by Tom Calhoun

Created on: May 04, 2009

There are many projects that pertain to K-12. Some good some bad, but nevertheless a leaning experience for all. One of these projects was created to show students how to create a bill, introduce it to the Congress or the Senate and how that bill becomes law, or does not become law. Along with this lesson came the process of committee meetings, special interest groups, along with sponsors of the bill, and the promoting of the bill.

The idea was to take a group of students and create a Senate and Congress. This was done using a group of 6th graders as there were two groups of 22 students in different classes it would seem to be an ideal way of intergrating technology into the curriculum using technology to reserach the procedure. The using that information to create rough drafts of a bill that would be introduced to both houses for approval or dis-approval. Groups were created as committees, and a vote on the speaker of the house and the leader of the senate were elected by the students as they protrayed their parts in either the house or senate. The students were given a list of topics they could use to create or write a bill. After creating a rough draft of the bill they were given the opportunity to propose the bill to either house or senate depending on what group of reps they were. The idea was to allow them to refine the writing of the bill and to chose a sponsor or sponsors of the bill.

The interesting thing about this lesson was that all the 6th graders were involved in this project with enthusiam. They were having the time of their life with this lesson. They were so involved that when the bell would ring at the end of each class time the students were still invovled so much they did not even hear the bell ring. they had to be told to leave the room to make room for the next class to come in. This is the kind of lesson every teacher dreams of one that teaches, one that involves, and one that has meaning to the students when its complete. This particular lesson or project had all of that and more.

After the bills were chosen they went through the procedure of proposing such to the appropriate house. After much discussion and arguing two of the three bills proposed in the Senate made out to Congress or house of represenative. Of course it went through committee several times for revision, and voted upon, and finally sent to the next house for approval or denial. Again the bills sent to the next house and went through committee again and passed with some

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