Interest Groups Matching Activity | U.S. Elections for Civics

In this Interest Groups Matching Activity, students match interest groups with candidates they might support and pieces of legislation related to their special interest and cause. A hands-on review activity perfect for middle or high school Civics, American History, and American Government students studying how interest groups influence government!

Aligned to the Florida State Standard for Middle School Civics, SS.7.CG.2.8: Influencing the Government, this activity gives students hands-on, engaging practice in understanding special interest groups and how they choose candidates and public policies to endorse. 

In this resource:

✯ Students match 3 interest groups with a candidate whose political platform they would each likely support, as well as a sample piece of legislation. 

For example, the Humane Society matches to:

• Candidate: Catherine Kinsey is running for the United States Senate. She believes in healthcare reform, free pre-K for all children, and wants to put an end to the trophy hunting of exotic animals. 
• Legislation: This bill bans the retail sale of dogs and cats in pet stores, who often buy their animals from harmful breeders and puppy mills. The bill also proposes increased federal funding for animal shelters that rescue cats and dogs, rehabilitate them, and put them up for adoption.

✯ Then, students complete a fill-in-the-blank sort of activity. The structure is the same as the first page, but the tasks are more challenging: 

• Given a candidate and piece of legislation, the students must do research and find an interest group that aligns with the candidate’s platform and the legislation’s topic. 
• Next, students read a short description of the AARP and come up with a fictitious piece of legislation the special interest group might endorse. 
• Finally, students research an interest group of their choosing, describe its purpose, and create an ideal fictional candidate and a piece of legislation that aligns with the interest group’s beliefs. 

✯ Interest groups described:

• The Humane Society
• NEA, National Educators Association 
• Everytown for Gun Safety
• AARP, the American Association for Retired People

This resource comes as a non-editable, printable PDF and includes an Answer Key!

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