Lesson Plan: Congressional Reapportionment/Redistricting

SUBJECTS

U.S. Government

GRADE LEVEL

10-12

OBJECTIVES

In this lesson, students will encounter some of the problems legislators face in accomplishing the goal of reapportionment. As a group, students will answer questions about reapportioning an imaginary state.

LESSON PLAN

As a group, define/describe the following terms:

Apportionment

Reapportionment

Census

Congressman-at-large

Gerrymander

Wesberry vs. Sanders (1964)

Reapportionment Act of 1929

As a group, answer the following questions about reapportionment.

Why do states do it? Is the intent of the Reapportionment Act of 1929 still being met today? Explain.

Who is legally responsible for it? Who is the job actually passed on to?

How exactly is reapportionment done? What are the steps?

MAP ACTIVITY

The attached imaginary state has 34 counties. The population of each county is indicated. The state is entitled to 10 members in the U.S. House of Representatives because its total population is 5 million.

Divide the state into ten districts in such a way as to make each district (1) as nearly equal as possible in population, and (2) as geographically compact as possible. A district may be smaller than a county or include more than one county. The variance between congressional districts should be no more than -/+ 10,000.

The ideal district should contain 500,000 people. However, a district may have as few as 490,000 people or as many as 510,000 people. All people in the state must be accounted for.

Color each of the 10 districts a different color. Outline each district in a heavy color. Number each district.

Separate the districts making each of them as close to 500,000 as possible.

Make a key.

Identify the color, the number of the district, and the population of the district.

RESOURCES

Each student should have a copy of the Imaginary Reapportionment Map

Sample Imaginary Reapportionment Map

Colored pencils, crayons, markers, or chalk

CREDIT

This lesson was presented by a past Congress in the Classroom® participant.

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