Making Laws Teacher Resources

Students are introduced to how Parliament makes laws. In groups, they play a game in which they identify the purpose of petitions. To end the lesson, they work together to create a new petition on an issue of importance to them and...

Students take a closer look at the responsibilities of British Parliament. In this British government lesson plan, students participate in a simulation that requires them to examine the stages of bill passage in Parliament. 

Explore the importance of rules in a community with the engaging first lesson of this series on the US government. To begin, children play a paper clip game that requires them to make up their own rules as they go, after which the...

Learners examine Article I, Sections 1, 7, and 8, of the U.S. Constitution and discuss the authority and restrictions placed on the Congress in making laws.

Second graders are introduced to the concept of political campaigning. As a class, they review how Parliament makes laws. They decide on an issue they would like to see passed and get other classmates to sign their petitions. To end the...

Young scholars list examples of how laws have impacted their daily lives, and describe how legislators debate, discuss, and pass into law public policies that affect individuals and society.

Laws affect everything from a scholar's favorite public park to rules in the classroom. Express the importance of lawmaking and teach how they relate to every facet of life with a resource on how a bill becomes a law.

Students make a chart on what they learned about how a bill becomes a law. In this law making lesson plan, students research the authority and restrictions placed on Congress on how they make a bill into a law and then present their...

Second graders explain the institutions and practices of governments in the United States and other countries. They explain the difference between making laws, carrying out laws, determining if laws have been violated and punishing...

Young scholars discuss laws and their importance. They discuss silly or unique laws and explore the process that must be followed to make a law.

Students consider the presence of authority in their lives. In this law lesson, students compare forgotten laws that function in their lives to forgotten instructions in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Students make a mace as a symbol of the legislatures authority to make laws.

How do new amendments become part of the US Constitution? AP government students explore, analyze, and use the US Constitution to develop a deep understanding of the interworkings of law and government while practicing synthesis and...

Kids who take the Regents Exam really need to know a lot of information. This is a wonderful exam review tool that includes 26 pages of questions, charts, and suggested readings to help upper graders pass the test. It focuses on all...

Students share their knowledge of England, then read a news article about Prince Charles's anticipated visit to the U.S. In this current events lesson (written prior to Prince Charles's visit), the teacher introduces the article with a...

Students examine the roles and responsibilities of the U.S. president and their own roles as citizens of a democracy. They explore various websites, listen to a State of the Union address, and write a letter to the President of the...

Students explore tribal sovereignty. In this American Indian lesson, students learn about tribal sovereignty, watch a movie, take notes, and complete a reaction paper.

Why study landmark Supreme court cases? A helpful lesson offers a brief but valuable argument for the importance of these cases in the field of criminology. It introduces scholars to some key terms necessary for studying court cases and...

Seven steps are required for a bill to become a United States law. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) is used as a model for the process of how a bill becomes a law.  Class members work independently through a...

Set down the basics of the three branches of government with the reading passage included here. After reading, class members answer five questions related to the passage.

What is life like on a Native American reservation? Learn about the ways a tribal government works with a reading comprehension activity. After reading a short passage, kids use context clues to answer five comprehension questions.

How are tribal governments similar to local or state governments? After reading a short article on tribal governments, individuals draw evidence from the provided article to respond to this reading comprehension question.

Scholars analyze why the Founding Fathers separated the governmental powers into three branches. They use evidence from a short video clip, the third in a 50-part series, to draw conclusions on the importance of having checks and...

The US Constitution is the beginning of Americans' rights. Use a five-paragraph passage to give a brief history of the US Constitution. A great last minute addition to a lesson on Constitution Day.