National Government: Shaping Public Policy
Session 3: Ideology and Political Parties

Materials

• Chalkboard
• Overhead projector
• Political Spectrum overhead transparency (Attachment A)

Instructional Activities

1. Have students write a short essay about the interviews conducted. Use the following writing prompt: I discovered that we get our individual ideology by (or through) . . .
   
   
2. Allow some of the students to read some of their essays in class. As they read the essays, list the different ways ideologies are formed on the chalkboard. Ensure that family, education, gender, region, and socio-economic status are included in the list. Explain each factor added to the list.      
   
   
3. Prior to the lesson, get a list of third parties and their beliefs from the Web site <http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm>. Scroll down to The Third Parties.
   
   
4. Write the terms Conservative and Liberal on the chalkboard. Describe how all of these opinions fall into two broad categories. Under the terms write the political parties Republican and Democrat respectively.
   
   
5. Ask the students if they can describe the ideology of the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Place the Political Spectrum transparency (Attachment A) on the overhead projector.
   
   
6. Using the topics and questions from the previous session, discuss which position members of the two majority parties would probably take. List them on the board or overhead. Ask students if the political party they identified with in the previous session actually follows the political ideology they support.
   
   
7. Discuss ultra liberals and right wing conservatives. Explain that most people and politicians are not extreme in either direction. Therefore most politicians must strive for the center to get elected or reelected into office. Explain that a person can hold conservative views about the economy and liberal views about society. Be sure to give some examples, such as: a person may hold a strong belief in supporting more funding for the military but also holds a strong belief about protecting the environment.
   
   
8. Explain to students that at their age they are just beginning to form their own beliefs about government. Do they know if they are a Republican or a Democrat, and why?