Understanding Representative Democracy

General Overview

The Center on Congress and the Close Up Foundation partnered to produce a video series in which legislators and political scientists address questions on some of the most urgent issues in government from an audience made up mostly of high school students. This module takes the best of those programs and presents them in a Web-based, easy access format. Examples of the issues addressed include “Lobbyists and Special Interests,” “The Role of Compromise,” and “Congress Moves Too Slowly.” View the "how to" document.

 

Lessons and Assessments

The lessons listed below are self-contained. You may complete them in any order you wish.

 

Slow-moving Process (Grades 5–8)

In this lesson students will discuss why the Framers wanted the legislative process to be slow and deliberative. Students will also evaluate how effectively the legislative branch of the government is serving the purposes for which it was created.

 

Communicating with Legislators (Grades 5–8)

In this lesson students will discuss why it is important to communicate with their legislators and will learn about effective ways to do so. Students will then create a radio public service announcement about why it is important for citizens to vote and to communicate their ideas to their legislators.

 

The Relationship between Legislators and Constituents (Grades 5–8)

In this lesson students will discuss the role of a legislator and analyze the relationship between legislators and constituents.

 

Skepticism toward Government (Grades 9–12)

In this lesson students will investigate why Americans are skeptical of their government. Students will analyze archives of newspapers and discover how certain events changed Americans’ attitudes toward the government.

 

Does Money Talk? (Grades 9–12)

In this lesson students will examine the role of money in politics and investigate whether or not money gives some people more influence than others.

 

The Role of Special Interest Groups (Grades 9–12)

In this lesson students will analyze the role of special interest groups in American politics. They will discuss the problems and benefits of interest groups. Students will then use a variety of resources to research recently passed legislation and examine the influence special interest groups had on the passage of this particular legislation.

 

Rubric: This section contains performance assessment rubrics for students who have completed all of the lessons in the Civic Participation 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 the definitions for key terms that students should know in order to complete this module.

Web sites: This section includes Web sites that will help students learn more about representative democracy.

Print Materials: This section lists resources for both teachers and students about representative democracy.