Representing a Diverse Group of People

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Overview

This lesson describes how Members of Congress represent a diverse group of people and how they debate to make sure that every community is represented.

Grade Levels

9 - 12

Objectives

Students will:

• identify at least five different groups that local representatives serve; and
• name two Members of Congress who had opposing viewpoints on a bill and explain why they had opposing viewpoints.

Estimated Time

60 minutes

Materials Needed

• E-Learning Module: Public Criticisms of Congress
• Internet connection with Macromedia FLASH ® enabled
• Projection device

Procedure

1. Use a projection device to show the class Criticism 4 in the Public Criticisms E-Learning Module.
2. Ask students to explain why individuals might disagree. Students may say people disagree because they have differences of opinion.
3. Explain to students that Members of Congress often disagree because they represent people with different interests, especially different economic interests.
4. Have the class compile a list of the types of groups that representatives from your state would be representing. For example, students may say that representatives represent farmers, retired people, low-income families, business owners, transient migrant workers, etc.
5. Show the class the response to Criticism 4 in the Public Criticisms E-Learning Module.
6. Select one bill for the class to look at. Have the class identify groups that may have benefited from the bill or whose best interests may not have been served by the bill.
7. Have students visit the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate Web sites and identify two Members of Congress who had differing opinions about the selected bill.
8. Tell students to write a paper that explains why the two Members of Congress disagreed with each other and describe any compromises that may have been made. Students should discuss the different interests each Member represents.

Extending the Activity

Cross-Curricular Activity

Have students pick five to ten interest groups and ten states. Then ask students to determine what percentage of the population of the ten states belongs to each of those interest groups. For example, students may want to determine what percentage of the population of California belongs to the AARP.

 

Assessment

Check your students’ understanding by asking them to respond to the following requests for information:

1. Identify at least five different groups that local representatives serve.
2. Name two Members of Congress who had opposing viewpoints on a bill and explain why they had opposing viewpoints.

Scoring Guide for Paper

You may want to use the following rubric to grade the papers each student submits.

Elements	Possible Score	Assigned Score	Notes
Correct spelling	5
Correct grammar	10
Good beginning, middle, and end	10
Describes a specific bill	15
Identifies two Members of Congress who had opposing viewpoints on the bill	15
Explains why the two Members had opposing viewpoints	15
Describes the different interests each member serves	15
Describes any compromises that may have been made	15

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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