A three part media-based lesson about exploring the differences between the House and the Senate. Students will present their findings in a 1-3 minute video.
How a Bill Becomes a Law Activity for Grades 8-12
In an activity paired with our episode, students examine a House Resolution from the 116th Congress and follow its path through legislation. Students will learn about committees, lobbying, filibuster, and presidential actions.
How a Bill Becomes a Law for AP Gov
A lesson plan for one 80-minute class at the AP level. In it students will identify the main steps in the process of creating and passing legislation:
-Explain the significance of party control and committee work in the Congress in the legislative process
-Identify the role that Congressional leaders such as the House of Representatives and the Senate Majority Leader play in the process of agenda-setting
-Identify the role the President plays in the law-making process
-Explain the reasons why the Founders intended the law-making process to be difficult
Declaration of Independence: Fresh Takes
This lesson looks at one of 24 “fresh takes” on the Declaration of Independence collected by the Declaration Resources Project.
Join the Barons!
King John has pushed your buttons and pulled your purse strings one too many times — will you join your baron brethren in the campaign for an agreement between monarch and landowners? And do you know the proper course of action? Make sure you’ve listened closely to our episode, the don your robes, dash out of your manor and find your surest footed steed — it’s time to make Magna Carta a reality. You can join the adventure here!
The Case of the Murdered Bills
This is a choose-your-own-adventure mystery for deducing how five bills were killed in the legislative process. Assist Henry the intrepid Senate Page in this hard-boiled whodunit!
Life Stages: Death Podcast
It’s the final episode of our Life Stages series, and it’s euphemism-free. We speak to doctors, lawyers, professors, and funeral professionals about the rules of death; pronouncing, declaring, burying, cremating, willing, trusting, canceling, donating.
This short episode includes a one-page Graphic Organizer for students to take notes on while listening, as well as discussion questions on the back side.
Life Stages: Retirement Podcast
The prospect of retirement – of leaving the work force, aging, confronting a new body and a new way of life – is peppered with concepts and requirements so unwieldy they can make your brain turn off. So how do we make retirement prep easier? Shed the dread and face the future armed with a plan? Our guides to the next stage of life are Bart Astor, Tom Margenau and Cristina Martin Firvida.
This short episode includes a one-page Graphic Organizer for students to take notes on while listening, as well as discussion questions on the back side.
Life Stages: Marriage Podcast
What does it really mean to be married? Divorced? What changes in the law’s eyes? What do you have to do? And, most important, how and why has the government decided who is allowed to marry whom? And while we’re at it, what does love, Pocahontas, or a credit card application have to do with any of this?
This short episode includes a one-page Graphic Organizer for students to take notes on while listening, as well as discussion questions on the back side.
Life Stages: Work Podcast
The modern-day workplace is the product of a centuries-long battle for fair wages, reasonable hours and safe conditions. This episode tells the story of the labor in the United States – from slavery and indentured servitude to the Equal Pay Act and the weekend. What did Americans workers have to go through to make their voices heard, and how did they change labor in America?
This short episode includes a one-page Graphic Organizer for students to take notes on while listening, as well as discussion questions on the back side.