iCivics
LawCraft
What's it like to be a senator or member of the House of Representatives? Using a video game simulation, learners discover what it is like to craft and pass legislation from its idea through conference committee. Pop ups and annotation...
iCivics
Mini-Lesson: Midterm Elections
Find out the differences between presidential and midterm elections with an informative resource. Pupils discuss the importance of midterms to the presidency and how midterms affect the balance of government branches. They also fill out...
Smithsonian Institution
Spanish American War
Today, Cuba and America sometimes struggle with diplomatic relations, but did you know that America went to war against Spain to free Cuba? Learners examine many interesting facts related to the Spanish American War using an informative...
Heritage Foundation
Congress's Economic Powers
Join Congress as they assess their economic abilities for spending—and as they discover their limits. High schoolers use an educational resource to explore Congress's economic powers and learn to apply these concepts to their everyday...
Carolina K-12
Who the People? Representative Democracy in North Carolina and Congress
Our elected officials are supposed to represent us, but what does it mean when they aren't like us? Budding citizens explore the demographic makeup of the US Congress, the role of money in political elections, and the Citizens United...
Curated OER
Preserving Democracy
Learners read excerpts of the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution. Using the documents, they identify the ideas of how the government should be run. In groups, they develop a skit that encourages people to be...
Curated OER
The Job of a Legislator
Students review the roles and responsibitlies of members of Congress. After reading excerpts of a book about one member, they write their own version about the same representative. They also identify the challenges and benefits of begin...
Curated OER
The Qualities of a Member of Congress
Learners identify the roles and responsibilies of a member of Congress. In groups, they brainstorm a list of qualities senators and representatives should have. They also work together to develop a brochure for someone to examine if they...
Curated OER
Speech Acts
See various examples of connotations in phrases and semantics. Speech acts are displayed along with their contexts and meanings.
Curated OER
We the People: An American Government Project
Young scholars identify key representatives in the legislative and executive branches of the Federal and State governments
Curated OER
Who Are My Local Representatives? Can I Influence Their Vote?
Students find out who their national, state, and local representatives are and write and mail a letter to one of them. The letter should be persuasive and should attempt to influence their representative's vote on a given issue.
Curated OER
Who Is Who? What Do They Do?
Second graders create rhymes in order to remember the names of representatives and executives in our government at the state level.
Curated OER
Texas, Who Represents You?
Students use the Internet to identify the representatives and senators for the state of Texas. They search for specific information using their home address and complete a worksheet.
Curated OER
Life before Congress
Students name some interesting backgrounds of Members of Congress, identify their current representatives in the legislative branch of the national government, and describe the background of one local representative or senator.
Curated OER
Decision -Making by Parliamentarians: Issues and Decision-Making
Students, using what they know about what influences a representative's decision-making, solve current issues/problems provided by the teacher.
Library of Congress
Loc: American Memory: The Annals of Congress: 1789 1824
The Library of Congress presents primary documents from the 1st session of Congress to the 18th.
Library of Congress
Loc: Biographical Directory of the u.s. Congress
This site provides a link to 13,000+ members who have served in the United States Congress, 1774 - present. Accompanying biographies and pictures, when available, are very informative. This site is well-designed and easy to navigate.
Library of Congress
Loc: Thomas: Legislative Information
This retired site captures historical legislative activity that includes bill summary and status, bill text, public laws by law number, most recent issue, roll-call votes, committee reports, house committees, and senate committees.
Digital History
Digital History: September 11, 2001
This site has a comprehensive overview of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., including information on Osama bin Laden's background, the formation of Al Qaeda, the attacks themselves, the US response, civil liberties and national...
PBS
Pbs:the Evolution of Congress
This extensive lesson used in conjunction with the Ken Burns documentary "The Congress" is designed to develop an understanding of how the U.S. Congress functions by examining its evolution. Links and downloadable materials are provided.
University of Missouri
Exploring Constitutional Conflicts: The Reach of Congressional Power
Read about the privileges and powers exercised by Congress from a constitutional law perspective. Includes examples of many cases which have tested the limits of Congressional power in the history of the United States. Many links to...
US Senate
United States Senate
The home page for the United States Senate with links to webcasts, schedules, hearings, legislation, and lots more.
Michigan State University
Michigan State University: American Revolution: Supply Problems Plague Continental Army
Find out about the Continental Army's struggles with supply shortages throughout the Revolutionary War. Explains the reasons for the shortages, and includes some of George Washington's correspondence from the period.
iCivics
I Civics: Games: Lawcraft
Interactive game that takes the student through the law-making process. Pick a member of Congress and an issue, then see what is necessary to get the bill passed and made into law.