It was controversial enough when President Obama wanted to speak to America’s school children.  Now, Chevrolet plans to try the same trick, in one of the most unusual automotive marketing schemes we’ve seen.  We can only imagine what the anti "Government Motors" crowd will make of this one.

Autoblog Green explains, “On November 30th, hundreds of middle school students and teachers will assemble at the Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, along with untold thousands of their electronically-linked peers, to take part in a giant show-and-tell webcast featuring that upcoming electric car with the built-in range extender, the 2011 Chevy Volt.” 

The company hopes to broadcast the even to schools nationwide.  Edmunds Inside Line reports, “In what may be a first, the automaker said it will provide a lesson plan to teachers about the Volt with the help of Weekly Reader, an educational materials developer better known for math curriculum and vocabulary tests.”

In a press release, the automaker pitches the event as a science lesson.  “The presentation from 9:40 a.m. to 10 a.m. PST will cover the basics of electricity, including why it's important and how this common energy source can be used to transform the way we drive,” they explain. 

We find it significant, however that the event gets top billing this morning on the website of Product Placement News. 

Inside Line wonders, “Does this now mean that every automaker with a new product to shill can have equal time in the classroom? It's a scary day for American education.”

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