Election date: May 6, 2010

1. Before students enter class, have a session from Prime Minister’s question hour playing to grab students’ attention. You can stream Prime Minister’s Questions from C-SPAN’s Video Library Website - . This was the last Prime Minister’s question hour before the May 6, 2010 election.
    
2. Ask students what they already know about Britain’s parliamentary government and the upcoming general election. Record on the board.
    
3. Summarize the lesson.
    
4. Watch C-SPAN Classroom’s Timely Teachable Video – British Prime Minister Election Announcement (5 mins). Discuss the following questions: 
   
   * Why was the general election called?
   
   * What does Prime Minister Gordon Brown express during his speech?
   
   * Why does he believe his party, the Labour Party, should still remain the majority party in Parliament?
   
   If time permits (not included in the overall timing layout), watch C-SPAN Classroom’s Timely Teachable Video - British Parliament Review (58 minutes) – to review the Parliament from 2005 to 2010.
    
5.  Watch C-SPAN Classroom’s Timely Teachable Video – “In Parliament Assembled” Documentary on British Parliamentary System (25:32). Inform students they will return to discussing the upcoming general election after gaining some background on Britain’s parliamentary system. Discuss the following questions:
   
   * Explain the differences between the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Compare these chambers to the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.
   
   * What is the role of the Prime Minister? Who can run for Prime Minister?
   
   * What is the significance of 10 Downing Street?
   
   * List the three elements that constitute the formal Parliament of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland?
   
   * What is the Queen of England’s role? For a recent video clip of the state opening of Parliament, watch C-SPAN Classroom’s clip - Queen Elizabeth II Opens Parliament from December 2008.
   
   * How many years can a Prime Minister serve?
   
   * What does a “vote of no confidence” mean? How can this potentially lead to the calling of a general election?
   
   * What’s the difference between a Member of Parliament (MP) and a Minister?
   
   * What happens during question time in the House of Commons?
   
   * Compare and contrast the Role of the Speaker of the House in Britain and the U.S.
   
   Explain the difference between the U.S. and British constitutions.
    
6. Project C-SPAN’s 2010 British Election website. Highlight the two men challenging Prime Minister Brown - Conservative Leader David Cameron, and Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg.
    
7. Watch C-SPAN Classroom’s Timely Teachable Video – British Conservative Party Leader Election Announcement. Discuss the following questions:
   
   * Who is David Cameron?
   
   * Why does he believe his party, the Conservative Party, should lead Britain?
    
8. If access to computers exists, have students review each candidates’ websites. These websites are also listed on C-SPAN’s 2010 British Election website:
   
   * Labour Party
   * Conservative Party
   * Liberal Democrats Party
   
   Give students time to distinguish between each party. If access to computers does not exist, project each website and review with students.
    
9. Discuss the each party’s website and what students found. Record answers on the board.
    
10. Have students decide to follow either the Prime Minister or one of his two challengers. Students announce who they would like to follow. Record and keep a list for the whole class to see. Students are to become “experts” on the general election.
     
11.  INDEPENDENT PRACTICE: Assign one British media outlet for each student to follow on a daily basis, either during class time or outside of school if students have access to the internet. Below is a list of the media outlets to have students follow. This list appears on C-SPAN’s 2010 British Election website. First, preview websites before assigning to students:
    Belfast Telegraph
    BBC
    Daily Express
    Daily Mail
    Daily MirrorDaily Telegraph
    Evening Standard
    Financial Times
    Guardian
    Herald (Scotland)
    Independent
    ITV
    Scotsman
    Sky
    The Sun
    Times
    Wales Online
    
    Daily, students are to keep a log listing the titles of the day’s articles and summarize the latest election news. Each class day leading up to the election, choose a few students to read their log and discuss the latest news.
     
12. For the first time, the three leaders will face off in three U.S.-style TV debates. C-SPAN will air the 90-minute debates in their entirety:
    
    * The first election debate. The theme for the first debate was Domestic Affairs (debate took place Thursday, April 15, 8:30-10:00 pm UK time/3:30-5:00 pm ET from the North West of England).
    
    * The second debate.The theme for the second debate was International Affairs (debate took place Thursday, April 22, 8-9:30 pm UK time/3:00-4:30 pm ET from the South West of England).
    
    * The last debate, courtesy of the BBC, will air Sunday, May 2 at 9:00 pm ET/PT. The theme for the last debate is Economic Affairs (debate takes place Thursday April 29, 8:30-10:00 pm UK time/3:30- 5:00pm ET from the Midlands).
     
13. During class time or assigned as homework, watch the election debates on C-SPAN when they air or streamed via C-SPAN’s Video Library once each debate airs.
     
14. INDEPENDENT PRACTICE: When watching each debate, have students in their media log record their candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. Then, students are to compare their thoughts to reports listed on their assigned British outlet.
     
15. GROUP WORK: After each debate and students completed their work, have students group together in the room according to their chosen candidate. Each group is to discuss their thoughts about the debate, how their candidate performed during the debate, and the news reports that followed. After each group has had sufficient time to reflect, discuss as a class. Repeat this process after each debate. 
     
16.  After discussing the last debate, have students vote for who they would like to be the next Prime Minister. Wait until election results are finalized to see which of your students will celebrate!