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Chapter Planner and Suggested Pacing Guide

UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN®

Enduring Understanding

  • Congress makes the law and serves as a check on the other branches by among other things confirming presidential nominees, overseeing the executive branch, approving treaties, and using the impeachment power.

Essential Questions

  • What is the purpose and structure of the Congress?

Students will know:

  • Congress is composed of a bicameral legislature, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
  • how congressional sessions work.
  • how the number of representatives is set in the House.
  • the purpose of gerrymandering.
  • the qualifications and terms of office for senators and representatives.
  • how censure works.
  • the characteristics of members of Congress and how Congress has changed over time.
  • each house has rules for its proceedings.
  • Congress is organized into committees.
  • the Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the House and its most powerful leader.
  • the Speaker’s top assistant is the majority leader.
  • how bills go to the House for a vote.
  • why the Rules Committee is the most powerful House committee.
  • the role of the vice president in the Senate.
  • the most important officers in the Senate are the majority and minority leaders.
  • a filibuster is one way that a senator or senators may prevent a bill from coming to a final vote.
  • the Senate conducts most of its business through unanimous consent.
  • that congressional committees research and write bills.
  • the role of each of the four different congressional committees.
  • that assignments to committees are important to the careers of members of Congress.
  • the roles of the committee chairs.
  • the importance of congressional staff in the work of Congress.
  • how congressional staff grew over a 30-year period.
  • the two types of congressional staff are personal and committee staff.
  • the role of committee staff.
  • how the different congressional support agencies assist members of Congress.

Students will be able to:

  • compare and contrast the characteristics of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
  • explain how the majority parties use gerrymandering to gain an advantage in future elections.
  • summarize the qualifications for representatives and senators.
  • identify the structure of the House of Representatives.
  • evaluate the rules and customs of the House of Representatives.
  • explain how the House conducts business.
  • compare the Senate to the House of Representatives.
  • summarize the rules and customs of the Senate.
  • identify the leadership of the Senate.
  • define the filibuster and describe how it is used.
  • outline how congressional committees are organized.
  • identify the role of congressional committees.
  • analyze the importance of committee assignments to members of Congress.
  • identify the role of congressional staff in the day-to-day operations of Congress.
  • explain the reasons behind the growth of congressional staff over time.
  • compare the roles of personal staff and subcommittee staff.

Predictable Misunderstandings

Students may think:

  • that anyone elected to Congress will automatically get his/her seat in Congress. Many students may not know that members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives have the power to judge the qualifications of new members and vote on whether to seat them.
  • that members of Congress within each house have equal powers. Encourage students to learn about the leaders of each house of Congress, as well as the other members who hold extra power, such as majority leaders and whips.
  • that every member of Congress deals with the same issues. Students may not understand what an important role congressional committees play in the process of taking an idea from a bill to a law and how different committees deal with specific types of issues.

Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks:

  • Hands-On Chapter Project

Other Evidence:

  • Guided Reading Activities
  • Vocabulary Activity
  • Lesson Quizzes
  • Chapter Tests, Forms A and B

SUGGESTED PACING

½ Day — Introducing the Chapter
 1 Day — Lesson 1 Congressional Membership
½ Day — Lesson 2 The House of Representatives
½ Day — Lesson 3 The Senate
½ Day — Lesson 4 Congressional Committees
½ Day — Lesson 5 Staff and Support Agencies
½ Day — Chapter Wrap-Up and Assessment

4 Days — Total

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

The activities presented are suitable for all levels. Modifications for student ability levels are available for many of the activities. The type of modifications available are indicated by the icons below.

DI for AL Approaching Level

DI for BL Beyond Level

DI for ELL English Language Learner

All students benefit from activities that utilize different learning styles. Activities are designated with the labels below to help you differentiate teaching by the types of learners.

Intrapersonal
Logical/Mathematical
Visual/Spatial
Verbal/Linguistic
Interpersonal
Auditory/Musical
Kinesthetic
Naturalist

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

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  • Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

    Below are the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills covered in this chapter.

