EGP 335: Unit Plan Lesson Plan Template

Author: Hayley Campbell

Unit: Government
Lesson: The legislative branch, Lesson 1

Lesson Preparation
I. Learning Objectives
a. SWBAT identify the function of the legislative branch.
b. SWBAT Identify and characterize the two house of congress.
c. SWBAT explain how a bill becomes a law.
d. SWBAT name the two Senators of Pennsylvania as well as at least two members
of the House of Representatives, by successfully utilizing the official websites for
these houses.
II. Standards by Discipline & Content Themes
a. Social Studies
i. 5.1.3.D Identify key ideas about government found in significant
documents: The constitution
ii. 5.3.3. A Identify the roles of the three branches of government.
iii. 5.3.C.B Analyze the roles of local, state, and national governments in
policy-making
b. English
i. CC.1.2.3.B Ask and answer questions about the text and make inferences
from text; refer to text to support responses
ii. CC.1.2.3.C Explain how a series of events, concepts, or steps in a
procedure is connected within a text, using language that pertains to time,
sequence, and cause/effect.
c. NCSS Themes:
i. Power, authority, and governance
1. Explain the purpose of government;
2. Give examples of how government does or does not provide for
needs and wants of people, establish order and security, and
manage conflict;
3. Identify and describe factors that contribute to cooperation and
cause disputes within and among groups and nations;
4. Distinguish among local, state, and national government and
identify representative leaders at these levels such as mayor,
governor, and president;
ii. Individuals, Groups, Institution
1. Give examples of the role of institutions in furthering both
continuity and change;
2. Show how groups and institutions work to meet individual needs
and promote the common good, and identify examples of where
they fail to do so.
iii. Civic Ideals and Practices
1. Identify key ideals of the United States democratic republican
form of government, such as individual human dignity, liberty,
justice, equality, and the rule of law, and discuss their application
in specific situations;
2. Identify and practice selected forms of civic discussion and
participation consistent with the ideals of citizens in a democratic
republic;
3. Examine the influence of public opinion on personal decision
making and government policy on public issues.
III. Academic Language
a. Branches of government:
The division of government into executive, legislative, and judicialbranches. In th
e case of the federal government, the three branches were
established by the Constitution.
b. The Legislative branch creates the laws.
c. The legislative branch is also called congress.
d. Congress is made up of two houses; The House of Representatives and Senate.
e. Senate:
an assembly or council of citizens having the highest functions in a government, e
specially a legislative assembly.
f. House of Representatives: the lower legislative branch.
g. There are specific qualifications to be a member of the House of Representatives
and the Senate.
h. Each state has two Senators.
i. Voters elect Senators from each state regardless of population size.
j. The number of House of Representatives each state has is determined by
population; however each state must have at least one representative.
k. There are 435 elected representatives.
l. House of Representatives-can introduce bills that become laws.
m. Senate-can introduce bills that become laws.
n. Bill: a form or draft of a proposed statute presented to a legislature, but not yet
enacted or passed and made law
o. Only the house can introduce bills that have to do with government spending.
p. Only the senate can approve or reject treaties with other countries.
q. A bill must pass Senate and House of Representatives in order to be presented to
the president.
IV. Technology, Materials, Resources
a. Poster boards labeled with 6 concepts.
b. Post-it notes. Two different colors. At least 30 of each color
c. IPads to complete the scavenger hunt.
d. Scavenger hunt Power Point and Worksheet.
e. Exit ticket
f. Smart board to display instructions.
g. Technology sources- Ipad for internet to access these sites.
i. https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/articles/article-i
ii. https://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_govt.html
iii. https://bensguide.gpo.gov/index.php/learning-adventures-4-8/9-age-
9/43-how-laws-are-made
iv. http://www.senate.gov/states/
v. https://www.house.gov/representatives/#state_pa
vi. https://bensguide.gpo.gov/games-9-13

Instructional Delivery
V. Anticipatory Set
a. Teacher will have poster boards with the words Legislative Branch, Congress,
Senate, House of Representatives, Law, and Bill written in the center.
i. Each poster board will have a specific color post it beneath it for the
students to write on.
b. Teacher will have the instructions will be displayed on the Smart Board.
c. Students will be asked to use their background knowledge for these concepts.
i. Instructions- Please gather with your number partner. (established at the
beginning of the year) Together walk to each poster board and write an
explanation, someone, or an event you can link to the concept written.
Please place one post-it note per pair on the poster board. Be sure to write
your group number on the back of the post it. When finished, sit in base
groups. (Also established at the beginning of the year.)
 ii. The Anticipatory Set color post its will be yellow.
d. As students come in, teacher will ask them to read the instructions on the board
and to begin working.
e. Teacher will circulate around the classroom to provide students that are
struggling to write their post it notes, with verbal cues.
i. By the end of the activity teacher will have six poster boards with post it
notes of student responses about each concept.
ii. This will help teacher establish what the students have learned before.
f. Teacher will gather the attention of all the students for a group discussion.
i. The teacher will read two post-it notes off of each poster board and ask
other students for responses and comments for those two post-it notes.
VI. Instructional Activities
a. Students will, in base groups, work a scavenger hunt to discover the different
aspects of the legislate branch.
i. Base groups were established at the beginning of the school year.
b. This is the worksheet the students will complete:
c. Students will be given a power point to use to complete the worksheet.
d. Teacher will circulate the room while student engage in the learning activity to
help students with question and to make sure students are on task.

