Curated OER
Utah's Legislative Branch: How a Bill Becomes a Law
Seventh graders discover how a bill becomes a law in Utah. In groups, they decide on a law they would like to see enacted and discuss its chances of being passed by the legislative branch in Utah. They hold elections in which each...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 4 James Madison: Internal Improvements Balancing Act—Federal/State and Executive/Legislative
Who has the power? The founding fathers asked the same question when the United States was formed. Learners explore issues that arose during Madison’s presidency that raised constitutional questions. Through discovery, discussion, and...
Curated OER
My Senator and Me: A Dog's-Eye View of Washington, D.C.
Although this legislative process lesson is designed to accompany a specific text, it is valuable independently. Young learners participate in a picture walk (worksheet included) through My Senator and Me: A Dog's-Eye View...
Curated OER
Exploring the Three Branches of Government
Pupils view a PowerPoint presentation to explore the three branches of government. Using this infromation, they identify the people, buildings and responsiblities of each branch. They complete a worksheet using the internet and take a...
Curated OER
Follow a Bill!
Students participate in an activity to discover how a bill becomes law in California. In groups, they create a school program based on their own ideas for change. They develop and conduct a survey within their community and present their...
Curated OER
Endangered Species Act
Students spend the duration of this instructional activity examining the text of the Endangered Species Act. Individually, they complete a profile to determine where they stand on the bill and read excerpts from it. Some role-play the...
Curated OER
The Powers of Mom: Understanding the Legislative, Executive and Judicial Power
Tenth graders examine the powers of each branch of the government. They analyze the causes and effects of relationships within the government. They participate in activities to help them comprehend the material.
Curated OER
Examine Your State Government's Demographics
How is your state government organized? How many elected officials are women? What is the mean age of your state representatives? Young scholars answer these questions in a research project before creating a chart to reflect their...
Curated OER
Issues Poll
Learners chart out what an opinion poll is and its effects on issues in society. They view an authentic poll to compare/contrast. In addition, they type out a word association key to help assemble a poll and then take a survey on...
Curated OER
The Constitution
Eighth graders watch as their teacher presents information on the Constitution, government and laws through a PowerPoint presentation. In groups, they discuss the importance of government and laws and identify the main ideas in the...