Subjects: Civics/government, US History
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 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 a "before" and "after" cartoon
and justify the importance of the law in writing. Students
will identify historical and contemporary examples of important
domestic policies, explain how and why domestic policies affect
their lives, use a primary source to learn more about a law,
and teach each other about specific laws
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 Congress as law making
body.
3.0 Understanding: Students distinguish among examples
of laws that Congress has passed.
4.0 Application: Students collect information on one
specific law.
5.0 Analysis: Students analyze a primary source to
learn further about a law.
6.0 Synthesis: Students articulate what they have learned
about their law to other students.
7.0 Evaluation: Students evaluate which of the 5 laws
they think is most important to their lives today.
Procedure/Sequence
Class 1
Review Congress' major job: making laws. Ask students to brainstorm
laws they think Congress has made that affect them-discuss.
Introduce 5 laws to be discussed:
--Pure Food and Drug Act
--National Environmental Policy Act
--Civil Rights Act of 1964
--Social Security Act
--Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938-child labor
Assign students different laws to research (ie, in class of
25 students, give 5 students Social Security Act, 5 students
Pure Food and Drug Act, etc.). Students begin individual research
on their law using first handout "Researching a law that Congress
has passed"
Class 2
Students finish individual research. Discuss meaning of primary
source and how it differs from a secondary source. Give students
the primary source that relates to their law. Students use
second handout "Using a primary source to learn about a law" to
read primary source on their law and take notes.
Class 3
Students finish reading primary source. Students meet with
other students who learned about SAME law-share findings
with each other, etc. Students complete row with their law
on third handout "Congress' Accomplishments: What has Congress
done for you?" together. Students practice explaining their
law to others within the group-be prepared to teach others.
Class 4
Put students in groups of 5-each member should have researched
a DIFFERENT law (jigsaw format). Students take turns within
the group teaching each other about their law-other students
listen and take notes in third handout "Congress' Accomplishments:
What has Congress done for you?" Students begin evaluation:
Students choose the law they think affects their lives today
the most. They draw a "before" and "after" picture showing
the impact of the legislation. They write one paragraph explaining
why they think this law is most important to their lives
today. (4th handout "Which law is most important to our lives
today?")
Materials:
Our Nation's Archives: The History of the United States
in Documents, editors Bruun, E. and Crosby, J. (Black
Dog and Leventhal Publishers: New York, 1999): p. 512-excerpt
of The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair (Pure Food and Drug Act);
p. 722 Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (Env'tal Protection);
p. 614 The Social Security Act of 1935 (Social Security);
p. 730 MLK Jr.s letter from a Birmingham City Jail (civil
rights act); p. 471 Darkness and Daylight by Helen Campbell
(child labor)
"Researching a law that Congress has passed" (handout)
"Using a primary source to learn about a law" (handout)
"Congress' Accomplishments: What has Congress done for you?" (handout)
"Which law is most important to our lives today?" (handout)
Other research resources: textbooks, other books, Internet
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]:
III. B. 1. Major responsibilities for domestic and foreign
policy
III. E. 1. The place of law in American society
III. E. 2. Criteria for evaluating laws and rules
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.
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