s more than one way to capitalize on election news and help children develop democratic citizenship skills. We have children debate issues that are important to them so that they learn that no matter the subject, understanding is even more important than consensus. We follow these simple strategies:

1. Choose an issue students care about. First graders at one school felt that because so many of them were missing teeth, they should have a longer lunch. Their teacher asked, "Should all children in our school have the same amount of time to eat lunch?" Other topics children might like to debate range from "Should our school require students to wear uniforms?" to "Should the government ban violent TV shows?" (For ideas, see A Calendar of Civic Conversation Starters & Activities.)
2. Make sure the issue involves defining a core democratic value, such as liberty. In the book You Can´t Say You Can´t Play (Harvard University Press, 1992), author and kindergarten teacher Vivian Gussin Paley explains a classroom rule proposed by kids, which would require students to let any other student into their play group. Vivian and her students discussed the conflict between liberty (the right to choose who to play with) and equal opportunity (the right to be included).
3. Explicitly teach discussion skills. Ask students to briefly summarize what another student has said before responding. As a general rule, reinforce the notion that what students say in group discussions is as important as what the teacher says. This will encourage students to talk with one another, instead of relying on you to keep the discussion going.
4. Take time to debrief. After students talk about an issue, follow up by asking: Do we know more about the issue now than we did at the beginning of the discussion? Did we allow all students to participate equally? Did we invite the participation of students who were not participating? Did we do as good a job listening as we needed to?

Also ask students to identify what discussion skills they are becoming confident in and complete the sentence, "In the next public issues discussion I will try to - " Before the next discussion, have students reread their sentences.

SEPTEMBER: RULES
Primary: Practice fire drills; discuss procedures, rules, and reasons.
Intermediate: Develop criteria for good rules and make sure classroom rules meet criteria.
 
OCTOBER: LEADERSHIP
Primary: Create a job description for the president and select him or her in three different ways - through individual choice, consensus, and voting. (Note: Children don't need to limit themselves to actual candidates.)
Intermediate: Examine the qualities of leadership. Try More than Mock Elections.
 
NOVEMBER: RESPONSIBILITY
Primary: Explore the concept of "in charge": Who is in charge? How do we know that? Why is it necessary?
Intermediate: Discuss the relationship between roles and responsibilities in such activities as baby-sitting, staying home alone, playing on a soccer team, or singing in a choir.
 
DECEMBER: FAIRNESS
Primary: Make a list of ways decisions on the playground can be made fairly by the students, such as picking a number from 1 to 20 or taking turns in the game Rock, Scissors, Paper.
Intermediate: Identify ways to make decisions that your class thinks is fair, both on the playground and in the classroom. Do the ways differ for different activities?
 
JANUARY: CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Primary/Intermedite: Identify common classroom and playground conflicts and brainstorm multiple solutions for each. Discuss why there is more than one possible solution and then determine how to choose the best one.
 
FEBRUARY: PARTICIPATION
Primary: Examine ways students participate at school, at home, and in the community.
Intermediate: Either individually, in small groups, or as a whole class, choose participation projects that will make the room, school, or community a better place; set goals; make plans of action; and act. Evaluate action.
 
MARCH: PRIVACY
Primary: Identify the need for privacy and develop some rules about it.
Intermediate: Determine if technology impacts a person's right to privacy. Identify laws that protect privacy, or suggest new ones if needed.
 
APRIL: RIGHTS
Primary: Brainstorm a Rights of the Student list. Then make a matching list of Responsibilities of the Student.
Intermediate: Analyze the Bill of Rights. Do a "forced choice" activity, in which students must eliminate all but three of the ten rights. Start with individuals, then move to group consensus. Decide how to decide.
 
MAY/JUNE: CHOICES & DECISIONS
Primary/Intermediate: Choose an issue to discuss. Weigh the costs and benefits of each possible solution. Come to a consensus. Have kids take action by writing a letter to the editor of the town paper or launching a local campaign.

At the time of publication, Diana Hess and Marsha Riddle were both doctoral students at the University of Washington.