Subject: Social Studies.

Type of Lesson: Group work, discussion, internet use

Grade: 10 CSEC OBJ: Describe how political parties prepare

for elections

Term: 2 Unit Number 1 - Government

and Title:

Duration: 2 x 35 minutes Week Number: 2

Lesson Number 7 Organizations and Institutions that

and Title: assist in monitoring the parties and the
election process

Objectives
As a result of this lesson, the student will be able to:
1) identify the organizations and institutions that assist in monitoring
the parties and the election process.
2) explain the roles of the Ombudsman, C.A.F.F.. , Electoral
Commission and other international agencies regarding the
maintenance of a free and electoral process.
3) appreciate the role of public opinion polls in understanding the
outcome of elections.

Prerequisite Student Knowledge

The student should be familiar with:
1) how the electoral process is carried out in your country.
2) the issues that arise during an election that are deemed unfair and
unjust.
3) what democracy is and how it works in the Caribbean.
4) how the two main electoral systems in the Caribbean operate (First
Past the Post and Proportional Representation).

Important Points
1) The main aim of having electoral observers is to ensure that we are
on par with the international standards of carrying out the process
of an election. In addition they provide us with additional tips on
how to improve our current state and so allow for us to be ranked
among the best regarding efficiency in a free and fair election.

Teacher Instructional Material 1

 2) We have both national and international organizations monitoring
our electoral process. The monitoring takes place prior to the
elections as well as on the day of elections and proceed after the
elections.
3) Opinion polls are important for all stake holders during the election
process. They give feedback to frequently asked questions and they
predict outcome thus giving citizens the benefit of assessing how
important their votes may be in the elections.
4) The electoral commission is there as the main organization that
acts as an interest group on behalf of the people to ensure that their
democracy is enforced and that a free and fair election takes place.
5) Each country has an electoral commission that reflects the policy
and the rights of the people. Hence the processes of each electoral
commission may vary but the ultimate aim is carried out for all
which is to maintain a free and fair election.

Key Terms

Electoral Election observers monitor

Commission

Public opinion polls Responsibilities

Challenge Areas
Organize a mock election and write a critical report on the process.
Include good and bad reviews based on the content that has been
explored in the lesson regarding the organizations that monitor the
electoral process.

Equipment/Materials Needed
Internet connections for group of students, multimedia

Note to Teacher
Please note that this lesson involves a lot of reading so it is imperative
that much supervision is done in order to ensure that the content is
covered.

Teacher Instructional Material 2

Teachers Lesson Notes

Teacher Instructional Material 3

Introduction
1) Introductory Activity

Why do we need to monitor the actions of party members,

candidates and voters?

a. Tell students to work with a partner and talk briefly about

this question:
Should party members, candidates and voters be treated as
responsible persons who will follow the rules set out for the
conduct of election campaigns and voting on the day of
election? Give reasons.
i. Facilitate whole class sharing of the main points of
their discussion.
b. Instruct students to watch this brief video and answer the
following questions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDVwUAlrA2k

i. Identify three problems that sometimes occur during

the election period.
Expected answer: Blocking free movement of
campaign personnel, intimidation of opposing
candidates and individuals hanging out of vehicles.
ii. Name one organization that helps to maintain
integrity and safety of the citizens.
Expected answer: National Integrity Action
Limited
iii. State one role of the ombudsman during the election
process.
Expected answer: The ombudsman investigates
electoral mal -practice and violations of rights of
citizens. A second role is to investigate complaints
during elections with a view to resolving them.

Body of Lesson
1) Do organizations exist to assist in reducing some of
these incidences that occur during the electoral process?

a. If students answered yes to the focus question, ask them

what those organizations are. If there is no mention of
CAFFE, introduce the term. Tell them to form groups of
five and watch the video at this link, then answer the
questions that follow.

Teacher Instructional Material 4

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5hmOlqKn1E
i. What does the abbreviation C.A.F.F.E. mean?
ii. Explain the major problem discussed in the video
concerning political parties and the election process.
iii. What role does C.A.F.F.E play in trying to reduce
the problem identified in part ii.?
Expected answers:
i. CAFFE means Citizens Action of Free and Fair
Election
ii. Unregulated flow of money in political
campaign, politicians make false declaration.
Money has a tendency to come from corrupted
sources.
iii. The role of CAFFE is to instigate laws to
protect the rights of citizens and to ensure the
proper operation of the electoral process.