Legislative Branch Scavenger Hunt

PART 1: Article 1 of the Constitution
Please use this Primary source to gather the Foundational information of the Legislative
Branch. Focus on Section 1, 2, 3, and section 7
https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/articles/article-i
https://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_govt.html
1. Who makes up the congress?
_____________________and ________________________.
(House of Representatives and Senate)
2. Qualifications to be a member of the House of Representatives
a. _________________________________________________
(Be at least 25 years old, at least a citizen for 7 years must live in the state he or she represents.)
b. _________________________________________________
c._________________________________________________
3. The Senate of the United States will have ___ (2) Senators from each State.
4. Qualifications to be a Senator.
a. _________________________________________________
(Be at least 30 years old, at least a citizen for 9 years, and must live in the state he or she
is chosen for.)
b._________________________________________________
c._________________________________________________
5. Who is the President of the Senate? _______________________ (Vice President)
6. In order for a bill to become a Law it must first _________________________
_______________________________________________________________, (pass the House
of Representatives and senate,) then be presented to the ______________. (President)

PART 2: Language of the law

Using Bens helpful definitions answer the following questions. Being familiar with these
terms will help us eventually past our own classroom Law through the Legislative branch.
https://bensguide.gpo.gov/index.php/learning-adventures-4-8/9-age-9/43-how-laws-are-
made
1. Compare and contrast a Act and a Bill: Laws that have been passed through both houses
and been approved by the president or congress. A bills are an idea for new laws.
3. Who are members of the Committee: Members of Congress who debate and report on bills
and other legislation before the house or the senate.
4. What is a Hopper: The box that bills are placed in by the house to officially present to the
senate.
5. Report: The record of the votes, recommendations and views of the committee on a bill.
6. Define Tabling Motion. Senate of the house stops the proposal.
7. Explain what happens when the president vetoes a law: When a president does not sign a
bill, or rejects a bill.
PART 3: Who represents PA?
http://www.senate.gov/states/
https://www.house.gov/representatives/#state_pa
1. Senators of Pennsylvania: ________________________________________
______________________________________________________. (Robert P Casey, Patrick
Toomey)
2. Two House of representative members: _______________________________________
_____________________________________________________. (Mike Kelly, Bill Shuster)

PART 4: How a bill becomes a law

https://visual.ly/community/infographic/politics/how-does-bill-become-law
Use the Infograph to list the different steps for how a bill becomes a law.
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
CHALLENGE: Leave base group and get with your number partner.
https://bensguide.gpo.gov/games-9-13
Play Legislative Branch Game with number partner. Please record scores your individual scores
on the back of your own worksheet. Play!
.

VII. Closure
a. The teacher will ask students to walk around to the poster boards a second time.
i. With their number partners.
ii. Students will use a different color post-it.
 b. The teacher will pass out an exit ticket to the student when they are finished
adding new post-it notes to the poster boards.
c. Students will complete the exit ticket independently.
d. The ticket will include the 6 concepts from the poster boards from the beginning
of class. The students will be asked to write one thing they learned about each
concept during todays scavenger hunt.
e. The teacher will collect the students exit tickets.
f. Teacher will display the final discussion questions on a Google slide. Students
will know how to add a textbox with their comment on the slide the answers to
these questions. The second question should act as a cue to help students connect
their research to the first question.
i. Why is Legislative Branch and important part of our government?
ii. What is the function of the Legislative branch?

Meeting All Learners

VIII. Differentiation.
a. Students will be placed into six assorted groups so that students of mixed abilities
are working together and able to help one another when needed.
b. Students will have step-by-step instructions for them on their Ipads, and
worksheets. Students will always have access to the instructions.
c. Lower level students needs are met through Blooms level 1: Knowledge
questions on the scavenger hunt worksheets and exit ticket.
d. Higher level students needs are met through Blooms Level 2: Comprehension
questions on the scavenger hunt worksheet and exit ticket.
e. High level students needs are met through Blooms Level 3: Application
question on the Google slide at the end of the lesson.
f. Students with Linguist intelligences are met through reading and writing about the
Legislative branch during the scavenger hunt learning activity.
 g. Students with Visual intelligences needs are met through the infograph used for a
part of the scavenger hunt, as well as the graphic organizer set up of the scavenger
hunt worksheet.
h. Students with Interpersonal intelligences needs are met through working with
other students during the anticipatory set, learning activity and closing activity.

IX. Accommodations
a. Student who has IEP/504 will be able to listen to other student read the
information on the different websites as well as complete the worksheet on the
Ipad. Completing the worksheet on the Ipad will allow the student to be able to
use talk to type to convey his answers.
b. Student who has IEP/504 will be allowed more time to complete the scavenger
hunt.
X. Modifications
a. Student with an IEP/504 will only complete Part 1 of the scavenger hunt using the
second link provided. The second link includes a student version of the Article 1.

Meeting Objectives

XI. Assessments
a. The fill in scavenger hunt worksheet will serve as a formative assessment so that
the teacher can determine the students understanding of the function on the
legislative branch as well as the different houses. (Objectives 1 & 2)
b. The exit ticket will serve as a formative assessment to see if students were on task
during activity as well as what they students retained from their research on the
different concepts. (Objectives 1- 4)
c. The discussion question on the Google slide will serve as a formative assessment
so that the teacher can determine if the students related the information learned in
their research to the over purpose of the legislative branch. (Objectives 1-4)