Name:        Due Date:

OBJECTIVES:
·   Analyze the bicameral structure of Congress and its terms.
·   Identify the qualifications for serving in each house of Congress.
·   Identify the three types of Congressional power.
·   Explain the process by which a bill becomes a law.

“C” LAYER: You must complete 70 points before moving to the “B” layer. You must complete #1 and either #2 or #3. You may choose to complete both #2 and #3.

1.   (Required) Make flashcards/foldables for the vocabulary words. Learn them. 15 pts.

2.   Listen to the lecture and take Cornell notes.   5 pts./day (

3.   Read a section in the textbook and take Cornell notes. 5 pts./section

4.   Read How the Government Works, pp. 12-19; make a list of 15 important facts. 15 pts.

5.   Complete the worksheets (up to 3). 5 pts./each

6.   Read the information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress; make a list of 15 important facts. 15 pts.

7.   Write and record a 30-second “infomercial” on the qualifications for serving in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. 20 pts.

8.   Make a mobile to show the qualifications for serving in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. 15 pts.

9.   Create a Jeopardy! game with questions about the qualifications for serving in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, the powers of the legislative body, and the process by which a bill becomes a law. (Use the template available from the teacher.) 20 pts.

10.   Complete the PLATO overview and practice test assigned to the class (“U.S. Government: The Congress”) 10 pts.

11.   Create a comic strip about the Supreme Court case, McCulloch v. Maryland. (Use the template available from the teacher.) 15 pts.

12.   Make a collage to show the three types of Congressional power. Use pictures, headlines, news articles, and drawings of your own. 15 pts.

13.   Create a tri-fold brochure (pamphlet) that explains the three types of Congressional power. 15 pts.

14.   Complete the “Congress or the Legislative Branch” 3-D box. 10 pts.

15.   Watch “I’m Just a Bill” on the School House Rocks video. Summarize it.   5 pts.

16.   Make a poster to show the steps in the process of a bill becoming a law. 10 pts.

17.   Make a three-dimensional model of the steps in the process of a bill becoming a law. 20 pts.

“B” LAYER: Choose one of the following activities.

1.    An important responsibility of legislators is to be sensitive and responsive to the concerns of their constituency. Pick an issue that is important to you and write a letter to your U.S. Representative and/or U.S. Senator expressing your views and concerns about this issue.

2.    Write a résumé for the ideal candidate for either the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate. Be sure to include not only the constitutional qualifications, but experience, etc., that addresses the three types of Congressional power.

3.    Compare the constitutional requirements to be a member of the U.S. House of Representatives with those to be a member of the Texas House of Representatives. Present your findings in a brochure, a poster, or a model.

“A” LAYER: Answer one of the following in a five-paragraph essay, using the A Layer Assignment Sheet to document your sources.

1.    Has Congress become too partisan to be effective?

2.    According to the American Planning Association website, “In Kelo v. City of New London, the Court ruled that economic development continued to be a valid use of eminent domain. The decision was not a departure from decades of legal precedent, but the ensuing media attention and legislative fallout have changed the public debate about eminent domain.” Under what conditions do you think it is appropriate for a government, whether local, state, or federal, to exercise the power of eminent domain?

3.    Has the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review become too powerful? Has it been used appropriately or has it been misused?

4.    The government is charged with protecting both the security of citizens and their civil liberties. In these times of heightened concern about terrorism, how can Congress balance these two ideas, which often seem to be enemies of one another?