2) What is the electoral commissions purpose in the electoral

process?
a. Project Figure 7.1 below. Tell students to form small
groups and do the following:
i. Explain in one sentence what message each picture
conveys.

Figure 7.1: Electoral issues

Notes
The statements do
not need to be
perfect but they
must imply fair,
free election or
some form of
democracy as well
as citizens
exercising their
rights.

i. Students should then present their statements to the

class.

3) What is the role of electoral organizations?

Teacher Instructional Material 5

 a. Tell students to form four groups. Ensure that each group
Warning
In order to prevent
students having only
the information that
they presented on,
ensure that all listen
attentively to the
points given by other
groups so that they
benefit fully from this
exercise.
has a computer connected to the internet. Assign each
group an organization, agency or an office. Groups should
read the information then present and explain the role of
their assigned group/office in preserving and maintaining a
free and fair election.
i. Ombudsman
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Internationa
l-observers-for-election_10342794
ii. C.A.F.F.E
http://www.caffeja.com/
iii. Electoral Commission
http://www.eoj.com.jm/content-26-138.htm
iv. Other International observers
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Internationa
l-observers-for-election_10342794

b. Facilitate the group reports to the class.

4) What purpose does the public opinion polls serve in the

election process?

a. Based on the video have students interpret and write in

Important Point their own words the purpose of having polls leading up to
A public opinion poll the elections.
is a survey designed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrAfvx9T4Pk
to represent the
opinions of a
population with the b. Ask students to identify other forms of public polls that
use of a series of they observe for example during the hours of Prime Time
questions. Some news and other broadcasts. . Engage the students in a brief
polls may ask
Yes/No responses discussion based on the questions below.
while others may
ask for your i. How informative are these polls?
explained opinion.
ii. How do they assist us as citizens more so during
the election periods?
iii. Support or oppose the view that polls are a waste of
time
Warning
The video might go
a little too fast for
some students. If b. For additional information on the roles and responsibilities
necessary, break at have students read the information on this website:
intervals to ensure
that students http://www.eoj.com.jm/content-26-140.htm
document key points
of the discussion.

Teacher Instructional Material 6

Closure
In Class Assignment
1) Complete this paragraph by inserting the most appropriate word
from the list given in each sentence.

Box 7.1: The Electoral Commission

Rights, responsibilities, challenges, polling, interest, Fair

The name of the organization that assists in protecting the

____1_____ of citizens to vote is the electoral commission.
There are various _________2__________ carried out by this
organization. One of the main duties carried out is to ensure
that the elections are ____3____ and that the
________4________ of the citizens are met. The commission
ensures that during the election the _______5_______
stations are run smoothly. It must be noted that the electoral
commission if faced with many _________6______ such as
citizens not registering on time as well as illegal voting on
the day of election.

Expected answers: 1. Rights 2. Responsibilities 3. Fair 4. Interest

5. Polling 6. challenges.

2) Complete this Find A Word puzzle.

Free and Fair Elections

H S L L O P P H W Y U U N S T
J P X A J O R E S M W P U W B
Y B S S N C E O K Y D G P W Y
I W Z D H O D N C Y G E A O O
B P L R L V I A C E F B T M J
C D O A D N C T S F S U Y B Z
A K Z D R V T T A Q N S M U K
V B C N J F I C O N P A O D J
Y K U A Z O O Y B D R K N S S
E I M T N R N B S Y F E I M B
G H Q S O P S F E J F G T A K
H G H P R E P A R A T I O N E
P Q G F I H C T V U C N R Z I
I Q L U Q X L L E U H B X C T
R B S P F P X Y R S R F Y J C

CAFFE

Teacher Instructional Material 7

INTERNATIONAL
MONITOR
OBSERVER
OMBUDSMAN
POLLS
PREDICTIONS
PREPARATION
PROCESS
STANDARDS
SUGGESTIONS

3) Once you have found the words write a paragraph explaining the
importance of institutions and organizations in enabling a free and
fair election

