How a bill becomes law - simulation
Goals & Objectives
Goal:
Students will learn how congress is organized and how that bills are passed in congress.
Objectives:
Students will research the process of a bill becoming a law in the United States.
Students will demonstrate their knowledge of how a bill is passed in congress by creating a bill of their own and attempting to get it passed in a mock congressional session.
California State Content Standards
CA Content Standard 12.4.1 Discuss Article I of the Constitution as it relates to the legislative branch, including eligibility for office and lengths of terms of representatives and senators; election to office; the roles of the House and Senate in impeachment proceedings; the role of the vice president; the enumerated legislative powers; and the process by which a bill becomes a law.
Common Core Literacy Standards
CCSS_H/SS_W Grade 11-12
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS_H/SS_W Grade 11-12
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
Driving Historical Question
How is congress purposefully divided to perform the necessary functions of the legislative branch?
How do laws get created and enforced in the USA?
Lesson Introduction ‖ Time: 5-7 minutes
Day 1: The following question will be projected at the front of the room for students to see and complete a QuickWrite on:
What are 3 laws that you think should exist? Briefly describe what these laws would entail and how they would make society better.
Day 2: Students will be given 5 minutes to collaborate with their partners and add any final touches necessary to their bills before placing them in the hopper to be deliberated.
Vocabulary (Content Language Development) ‖ Time: Throughout internet research activity
Day 1: Students will define the following vocabulary in the opening Internet research activity prior to the mock congressional session simulation:
Bill
Law
Senate
House of Representatives/Representatives
Citizens
Hopper
Committee
Content Delivery (Method of Instruction) ‖ Time: 25 minutes
Day 1: Students will be instructed to navigate to
http://kids.clerk.house.gov/grade-school/lesson.html?intID=17
Students will work with a partner to read through the webpage, which covers the legislative and executive processes of a bill becoming a law in the United States. Students will fill in a handout as they read to guide their research, as well as have them identify key vocabulary terms necessary for the student engagement activity.
HANDOUT EMBEDDED BELOW
Student Engagement (Critical Thinking & Student Activities) ‖ Time: 40-45 minutes
Day 2: Students will volunteer for/be assigned the following roles:
-President
-Representatives/House Members
-Senators
-Reading Clerk (2)
Students will be encouraged to have their research worksheets out for reference throughout simulation.
Desks will be organized in the following manner:
A large group of desks for Senators
A large group of desks for Representatives
One desk for the president
One desk for the teacher/bill clerk. A “hopper” (basket) will be on the desk)
The teacher will ask the students to stay in character throughout the simulation. The simulation will be implemented as follows:
-The teacher will act as the “bill clerk” and ask students to place their bills into the hopper, which the teacher will assign bill numbers.
-The “Reading Clerk” from the House will be asked to retrieve a bill at random and read it to the House
-Students will omit the committee process
-“Representatives/House Members” will debate and discuss the bill
-A vote will be taken via the “voice vote” method (the teacher will help count votes)
-If the bill passes, it is sent to the Senate. If a bill fails, it is abandoned and the House Reading Clerk will retrieve a new bill.
-The Senate “Reading Clerk” will read the bill to the Senate
-Senators will debate/discuss the bill
-A vote will be taken via the “voice vote” method (the teacher will help count votes)
-If the bill passes, it is sent to the President. If it does not, the bill is abandoned and the simulation restarts.
-If the Presidents signs it, it is law. If the president vetoes it, it is sent back to both houses for a vote.
-If 2/3 students in both houses vote to override the veto, the bill becomes law. If not, the bill is abandoned and the simulation restarts with a new bill.
This activity will run uninterrupted for the time allotted. Many bills may be covered, or very few bills may be covered depending on student discussion and time management.
Lesson Closure ‖ Time: 10 minutes
Day 1: Students will be asked to use their new knowledge of how a bill becomes a law in order to write their own bills. Students will work with a partner to create and write a bill to be deliberated over the following day. Students will be notified that bills should be complete by the beginning of the following class period.
Day 2: The teacher will lead a 5 minute debrief discussion in order to address interactions during the simulation. Some possible examples are:
-A bill becomes a law
-A law gets vetoed and rejected
-A law gets vetoed and then overridden
-A law doesn’t pass congress
-Students get into a serious disagreement/debate
-etc.
The teacher will summarize the interactions and address any confusion students may have through a Q & A session.
Students will be given 5 minutes to write about the following:
-Their favorite part of the simulation.
-One thing they learned
-One thing they are still unclear about or have a question about
Assessments (Formative & Summative)
Formative:
-Teacher observation during simulation. Teacher will observe all students and take notes of students who seem to be struggling/not contributing to process.
-Teacher will read and assess debrief closure activity to check for student understanding. Recurring questions from students will be addressed at a later time in the unit.
Summative:
Material covered will be present on an end-of-unit, summative, multiple-choice exam.
Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs
ELLs: Collaboration (check understanding with peer), guided research (scaffold instruction), simulation (visual/auditory representation of material and material presented in multiple formats)
Striving Readers: Guided research notes (scaffolding instruction), Collaboration (check for understanding) Simulation (auditory/visual representation of material)
Special Needs: Material presented in multiple formats (variety/flexibility)
Resources (Books, Websites, Handouts, Materials)
Website for Internet Research:
http://kids.clerk.house.gov/grade-school/lesson.html?intID=17
Handout
"How a Bill Becomes a Law" Embedded
Materials:
Paper, writing utensils, colored pencils, computers with Internet access
Goal:
Students will learn how congress is organized and how that bills are passed in congress.
