Unit and lesson plans prepared by teachers using CongressLink resources and features.

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.

Congressional Powers
The general purpose of this unit is to introduce high school students to the powers of the United States Congress through the use of CongressLink and other related Internet resources. In this unit students will develop a fundamental knowledge concerning the powers of the United States Congress, compare the powers of the U.S. legislature with that of another nation, and assess the current role of the Congress with reference to the ideology of the framers of the Constitution. This unit will help students learn to classify legislative powers, compare and contrast legislative powers, and evaluate the status of Congress today.

Congressional Power, Organization, the Differences Between the House and the Senate, and Criticisms Then and Now
In Federalist No. 51 Madison wrote, "In a Republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates. The remedy for this inconvenience is to divide the legislature into different branches." The Framers of the Constitution took great care in organizing the legislative branch of the United States government into a bicameral system to avoid overpowering the other two branches. There are distinct differences between congressional power and organization of the House of Representatives and the Senate. In this lesson, students will discuss among their group why the Framers chose to organize the legislative branch of the U.S. government in the manner that they did.

War-Making: The Use of a Congressional Power
The purpose of this lesson is for the student to understand the sharing of powers between the Executive and Legislative branches in the war-making power. Students will also gain an insight into the events surrounding the declaration of war in 1941 and the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964.

What in the World Should Congress Do?
Students will use primary sources to decide when they think it is appropriate for Congress to intervene in foreign affairs.