Expected Solution:
+ S L L O P P + + + + + + S +
+ + + A + + R + + + + + U + +
+ + + S N + E O + + + G + + +
+ + + D + O D + C + G E + O +
+ + + R + + I + + E F + + M +
+ + + A + + C T S F S + + B +
+ + + D + + T T A + + S M U +
+ + + N + + I C O N + + O D +
+ + + A + O O + B + R + N S +
+ + + T N + N + S + + E I M +
+ + + S + + S + E + + + T A +
+ + + P R E P A R A T I O N +
+ + + + + + + + V + + + R + I
+ + + + + + + + E + + + + + +
+ + + + + + + + R + + + + + +

(Over,Down,Direction)
CAFFE(8,8,NE)
INTERNATIONAL(15,13,NW)
MONITOR(13,7,S)
OBSERVER(9,8,S)
OMBUDSMAN(14,4,S)
POLLS(6,1,W)
PREDICTIONS(7,1,S)
PREPARATION(4,12,E)
PROCESS(6,1,SE)
STANDARDS(4,11,N)
SUGGESTIONS(14,1,SW)

Teacher Instructional Material 8

Supplemental
Out-of-Class Assignment
1) Visit the website of the electoral commission of Jamaica and
explore their many windows and find out more about them and
how they have impacted on us as nation. Answer the following
questions as you browse the site.
(a) What is the commissions Mission Statement?
(b) Check the current voters list count and identify the number of
voters on the list in your constituency
(c) How many constituencies and polling divisions do we have
island-wide?
(d) Visit the news section and identify 3 issues that have been
addressed by the electoral commission of Jamaica as it relate to
the election process.

Glossary of Terms

Rights of citizens A just and moral act that citizens or individuals

are entitled to.

Electoral This is a body or group of persons who govern

commission and monitor the operations of the electoral
process in a country.

Responsibilities These are the expectations of individuals given

their particular status or role in society, (children,
adults, etc)

Election These are individuals or groups that are either

Observers internal or external who look , watch and take
not of the electoral process to assess whether or
not the standards are that of international
recognition

Public Opinion These are surveys done in order to gather snap

polls shot information regarding an issue

Monitor Supervise or oversee the operations of a process

and give proposals as to how to improve

Teacher Instructional Material 9

CSEC Questions
1a Define the following terms
(i) Ombudsman
(ii) Public opinion polls 4mks

b. Identify TWO organizations that assist in monitoring the

electoral process in your country. 2mks

c. Explain ONE benefit to be derived from having organizations

monitor a countrys electoral process. 2mks

d. Suggest THREE strategies your government can use to

improve the standard of the countrys electoral process.
6mks
e. Explain how each of your strategies in part d. will lead to an
improved free and fair election. 6mks

Recommended Materials
Waterman I. L,Fisher J, (2007) CSEC Social Studies, Jamaica:
Macmillan Publishers Ltd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhQZEmLSXXg

Bibliography
.

Brathwaite. S, Reynolds P, (2004). The secondary education

certificate: social studies. Location: Publisher.

Sandy.M.C, Grayson S.C (2000), Social Studies Essentials, Jamaica:

Carlong Publishers

Ramsawak.R, Umraw R.R, (2001), Modules in Social Studies,

Trinidad: Caribbean Educational Publishers

Ruddock L.C, Robinson-Glanville.S, (1998) Secondary Social Studies

Jamaica: Citizenship and Government, Jamaica: Carlong Publishers

Ruddock L.C, Robinson-Glanville S, (1994) New Civics for Young

Jamaicans, Jamaica: Carlong Publishers

Sandy.M, (2012) Social Studies Essentials, Jamaica Carlong

Publishers

Teacher Instructional Material 10

Waterman I. L,Fisher J, (2007) CSEC Social Studies, Jamaica:
Macmillan Publishers Ltd

Source:
Figure 7.1
[Photograph]. Retrieved June 4, 2012 from http://www.eoj.com.jm/

Teacher Instructional Material 11