7th grade, Women’s Suffrage Inquiry Design Model (IDM) Lesson Plan: Why is the Right to Vote Important?
Download a PDF of all the resources and materials in this unit.
Compelling Question
- Why is the right to vote important?
- Why did women fight for and win the right to vote in Washington state?
- What happened when they did?
Standards and Practices
- C1.6-8.2 Explain the structure of and key ideals set forth in fundamental documents, including the Washington state constitution and tribal treaties with the United States government.
- C2.6-8.2 Distinguish the structure, organization, powers, and limits of government at the local, state, and tribal levels.
- C4.6-8.2 Describe the relationship between the actions of people in Washington state and the ideals outlined in the Washington state constitution.
- C4.6-8.3 Employ strategies for civic involvement that address a state or local issue.
- SSS4.6-8.2 Use appropriate format to cite sources within an essay, presentation, and reference page.
Staging the Question
Spend a few moments with your students talking about what voting means to them.
Consider the following points in your discussion:
- What do we vote for?
- Who can vote in the United States today? (In Washington state, you must be a citizen, at least 18 years old. If someone committed a serious crime, called a felony, they are allowed to vote once they are not in prison or community custody. However, some other states do not allow people who did these crimes to vote.)
- Why would you want to vote? Alternately, you might wish to ask them why they think people do not vote.