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Three Ways to Count a Club Election

6th grade nonfiction passage about ways of counting votes: 217 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction ways of counting votes 217 words

Three Ways to Count a Club Election

A club of twenty members is choosing a president. Three people are running: Ana gets eight votes, Ben gets seven, and Cai gets five. Who won? The answer depends on the rule the club agreed to use before voting.

Under a plurality rule, the person with the most votes wins, even without more than half. Ana wins with eight. This method is quick and easy, but it means most of the club voted for someone else.

Under a majority rule, the winner must have more than half of the votes. Here that means eleven. Nobody has that many, so no one wins yet. The club has to try again. Often it holds a runoff, a second vote between only the top two candidates. Cai's supporters must now pick Ana or Ben. Whoever gets eleven or more is the winner, and that result has wider support.

Neither method is always better. A runoff takes extra time and may need a second meeting, while plurality is fast but can let a candidate win without broad support. What matters is that the club chooses the rule first. Deciding after the votes are counted could look like an attempt to help a favorite. When the rule is fair and known ahead of time, even people who lose can accept the result.

Questions

  1. How many votes did Ana get? in the text

  2. How many votes make a majority in a club of twenty? in the text

  3. What is a runoff? in the text

  4. What is one weakness of the plurality rule? in the text

  5. Why should a club choose its counting rule before voting? think about it

  6. Why might a runoff be worth the extra time? think about it

Words to know

plurality
the most votes, even if not more than half
majority
more than half of the votes
runoff
a second vote between the top two candidates
candidates
people who are trying to win an election
rule
a set way of doing something that everyone agrees to follow
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 195 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 2.6

A club has twenty members. They are picking a president. Three people are running. Ana gets eight votes. Ben gets seven. Cai gets five. Who won? It depends on the rule the club chose before voting.

With a plurality rule, the person with the most votes wins. That is true even if it is not more than half. Ana wins with eight. This way is quick and easy. But it means most of the club voted for someone else.

With a majority rule, the winner needs more than half. Here that is eleven. Nobody has eleven. So no one wins yet. The club must vote again. Often it holds a runoff. A runoff is a second vote with only the top two. Cai's voters now pick Ana or Ben. The one with eleven or more wins. More of the club backs that winner.

Neither way is always best. A runoff takes more time. Plurality is fast, but the winner may not have wide support. The key is to pick the rule first. Picking after the count could look like helping a favorite. If the rule is fair and known, even losers can accept the result.

▲ This passage · 217 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 5.5

A club of twenty members is choosing a president. Three people are running: Ana gets eight votes, Ben gets seven, and Cai gets five. Who won? The answer depends on the rule the club agreed to use before voting.

Under a plurality rule, the person with the most votes wins, even without more than half. Ana wins with eight. This method is quick and easy, but it means most of the club voted for someone else.

Under a majority rule, the winner must have more than half of the votes. Here that means eleven. Nobody has that many, so no one wins yet. The club has to try again. Often it holds a runoff, a second vote between only the top two candidates. Cai's supporters must now pick Ana or Ben. Whoever gets eleven or more is the winner, and that result has wider support.

Neither method is always better. A runoff takes extra time and may need a second meeting, while plurality is fast but can let a candidate win without broad support. What matters is that the club chooses the rule first. Deciding after the votes are counted could look like an attempt to help a favorite. When the rule is fair and known ahead of time, even people who lose can accept the result.

■ Harder · 239 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.7

A club of twenty members is selecting a president. Three candidates are running: Ana receives eight votes, Ben receives seven, and Cai receives five. Who has won? The answer hinges on the rule that the club agreed to use before the voting began.

Under a plurality rule, the candidate with the most votes wins, even without a share greater than half. Ana would win with eight. This method is quick and uncomplicated, yet it means that most of the club voted for someone else.

Under a majority rule, the winner must collect more than half of the votes, which in this case means eleven. Since nobody reached that total, no one has won yet, and the club must try again. Frequently it holds a runoff, a second vote limited to the top two candidates. Cai's supporters must now choose between Ana and Ben, and whoever reaches eleven or more becomes the winner, with a result that rests on wider support.

Neither method is always preferable. A runoff consumes extra time and may require a second meeting, whereas plurality is fast but can allow a candidate to win without broad support. What matters most is that the club settles on the rule first. Deciding afterward, once the votes are already counted, could look like an attempt to favor a particular person. When the rule is fair and known in advance, even those who lose are able to accept the outcome.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put plurality, majority, runoff, candidates and rule on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 2 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 5 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "Three Ways to Count a Club Election"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 217 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 5.5. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 2 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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