Midterms in the US

• New lesson editor
• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vmbo b, k, g
• Leerjaar 3,4

What does 'D.C.' stand for in Washington D.C.?

A

District of Columbia

B

Detective Comics

C

Delaware Capital

D

Democratic Capitol

Midterms in the U.S.A.

Open eenvoudig: deze les gaat over Amerikaanse verkiezingen, met focus op wat midterms zijn en waarom ze belangrijk zijn. Houd het taalgebruik rustig en leg moeilijke woorden meteen uit.

The plan:

1. What do we already know?

2. How do the elections work?

3. What are the Midterms?

4. The great big fat Donny T. quiz!

5. Finishing up

Goals

I can explain how the US elections work, and what the midterms are.

How often are the US elections?

A

Every 2 years

B

Every 4 years

C

Every 3 years

D

Every 5 years

What's the legal voting age in the USA?

A

18

B

21

C

20

D

16

Where is the White House?

A

Los Angeles

B

New York

C

Boston

D

Washington D.C.

What does 'D.C.' stand for in Washington D.C.?

A

District of Columbia

B

Detective Comics

C

Delaware Capital

D

Democratic Capitol

Who is the current US president?

Gebruik dit als voorkennis-activatie. Verwachte woorden: president, stemmen, Trump, Congress, partijen, campagne, Amerika. Pak 3 à 4 woorden uit de cloud terug in de les.

Elections in the US

• Americans vote on Federal, State and Local level.
  

• Federal = President, the Senate and the House of Representatives
  

• Not all elections happen in the same year, meaning they vote more often

Leg kort uit dat 'federaal' betekent: voor het hele land. Je hoeft niet diep in lokale verkiezingen te gaan; het gaat hier om het grote plaatje.

The congress

The American parliament is called Congress. It is made up of 2 parts:

• Senate: 100 members, 2 from each state

• House of Representatives: 435 members

• Together they make laws and check the government
  
  (Checks and balances)

Noem het Congres eventueel 'vergelijkbaar met een parlement', zonder Nederlandse politiek te ver uit te werken. Focus op functie: wetten maken en controleren.

Who do they vote for?

• President: once every 4 years
  

• Senate: members for 6 years
  (this year, 35 seats free)
  

• House of representatives: members for 2 years
  (This year, all seats free)

Houd het simpel: leerlingen hoeven geen complete staatsinrichting te kennen. De kern is dat de termijnen verschillen en dat dit leidt tot midterms.

What's the difference?

• Senate: Represents state, 2 reps per state. Pass big-scale laws and approve funding. 100 seats available in total
  

• House of representatives: Represent local disctrict within a state. Bigger state = more reps. Pass local laws.

Houd het simpel: leerlingen hoeven geen complete staatsinrichting te kennen. De kern is dat de termijnen verschillen en dat dit leidt tot midterms.

What are the midterms?

Midterms are elections around halfway a President's term.

• You cannot vote on the current president

• You can vote for the House of Representatives

• And for a part, the Senate

Why..?

Benadruk de betekenis van het woord: 'mid' = midden. Dat helpt leerlingen het begrip onthouden.

Well..

• Outcomes show support (or lack of) for the President
  

• Can make a party more or less powerful
  

• Which influences new laws
  

• Bad president = less votes = less power

Je kunt hier de koppeling maken: als de partij van de president verliest, wordt regeren vaak moeilijker.

How so..?

Party wins seats → more influence in Congress

Party loses seats → less influence

No majority → more negotiations

More negotiations/opposition → more difficult to make plans as President

Gebruik deze slide als eenvoudige oorzaak-gevolg-samenvatting. Geen details over filibuster of complexe procedures nodig voor deze doelgroep.

The parties

• 2 party system

• Democrats vs Republicans

Noem eventueel dat andere partijen bestaan, maar dat ze landelijk veel kleiner zijn. Houd het kort.

Why are people afraid of more Trump Power?

• More votes = more Trump people

• More trump people = easier law passing

• Easier law passing = more power

Noem eventueel dat andere partijen bestaan, maar dat ze landelijk veel kleiner zijn. Houd het kort.

What does the current status mean for Trump?

• Proposed laws can be blocked: He’ll need compromises or support from Democrats.

• Funding becomes negotiation: Congress has a major say over what the government can spend money on.

• Appointments face resistance: The Senate can reject nominees for positions such as cabinet posts and federal judges.

• Administration faces more scrutiny: Democratic-led committees can investigate its decisions and question officials.

Noem eventueel dat andere partijen bestaan, maar dat ze landelijk veel kleiner zijn. Houd het kort.

Welcome to...

The greatest Trump quiz ever!

How many legal cases has Trump been involved in?

4.056 legal cases

How many times has Trump been convicted (veroordeeld)

34 convictions

In those 34 convictions, how many different charges? (aanklachten)

91 different charges

How many times did Trump apply for bankruptcy (faillisement)

6 different times

In US dollars, how much has Trump paid in compensations (schadevergoedingen)

$83,3 mln USD

In his first presidency, how many false facts did Trump made up?

30.573 false claims

Of those claims, how many were made in ONE SINGLE DAY?

503 false claims in one day

How many times does Trump's name appear in the Epstein Files?

38.000+ times

Don't trust me, trust the facts

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-fact-checker-tracked-trump-claims/2021/01/23/ad04b69a-5c1d-11eb-a976-bad6431e03e2_story.html

• https://www.factcheck.org/2016/09/factchecking-the-first-debate

• https://apnews.com/article/trump-indictments-election-january-6-classified-documents-5cb04868bb1cdf91c19eafdb882af8c0

• https://kelo.com/2025/01/10/factbox-donald-trumps-criminal-and-civil-cases/

• https://newrepublic.com/post/206023/how-often-donald-trump-mentioned-epstein-files

What's one thing you learned today?

Laat leerlingen in eigen woorden één kerninzicht noemen, bijvoorbeeld wat midterms zijn, waarom ze belangrijk zijn, of waarom je feiten en meningen moet onderscheiden.

Name one word that will stick with you after this lesson..

Gebruik de woordwolk als korte afsluiting. Kijk welke kernwoorden blijven hangen: midterms, Congress, vote, feit, bewijs, Trump.

Goals

I can explain how the US elections work, and what the midterms are.