On 3 November 2026, Americans voted in the midterm elections, halfway through the president’s term. News organisations said the Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate. Students learn election vocabulary, read a longer text and discuss voting, campaigns and the news. This B2 version focuses on election vocabulary and reporting what the news says.
Level: B2 · Time: 45 to 90 minutes. Pick the activities that suit your class. They work in almost any order.
Lesson Activities
- Warmer: Where Is This Building? – students guess the picture as the squares are revealed. (Answer: the US Capitol in Washington DC, where Congress meets.)
- Vocabulary Match – 10 words from the reading, matched with simple definitions. Do this before reading.
- Reading: US Midterm Elections – a gap-fill text. Same text with a word bank for students who need more support.
- Sort: True or False? – 12 sentences to sort. Students can predict before reading, then check after reading.
- Discussion Cards – 12 questions, from personal to opinion.
- Ranking: What Matters Most in an Election? – students rank 9 issues and defend their choices.
Teacher Tips
- For a shorter lesson (45 minutes), use the warmer, the vocabulary match, the reading and the discussion cards.
- Language focus: reporting the news (news organisations said that…, results were projected, votes were still being counted). Ask students to find two passive forms in the reading.
- Follow-up: students write a short paragraph comparing how elections work in their country and in the USA.
Looking for an easier version? Try the A2 lesson.