# Election Detectives

> A Florida packet: how America picks its leaders, and the clues left behind on Election Night.

Election Detectives is a free, printable 7-page civics packet for Florida kids ages 8 to 10, built on the midterm election. Kids follow five clues to learn how federal and state government work, why Congress has two rooms, what a midterm is and what a majority means, then look up the real results with a grown-up. It's nonpartisan, and it's specific to Florida, using Florida's government and races throughout.

## At a glance

- **Ages:** 8 to 10
- **Grades:** 3 to 5
- **Subjects:** Civics, Math
- **Type:** The Newsroom (Civics and World Desk)
- **Built on:** the midterm election
- **Format:** printable PDF, US Letter, instant download, 7 pages in all
- **Supplies:** none to gather. No prep: print it, grab pencils, crayons and scissors
- **Lesson page:** https://everywhere.school/lessons/election-detectives

## What kids learn

- Tell federal jobs apart from state jobs
- Explain why the Senate and House are built differently
- Say what a midterm election is
- Work out what counts as a majority
- Describe how an idea becomes a law
- Look up real election results with a grown-up

## The big ideas

1. **Two teams.** Federal and state governments have the same three jobs. Activity: federal or state?.
2. **Two rooms.** Why every state gets 2 senators but not the same number of representatives. Activity: count the seats.
3. **The midterm.** Why only some seats were on the ballot. Activity: shade the Senate.
4. **The magic number.** What it takes to win a majority and pass a law. Activity: color the governor map.

## The 30-second breakdown

- **What happened:** Voters picked all 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and 36 governors.
- **The science inside:** Two teams of government, two rooms of Congress and the magic number for a majority.
- **Try it tonight:** Shade the Senate, then look up who won with a grown-up.

## Editions and prices

- **Free packet** (Ages 8 to 10): $0.00. 7-page Florida packet.

Checkout opens soon at https://everywhere.school/lessons/election-detectives#buy. One purchase covers one family or one classroom.

## What's inside

- **Election Detectives Packet** (Ages 8 to 10, Florida, 7 pages): 5 clues to solve; Shade the Senate and color the governor map; A certificate to cut out

## Supplies

The printed packet, A pencil, Red and blue crayons, Scissors, A news site, with a grown-up.

## Concepts covered

Federal and state government; The Senate and the House; Midterm elections; Majorities; How an idea becomes a law; Checking results in the news.

## Questions parents ask

**Is it really free?**

Yes. Enter your email and we'll send you the download link. You'll also get The Dispatch, our free new-lesson emails, and you can unsubscribe anytime.

**Does it take sides?**

No. It teaches how elections work. Kids look up the results themselves, and nothing in the packet says who should win.

**We don't live in Florida. Will it still work?**

This packet is specific to Florida. The Congress pages work anywhere, but the state government pages and the case file use Florida's races, so families elsewhere would need to swap in their own state's.

**Is there an answer key?**

Not with this packet. Most answers are on the pages themselves, and the results come from the news.

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An independent, nonpartisan lesson, not affiliated with any party, candidate or government office. This packet is specific to Florida.

Published by The Everywhere School (https://everywhere.school). Questions: hello@everywhere.school.