What Does a Legislator Do?

 

Overview

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.

Grade Levels

5 – 8

Objectives

Students will:

• describe the responsibilities of Congress;
• identify the requirements for being a U.S. Senator or U.S. Representative; and
• name at least five things a legislator does.

Estimated Time

2 days

Materials Needed

• E-Learning Module: The Many Roles of a Member of Congress
• Internet connection with Macromedia FLASH ® enabled
• Projection device
• Chalkboard and a piece of chalk or a whiteboard and marker
• One copy of The U.S. Constitution
• "Role of a Legislator" cards, cut apart (Note: You may want to laminate these cards for durability.)

Procedure

Day 1

1. Give students a copy of the U.S. Constitution, and ask them to read Article I.
2. Explain to students that the qualifications for being a U.S. Senator or Representative are fairly straightforward. Have student volunteers explain what the qualifications are.
3. Tell students that Article I of the Constitution outlines the powers of Congress, but it does not give a job description for legislators. Many people don't really know what Members do on a daily basis. Have students think about the responsibilities of Congress that are described in the Constitution and name some things that they think legislators do. Write student responses on the chalkboard or whiteboard.
4. Give each student a "Role of a Legislator" card. Then have each student read what is written on the card and state whether or not he or she thinks it is an actual role of a Member of Congress or a fictitious role. Write the actual roles of a Member of Congress on the chalkboard or whiteboard.
5. For homework, have each student read the local newspaper or view an online newspaper and clip or print an article that describes something a Member of Congress is doing. Have students bring the article to class the next day.

Day 2

1. Explain to students that Members of Congress have many roles. Then tell them that the class will now hear about some of the roles of a legislator. Use a projection device to show students "What Does a Member of Congress Do Anyway?" from The Many Roles of a Member of Congress E-learning module.
2. Have each student share the newspaper article he or she clipped out or printed. Refer students to the categories of roles listed in the E-learning module. Then, as a class, decide which category the activity described in the article falls under. For example, if a student brings in an article describing how a Member of Congress explained the possible impact of recently introduced legislation, the class will probably say this is an example of the Member of Congress acting as an educator.

Extension and Adaptation Activities

Have students interview a Member of Congress and find out how much time the Member spends in the various roles and which he or she would like more time for.

Have each student rank the various roles and state which role he or she thinks is important and which are not so important. Have students compare their ideas

 

Assessment

Basic Concepts and Processes

Ask your students to respond to the following requests for information and assess their knowledge of key concepts taught in this lesson.

1. Describe the responsibilities of Congress.
2. What are the requirements for being a U.S. Senator or U.S. Representative?
3. Name at least five things a legislator does.

Lesson Plan Feedback

If you have suggestions for improving this lesson plan, or if you have ideas for others using the module, please let us know. We value your input. Thank you!

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