This 10-week unit is designed to engage middle school students
in a series of creative and multi-disciplinary activities that
will help them understand representative government - how the
ideas for representative government evolved, how our current
Congress functions, and how today's citizens can participate
in representative government. In the 15 lesson plans presented
here, activities include students examining primary sources,
conducting a Congressional Scavenger Hunt, acting out scenes
from a day in a Senator's life, and writing letters to members
of Congress. These lessons include reproducible activity handouts
and graphic organizers created to help students with varied learning
styles both visualize Congress in the past and present and break
information down in comprehensible ways. While the materials
comprise a cohesive unit, the individual lesson plans stand on
their own.
The resources that accompany each lesson come primarily from
the Internet in order to make these lessons accessible and functional
for as many teachers as possible. The lesson plans can also be
found on the CongressLink website, at www.congresslink.org.
This project is supported by a Robert H. Michel Civic Education
Grant sponsored by The Dirksen Congressional Center, Pekin, IL.
The author is Hilary G. Conklin, formerly a middle school teacher,
now pursuing her PhD in Curriculum and Instruction at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison.
Understanding Representative Government: Table of Contents
1. An
Introduction to Representative Government
In this lesson, students compare rule-making by one to rule-making
by many through simulations, class discussions, and the creation
of a Venn diagram.
(4 classes)
2. Lessons from
the Roman Republic
In this lesson, students learn about the influences of the Roman
Republic on our government today. Students create an advertisement
persuading people that representative government is the best
form of government.
(3 classes)
3. The
Great Compromise-a House Divided
In this lesson, students create their own solution to the problem
of representation at the Constitutional Convention and read primary
sources to gain different perspectives on the compromise that
was actually reached. The lesson concludes with students creating
a cartoon depiction of the final compromise.
(3 classes)
4. 2, 4, 6,
8…Who Knows What's in Article I, Section 8? (or Powers
of Congress)
In this lesson, students read Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution
and create a poem, rap, cheer, or song that presents the powers
of Congress creatively. As a wrap-up, students justify which
Congressional powers they believe are most important.
(3 classes)
5. What
Can You Learn about Congress from Pictures?
In this lesson, students examine different images of the Senate
and House Chambers to draw conclusions about Congress. They "paint" a
blank template of a Congressional Chamber with words describing
the conclusions they have reached.
(3 classes)
6. A
Congressional Scavenger Hunt
In this lesson, students work in groups to find names of Senators
and Representatives, requirements to become a Congressperson,
maps of states with many and few representatives, political cartoons
and more for a Scavenger Hunt on Congress. Students create a
poster or collage to display their findings.
(4 classes)
7. A Day
in the Life of a Senator
In this lesson, students read a primary source document written
by a former Senator and create skits depicting a scene in the
life of a Senator. Finally, students evaluate their own potential
as future Senators.
(4 classes)
8. Highlights
of the Senate: Creating a Timeline of the Senate's History
In this lesson, students select facts and milestones of the Senate
to create a timeline of the Senate's history. Students make judgments
about which single event would be most important to know.
(3 classes)
9. Congress'
s Accomplishments…What has Congress Done for You?
In this lesson, students use primary and secondary sources to
become experts on a law Congress has passed and teach each other
about the laws they have researched. Students then illustrate
the impact of one of these laws with "before" and "after" pictures
and justify the importance of the law in writing.
(4 classes)
10. How a
Bill becomes a Law: Charting the Path
In this lesson, students learn the steps of a bill becoming a
law and use this information to write a story about "the life
of a bill." Students then evaluate the effectiveness of our system
of creating laws.
(3 classes)
11. The Creation
of a Bill: Mr. Smith and You
In this lesson, students view an excerpt of the classic film "Mr.
Smith goes to Washington" to learn how a bill is created and
presented in Congress. Students then work in groups to develop
and present their own bills to the class.
(3 classes)
12. Getting
Involved: How Can You Participate in Representative Government?
In this lesson, students examine the different ways people can
participate in representative government through class discussions,
group work, and investigation of primary and secondary sources.
Students create commercials that inform viewers how to get involved
in representative government.
(3 classes)
13. Making
Your Views Known: Writing a Letter to Congress
In this lesson, students read sample letters to Congress, choose
an issue of concern in the nation, and write their own letters
to a Congressperson.
(4 classes)
14. Does
it Matter if We Participate in Representative Government?
A Socratic Seminar
In this lesson, students participate in a Socratic seminar to
discuss and defend the importance of participating in representative
government.
(1 class)
15. Final
Assessment: Creating a Citizen's Guide to Congress
In this lesson, students bring all previous lessons together
by creating a citizen's guide to Congress.
(5 classes)
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