Legislation Branch Lecture

Subject Areas: US Government

Grade Level: 11-12 (ages 16-18)

Time: One or possibly two 50-minute class periods.

Lesson Objective:
Students will be able to explain organization of the legislation as stated by the Constitution, the
history and the relation between the two chambers of Congress, how policy becomes laws, and
how Congress plays a roll in instituting checks and balances.

Common Core State Standards

C14.[9-12].6 Examine the organization of the U.S. Constitution and
describe the structure it creates, including the executive, legislative, and
judicial branches
C14.[9-12].9 Analyze the effectiveness of checks and balances in
maintaining the equal division of power.
C14.[9-12].10 Describe the creation of laws through the legislative process

Overview:
This lesson will start by explaining Article I of the US Constitution which lays out the formation
of Congress. We will be using the 10 sections of Article I as a blueprint for our lesson. We’ll
have a quick history reminder about the Virginia, New Jersey and Connecticut Plans. From there
we will talk about how different policies originate in the two chambers, and how bill becomes a
law. We will then talk about the legislation branch’s responsibilities in checks and balances.

Preparation:
• This lesson requires the students to have access to the text of Article I of the Constitution.
• The easiest way to do this will be to make a PowerPoint to have the students be able to
reference as I am lecturing.

Lesson:
PP Slides
1. Annapolis Convention
2. Big States vs. Small State (Virginia Plan, New Jersey Plan, and Connecticut
Compromise)
3. Article 1
4. Section 2 – House of Reps
5. Section 3 – Senate
6. Differences between the two (Section 5)
7. Differences between the two (Section 7)
8. What Congress can do (Section 8)
9. How a Bill Becomes A Law (School house rock?)
10. Checks and Balances (Impeachment/ House of Representatives)
 11. Checks and Balances (Advice and Consent/ Senate)
12. Quick Summary

Adaptations/Extensions
• Can ask students to bring in a piece of legislation that is currently waiting to be brought
up to Congress. Assign students a state and have them run a mock Congress.
• Can ask some short essay questions to test mastery of knowledge of how Congress
works.
• Can assign students a study guide to prepare for the chapter test.