Powers of Congress
Goals & Objectives
Lesson Goals
12.4 Students analyze the unique roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government as established by the U.S. Constitution.
- Students will learn about which powers are given to Congress by the Constitution, why they were chosen and how Congressional powers have evolved
- Identify the three types of Congressional power
- Compare strict construction of the U.S. Constitution on the subject of Congressional power to liberal construction
12.4 Students analyze the unique roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government as established by the U.S. Constitution.
- Discuss Article I of the Constitution as it relates to the legislative branch, including eligibility for office and lengths of terms of representatives and senators; election to office; the roles of the House and Senate in impeachment proceedings; the role of the vice president; the enumerated legislative powers; and the process by which a bill becomes a law.
Lesson Introduction
The students will analyze political cartoons that relate to the debate over Congressional power. The cartoons will be projected on the smart board. The students will be asked to write 1-2 sentences on their observations and reflections of each cartoon. The written responses will be included in the student portfolios.
Vocabulary
List of key terms for the lesson:
- Expressed powers
- Implied powers
- Inherit powers
- Strict constructionist
- Liberal constructionist
- Consensus
Content Delivery
The teacher will give a short lecture on the Powers of Congress. The material covered is a review of previous units and used to build on the students’ knowledge of the Constitution.
Student Engagement
A Reciprocal Teaching activity will be used during the reading assignment, which is a worksheet with examples and/or descriptions of the different type of Congressional power.
Working in pairs, students will alternate reading a description and finding the correct match. Each student will have the responsibility of teaching the content to his/her partner.
Working in pairs, students will alternate reading a description and finding the correct match. Each student will have the responsibility of teaching the content to his/her partner.
Lesson Closure
The students will write three things they learned during the lesson in the Review portion of their portfolios.
Demonstrated Learning
While the students are working on their worksheet, the teacher will monitor progress by going to each group and checking to see that each student is correctly answering the questions.
The worksheet activity will be used as a Formative Assessment. The students will turn in their worksheets at the end of the class.
The worksheet activity will be used as a Formative Assessment. The students will turn in their worksheets at the end of the class.
Accommodations
Lecture notes will be provided in class for students with special needs to assist them with note taking.
Resources
Below are handouts for the lesson:
powers_of_congress_worksheet.pdf | |
File Size: | 343 kb |
File Type: |