Look at the following Internet activity and consider these points:

• How does it relate to authentic English usage?
• How does it relate to Internet authenticity?
• How could we adapt it to Elections 2000?

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Current Events
Elections 1999

Ort Hashomron Comprehensive School
Current Events- Elections 1999
Edited by Simona Zilberwasser.

Group Work- In groups of three students.

Choose a party from the list and go visit its site on the net.
Look at the main page of the party you've chosen. If there's a version in English. Open it and look for the party's platform.

Tasks:

Stage 1: Collecting Materials.

• Select and copy the platform into WORD.
• Save the material in a special file in My documents. The name of the file is the name of the party you've chosen. Save your work as a document under that party's file. Give your document your name/s and a number that will be given to you by your teacher. For example: Meimad/lior3 (Meimad being the name of the file and lior3 the name of the document)

Stage 2: Preparing your mini version of the platform.

• Read through the platform and concentrate on the main issues .
• Prepare a document consisting of two sections. In one section write down the title of the issues, in the other explain in your own words what the issue is about. You can design the page in any form you like.
• Your work should be concise and clear (straight to the point).
• Show the work to your teacher.

Stage 3: Comparing with another party

Get together with pupils who did the same work for a different party. Compare your work. What is the same? What's different in the platforms of the parties.

Stage 4: Preparing the final product to be submitted to your teacher.

Your work should consist of:

• A title- Comparison between the platforms of Party x and Party Y.
• Submitted by- The names of the students in both groups:
• The mini versions for the platforms.
• A comparison between the platforms of the two parties.

Stage 5: Evaluation

Think about and make a list of the criteria by which your work should be evaluated. Add your criteria to the final product.

Following are official websites for parties competing in the 15th Knesset elections:

• Center Party - http://www.hamercaz.org.il/
• Green Leaf - http://www.ale-yarok.org.il
• Green Party - http://www.yerukim.org/
• Hadash - http://www.hadash.org.il
• Israel, Our Home - http://www.kinneret.co.il/kfir_b/
• Labor - http://www.avoda.org.il
• Likud - http://www.likud.org.il
• Meimad - http://www.meimad.org.il
• Meretz - http://www.meretz.org.il
• National Union - http://www.haichud-haleumi.org.il
• Natural Law Party - http://www.natural-law-party.org
• Penina Rosenblum - http://www.rosenblum.inter.net.il/
• Shinui - http://www.shinui.org.il
• Third Way - http://www.thirdway.org.il
• Tzomet - http://www.tsomet.org.il

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also maintains a website providing detailed election information:
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0d1c0