Subjects: U.S. Government
Grade Level(s): 11-12
Time Frame: 3-4, 50-minute periods
Objectives [What the student should know and be able
to do at the end of the lesson]:
1.0 Overall: The purpose of this lesson is to
acquaint students with their senators and representatives by
utilizing a variety of web sites. Students will explore their
own positions on issues and then compare them with positions
and policy decisions of the senators and representative. Finally,
students will take part in the political process by communicating
their views with a member of
Congress and develop a greater understanding of the workings
of a representative democracy.
Bloom's Taxonomy: CongressLink lesson plans are built
around Bloom's
taxonomy. The purpose of the taxonomy is to provide a coherent
format for lessons and to make it easier for teachers to design
them according to CongressLink's standards.
2.0 Knowledge: Students will identify their representative
and senators and become acquainted with who they are (biographical
information) and the positions they hold in Congress.
3.0 Understanding: Students will rank the relative
position of power and influence each of their representatives
have in Congress based on seniority, party affiliation, and
committee membership. Students will classify their Congress
member’s positions on chosen issues.
4.0 Application: Students determine over which policy
issues their Congress members have the most influence applying
the information they have collected about them.
5.0 Analysis: Students will compare and contrast positions
on policy and issues of their representatives with issues that
they have deemed important for themselves.
6.0 Synthesis: Students will formulate their
own positions on issues or policy and communicate them in a
letter or e-mail to a representative they choose with the purpose
of either influencing or supporting his/her policy decisions
on that issue.
7.0 Evaluation: Students will present their own position
papers on their chosen issues to the class as well as present
their findings on the selected Congress member’s policy
positions on the issue. The class will then discuss the merits
of the communication and suggest changes or additions to enhance
its effectiveness. ( As this is very time consuming, a rubric
could easily be developed to evaluate this lesson for grading
purposes).
Procedure/Sequence
Class 1
Present an overview of the lesson to the students reviewing
the concepts of a direct democracy and a representative democracy
and why the U.S. has a representative democracy. Take the
class to an internet lab (or modify as facilities permit).
Give each student a study guide and have them identify and
find information about their senators and representative
using the internet. Discuss the positions of importance in
Congress and the factors that influence a Congress member’s
power and effectiveness. Have the students determine which
of the three members they are investigating seems to have
the most influential position.
Class 2
Have students complete the issue position survey to help students
determine their own views and priorities on issues facing
Congress (this may be done as homework). Review the concept
of an interest group and discuss the focus of a few groups
for examples. Have each student select a few of the areas
they are interested in. Students should then identify groups
that deal with issues that relate to the areas they have
selected as important to themselves.
Class 2-3
Take the class to your internet facility and log on to the
web site www.vote-smart.com.
Students can then select the page on rating members of Congress.
Students should then see how some of the interest groups
have rated their senators and representatives on issues selected
by the students. From here they will have the opportunity
to go directly to web sites of interest groups concerned
with their areas of interest. Have the students select one
of their three members of Congress that they see as being
most involved (either in a positive or negative way) with
an issue they feel is important. The students should then
collect evidence of their representatives position on the
issue and record it.
Class 3-4
Students are to write an e-mail or letter to the representative
they have chosen stating their views on the issue they have
selected. They should also address the representative’s
position on that issue and the reasons why or why not they
support his decisions. These communications will be shared
with the class and discussed encouraging suggestions to increase
the effectiveness of the letters.
*Culminating activity- At some later date share communications
from the members of Congress who respond and discuss the issues
of political effectiveness and citizen responsibility in a
representative democracy.
Materials:
Students require access to the Internet to do research, primarily
on CongressLink.
Related Web Sites: www.capweb.net/, www.policy.com/, www.vote-smart.org/, http://thomas.loc.gov/
Contact author for position survey and study guides to be
used by students.
National Standards Addressed by Lesson [based on National
Standards for Civics and Government, Center for Civic Education,
1994. Citation based on section, subsection, standard of the
document]:
Fundamental values and principles (II-D-3)
The public agenda (III-E-1)
Forming and carrying out public policy (III-E-6)
Civic responsibilities (V-C-7)
Forms of political participation (V-E-3)
Knowledge and participation (V-E-5)
Evaluation/Assessment: See: http://www.congresslink.org/rubric/pdf
Author(s):
Larry Petrillo
1341 St. James Ct
Palatine, IL 60067
847-755-2825
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