| Lesson Plans:
Checks and Balances: The Line Item Veto
In this lesson, students perform a series of activities culminating in
a persuasive letter to their Congress Member. Citing evidence from
primary sources, students construct a position on the Line-Item Veto
Amendment.
Congressional Workload
This lesson employs various measures of House and Senate productivity
since 1947 so that students will know how legislative work is measured
and evaluated.
House Floor Debate Simulation
This unit will help teachers create a simulation of the U.S. House of
Representatives floor debate process that can be adapted for use in a
variety of middle school, high school, and college classrooms.
How a Bill Becomes a Law: Charting the Path
In this lesson, students learn the steps of a bill becoming a law and
use this information to write a story about "the life of a bill."
Students then evaluate the effectiveness of our system of creating
laws.
Iron Triangles
"Iron Triangles" helps students understand how issue networks are
formed at the federal level.
Making Congress Work Through Leadership
The general purpose of this unit is to introduce students to the
contrasting leadership styles practiced by different elected party
leaders in Congress. This will help them understand such concepts as
majority and minority roles in legislatures; the nature of
deliberation, negotiation, and compromise; the context that shapes
legislative leadership; and, the work of Congress more generally.
The State of the Union Address
In this unit, students will about the nature and purpose of the
President's State of the Union message. Using George Washington's
first message and Bill Clinton's most recent, the unit shows how the
State of the Union message involves Congress.
The Veto Process
Students will be able to (1) summarize the veto and override process
as outlined in the U.S. Constitution and used by the executive and
legislative branches; (2) research and graph the correlation among the
political control of the respective branches, bills introduced, and
the number of vetoes and overrides.
What Can You Learn about Congress from Pictures?
In this lesson, students examine different images of the Senate and
House Chambers to draw conclusions about Congress. They "paint" a
blank template of a Congressional Chamber with words describing the
conclusions they have reached.
Congress and the Courts
Students will analyze the United States Constitution to discern the
relationship between Congress and the federal courts, the attributes
they deem important in a judge, and how the courts can influence
legislation. Students will also apply to principle of judicial review
to legislation as they take on the role of a federal judge.
Amending the Constitution
One of the most important but least used powers of Congress is the
ability to amend the Constitution. In this lesson, students become
familiar with both ratified and failed amendments, connect a current
amendment proposal before Congress with past efforts, determine how
decisions are made with regard to amendments, and develop an original
proposal for an amendment.
U.S. Capitol
Students are linked to the United States Capitol, located in
Washington, DC. Visiting the Capitol, even in the virtual sense, will
help students grasp the idea that the House and the Senate are
separate bodies within Congress, each with its own space within the
Capitol.
Structure and Powers of the Federal Government
In this lesson students will explain the structure and powers of the
federal government and assess the validity of recent criticisms of
each branch of the federal government.
The Creation of a Bill: Mr. Smith and You
In this lesson, students view an excerpt of the classic film "Mr.
Smith goes to Washington" to learn how a bill is created and presented
in Congress. Students then work in groups to develop and present their
own bills to the class.
Teaching With Documents Lesson Plan: FDR's First
Inaugural Address - Declaring "War" on the Great Depression
Students use FDR's address to evaluate, take, and defend
positions on issues regarding the purposes, organization, and
functions of the institutions of the national government. (Lesson can
be modified for 7th grade.)
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Language Arts