The presidential campaign is taking on a growing role in Wisconsin classrooms this fall, as teachers find ways to interest young students in elections while leading older students through potentially divisive discussions of issues such as abortion, the Iraq war and immigration.

"We want kids to talk about it better than adults do, actually," said Diana Hess, an associate education professor at UW-Madison who organized a recent workshop attended by more than 180 classroom and student teachers from 30 school districts.

David Ross, who teaches a social issues class at Madison West High School, sometimes shows television clips of adults arguing about politics to illustrate the wrong way to exchange views.

His students select which issues will be studied.

This semester, the list includes same-sex marriage, abortion and health care. Students research the topics and determine their personal views — which in turn help them figure out whether they tend to support the stands of Republican nominee John McCain, Democratic nominee Barack Obama, or someone else.

"Some of it gets a little rough," said Ross, adding that district officials have backed him when parents questioned whether students were ready for such intense discussions. "But on the other hand there's a lot of learning and growth that can happen if they don't feel attacked personally."

On recent morning, Ross' students dissected the vice presidential debate between Republican Sarah Palin and Democrat Joe Biden, giving both candidates high marks for making their cases but concluding that Biden put in the stronger performance.

"Both performed exceptionally well, above expectations," senior Emily Hammer wrote on a worksheet. "No gaffes or deer in lights."

Hammer said the class is making politics more meaningful for her classmates, who are excited about the presidential campaigns although most, like her, won't be quite old enough to vote on Election Day.

For such classes to succeed, teachers must know their students' strengths and vulnerabilities, and how to entice students to be frank yet respectful.

"It requires a lot of work" to create a culture of respect and empathy in the classroom, said Ann Herrera Ward, who teaches classes on government, world problems and the legal system at Wauwatosa East High School. "Once you do that, kids really respond."

The sessions, she said, aren't debates with winners and losers. They're deliberations, in which students attempt to come up with solutions. She often requires students to advocate for a viewpoint with which they don't personally agree.

Ross said it's extra challenging to attain that balance at West. Nearly all of his students back Obama and the school's Young Democrats club is flourishing. But there's not enough interest in reviving the Young Republicans club, which was active just a year ago, said Ross, who has served as the sponsor of both clubs.

"I think quite honestly Obama has energized the youth in a way that McCain hasn't," Ross said.

His view was echoed by Ward at Wauwatosa East, where there's a pro-Obama club but she's been unable to revive a club for conservatives.

Many teachers reported witnessing a sharp increase in students' interest in politics and community activism, trends in line with national research showing that turnout among young voters rose in the past two presidential elections.

To connect with their students, teachers must keep up with campaign news.

"A lot of what will drive the curriculum is what's hot," said Allison Turner, who teaches American government and U.S. history classes at Sauk Prairie High School.

For example, some teachers are gearing classes toward the nation's economic crisis and the high-profile vice presidential race.

Denise Peterson, who teaches government classes at Monona Grove High School, said she's found ways to examine hot button issues such as immigration. It's important, she said, to know how to defuse tense moments. In a recent class, she said, a student made a racist comment. Peterson, in turn, reminded the student that the Declaration of Independence says that all men — not just whites — are created equal, and that people who fail to embrace those ideals are un-American.

Elementary teachers face other types of challenges.

"I used the word 'running' for president, and they looked at me really blankly," said Kate Lyman, who teaches third grade at Madison's Hawthorne Elementary. She realized that some students, especially those for whom English is a second language, thought the candidates literally ran. So she ran a few steps — and explained that candidates run in a different way.

Karen Watson-Newlin, an art teacher at Badger Ridge Middle School in Verona, used an art project to spark students' interest in elections. She cut an 8-by-11-inch photo of McCain and Obama into 1-inch squares. Each student plucked a square from an envelope and then drew a replica of that square onto a larger piece of paper. When the sections were taped together, the students were surprised to see that they'd created a mural, nearly 7 feet wide, depicting the two candidates.

Kristine Bobb, a learning coordinator at Madison's Toki Middle School, said some teachers have suggested they no longer have time to focus upon presidential politics, because they feel pressure to cover content required to prepare for the state's standardized testing program.

But Bobb argued that it remains essential to prepare students to appreciate the responsibilities they'll have as voters.

About 1,000 Madison School District students already are eligible to vote, Hess said.

The impact of students becoming engaged in politics will be even bigger than that. Hess noted that research has shown that children's interest makes parents more likely to vote, just as children have influenced their parents to recycle waste and stop smoking.

"We call it the trickle-up effect," Hess said.