Investigating the Role of Vice President for the 2008 Election; Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students investigate the role and duties of the vice president of the United States; they then write persuasive essays in favor of one of this year's running mates using supporting evidence from The New York Times. (link for companion lesson for Gr. 3-5 with suggested modifications-PDF)
* Over $15 million spent in presidential TV advertising since conclusion of conventions
* More than 55% of McCain ads are in conjunction with RNC
* Nearly all Obama ads all paid for with candidate money
* Obama airs larger percentage of negative ads than McCain
* Traditional battleground states receive majority of ad spending