Subjects: Civics/government

Grade Level(s): 6-8

Time Frame: 4, 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 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. Students will identify student's own Senators and Representatives; explain how states are represented in the House of Representatives and the Senate; name the total number of Senators and the total number of Representatives; name the term lengths of Senators and Representatives; find the current salaries of Senators and Representatives; locate examples of states with the fewest and most Representatives; locate and explain examples of famous legislation Congress has passed; locate examples of famous Congresspeople and explain their fame; and visualize the who, where, and what of Congress.

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 define "Senator,","Representative,", "legislative," and "Congress."

3.0 Understanding: Students…Name the total number of Senators and the total number of Representatives. Name the term lengths of Senators and Representatives. Find the current salaries of Senators and Representatives. Locate examples of states with the fewest and most Representatives. Identify student's own Senators and Representatives. Locate and explain examples of famous legislation Congress has passed. Locate examples of famous Congresspeople and explain their fame. Explain how states are represented in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

4.0 Application: Students collect examples of Congress in action.

5.0 Analysis: Students categorize information collected.

6.0 Synthesis: Students display information and images on collage visually.

7.0 Evaluation: Students critique collages.

Procedure/Sequence

Class 1
Explain to students that they will be working on "visualizing" Congress-to get a better picture of who is involved, where it all happens, etc…what Congress looks like in action.

Students write in their journal definitions for "senator," "representative," "legislative," and "Congress."
Review these terms.

Distribute assignment sheet "Scavenger Hunt: Congress in action" and explain/answer questions. Make sure to tell students the resources they have available to help them find information.

Put students in groups.

Allow students to divide up tasks and begin research.

Class 2
Students research.

Class 3
Students research and begin assembly of collage.

Class 4
Students complete assembly of collage. Students display collages for others to see. On notecards, students critique collages: which one is most effective in helping to visualize Congress and why.

Materials:

Constitution
Internet access/computers
Newspapers
History/civics textbooks and/or other resource books
Paper
Scissors
Glue/tape
Markers
"Scavenger Hunt: Congress in action"(handout)
Notecards

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
III. B. 1. Major responsibilities for domestic and foreign policy
III. D. 1. Who represents you in legislative…..branch of ….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.