Subjects: Civics/government
Grade Level(s): 6-8
Time Frame: 3, 50-minute periods
Objectives [What the student should know and be able
to do at the end of the lesson]:
1.0 Overall: 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. Students will be able to review the steps required for
a bill to become a law, learn how to prepare and present a
bill, write and explain a bill they have created, debate and
decide which bill out of class has most potential for success,
and identify issues of concern in the community and nation.
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 recall steps of bill being
passed into law.
3.0 Understanding: Students understand the process
of preparing and presenting a bill.
4.0 Application: Students think of possible issues
about which they could write bills.
5.0 Analysis: Students break down the steps required
to write their bill.
6.0 Synthesis: Students compose and present their own
bill to the class.
7.0 Evaluation: Students select the bill they think
is most worthy of passage and vote.
Procedure/Sequence
Class 1
As class, review the steps of a bill becoming law. Give students
an overview of what "Mr. Smith" is about, and events leading
up to the point they will begin viewing. (At the beginning
of the movie, Senator Sam Foley dies in Washington. The governor
of the state wants to find a replacement Senator who won't
find out about some corrupt business they are doing, so he
is persuaded to appoint a man named Jefferson Smith. Smith
is a local hero and youth leader with no political experience-he
is considered a "simpleton." So, Smith is officially appointed
as Senator and gets on a train with the other Senator, Joseph
Harrison Paine, to Washington, DC. As soon as they arrive
in Washington, Smith is so excited to see the Capitol building
that he gets separated from Senator Paine and wanders out
of the train station.)Show excerpt: (recommended excerpt:
about 40 minutes START--21 minutes in, scene is Mr. Smith
on a tourbus seeing the sights of DC FINISH-60 minutes in,
scene is Mr. Smith introducing his bill to Senate). As students
watch, they take notes to answer "preparing and presenting
a bill" handout.
Class 2
Discuss handout on Mr. Smith excerpt. (you should probably
tell students that Mr. Smith wins in the end-if they're curious).
Discuss what his bill was (to create a national boys camp),
what he had to do to write it (explain the why, when, where,
how, and everything else) and present it (stand up in Senate
and present bill). As class, brainstorm issues of concern
in the community and nation. What are some issues that need
a law to improve the situation? Put students in groups. In
groups, the students choose an issue and bill they will propose.
In groups, students write up basics of bill in "writing your
own bill" handout.
Class 3
Each group selects a speaker-speaker presents the group's bill.
Students as a whole class then debate which bill has the
greatest chance of actual success (passage) and defend why.
Write up nominations on board. Students individually vote
on which bill they would pass.Share results!
Materials:
Film "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" (widely available at video
stores, libraries, through educational resource catalogs)
TV and VCR
"Preparing and presenting a bill" (handout)
"Writing your own bill" (handout)
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]:
5-8 Content Standards
II. D. 2. Conflicts among values and principles in American
political and social life
III. A. 1. Distributing, sharing, and limiting powers of the
national government.
Evaluation/Assessment: See: http://www.congresslink.org/rubric/pdf
Author(s):
Hilary G. Conklin
This project is supported by a Robert H. Michel Civic Education
Grant sponsored by The Dirksen Congressional Center, Pekin, IL.
|
