Students at Strelitz International Academy now know that learning about politics can be fun. As an IB Candidate School, SIA students learn about the world through inquiries, interviews, investigations, discussions, projects, and research. During the recent U.S. election, fifth grade learned about both the U.S. election process and the Israeli system.
The fifth graders’ first line of inquiry was the voting process. During this unit, students created a Virginia Voter’s Guide, researched important topics, drafted a debate script using their research, and orchestrated a mock debate for the school. They also met with a Voter Protection Program Community Leader.
On Monday, November 2, the fifth grade class conducted their mock debate for the President/Vice Presidential team virtually for the entire school. The fifth grade students ended the debate stressing the importance of voting, and the next day every student had the opportunity to vote for the President of the United States at school. The fifth grade students discovered the importance of voice and choice during elections. Their message to other students was that it is never too early to get involved and vote.
In addition to learning about the American voting process, fifth graders learned about the Israeli political system. Students learned how people vote in Israel, and how the prime minister is chosen.
Students met with a “community expert” to help them understand Israel’s process. Over Zoom, they met with Israeli resident, and former Norfolk native, Rabbi Levi Margolin, to deepen their understanding of Israel’s democracy. Rabbi Margolin, who lives in Jerusalem, gave a presentation on the Israeli election process and taught the class key election vocabulary in Hebrew. The students found it fascinating that Israel has so many political parties.
The fifth grade class compared the pros and cons of the U.S. and the Israeli political systems, sharing points in defense of both processes. While the students may never all agree on politics, they will all most likely agree that they will always remember their experience learning about the U.S. and Israeli election process.
For more information on the Strelitz International Academy, contact Carin Simon, Admissions Director, 757.424.4327, csimon@strelitzacademy.org.
– Carin Simon