Curated OER
Congressional Committees and the Legislative Process
Students consider the importance and influence of congressional committees. They research congressional committee assignments, jurisdictions and responsibilities as illustrations of the basic principles of American federalism.
iCivics
Why Do We Have a House and Senate, Anyway?
Why does the United States have a bicameral voting system? Through role playing as either advocates for or against a cell phone policy in school, your learners will organize, vote, compromise, and experience first-hand the benefits of a...
Curated OER
How Laws Are Made
Learners create a graphic organizer to illustrate the steps elected representatives must take to make a new law. Included: Student work sheet and role-play ideas. Students use their graphic organizers to write a paragraph briefly...
Curated OER
Simplified United States Constitution and Bill of Rights
A good handout is a great find. Print this resource and hand out a simplified version of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights to your US government or US history class. The powers of the president, Congress, and the Senate are...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Congress and the President
Learners take a critical look at the ways in which the president interacts with Congress in order to make political and economic decisions. They use a series of well-constructed discussion questions to guide their thinking as they...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Joseph Wilson Accuses the President
Get a fun discussion going with this current events worksheet, which has scholars analyzing 2 political cartoons about an incident in 2009, when Congressman Joseph Wilson accused President Barack Obama of lying during a speech....
Curated OER
Cartoons for The Classroom: Lame Duck Congress
Clear up "lame duck" congressional confusion with this political cartoon analysis instructional activity. Background information on the concept's history and current use is provided, and 2 cartoons give a past and present context. Three...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: 2012 Mid-Term Elections
Use a political cartoon to help scholars grasp the significant turnover in Congress following the 2012 mid-term election. A Mike Keefe cartoon uses symbols and current political lingo to convey perspective on the issue, and background...
Curated OER
How to Become a Member of Congress
Young scholars identify requirements for becoming a U.S. Representative or a U.S. Senator, explain procedure for running for representative or senator, and create an informational brochure.
Curated OER
Express Your Opinion
Students explore local, state, and national levels of government and discuss which level of government they should contact to get information, express their opinions, or get help on specific issues.
Curated OER
Powers of Congress: The Scope of Congressional Powers
Use this as a quiz or to guide reading. There are five true/false and five multiple choice questions for the class to answer. Topics covered relate to the type of power Congress has and the constructionists movement.
Curated OER
Constitution Jeopardy
Although just a quick review of general information learned about the Constitution and U.S. government, this presentation could be used as a fun activity before the beginning of a class lesson, or as an independent experience. The...
Curated OER
Picture This: Election Results Graphs
Learners use art supplies or a free online tool to graph election results. Students follow local election and results. Using "Create a Graph, a free online graphing tool, they make a graph of the results.
Curated OER
"Let us Reason Together" Lyndon Johnson, Master Legislator
High schoolers explore the contributions of Lyndon B. Johnson. In this congress lesson, students listen to their instructor lecture on the prowess of Lyndon B. Johnson's legislative skills. High schoolers respond to discussion questions...
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 of Washington,...
Curated OER
3 Branches of Our Government
This straightforward fill-in-the-blank activity could be used for a variety of purposes. Young historians are given 10 sentences about the branches of government; they fill in the blanks with terminology that is related to the United...
Curated OER
Branches of Government: Crossword Puzzle
Reinforce terminology that goes along with the branches of government with this crossword puzzle. There are 17 clues provided. Learners fill in the crossword puzzle with the appropriate answers regarding the legislative, executive, and...
Curated OER
Branches of Government
After reading a short text on the branches of government in the United States, future voters answer 8 fill-in-the-blank questions, as well as 11 true or false questions. This worksheet would be a great homework assignment or silent...
Curated OER
Reporter Rights vs. Legal Access...
Students explore cases that have occurred in the past in which reporters refuse to reveal their confidential conversations with government sources and investigate the status of the current bills in Congress. Students use this information...
Curated OER
Specializations of Members of Congress
Students use the internet to research and determine who their representative is. In groups, they discuss how the representatives set their priorities and identify the various roles they can play. They determine which role their own...
Curated OER
The Job of a Legislator
Students review the roles and responsibitlies of members of Congress. After reading excerpts of a book about one member, they write their own version about the same representative. They also identify the challenges and benefits of begin...
Curated OER
Write to a Member of Congress
Students discover how to identify and contact their local Representative. They can send an email or a regular letter to their Representative voicing their concerns. They share with the class any responses.
Curated OER
The First Day of Congress
Middle schoolers examine experiences had by representatives on the first day of Congress. They role-play the role of one of the members of Congress and they participate in opening day events. They complete worksheets to finish the...
Curated OER
The Importance of Representative Democracy
Students examine the general concept of representative democracy, and compare/contrast the American representative democracy to the monarchical system. They research the role of legislative bodies in serving the government, particularly...