What Is an Interest Group? Article & Review | Voting & Elections for Civics

This What is an Interest Group? Article & Review is a great introduction to special interest groups for middle school Civics and American Government students. The first page of the reading passage defines interest groups and lobbying, while the second breaks down three main types of these groups (Economic, Equal Opportunity, and Public Interest) and gives students tons of examples to help them conceptualize what an interest group is and how they can influence our elections. 

A review then has students think critically and creatively about what they have learned, and a separate Gaining Interest Group Support activity asks them to gauge a candidate’s political platform and choose which interest groups from the article would support and endorse their candidacy. 

Aligned to the Florida State Standard for Middle School Civics, SS.7.CG.2.8: “Examine the impact of media, individuals, and interest groups on monitoring and influencing government,” this resource is a great way to teach interest groups to your students! 

This resource includes:

✯ The 2-page What is an Interest Group? Article, which introduces students to the concept of special interest groups and defines an interest group’s three main purposes:

• to promote their special interest and raise awareness
• to endorse candidates that will support their special interest in office
• to lobby lawmakers to support legislation that will positively impact their special interest

The article also defines lobbying, then gives examples of several different types of interest groups:

• Economic interest groups such as AFL-CIO and the American Bar Association
• Equal Opportunity Interest Groups like NOW or the NAACP
• Public Interest Groups like the Sierra Club, the NRA, and the ACLU. 

✯ The What is an Interest Group Review, which reviews key concepts and vocabulary presented in the reading passage, with questions such as:

• What are the 3 purposes of interest groups as explained in the article?
• What does a lobbyist do?

The review also asks students to engage in a bit of creative and critical thinking with prompts like:

• Imagine you have to create your own interest group and describe a project, action, or law your group would support. (For example, you run the National Butterfly Watching Association, and support planting more butterfly-attracting plants in public parks!)

✯ The Gaining Interest Group Support Activity. Students read through a fictitious candidate’s political platform and determine four (4) interest groups that might support that candidate’s campaign. 

This is a challenging activity that has them think critically about each interest group listed in the article and determine whether their values align with the political platform and personal characteristics of the fictitious candidate. A really great way to end the lesson! 

This resource comes as a non-editable, printable PDF and includes an Answer Key. There is also a digital version available through TPT Easel, which can be assigned directly to Google Classroom or shared with your students via a link!

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