Subject: U.S. Government, Social Studies
Grade Level: 9-12

Introduction for Teachers
This WebQuest was developed by The Dirksen Congressional Center to provide students a method for researching a current political issue so students can participate in debate about issues and a larger platform writing/election activity offered in a CongressLink lesson plan.

The lesson asks students, on their own, to research a current political issue such as healthcare, gun control, education, environment, foreign policy, or homeland security using the Internet. The students will determine their own personal positions based on their Web-based research.

For information about WebQuests, visit http://webquest.sdsu.edu/materials.htm and http://home.earthlink.net/~cfairey/VSTE/home.html

The Task for Learners
Your job is to find out what you really think about an issue. Your teacher will either allow you to select an issue or assign a current political issue. You will do research on-line in order to determine your own personal position on the issue. What do you think about an issue after you have consulted at least five different sources on the topic?

You have the following tasks ahead of you:

- Find out or choose your topic
- Identify high-quality internet sites about that topic
- Consult five different sources
- Complete the Position Research guide

The Process
1. Arrange to have Internet Access.
2. Proceed to the News and Guides section of The Dirksen Center's AboutGovernment site for information on political issues. Use the Congressional Information Center of CongressLink to find out what bills are before Congress now.
3. Locate five different web sites with information about your topic.
4. Complete the Position Research guide posted with the CongressLink lesson plan.
5. At the conclusion of your research guide you will state your position.
6. As a culminating activity you will write a one-page essay on why you formed the opinion you did about your topic and what you think should be done about your issue.

The Resources
CongressLink (http://www.congresslink.org). CongressLink has the Congressional Information Center which provides links to every Congress member's office and Web site, information about leaders in Congress, and committee assignments and charters.
AboutGovernment (http://www.aboutgovernment.org). This site provides links to more than 250 Web sites about the federal government, including scores about the U.S. Congress.