Objectives:
Students will research the process of a bill becoming a law in the United States.
Students will demonstrate their knowledge of how a bill is passed in congress by creating a bill of their own and attempting to get it passed in a mock congressional session.
California State Content Standards
CA Content Standard 12.4.1 Discuss Article I of the Constitution as it relates to the legislative branch, including eligibility for office and lengths of terms of representatives and senators; election to office; the roles of the House and Senate in impeachment proceedings; the role of the vice president; the enumerated legislative powers; and the process by which a bill becomes a law.
Common Core Literacy Standards
CCSS_H/SS_W Grade 11-12
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS_H/SS_W Grade 11-12
6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
Driving Historical Question
How is congress purposefully divided to perform the necessary functions of the legislative branch?
How do laws get created and enforced in the USA?
Lesson Introduction ‖ Time: 5-7 minutes
Day 1: The following question will be projected at the front of the room for students to see and complete a QuickWrite on:
What are 3 laws that you think should exist? Briefly describe what these laws would entail and how they would make society better.
Day 2: Students will be given 5 minutes to collaborate with their partners and add any final touches necessary to their bills before placing them in the hopper to be deliberated.
Vocabulary (Content Language Development) ‖ Time: Throughout internet research activity
Day 1: Students will define the following vocabulary in the opening Internet research activity prior to the mock congressional session simulation:
Bill
Law
Senate
House of Representatives/Representatives
Citizens
Hopper
Committee
Content Delivery (Method of Instruction) ‖ Time: 25 minutes
Day 1: Students will be instructed to navigate to
http://kids.clerk.house.gov/grade-school/lesson.html?intID=17
Students will work with a partner to read through the webpage, which covers the legislative and executive processes of a bill becoming a law in the United States. Students will fill in a handout as they read to guide their research, as well as have them identify key vocabulary terms necessary for the student engagement activity.
HANDOUT EMBEDDED BELOW
Student Engagement (Critical Thinking & Student Activities) ‖ Time: 40-45 minutes
Day 2: Students will volunteer for/be assigned the following roles:
-President
-Representatives/House Members
-Senators
-Reading Clerk (2)
Students will be encouraged to have their research worksheets out for reference throughout simulation.
Desks will be organized in the following manner:
A large group of desks for Senators
A large group of desks for Representatives
One desk for the president
One desk for the teacher/bill clerk. A “hopper” (basket) will be on the desk)
The teacher will ask the students to stay in character throughout the simulation. The simulation will be implemented as follows:
-The teacher will act as the “bill clerk” and ask students to place their bills into the hopper, which the teacher will assign bill numbers.
-The “Reading Clerk” from the House will be asked to retrieve a bill at random and read it to the House
-Students will omit the committee process
-“Representatives/House Members” will debate and discuss the bill
-A vote will be taken via the “voice vote” method (the teacher will help count votes)
-If the bill passes, it is sent to the Senate. If a bill fails, it is abandoned and the House Reading Clerk will retrieve a new bill.
-The Senate “Reading Clerk” will read the bill to the Senate
-Senators will debate/discuss the bill
-A vote will be taken via the “voice vote” method (the teacher will help count votes)
-If the bill passes, it is sent to the President. If it does not, the bill is abandoned and the simulation restarts.
-If the Presidents signs it, it is law. If the president vetoes it, it is sent back to both houses for a vote.
-If 2/3 students in both houses vote to override the veto, the bill becomes law. If not, the bill is abandoned and the simulation restarts with a new bill.
This activity will run uninterrupted for the time allotted. Many bills may be covered, or very few bills may be covered depending on student discussion and time management.
Lesson Closure ‖ Time: 10 minutes
Day 1: Students will be asked to use their new knowledge of how a bill becomes a law in order to write their own bills. Students will work with a partner to create and write a bill to be deliberated over the following day. Students will be notified that bills should be complete by the beginning of the following class period.
Day 2: The teacher will lead a 5 minute debrief discussion in order to address interactions during the simulation. Some possible examples are:
-A bill becomes a law
-A law gets vetoed and rejected
-A law gets vetoed and then overridden
-A law doesn’t pass congress
-Students get into a serious disagreement/debate
-etc.
The teacher will summarize the interactions and address any confusion students may have through a Q & A session.
Students will be given 5 minutes to write about the following:
-Their favorite part of the simulation.
-One thing they learned
-One thing they are still unclear about or have a question about
Assessments (Formative & Summative)
Formative:
-Teacher observation during simulation. Teacher will observe all students and take notes of students who seem to be struggling/not contributing to process.
-Teacher will read and assess debrief closure activity to check for student understanding. Recurring questions from students will be addressed at a later time in the unit.
Summative:
Material covered will be present on an end-of-unit, summative, multiple-choice exam.
Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs
ELLs: Collaboration (check understanding with peer), guided research (scaffold instruction), simulation (visual/auditory representation of material and material presented in multiple formats)
Striving Readers: Guided research notes (scaffolding instruction), Collaboration (check for understanding) Simulation (auditory/visual representation of material)
Special Needs: Material presented in multiple formats (variety/flexibility)
Resources (Books, Websites, Handouts, Materials)
Website for Internet Research:
http://kids.clerk.house.gov/grade-school/lesson.html?intID=17
Handout
"How a Bill Becomes a Law" Embedded
Materials:
Paper, writing utensils, colored pencils, computers with Internet access