Secondary students learn about the process of becoming President of the United States in this social studies unit. The unit traces the steps that a fictional candidate takes from the Presidential primaries through National Party Conventions and election campaigns, to the Presidential office in the White House. A candidate proceeds through the nomination and campaign process, while explanatory political background material taken from actual campaigns in recent U.S. history clarifies each step for the reader. The book is organized into 15 chapters, each of which forms the basis for a class session. The chapters contain approximately 10 pages each of narrative about steps in the political process. Content includes selection of a party candidate, electoral votes, campaign financing, role of the media, ethnic issues, "balanced" tickets, and inauguration. At the end of each chapter a student assignment section suggests activities related to the reading. These include choosing appropriate campaign strategies, writing news articles about the campaigns, charting religious and ethnic backgrounds of the candidates of the two major parties from 1860 to 1968, and writing editorials about controversial issues. An appendix contains nine federal constitutional provisions relating to choosing the President. (AV)