Congress: How a Bill Becomes Law

Warm up question: If YOU were in charge of school, what rule would you make?

Opens w/quick lecture of around 10 minutes. (Note: this presentation does not mention any political parties):

• • What is the House of Representatives?
  • What is the Senate?
  • What is the path to how a bill becomes law?
• Students will now color their own district for _____ Elementary Land. Then, they are asked what their district needs. They will write down their idea for a new bill on a strip of paper.
• Students are divided into Representatives and Senators for _____ Elementary Land. One student is selected to be the president through a wheel.
• Students will engage in a mock Congress game to pass a fake bill on a new school policy.
  • Students put their bill ideas into a hat– 3 are drawn.
  • The House of Reps must vote to pass or fail each bill.
  • The Senate then votes to pass or fail each bill.
  • Finally, the President either signs or vetoes the bill.

Wrap up review.

• State Government (Week 3):

Warm Up: If you were

• Introduce the role of state governments, and make sure to emphasize their key differences from the federal
  • Explain roles of Governors and Lieutenant Governors, who serve as the “Presidents” and “VPs” of their states
  • Explain the state legislature, connecting it to what they already know about Congress, and show how the districts can be smaller with example pictures, where Representatives and Senators represent smaller populations
  • Talk about what the senators and representatives in state legislatures decide on.
• Start off the game: Display video from their state representative-if this isn’t allowed, then we’ll substitute with a student pretending to be a state representative for the fictional state Texafornia. This video will provide them with the following challenge:
  • Hello __! I’m your state representative. I’m here with a challenge for you guys. With your small group, you will have a $100
• Students will break into small groups that are given $100 state tokens (paper circles). They must decide as a group how to spend them on these three items. They will place their tokens into boxes designating:
  • School playground
  • iPads
  • School supplies
• Volunteers (as assistants to the representatives) will ask their group to explain their decision.

Wrap up: Students will receive candy as their reward for being Junior Representatives for the day.

• Local Government (Week 3):

Warm up:

• Quick Slideshow Lesson:
• Show them a map of the county they live in, and point out different cities/towns
• Explain that counties contain multiple cities or towns, and each of those places may have its own local government and leaders who make decisions for that specific community
• Explain the role of mayors as leaders of city governments. Show how a mayor guides how the city operates, represents the community, and may approve or reject local decisions
• Explain that city councils are groups of elected representatives who work together to discuss local problems, propose solutions, and vote on local rules or policies.
• Emphasize that the mayor and city councils work together to make decisions that help their community run smoothly

Game: *Insert School Mascot* Challenge from the Mayor of ______* (Note: if unable/not compliant with district policy to have the video, this will be substituted for fictional town Lewallton)

• Display video from Mayor (either actual or fictional mayor) asking for help designing a new library for elementary schoolers.
  • Students will group into small groups and design their library with arts and crafts supplies, legos, or Play-Dohs.
  • Students will present their designs to City Council (high school volunteers).
  • To end on a positive note, City Council will approve ALL of the designs, revealing that they are building multiple libraries!

Wrap up: Gift students with candy for a job well done. Have students take pictures with their library designs. End off with a small discussion about what students learned.

• Voting (Week 4):
• Slideshow:
• Explain that voting is how citizens choose their leaders and make decisions in a democracy; by voting, they will help decide who represents them in government and who makes the important decisions for their community, state, and country
• Discuss who is allowed to vote in the United States. Explain that citizens must be at least 18 years old and registered to vote in order to participate in elections.
• Explain how elections happen at different levels of government, sometimes at the same time
• Explain the basic steps: registering to vote, going to a polling place or voting by mail, filling out a ballot, and having the votes counted

Game: Win a Campaign!

• Students will be split into halves: one half will be voters and the other will be campaigners. The campaigners will split into two groups: Team Chocolate and Team Candy.
• Team Chocolate and Team Candy will get 5 minutes to talk to voters to convince them to vote for what dessert should be provided at school: chocolate or candy.
• Then, they will take their seats as voters drop strips of paper with their votes into a hat.
• Student volunteers will tally the votes and announce the winner!

Wrap up: Chocolate voters will get chocolate while candy voters will get candy. Reflect on learning and clean up.

• Good Citizenship (Week 5):
• Explain that good citizenship means helping their community and respecting the people and rules around them, by being responsible and kind
• Explain the differences between rights and responsibilities. Rights being freedoms people have, while responsibilities being things citizens should do to help their community function well
• Give examples of good citizenship in everyday life, like following school rules, helping neighbors, keeping public spaces clean, and treating others with respect.
• Explain concept of our rights ending when they harm others, and being careful with how we use our freedoms in public settings

Game: The Citizen Run

• Divide students into teams. A volunteer is assigned to each time.
• Divide the room into two sides. One one side, place building blocks (legos). On the other, place team Communities.
• To build their “Community Tower” the team must earn blocks by identifying good citizenship characteristics.
• One student volunteers call out good citizenship moves and bad citizenships. If it’s a Good Citizen move, the student must run to grab a block and bring it back. If it’s a Bad Citizen move, they must stay put.
• Example Scenarios:
• “You see a piece of trash on the playground and pick it up!”
• “You cut in line at the slide because you’re in the hurry.”
• “You wait for your turn to speak in class.”
• ”You help a friend who fell down during soccer”.
• Twist: Rights and Responsibilities Relay.
• In the final round, hold up a card with a word on it.
  • If it's right, students jump in the air.
  • If it’s a responsibility, students do a jumping jack

Wrap up: Have students discuss what they will do to be a good citizen in the next week. Pass out candy for a job well done!