The Many Roles of a Member of Congress

General Overview

The module gives an overview of Members' various roles — from national legislator and investigator to constituent helper, educator, and civic promoter. Interactive sections go through a typical day in Washington, D.C., and then show some quite different roles back home. You'll hear from some experts and will try your hand at sorting out some of the challenges facing a new Member of Congress. View the "how to" document.

Lessons and Assessments

What Does a Legislator Do? (Grades 5 – 8)
This lesson examines the duties of a Member of Congress. Students examine the U.S. Constitution and the local newspaper in order to figure out what some of the key roles of a Member of Congress are.

A Typical Day in Washington, D.C. (Grades 5 – 8)
This lesson examines what a Member of Congress does during a typical day. Students read a letter in which John Adams describes his work in the Continental Congress. Students then write their own letters describing life in Congress.

A Representative Back Home (Grades 5 – 8)
In this lesson, students discover what a legislator does when he or she is back home. Students create an itinerary that shows what their representative did when he or she was recently home.

The Job of a Legislator (Grades 9 – 12)
In this lesson, students learn about the responsibilities of a Member of Congress. Students read a book about a Member of Congress and then create their own story about the featured representative.

The Qualities of a Member of Congress (Grades 9 – 12)
In this lesson, students consider the job duties of a Member of Congress and generate a list of qualities they think a Member of Congress should have. Students then create an informational brochure for someone who is considering running for office.

Specializations of Members of Congress (Grades 9 – 12)
This lesson examines how Members of Congress set their own priorities among the various roles. Students learn more about their own representative and decide which role he or she decided to focus on and why.

Rubric: This section contains performance assessment rubrics for students who have completed all of the lessons in the Many Roles of a Member of Congress Module. These rubrics may be saved and used "as-is," or you can modify the rubrics in any way that is appropriate for your students.

Other Resources

Glossary: The glossary provides definitions for key terms that students should know in order to complete the corresponding module.

Web sites: This section includes a list of current Web sites about the role of a Member of Congress.

Print Materials: This section includes a list of current Web sites about the role of a Member of Congress.