The Handmaid’s Tale  

Presidential Election 
 
Project Overview 

Driving Questions:  
➔ Should Gilead be abolished or not? 
➔ How is fairness divided among Gilead? 
➔ How are powerful people still limited? 
 
Grade Level/Subject:​ ELA 12th Grade 
 
Time Frame: ​ One Week 
 
Products:  
➔ Individual Proposals 
➔ Team (democratic) debates 
➔ Voting Process 
 
Project Summary: 
➔ Students will be assigned a role in the novel (Martha, Handmaid, Aunt, 
Wife, Commander, Guardian, Killed, Escaped). Students will then use 
this role to find evidence in the novel in preparation to write a proposal 
to either abolish or keep Gilead. Students will listen to a presentation 
from a local politician about preparing and participating in a political 
debate. Students will conduct a political debate by presenting their 
position to abolish or restore Gilead. Then, we will hold a real voting 
session to vote in the new president. After, we will hold a reflective to 
assess the presentations of arguments, but also why we completed this 
role-play activity. (Looking back to out key questions).  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 L
​ earning Goals 
 
Standards:  

➔ CC.1.4.11–12.H Write with a sharp, distinct focus identifying topic, task, and audience. 
➔ CC.1.4.11–12.J Create organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and 
evidence; use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of 
the text to create cohesion and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between 
reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims; provide a concluding statement 
or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. 
➔ CC.1.4.11–12.M Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events. 
➔ CC.1.5.11–12.D Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and 
distinct perspective; organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, 
audience, and task. 

 
 
Key Vocabulary:  
➔ N/A 
 
Literacy Skills:  
➔ Argumentative writing 
➔ Narrative writing 
➔ Oral Communication 
 
Success Skills:  
➔ Communication of Ideas 
➔ Presenting a Proposal 
➔ Preparation of materials  
 
Rubrics:  
➔ Inserted Below 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 P
​ roject Milestones & Calendar 
 
 
Milestone  Key Questions  Formative Assessment 

Assign  ➔ Should Gilead be abolished or  Evidence of textual 

Roles &  not?  citations  
Research  ➔ How is fairness divided among   
 
Gilead? 
➔ How are powerful people still 
limited? 

Proposal  ➔ Should Gilead be abolished or  Completed outline/ 

Writing  not?  argument with textual 
➔ How is fairness divided among  evidence 
Gilead? 
➔ How are powerful people still 
limited? 

Guest  ➔ How do you develop a clear  Evidence of active 

Speaker &  position?  listening and asking of 
Debate  ➔ How do you prepare for a  questions 
Prep  debate/speech? 

Debate  ➔ What is an effective delivery of  Participation in debate 

an argument?  and active listening 

Voting &  ➔ Should Gilead be abolished or  Participation in voting 

Discussion  not?  and reflective 
➔ How is fairness divided among  discussion  
Gilead? 
➔ How are powerful people still 
limited? 
➔ How do you know if your 
message has made an impact? 
 
 
 
 
 
Day 1--  
➔ Students will be assigned a role in the novel (Martha, Handmaid, Aunt, 
Wife, Commander, Guardian, Killed, Escaped). Students will then use 
this role to find evidence in the novel in preparation to write a proposal 
to either abolish or keep Gilead.  
Day 2-- 
➔ Students will be writing a 600 word proposal to keep gilead or abolish it. 
They will be doing so through writing a narrative argument through the 
perspective of their assigned role. They must include textual evidence 
from the novel. This will be the basis of their argument for the later 
presidential debate.  
Day 3-- 
➔ Students will listen to a presentation from a local politician about 
preparing and participating in a political debate. Students will be 
required to participate in a discussion by asking two questions to the 
presenter that they have prepared prior to coming to class. 
Day 4-- 
➔ Students will conduct a political debate by presenting their position to 
abolish or restore Gilead. Listening students will be critiquing peer 
positions by writing one point the peer presented well and one area in 
which they can improve. 
Day 5-- 
➔ Students evaluate their peers’ arguments and chose two front runners 
based on who has the best argument. Then we will hold a real voting 
session to vote in the new president. After, we will hold a reflective to 
assess the presentations of arguments, but also why we completed this 
role-play activity. (Looking back to out key questions).  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Rubric 
CATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Organization All arguments were Most arguments All arguments were Arguments were not
clearly tied to an were clearly tied to clearly tied to an clearly tied to an
idea (premise) and an idea (premise) idea (premise) but idea (premise).
organized in a tight, and organized in a the organization
logical fashion. tight, logical was sometimes not
fashion. clear or logical.

Use of Every major point Every major point Every major point Every point was not
Facts/Statistics was well supported was adequately was supported with supported.
with several supported with textual evidence,
relevant textual relevant textual but the relevance of
evidence. evidence. some was
questionable.

Rebuttal All Most Most Counter-arguments

counter-arguments counter-arguments counter-arguments were not accurate
were accurate, were accurate, were accurate and and/or relevant
relevant and strong. relevant, and relevant, but several
strong. were weak.

Information All information Most information Most information Information had

presented in the presented in the presented in the several
debate was clear, debate was clear, debate was clear inaccuracies OR
accurate and accurate and and accurate, but was usually not
thorough. thorough. was not usually clear.
thorough.

Presentation Candidate Candidate usually Candidate Candidate had a

Style consistently used used gestures, eye sometimes used presentation style
gestures, eye contact, tone of gestures, eye that did not keep
contact, tone of voice and a level of contact, tone of the attention of the
voice and a level of enthusiasm in a voice and a level of audience.
enthusiasm in a way that kept the enthusiasm in a way
way that kept the attention of the that kept the
attention of the audience. attention of the
audience. audience.

Respect for All statements, Statements and Most statements Statements,

Other Team body language, and responses were and responses were responses and/or
responses were respectful and used respectful and in body language
respectful and were appropriate appropriate were consistently
in appropriate language, but once language, but there not respectful.
language. or twice body was one sarcastic
language was not. remark.