Taking Notes To Inform Your Votes: KidUnity Covers the Iowa Caucuses (By the 6th Grade Students in KidUnity)

Taking Notes To Inform Your Votes: KidUnity Covers the Iowa Caucuses

By the 6th Grade Students in KidUnity

KidUnity sixth graders have been studying the 2016 presidential election in preparation for a trip to the Iowa Caucuses. On Saturday, January 30 KidUnity will travel to Des Moines and spend three days witnessing and participating in this historic event as student journalists.

To prepare for our exciting trip we have attended amazing workshops that have included meetings with Gov. Michael Dukakis (Democratic Presidential candidate in 1988) and Jessica Yellin (former CNN White House correspondent). We have held straw polls, researched issues, and created committees to plan all aspects of our trip. We cannot wait to get there this Saturday!

In Iowa we hope to interview presidential candidates and possibly even the future President.  We will meet with journalists and elected officials. KidUnity also will attend the Caucuses and participate in some fun festivities at the same time.

These Caucuses are important because they provide a hint of what will come in this presidential election year. Iowa is the first state to vote, is the first test for the candidates, and gets the most attention in the presidential process. Our coverage of this event as student journalists is crucial because there is so much propaganda in politics and a too many voters are not well educated about the candidates and their policies. Our sixth grade is the next generation of voters and we want to be as educated and involved as possible.  As first-hand observers –  interviewing the candidates, Iowans, journalists, and local politicians – we will have a great experience and become good citizens. KidUnity is building community!  We hope you will follow us in Iowa at our blog (kidunity.edublogs.org.) or on twitter (@kidunity).

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