LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Read opposing viewpoints and take a side; evaluate potential reasons for and against lowering the voting age.

HEALTH ED STANDARDS

NHES 2: Analyze influences that affect health and well-being of self and others.

CASEL: Social awareness

Lesson Plan: Should the Voting Age Be Lowered?

Some people believe that teens should have the right to vote. But critics say that 16- and 17-year-olds are not prepared to weigh in on policy decisions. What do you think?

PREPARING TO READ

Before you read the debate “Should the Voting Age Be Lowered?” ask your students the following pre-reading question:

What are the pros and cons of lowering the voting age?

READING AND DISCUSSION

  • Have your students read the debate “Should the Voting Age Be Lowered?” independently; read the debate out loud to them; or have one student read one side of the debate and another student read the other side.

  • After they’ve read the debate, revisit the pre-reading question. Have their answers changed? 

BUILDING COMPREHENSION

Check students’ comprehension of and engagement with the story with the following assessment tools:

  • Comprehension Quiz

EXPANDING SEL OPPORTUNITIES

Continue the learning journey with the following extension activity:

In YOUR VOICE ON VOTING AGE, have your students use the skills sheet to take a side in the debate about voting age and write down a few reasons for their thinking. Then have them work in pairs to plan and record a 3-5 minute podcast episode on the topic of lowering the voting age. They can format their podcast episode however they like, but they should make sure that their positions in the debate are clear. Have them use the prompts in the skills sheet to plan their episode. Encourage them to be as creative and engaging as possible with their recording. Have students share their podcast episodes with one another on the learning platform of your choice.

Print the Lesson Plan

Text-to-Speech