Curated OER
A Day in the Life of Bill C-One
Students explore the procedures that make bills into laws, identify the sources of opinion that form debates, bills, and laws and engage in part of the process by discussing whether or not a bill should become a law.
iCivics
Mini-Lesson: Congressional Committees
How exactly do both houses of Congress come to a formal decision on an issue? Scholars research the use of congressional committees as part of the legislative process. By using current events to analyze information, they see the role...
Curated OER
How government Works
Young scholars read to understand the process of lawmaking. For this lawmaking lesson, students define vocabulary and create an organizer showing the law making process. Young scholars role play the various people involved in the...
Curated OER
Government law
Fifth graders explain how a bill becomes a law. They watch a video and take notes on the video titled: America Rock "I'm Just a Bill." Students work in groups to create a bill to present to congress that relates to safety. They read...
Curated OER
The Journey of a Bill
Fifth graders discover how a bill becomes a law in America. After watching a video, they put the steps of a bill becoming a law into the correct order. They create their own bill that they believe needs to be passed out of construction...
Curated OER
From a Bill to a Law
Students explore government by participating in a role playing activity. In this legal system lesson, students discuss the tasks which needed to be competed in order to write a bill and have it turned into law by the President. Students...
Curated OER
Racism: Law and Attitude
Students examine discrimination laws. In this racism lesson plan, students compare and contrast de facto and de jure discrimination. Students also explore the Bill of Rights and determine what makes some acts and speech illegal.
Curated OER
Rock the Vote
Students dramatize the process by which a bill becomes a law. They design a product that explains the function of the Legislative Branch in government and present their work to the class.
Curated OER
Living News: Classroom Materials
Students explore controversial current events. In this Bill of Rights lesson plan, students research selected issues and examine the issues from different perspectives. Students script and record news stories that feature their findings.
Curated OER
You Be the Member
Learners explain the process of how a bill becomes a law. They see the role and responsibilities of a member of Parliament and explain the influence of others on the MP's decision-making.
Frontline
Obama's Deal
Government classes benefit from examining how a bill passes through Congress, while they focus on the compromises made by Obama's administration regarding health care reform. This includes an online video and a couple of handouts. The...
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
Let's Heat Things Up!
Students build and evaluate simple models to understand the greenhouse effect. They explore the role of increased greenhouse gas concentration in global warming, and the implications of global warming theory for engineers, themselves...
Curated OER
Mock Congress
Students simulate the legislative process of law-making by assuming different roles. They investigate the process by writing a bill on any subject of his/her own choice
Curated OER
Student Opinion: How Should Schools Address Bullying?
Spark a disscussion about a current issue, bullying, in your classroom. This resource, published by The New York Times, provides a short article discussing a Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights passed into law in the state New Jersey followed...
Curated OER
Formally Amending the Constitution
How easy is it to amend the U.S. Constitution? As your students will learn in this government worksheet, not very. Five true/false questions and five multiple choice questions quiz students on the process of amending the Constitution, as...
Curated OER
The Ongoing Debate: Crime Control v. Due Process Protection
Young scholars investigate the Exclusionary Rule and other ways of to enforce the protections found in the Bill of Rights. They study how effective criminal control and public safety is carried out while citizens Constitutional rights...
Curated OER
Follow a Bill!
Learners 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
Mock Congress
Students get involved in the legislative process of law-making by assuming different roles and working with contemporary issues. Working in small groups, students write and work on different bills. Evaluation rubric included.
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...
Curated OER
LEGISLATION: Passing a bill in The House of Representatives
Ninth graders explore how legislation is introduced to the House of Representatives with special emphasis on how issues of national importance arise and how bills move through the chamber. Students debate an urgent bill and direct...
Curated OER
The Supremes
Students discuss steps cases go through to reach Supreme Court, examine Bill of Rights, and rank rights in order of importance to them. Students then research Supreme Court case dealing with one of first ten amendments, and write about...
K12 Reader
Responsibilities of Citizenship
Your pupils are all citizens of your classroom. Provide some more instruction on how people can be citizens with the reading passage included here. After reading, learners answer the five related questions.
C-SPAN
Presidential Veto and Congressional Override
One of the key powers of the executive branch is the president's ability to pass or veto legislation proposed by Congress. Congress, the legislative branch, on the other hand, can override a president's veto. Five film clips show how the...