The 2024 Election and Beyond: Resources for ELLs
Find resources for teaching and discussing the 2024 election (and beyond) with your English language learners (ELLs) in our updated collection, as well as booklists, multimedia civics resources, and tips focused on media literacy.
Note: Colorín Colorado is a public media project based at PBS station WETA in Washington, DC.
Discussing Current Events
2024 Election Resources
- Election Central (PBS Learning Media)
- Ideas for Teaching Students About Elections, Even in Polarized Times (Edutopia)
- 2024 Election Resources for Students (PBS NewsHour Classroom)
- What it’s like teaching the 2024 election in classrooms nationwide (Chalkbeat)
Denver high school kids built an AI app to help immigrants vote (NPR)
Navigating Tough Topics
Our in-depth guide, Navigating Tough Topics in the Classroom: Tips for ELL Educators, offers numerous tips and resources related to discussions about current events and sensitive topics. Some excerpts include:
- Building Community in the Classroom
- Developing Students’ Discussion Skills
- Talking About Tough Topics: Tips for Educators
- Discussing Political Violence with ELLs, Immigrants, and Refugees
- Discussing Race and Racism with ELLs
Media Literacy
- Time to Boost Media Literacy (Facing History)
- Fostering Civil Discourse: How do we talk about issues that matter? (Facing History)
- AI Literacy Lessons for Grades 6–12 (Common Sense Media)
Spanish-Language Election Information
Welcoming ELL and Immigrant Students
- Making Students and Families Feel Welcome
- How to Build Partnerships with Immigrant Families
- Creating a Welcoming Classroom for ELL and Immigrant Students
- Talking About Immigration: Classroom Resources
- How Immigration Issues Can Impact Students (2018)
Multimedia: Election & Civics Resources for Students
- Electoral Decoder: Interactive Map (PBS Learning Media)
- Talking with Young Kids About Elections, Voting, and Justice for All (PBS Kids)
- Turning Out: The Youth Vote (NewsHour Student Reporting Labs)
- iCivics: 2020 Election Headquarters (See iCivics resources and games available in Spanish)
- National Student/Parent Mock Election: Voter Education Portal Teaching Materials
- Election Day Videos for Students (Simply Kinder)
- Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out
- Civics in Real Life (Florida Joint Center for Citizenship)
- Video for ELLs: How Congress Works (Voice of America, via Larry Ferlazzo)
- CNN 10 (CNN stories for middle and high school)
Archived Resources
- 8 Questions for Nate Silver (Time for Kids)
- Five Ways to Support Undocumented Students During Election Season (Teaching Tolerance)
- Don't Count Them Out Just Because They Can't Cast a Ballot (NPR)
- Civil Conversation Challenge for Teenagers (The New York Times)
- Speak Up for Civility (Teaching Tolerance)
- Bias in the Presidential Election (Table Talk parent/family discussion guide)
Books & Authors
My America: Many Voices, Many Stories
These books celebrate a diverse range of American voices and experiences, including voting in an election, immigrating to this country, and the journey to becoming a U.S. citizen.
Featured Video: Janet Wong reads "Liberty"
Poet Janet Wong reads and discusses her poem "Liberty", which is featured in Poems to Learn by Heart.
Book and Activity Guides
- Our Democracy: Explore Government, Voting, and Active Citizenship! (Start with a Book/Reading Rockets)
More booklists
Reading Rockets offers the following great booklists about elections, government, and U.S. presidents:
See additional titles in School Library Journal's 22 Fiction and Nonfiction Books About Voting and Elections for Children of All Ages.