An Ordinary Day

 

Overview

Through the years Congress has passed legislation that strengthened the nation and improved the quality of our lives. However, most people don’t stop to think about how these laws affect their daily activities. This E-Learning module walks students through a typical day and describes the many laws and acts of government that impact citizens every day.

Navigating the E-Learning Module

Navigating this e-learning module is fairly intuitive. If needed, you may refer to the instructions below.

General Tips

• The home page for this activity is based on a home-town configuration, including such locations as a school, a home, roads, stores, and a factory. Each screen has many items with pop-up information. Explore every screen to find clickable items. When you click on a hotlink, a pop-up will appear that explains the role of government in that activity.
• Three arrows are located at the bottom, center of the screen. Clicking on the right arrow will move you to the right of that screen. Clicking on the left arrow will move you to the left. Clicking on the up arrow (GO BACK TO TOWN) will take you back to “Town” (the home page).
• You can see which items you have selected by clicking on the WHERE AM I? tab, at the lower, left of the screen. This will open a new panel that lists all of the hotlinks available. A red circle indicates that you have clicked on that link . Click the CLOSE THIS PANEL tab to close the panel.
• If you would like to view a different section of town, click on the WHERE AM I? tab located at the lower, left of the screen; then click on the images. Click the CLOSE THIS PANEL tab to close the panel.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Begin at the home page titled “An Ordinary Day.”
2. Move the cursor to the right of center, which will activate the hotlink (indicated by a flashing yellow light surrounding the image of a house, “Your Home”). Click on the house — this will direct you to the bedroom.
3. Click on the clock to make it stop ringing. Read the pop-up that appears.
4. Move your cursor around the screen to find other hotlinks (indicated by a flashing yellow light surrounding the image). When you have viewed all of the pop-ups on this screen, move your cursor to the bathroom door (the left door). Click on the GO arrow. This will open a new screen that shows the bathroom.
5. Move your cursor around the screen to find all the hotlinks, click on them, and read the pup-up information. Then hit the BACK button. This will take you back to the bedroom.
6. Move your cursor to the kitchen doorway (the right doorway) and click on the GO arrow. This will open a new screen that shows the kitchen.
7. Locate all of the hotlinks by moving your cursor around the screen. Move your cursor to the door at the right of the screen and click on the GO arrow. This will take you to the car.
8. Click on the GO arrows that appear and read the pop-ups.
9. When you are prompted, click on all the hotlinks located in the car. Then click the BACK button. This will take you back to town, with the “Back to School” hotlink highlighted.
10. Click on the school. You will enter a classroom. Move your cursor around the screen to find all the hotlinks. When you have selected all of the items and have read the pop-up information, click the EXIT button. This will take you to the hallway.
11. Click on the GO arrows that appear and read the pop-ups.
12. When you reach the end of the hallway, you will be taken back to town by clicking the GO arrow again. Next, click on the factory hotlink.
13. Find all of the hotlinks by moving your cursor around the screen. Click the NEXT button when you have selected all of the items. This will take you back to town.
14. Next, click on the “Go Around Town” or the “Music” hotlink. Click on the GO arrows that appear and read the pop-ups.
15. When you get to the Town Mall, click on the BACK button. This will take you back to the town home page.
16. Click on the “Your Home” hotlink to complete the module. Locate all of the hotlinks by moving your cursor around the screen. Make sure you click on the candles last.
17. When the lights go out, you will be taken to a screen with three videos. Each video is described below. Push the PLAY button to watch each video.
    • Representative Connie Morella: In this video, Representative Morella explains why the House of Representatives is referred to as the “People’s House.” She also gives more examples of how Congress affects our daily lives.
    • John Hurson: In this video Delegate Hurson describes the impact of the work of state legislatures and explains that legislation developed by the state governments often finds its way on to the national agenda.
    • Dr. Bruce Alberts: In this video Dr. Alberts describes public policy issues that are currently being discussed and explains that many issues being debated today will affect your life in the future.
18. Once you have watched the videos, click the CONTINUE button. This will take you to a screen that displays closing remarks and a summary from Lee Hamilton. (Clicking on CONTINUE again will take you to the credits page.)