About Us
Congress: The Context
SUBJECTS
U.S. Government, Civics, U.S. History
GRADE LEVEL
7-12
OBJECTIVES
In this lesson, students will determine the qualifications for Congress and create want ads for the positions of senator and congressman.
LESSON PLAN
Day 1:
Estimated Time: 45 minutes
Instructional Strategies:
Warm-up/Anticipatory Set: 5 minutes
Ask students, “What do you think the qualifications for congressional membership should be?” List student responses on the board. Explain that the framers of the Constitution felt that there should be very specific qualifications for members of Congress (Article I) and that today they will be doing research to find out what these qualifications are. Explain that the list they have on the board will probably have many changes and that as they read, they should be thinking about why the framers included the things they did.
Development: 35 minutes
Instruct students to read Article I of the United States Constitution. As they read, they are to complete the attached Comparing the House and Senate chart.
After students have had sufficient time to complete the chart, ask them to share the information as you fill in the chart on the overhead or board.
Explain that students will be using the information that they collected to write a want ad for a congressman and senator. Take a few minutes to review this information using the attached Comparing the House and Senate chart displayed on the overhead or board.
Ask students to list the elements included in a want ad. As students respond, list their answers on the overhead or board. The list should include: salary, skills, location, job requirements, and job benefits.
Place a copy of the grading requirements on the overhead or board and review with the students. (See attached Scoring Tool – Want Ads)
Pass out one sheet of white paper and a ruler to each student. Instruct students to fold the paper in half and explain that the top portion will be used to advertise for a senator and the bottom portion will be used to advertise for a congressman.
Before students begin their final copies, they are to complete a rough draft on notebook paper and have another student review for accuracy. Once the review process is complete, students may begin to work on their final copies.Closure: 5 minutes
Ask students to look at their original responses to the question, “What do you think qualifications for Congress should be?” Ask students if they notice any differences and to explain why they think the framers included some of the qualifications that they did.
Homework
Students will complete their want ads.
Possible Extension: Students will re-write Article I of the Constitution to change the qualifications for Congress.
RESOURCES
Article I of the United States Constitution
CREDIT
Lisa Wertz
Thomas Stone High School
Waldorf, MD
