Structure of Congress

Why have a House and Senate and not just one single Congress? Learners research the need for a bicameral Congress in the system of the United States government and politics. They view a short Crash Course video, the second in a 50-part...

Other than talking, what is the role of the speaker of the House of Representatives? Learners research, via a short video clip, the leadership positions in the United States government and politics. They use their knowledge to discuss...

A fantastic video highlights the role of Thomas Jefferson at the Continental Congress, focusing on the language of the Declaration of Independence and its listing of grievances against the British government.

The ratification process for the Fourteenth Amendment that granted citizenship to everyone male born in the United States was contentious. The video reenacts a portion of the 39th Congressional debates focusing on the ratification of the...

The process of ratifying a new amendment to the United States constitution is designed to be difficult. A short video details the struggles to pass the 19th Amendment, the role Carrie Chapman Catt played in the ratification drive, and...

Getting a bill through the legislative process to become a law in the United States is a very long and difficult procedure by design! To understand the deliberation, debate, and compromises involved, class members take on the role of...

Students examine laws that have benefited the nation in a variety of ways. The congressperson in the legislative branch of the government primarily responsible for the passage of the law and the current representatives are sought in this...

Students create a graphic organizer to illustrate the steps elected representatives must take to make a new law. Included: Student work sheet and role-play ideas. Students use their graphic organizers to write a paragraph briefly...

Learners take on the roles of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government in the United States and work to develop public policy issues and ideas into laws in this engaging and well-designed online interactive.

Students examine the general concept of representative democracy, and compare/contrast the American representative democracy to the monarchical system. They research the role of legislative bodies in serving the government, particularly...