This guide was prepared to help elementary and secondary social studies teachers use the 1984 elections as a tool to teach about American government and politics. The goal is to help students use their town, country, or city as their classroom and to use newspapers, community resources, campaign materials and activities, and the broadcast media as their texts. Background information, discussion questions, topics to research, and learning activities are provided to show students how to draw a political profile of their community, how to register and vote, how to understand political parties, how to follow a campaign, how to see through images and distortions, how to rate the candidates, how to make election day meaningful, and how to understand the Electoral College. Sources of information are annotated. (RM)