Curated OER
Play House
Students take a closer look at representative government. In this House of Representatives activity, students discuss their local representative in Congress and research his or her responsibilities. Students then participate in a House...
Curated OER
A Bill Becomes A Law
Middle schoolers discover how a bill becomes a law. In this Legislative Branch lesson, students discuss how a bill makes its way through the House and the Senate. Middle schoolers author their own bills as well.
Curated OER
Getting to Know the House
Students take a closer look at representative government. In this House of Representatives instructional activity, students discuss their local representative in Congress and research his or her responsibilities. Students respond to the...
Curated OER
A Bill Becomes A Law
Students discover how a bill becomes a law. In this Legislative Branch lesson, students simulate a bill making its way through the House and the Senate. Students author their own bills in this simulation.
Curated OER
Follow a Bill!
Learners discover how a bill becomes a law. In this Legislative Branch lesson, students watch C-Span coverage of a bill making its way through the House and the Senate. Learners use the provided worksheet to chart the progress of the bill.
Curated OER
The Three Branches of Government
Seventh graders discover details about the responsibilities of the 3 branches of government in the United States. In this checks and balances instructional activity, 7th graders view a SMART Board supported lecture that reveals the jobs...
Curated OER
Legislative Branch (Congress) Questions
For this U. S. government worksheet, students respond to 10 short answer questions about the responsibilities of congressional members.
Curated OER
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
In this U.S. branches of government worksheet, students respond to 15 fill in the blank questions regarding the powers of the legislative branch of government.
Curated OER
Citizenship Worksheet 3 - How the Government Works
In this government and citizenship worksheet, students learn the duties and responsibilities of the three branches of government and the system of checks and balances.
Curated OER
Charting the Three Branches of Government
Students review CongressLink on the internet and study the branches of government. They work in groups to create charts showing the structure and functions of the three branches of government as outlined in the first three articles to...
Curated OER
Slow-moving Process
Students explain why the Framers designed a long and complicated legislative process, and evaluate how effectively the legislative branch of the government is serving the purposes for which it was created.
Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
Harry S. Truman Library & Museum: Three Branches of Government
Interactive teaching unit for Grades 5-8 that helps to explain the three branches of government and the the balance of power. Topics covered include balance of government, how a bill becomes a law, the amendment process, the Legislative...
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.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: American Government: The Legislative Branch
Comprehensive learning module with multi-media resources on the Legislative Branch of the American Government.
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.
Northern Illinois University
Tagalog: Philippine Democracy
This is an exhaustive look at the government of the Philippines with brief biographies of the presidents, descriptions of the branches of government, and a diagram of the court system.
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...
University of Missouri
Exploring Constitutional Conflicts: Separation of Powers
When do the actions of one branch of the federal government unconstitutionally intrude upon the powers of another branch? This article surveys the history of this question in historic Supreme Court cases.
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.
The White House
The White House: Our Government
Overviews of the major elements of U.S. government, compiled and published by the White House: three branches of the federal government (executive, legislative, judicial), the Constitution, federal agencies and commissions, elections and...
iCivics
I Civics: Games: Branches of Power
Interactive and educational game puts players in control of all three branches of government and tests their abilities to turn issues of concern into full-fledged laws.
National Cable Satellite Corporation
C Span Classroom: Free Resources for Teaching Civics and u.s. Government
This is a site filled with current events that make connections to the relevant historical topics. There are six clickable topics, the videos of which are updated weekly. RealPlayer is needed and registration is required to stream or...
Other
Canada Info: Structure of Canadian Federal Government Chart
The structure of the 3 levels of the Canadian Federal Government is clearly shown on this graphic chart. Useful for anyone researching the Canadian government.
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Dirksen Center: A Bill Becomes a Law
Learning module on how a bill becomes a law offers students an alternative and in-depth approach to learning about the legislative process through text, graphics, and video .