Making Politics Primary: Exploring Critical Curriculum with Young Children: A teacher encourages children to develop a language of critique through their study of candidates’ platforms in a presidential election

Using a framework grounded in critical theory, the author describes how her first-grade students developed their literacy abilities while talking and writing about the 2000 presidential election. She discusses the children’s ways of participating in the voting process, including expanding their awareness of candidates, the candidates’ views, and the election processes and expanding their connections with election processes. The author describes how her students’ participation in the presidential election connected with learning and decision-making experiences about issues of social justice and approaches for taking action.