Government Module

Unit 3:  Examining Representative Government and Your Rights

Lesson 2:  Identifying Your Representatives

Materials Needed: 

• Flip chart or board and markers/chalk

• Computers with Internet access

• Websites: 

http://bensguide.gpo.gov
www.senate.gov/ 
www.house.gov/  
www.myvirginia.org 

• Handout 1 & Handout 2

Word bank:  

Introductory Activity: What is representative government?

• Today we are going to learn about what it means to live in a country that works with a representative type of a government.

• What does the word “representative” mean?  Can anyone explain it?

Activity 1:  Our program could really use that mini-van!  In this activity learners intended to help the learners model participatory, representative government and reflect on the process.   

Have students count off 1-2-1-2. 

• For today, you are all workers at two public programs in one city.  One program is a daycare center for children.  The other is an activity center for senior citizens.  If your number is 1, you work at the daycare center.  If your number is 2, you work at the senior activity center.

You may use other community agencies instead of the daycare and senior centers. 

• There is a millionaire who wants to give one mini-van to a program.  This millionaire wants to talk to one representative from each program.  The representative needs to convince the millionaire that their program needs and deserves the mini-van more than the other program.

• Your group really needs this FREE mini-van.  You have to convince the millionaire that your group should get this mini-van.  Your group will need to talk together to decide on the following three things:
1. What are the 3 most important qualities that representatives should have to be most effective or convincing?
2. Who will be your representative? Who has these important qualities?
3. What should this representative say to the millionaire?
• When you have decided on answers to the questions, help your representative practice what to say to the millionaire.

Each group’s representative should practice what he or she will say to the millionaire.  The other group members should help the representative prepare.  (The class can choose someone they want to play the millionaire for fun.  The millionaire just has to listen.)  The class can vote on who they think was the most convincing.  They can discuss why they feel that way.

• Now that we have heard the groups’ ideas, what was difficult about choosing a representative?
• Did all of the members of your group agree on what your representative should say?
• Why is it important to know what the representative is saying and what he or she believes?

Writing Expansion Activity:

Write a paragraph explaining what characteristics you think are most important in a government representative.

Activity 2:  Branches of the U.S. Government.

This activity is intended to provide a brief overview of the structure of our government, with special emphasis on the Legislative Branch.  More in-depth study can be done on the other branches if desired with the same website. 

For Activity 2, Handout 1, you can make similar questions for each branch of the government.  Divide the students into 3 groups, a group for each branch, and do a jigsaw reading activity.

Give the students Handout 1 and have them complete it using the website at http://bensguide.gpo.gov.  Be sure to preview the site to be familiar with how it is set up so you can explain to learners  how to navigate it.  When you get onto the site, click on grades 3-5 and then click on Branches of Government. Once in Branches of Government, scroll down to Legislative Branch, the House of Representatives, or the Senate to find answers for Handout 1.

Students who finish early can study about Virginia and share what they learn in the Quick Facts About Your State section of the Ben's Guide web page.

Activity 3:  Who represents you in Richmond and Washington, DC?

If your learners need an extra challenge, you could have them do their own Internet searches to locate these representatives.   

An  answer key is not provided for Handout 2 since the location of county schools are different and the representatives change.

• Does anyone know who the US senators are for Virginia?  How about the US representatives?

•  Now we're going to work in 3 groups.  One group is going to find information about Virginia's US senators.  Another group is going to find information about Virginia's representatives.  And the last group is going to find out about our local representatives who go to the state government in Richmond.

• Follow the instructions in your group's section of the handout.  When you are finished, you group will share your information with the whole class.

Writing Expansion Activity:

Have the learners write a paper comparing representative government in the U.S. with that in their native country.

Optional Exercise: 

Depending on the level of your students, you may want an additional task.  You can ask the learners to locate and summarize one news article that mentions or involves one of the representatives researched in this activity.

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