CLASSROOM EXAMPLE #3:
2010 Georgia Gubernatorial Paper
This assignment was
designed for students to exercise their research skills to determine where two
Georgia gubernatorial candidates stood on three specific issues. The three issues were to be chosen by each
individual student as the three most important to them. The issues of concern must be ones that the
state of Georgia has the authority to correct.
As an example, opinions on abortion and the Second Amendment are
important, but as areas under the jurisdiction of the national government, the governor of
Georgia lacks the authority to act them.
The assignment is worth a total of 100 points.
2010 Georgia Gubernatorial Paper
1) Choose any three of the following state
issues that are most important to
you.
¨ Water ¨ Nursing Home
Regulations
¨ Unemployment ¨ Business
Development/State Economy
¨ K-12 Education ¨ Crime
¨ Peach Care ¨ Hope
Scholarship
¨ Transportation ¨ Environment
¨ Property Taxes ¨ Higher Education Cutbacks/Mergers
2) Using the Internet, choose any two of the
four candidates:
¨ John Monds (Libertarian) - votemonds.com
¨ Roy
Barnes (Democrat) - roy2010.com
¨ Nathan Deal (Republican) - nathandeal.org
¨ Al Bartell (Independent) - albartell.com
3) Using
the Internet, research where the two candidates you selected stand
on the three most important issues you
want resolved. Acceptable
sources include but are not limited to
voting records (as representatives
elected by the people), newspaper/magazine
articles, and the candidates’
official websites. Once you have completed your research,
discuss your
results in an essay with a minimum of
five paragraphs composed of no less than
25 sentences. You must have at least three separate sources
in your
bibliography. In your essay’s conclusion, don’t discuss who
you
support.
Instead, your discussion should focus on the candidate’s views
on those three issues and which candidate’s
opinions are closest to yours.
*I don’t grade your
opinion. I grade you on your ability to
convey your
opinion in a grammatically correct manner.
Factors considered in your
grade calculation are grammar, spelling, number of sources, a well reasoned
analysis and compliance to the above directions.
S.
Akemon 2010