Welcome Teachers
4
Voting In Congress: More Than "Yea" or "Nay"
Description
Students learn what factors members of Congress consider when deciding whether to vote for a bill. These include the powers given to Congress by the Constitution, members’ personal opinions, political party support, and what voters think. During the first day of the lesson, students find out about each of these factors. During the second day, students get to try their hand at weighing the factors by considering hypothetical bills. (If you’re short on time, it’s OK to teach just the first day’s lesson.)
While it’s not necessary, we recommend playing Branches of Power and LawCraft before teaching this lesson. This lesson picks up where these two games left off by showing students what goes into those “yea” and “nay” votes they see during the games.
Note: this lesson includes a PowerPoint presentation (see Lesson Prep below), but there is a paper-only option that can be used as an alternative.
Objectives
The student will…
- Identify the constitutional powers of Congress
- Describe the factors members of Congress weigh when voting on bills.
- Demonstrate how members of Congress weigh factors by voting on hypothetical bills.
- Evaluate information in order to apply each factor to real-life issues in the hypothetical bills.
- Weigh the importance of the factors by deciding whether to vote “yea” or “nay” on each bill.
Lesson Prep
Download
the Day 1 presentation if you are using the Power Point version of the lesson.
Download
the Day 2 presentation if you are teaching the second day of the Power Point version.
Step by Step
Option A: Paper-Only Lesson (one class period)
DISTRIBUTE one “More than ’Yea’ or ’Nay’” notetaking handout to each student.
SHOW students how to fold the handout in half so it makes a booklet. Factor #1 should be on the front.
USE the Teacher Key for the handout to guide students through filling out the handout. Discuss concepts with the class as you go along.
PAUSE during the lesson to quiz the class using the mini quizzes. (see Active Participation Guide)
DISTRIBUTE one “More Than ‘Yea’ or ‘Nay’” voting handout to each student—first page only. You will only guide the class through voting on Bill A.
GUIDE students through the voting activity by following the instructions and discussion points on the “Class Activity Guide.”
Option B: Power Point Lesson (one or two class periods)
Day One
DISTRIBUTE one “More than ’Yea’ or ’Nay’” notetaking handout to each student.
SHOW students how to fold the handout in half so it makes a booklet. Factor #1 should be on the front.
GUIDE students through the “Voting in Congress: More Than ’Yea’ or ’Nay’” Power Point presentation. Pause to allow students to fill in the blanks in their “booklets” as you go along. (Students will use the booklets as a reference for the Day 2 activity.) The lesson includes mini-quizzes throughout, as well as a final mini quiz for closure.
Day Two
DISTRIBUTE one “More Than ‘Yea’ or ‘Nay’” voting handout to each student.
TELL students to fill in their identities on the top half of the first page
GUIDE students through the “Voting in Congress: More Than ’Yea’ or ’Nay’” Day 2 Power Point presentation. Pause for discussion of each question and issue. Students should refer to their “booklets” from Day 1 during the presentation. The presentation will tell students when it’s time to write information on their handouts and when it’s time to vote. (If you don’t get through all the bills, that’s OK.)
Recommended Sequence
Teacher Actions:
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