Number 58 (2014)DOI 10.18422/58-06, ,

06
Results from the U.S. Embassy School Election Project 2012

During the weeks leading up to the U.S. Presidential Election in fall 2012, over 1,400 German EFL students in more than 100 courses across the country participated in an interactive project to predict the outcome of the election. Each class was assigned a U.S. state to research and together their predictions formed a mock election of the U.S. President in the week prior to the actual elections. The result: These students’ predictions were more accurate than many polls published in U.S. national media. Moreover, their predictions were assembled in different categories of creative multimedia products, many of which were published online by the students themselves for the general web-audience. Below is a selection of some of these remarkable learner texts.

During the weeks leading up to the U.S. Presidential Election in fall 2012, over 1,400 German EFL students in more than 100 courses across the country participated in an interactive project to predict the outcome of the election. Each class was assigned a U.S. state to research and together their predictions formed a mock election of the U.S. President in the week prior to the actual elections. The result: These students’ predictions were more accurate than many polls published in U.S. national media. Moreover, their predictions were assembled in different categories of creative multimedia products, many of which were published online by the students themselves for the general web-audience. Below is a selection of some of these remarkable learner texts.

Winners of the project competition at the concluding event in Berlin, November 5, 2012.
Winners of the project competition at the concluding event in Berlin, November 5, 2012.

Facebook photo gallery from the concluding event in Berlin on November 5, 2012

The Prediction

The students predicted the Democratic ticket winning the 2012 Presidential election. Only the results in two out of fifty states, Michigan and Virginia, were predicted inaccurately.

Results of the mock election. (The map was produced using the USA TODAY Electoral Vote Tracker, http://www.usatoday.com/interactives/news/politics/electoral-vote-tracker/)
Results of the mock election. (The map was produced using the USA TODAY Electoral Vote Tracker, http://www.usatoday.com/interactives/news/politics/electoral-vote-tracker/)

Student Products

Of all courses in the project, more than 70 contributed their predictions. Different creative learner products were submitted in the categories Website/Blog, Poster, Presentation, Comic and Poem, Newspaper, Video, Animation, and Song. The following submissions were awarded prizes or mentioned for their outstanding quality, originality, creativity, and accuracy.

Award-Winning Contributions

Website/Blog

Website “U.S. ELECTION 2012 SCHOOL PROJECT – ARIZONA”
Wolfgang-Borchert-Gymnasium, Halstenbek (class grade 13, teacher: Ms. Natascha Milde)
URL: http://www.uselection.coriox.de/
k3

 

Poster

Poster: “Romney Wins Kansas!”
Herder-Gymnasium Berlin (class grade 11, teacher: Ms. Ann-Ev Weißig)
URL: http://us-election.explorarium.de/mod/resource/view.php?id=25909
k4

 

Presentation

Presentation: “Who Will Win the Presidential Elections in New Mexico?”
Albert-Einstein-Gymnasium Neubrandenburg (class grade 11; teacher: Ms. Beate Rentsch)
URL: http://orlives.de/presentation/ (navigate using the arrow keys)
k5

 

Comic and Poem

Comic and poem: “Obama for President Pennsylvania”
Sophie-Scholl-Schule Berlin (class grade 13; teacher: Ms. Andrea von Mitzlaff)
URL: http://us-election.explorarium.de/pluginfile.php/30270/mod_resource/content/3/Pr%C3%A4sentation1.pdf
k6

 

Newspaper

Newspaper: “The Charleston Gazette”
Katholische Theresienschule Berlin (teacher: Ms. Karina Klüssendorf)
URL: http://us-election.explorarium.de/mod/resource/view.php?id=25910
k7

 

Video

News show: “Indi News: Election Central”
Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge Gymnasium Oranienburg (class grade 11; teacher: Dr. Martina Jaenichen-Koepp)
URL: http://youtu.be/u8MWaWxNLx0

 

Animation

Animation video: “For Whom is Massachusetts Going to Vote?”
Askanisches Gymnasium Berlin (class grade 12; teacher: Mr. Matthias Klaudius)
URL: http://youtu.be/gzIzboWnMmc

 

Song

Song: “Oh Alaska”
Leibniz-Gymnasium Berlin (class grade 12; teacher: Ms. Martina Kaltenbacher)
URL: http://youtu.be/mtJKVK2bl4c

Runners-Up

Presentation/Song

Presentation and song: “Roll on, Obama, Roll on”
Sophie-Charlotte-Oberschule Berlin (teacher: Ms. Martina Scheyhing)
URL: http://us-election.explorarium.de/pluginfile.php/30273/mod_resource/content/5/Untitled.mp4
k11

 

Video

News report: “Mississippi 24/7 News”
Albert-Einstein-Gymnasium Berlin (teacher: Ms. Silke Janssen)
URL: http://youtu.be/S5b4F7ygLEE

 

Video/Presentation

Video and presentation: “The Election in North Dakota”
Gustav-Heinemann-Schule Berlin (teacher: Pia Lassahn)
URL: http://youtu.be/tWuDV9MANbU

 

Presentation

Interactive cube: How is Washington D.C. Going to Vote?
Gymnasium Philanthropinum Dessau (class grade 12; teacher: Ms. Heike Piornak)
URL: http://us-election.explorarium.de/mod/resource/view.php?id=25913
k14

 

Author

Joannis Kaliampos is a doctoral student working with Prof. Torben Schmidt in the Department of English Studies at Leuphana University Lüneburg. His research, which has been supported by the U.S. Embassy as part of the School Election project 2012, focuses on “Learner Perceptions of Web 2.0-Enhanced EFL Tasks.”

Suggested Citation

Kaliampos, Joannis. “Results from the U.S. Embassy School Election Project 2012.” American Studies Journal 58 (2014). Web. 21 Nov. 2024. DOI 10.18422/58-06.

 

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