Workbooks for Readers: If I Ran for President

Workbook to accompany “If I Ran for President” by Catherine Stier, available from Scholastic Inc. This download includes two documents: the workbook and the answer key with teaching suggestions.

The illustrated non-fiction book introduces the presidential election process, including the campaigning, primaries, debates, conventions, voting, and inauguration. Narrated by six different characters, the text gives a very basic idea of why someone would run for president and how voters decide whom to vote for.

This workbook includes a variety of exercises to make the book accessible and interesting to the students, including new vocabulary, idioms related to elections, and content recall.

The workbook also asks the students to imagine they were interested in becoming president. Would they enjoy campaigning? Create a slogan and design a bumper sticker for your campaign. Write a paragraph about what you would do after you were inaugurated.

I plan to use this as a read-aloud with my 3rd graders. Each table group will have one copy of the text, so they can work together to find the answers to the recall questions. I know my students will hear their adults talking about the election coming up. Without taking a position on any political issues, I want them to have more context for what they are hearing.

The workbook is not in color--just black and white. The picture on TPT is not as flashy as other listings on this topic, but my school and most school districts that I'm familiar with cannot afford color copies for workbooks. I hope it's interesting enough in B&W for you to consider! :-)