lesson2a

Lesson 2

Title: How a Bill Becomes a Law

Grade Level(s): fourth, fifth, sixth

Subject(s): Social Studies, Technology, Language Arts

Learner Outcomes:

The student will define the jobs of the legislative branch of government.
The student will compare and contrast the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The student will list the steps determining how a bill becomes a law.
The student will demonstrate how the system of checks and balances affects a bill becoming a law.

Duration of Lesson: 2 lessons (50 minutes)

Materials:

Technology Tools/Courseware:

Teacher Notes:

Procedures: Day 1

Review with the students the composition of Three Branches of Government and their roles in our national government.
Determine the composition of the Legislative Branch. Discuss the history of the House of Representatives and the Senate to determine their likes and differences.
Determine that a role of the Legislative Branch is to make laws. Discuss laws and why they are needed (to meet the needs of the people). Discuss why we need traffic lights and other laws (generated by the students). Stress that laws are needed by people who live in groups to protect them and to help the culture to live in an orderly manner so that advancements can be made.
Begin the class discussion of How a Bill Becomes a Law. Stress the system of checks and balances which prevents any of the three branches from having more power than the other and how each checks the power of the other.
Print and distribute the Flow Chart to use as a study guide and as a visual aid to see the process.

Day 2

Review the process by which a bill becomes a law.
Have the class complete this activity. Have the class vote to elect a President. Then divide the remaining students into four groups. Have Group One propose legislation for the classroom and write it as a bill. Group One then gives the bill to Group Two which studies the bill and decides when it should be debated. Group Two gives the bill to Groups Three and Four, the "Senate" and the "House of Representatives." Both groups should debate the bill in front of the class, and all students should vote for or against the bill. If the bill passes, it should go to the President for signing. You may wish to suggest that the President "veto" the bill so the students have a chance to vote again to see if they can get two out of three students to vote for the bill and override the veto.

Modifications:

Enrichment Activities:

Divide students into literature circles to read Shh! We're Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz. Group activities after reading the book could include the following: 1. Have students create word searches using vocabulary words from the book. Clues to the words used in the search can be given as definitions or completion sentences to help the students find the words. 2. Have students pretend they are at the Constitutional Convention and make diary entries about all that is happening. 3. Have students cooperatively devise crossword puzzles using vocabulary words from the book. 4. Have students make a mural of life-size portraits of those present at the Constitutional Convention with holes cut out where the faces would appear. Students can then create a dialogue among the characters. 5. Create a class newspaper entitled Revolutionary Times with students submitting cartoons and articles. 6. Create acrostic poems using key vocabulary words.
Game on the Three Branches of Government
Game on Checks and Balances
Game on House of Representatives
Game on Senate
Game on Making Laws
Have students create a PowerPoint presentation on How a Bill Becomes a Law using Microsoft PowerPoint.