CIVICS Β· AMERICAN GOVERNMENT Β· UNIT 6
The Legislative Branch Unit Plan
Everything you need for an engaging, student-driven unit on Congress and the Legislative Branch in Civics or American Government, with easy-to-follow lesson plans for every day.
Unit 6 Overview
How does Congress really work?
This is the sixth unit in my Civics and American Government curriculum and the first of three on the branches of government. Students learn how the House and Senate are organized, what powers Congress has, and how an idea actually becomes a law.
Along the way, students research who serves in the current Congress, follow real committee hearings, try to balance the federal budget, design a "How a Bill Becomes a Law" board game, and finish with a Model Congress simulation where they write, debate, and vote on their own bills.
You can buy every resource for this unit here, or join Students of History to immediately access every lesson online, along with every other unit in the course.
Day-by-Day Flow
How the unit runs
The unit plan guide includes lesson plans for every day, so you always know which resource to use and how. Here's how the unit moves from start to finish.
Introduction to Congress
A PowerPoint with guided notes covers the House, the Senate, and congressional leadership. Students then use a profile of the current Congress to research its makeup and decide if it really represents America.
Powers & Committees
A "Power to Get a Drink" warm up introduces expressed and implied powers before students analyze Article I, Section 8. Then they research congressional committees on their real webpages and follow a current hearing.
The Budget Process
Groups split into House and Senate members to build a balanced federal budget, then come together to agree on one. You play the president, and you can send their budgets back as many times as you like.
How a Bill Becomes a Law
After a PowerPoint (and of course the Schoolhouse Rock video), groups design a "How a Bill Becomes a Law" board game. Next class, they play each other's games to review every step.
Model Congress Simulation
Students join parties, elect leaders, form committees, and propose their own bills, then debate and vote using Robert's Rules of Order. It works as a mock US Congress or a school congress and can run a few days or two weeks.
Review & Assessment
A review outline, vocabulary sheet, online review games, and a "Word Sneak" vocabulary game lead into the editable unit assessment.
What's Included
Over 25 resources, ready to teach
Every resource comes in both print and digital formats, plus a unit plan guide with lesson ideas for each day and links to videos and online resources.
- A complete unit guide packet students use throughout the unit
- A full set of digital notebook activities for Google Drive
- 2 PowerPoint lessons with guided notes introducing Congress and explaining how a bill becomes a law
- A congressional breakdown activity using a current profile of the 119th Congress
- Congressional leadership roles worksheets
- A powers of Congress lesson and interactive notebook page
- A congressional committees activity, a digital notebook page, and a committee current event assignment
- A federal budget simulation
- A "How a Bill Becomes a Law" board game project and activity
- A reading on executive orders and the power of the president
- A full Model Congress simulation with slides and every form you need
- A unit review outline, vocabulary sheet, and review activities
- An editable unit assessment
- A filibuster worksheet and video links
Teacher Reviews
What teachers say about this unit
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βThese resources are highly engaging and I have loved the ease of using them. After using this unit, I decided to subscribe for two of the courses curriculum.β
Rebecca W.Teacher
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βI always enjoy these resources. They are very well-planned and a great help. I love the freedom I have to incorporate the portions that work for my class and modify the ones that don't work based on schedule.β
Crystal H.Teacher
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βHighly recommend, excellent resource. The content is accurate, accessible, and aligned with educational standards, making it an excellent resource for middle and high school classrooms.β
Joshua L.Teacher
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βStudents were engaged and the lessons were easy to follow.β
Mary Ann F.Teacher
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βUsed this to supplement my unit in American Government. Very well done & organized.β
Hanna H.Teacher
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The complete Unit 6 bundle.
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See the rest of the course
This is unit 6 of 11 in my complete Civics and American Government curriculum.
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