The 2nd and 3rd grade Social Studies class held mayoral elections as the culmination for the government unit. After studying about government at all levels, including a visit to Ukiah’s city hall to hold a mock city council meeting, the students chose a character from a novel they read in class that they felt embodied the qualities of a good mayor.

They came up with slogans, created a campaign poster, and visited classrooms at Instilling Goodness School, answering questions about their candidate. Each student and faculty member at the elementary school had an opportunity to vote in the election before the students tabulated the results on a bar graph. The students walked away from this unit learning about what it takes to be a good citizen.