An In-Depth Look at the Legislative Branch

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Overview

This lesson examines Article I of the United States Constitution as it relates to the legislative branch. Students will analyze the actions of the legislative branch and evaluate the extent to which those actions reflect characteristics of American democracy and help to serve the public good.

Grade Levels

9 - 12

Objectives

Students will:

• analyze Article I of the U.S. Constitution and explain why the Framers chose to organize the legislative branch in the manner they did; and
• respond to a specific criticism of Congress and explain the extent to which the criticized actions reflect characteristics of American democracy.

Estimated Time

60 minutes

Materials Needed

• E-Learning Module: Public Criticisms of Congress
• Internet connection with Macromedia FLASH ® enabled
• One copy of the U.S. Constitution per student

Procedure

1. Distribute copies of the U.S. Constitution. As a class, read Article I of the Constitution. Make sure students understand how Congress is organized. Ask students if they think the legislative process is too complicated. Then ask them to explain why the Framers chose to organize the legislative branch in the manner they did. Students should know that the Framers wanted a system that would ensure that all points of view would be heard and that would give people the opportunity for thorough and thoughtful analysis of proposed bills.
2. Divide the class into five groups. Assign each group one of the following criticisms from the Public Criticisms E-Learning module: Criticism 4, Criticism 6, Criticism 9, Criticism 10, and Criticism 13.
3. Have each group view and discuss its assigned criticism.
4. Tell each group to write a response to its assigned criticism. Students should think about the Framers and the U.S. Constitution when developing their responses. Each response should also discuss the extent to which the criticized actions reflect characteristics of American democracy and help to serve the public good.
5. Have each group share its responses to the assigned criticism. After each group presents its response, listen to the reply to the response in the Public Criticisms E-Learning module.
6. Have students compare the posted responses to the criticisms with their own responses.

Extension Activities

Have students read “The Role of Congress” and “The Two Houses” on the Center on Congress Web site.

 

Have students write a paper that describes one criticism they have about the organization of Congress and that explains what changes they would make to ensure that Congress is serving the public good.

 

Assessment

Check your students’ understanding by asking them to answer the following question:

1. Why did the Framers of the Constitution choose to organize the legislative branch of the U.S. Government in the manner they did?

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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