Duck for President by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin
This story follows the tale of Duck who thinks Farmer Brown works him too hard. Believing it will be easier to run the farm than do his chores, Duck decides to run for head of the farm. He wins the election but finds running a farm much to difficult. So, he decides to run for governor and then for president of the United States! Unfortunately for Duck, each new job is harder than the previous one! Eventually, Duck decides to head back to the farm to his simple chores, after he writes his autobiography of course.
Here is a five minute video of Duck for President. It combines music, illustrations, narration, and sound effects. Take a few minutes to check it out!
Social Studies standards that can be used with this story are:
SS3CG1 The student will explain the importance of the basic principles that provide
the foundation of a republican form of government.
SS5CG1 The student will explain how a citizen’s rights are protected under the
U.S. Constitution. a. Explain the responsibilities of a citizen.
The story can be used with both social studies standards. Duck for President describes one of the major principles of a republican government which is the right to vote.
The story also shows that a citizen's right to vote is protected under the constitution even if the person they want to vote for is a duck. It also shows that a citizen should be responsible and try to be informed about their vote, since choosing a duck was probably an ill informed decision. As it turns out, Duck is bad at running a farm and being governor.
Students could hold mock elections with a few students 'running' for office. All the students could vote for their choice of candidate. This would reinforce the importance of the responsibilities of a citizen.
