This guide contains resources gathered by the Department of the Army to celebrate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. Within the document, there are brief historical facts about: (1) the Constitutional Convention; (2) the early years of the Constitutional government; and (3) the U.S. Army of the 1780s and 1790s. There are also condensed…

Describes a college course which studies the U.S. House of Representatives. The course examines the origins of the House, life on the hill, rules, committee assignments, leadership, legislators, and the bureaucracy. (RM)

This unit is designed to teach students about how a bill becomes law and how interest groups participate in and impact this process. LegiQuest teaches students about the roles of Congress, the President, and the courts in the legislative process. It can be used at the beginning of the course to introduce the functions and branches of government.…

Describes a research project conducted by twelfth grade students in American government classes. States that the project's objectives are to have students become aware of the approachability of legislators and to realize that input from informed citizens is central to the democratic process. (RDS)

A nontechnical outline of the Federal lawmaking process is presented, from the origin of an idea for a legislative proposal to its publication as a statute. Seventeen chapters comprise the document. Chapters I through VII examine the structure of the Congress, sources of legislation, forms of congressional action, committee processes, reported…

Gives background information on 12 famous litigators who each influenced the future of the judicial system and transformed the United States into what it is today; included, among others, are John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Thurgood Marshall, Daniel Webster, and Clara Shortridge Foltz. (CMK)

Presents a six-day lesson in which two different classes role play the U.S. House and U.S. Senate to simulate the bicameral nature of the U.S. government. Students use actual federal or state legislation or write their own bills, and then work through the process of passing them into law or rejecting them. (GEA)

This lesson offers strategies for teaching fourth- and fifth-grade students the duties of legislators, police officers, and judges. The lesson is based on ideas taken from the Utah law-related education guide "Elementary Lesson Plan Book." (JDH)

Provides information about the 106th and 107th U.S. Congress sessions. Includes early bills in the Senate for the 107th Congress and information about low versus high bill numbers. Presents two activity ideas that accompany this information. (CMK)

In this lesson plan, students are assigned a member of the California Assembly to research and a political faction to represent. Students examine representative bills voted on by the California Assembly to determine if their member's voting record coincides with the views of their political faction. Ultimately, students must decide whether, and…

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has designated the week of September 17-21, 2001, as "Back to School Week." During this week, state legislators from throughout the country are encouraged by NCSL to contact principals and teachers in their respective districts and arrange for classroom visits to help students…

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has designated the week of September 17-21, 2001, as "Back to School Week." During this week, state legislators from throughout the country are encouraged by NCSL to contact principals and teachers in their respective districts and arrange for classroom visits to help students…

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) has designated the week of September 17-21, 2001, as "Back to School Week." During this week, state legislators from throughout the country are encouraged by NCSL to contact principals and teachers in their respective districts and arrange for classroom visits to help students…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. By studying primary sources of a crucial turning point in history, students become aware that choices had to be made by real human beings, that those decisions were the result of specific factors, and that they set…

Surveys the changes in state legislatures since the 1960s, stating that the greatest change has been the enhancement of legislative capacity which reformulated the balance of power within state government. Suggests that political science students would benefit from a combination of observing state legislatures and studying the literature.…