    (1) History. The student understands how constitutional government, as developed in America and expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution, has been influenced by ideas, people, and historical documents. The student is expected to:

    (D) identify the contributions of the political philosophies of the Founding Fathers, including John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Jay, George Mason, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson, on the development of the U.S. government

    (F) identify significant individuals in the field of government and politics, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan

     

    (2) History. The student understands the roles played by individuals, political parties, interest groups, and the media in the U.S. political system, past and present. The student is expected to:

    (A) give examples of the processes used by individuals, political parties, interest groups, or the media to affect public policy

    (B) analyze the impact of political changes brought about by individuals, political parties, interest groups, or the media, past and present

     

    (3) Geography. The student understands how geography can influence U.S. political divisions and policies. The student is expected to:

    (C) explain how political divisions are crafted and how they are affected by Supreme Court decisions such as Baker v. Carr

     

    (7) Government. The student understands the American beliefs and principles reflected in the U.S. Constitution and why these are significant. The student is expected to:

    (D) evaluate constitutional provisions for limiting the role of government, including republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual rights

    (E) describe the constitutionally prescribed procedures by which the U.S. Constitution can be changed and analyze the role of the amendment process in a constitutional government

    (F) identify how the American beliefs and principles reflected in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution contribute to both a national identity and federal identity and are embodied in the United States today

     

    (8) Government. The student understands the structure and functions of the government created by the U.S. Constitution. The student is expected to:

    (A) analyze the structure and functions of the legislative branch of government, including the bicameral structure of Congress, the role of committees, and the procedure for enacting laws

    (B) analyze the structure and functions of the executive branch of government, including the constitutional powers of the president, the growth of presidential power, and the role of the Cabinet and executive departments

    (G) explain the major responsibilities of the federal government for domestic and foreign policy such as national defense

     

    (9) Government. The student understands the concept of federalism. The student is expected to:

    (B) categorize government powers as national, state, or shared

    (C) analyze historical and contemporary conflicts over the respective roles of national and state governments

     

    (10) Government. The student understands the processes for filling public offices in the U.S. system of government. The student is expected to:

    (A) compare different methods of filling public offices, including elected and appointed offices at the local, state, and national levels

     

    (11) Government. The student understands the role of political parties in the U.S. system of government. The student is expected to:

    (A) analyze the functions of political parties and their role in the electoral process at local, state, and national levels  

     

    (12) Government. The student understands the similarities and differences that exist among the U.S. system of government and other political systems. The student is expected to:

    (A) compare the U.S. constitutional republic to historical and contemporary forms of government such as monarchy, a classical republic, authoritarian, socialist, direct democracy, theocracy, tribal, and other republics

     

    (14) Citizenship. The student understands the difference between personal and civic responsibilities. The student is expected to:

    (C) understand the responsibilities, duties, and obligations of citizenship such as being well informed about civic affairs, serving in the military, voting, serving on a jury, observing the laws, paying taxes, and serving the public good

     

    (15) Citizenship. The student understands the importance of voluntary individual participation in the U.S. constitutional republic. The student is expected to:

    (A) analyze the effectiveness of various methods of participation in the political process at local, state, and national levels

    (B) analyze historical and contemporary examples of citizen movements to bring about political change or to maintain continuity

    (C) understand the factors that influence an individual’s political attitudes and actions

     

    (17) Culture. The student understands the relationship between government policies and the culture of the United States. The student is expected to:

    (A) evaluate a U.S. government policy or court decision that has affected a particular racial, ethnic, or religious group such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the U.S. Supreme Court cases of Hernandez v. Texas and Grutter v. Bollinger

     

    (18) Science, technology, and society. The student understands the role the government plays in developing policies and establishing conditions that influence scientific discoveries and technological innovations. The student is expected to:

    (A) understand how U.S. constitutional protections such as patents have fostered competition and entrepreneurship

     

    (19) Science, technology, and society. The student understands the impact of advances in science and technology on government and society. The student is expected to:

    (B) evaluate the impact of the Internet and other electronic information on the political process

     

    (20) Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to:

    (A) analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions

    (B) create a product on a contemporary government issue or topic using critical methods of inquiry

    (C) analyze and defend a point of view on a current political issue

    (D) analyze and evaluate the validity of information, arguments, and counterarguments from primary and secondary sources for bias, propaganda, point of view, and frame of reference

    (E) evaluate government data using charts, tables, graphs, and maps

    (F) use appropriate mathematical skills to interpret social studies information such as maps and graphs

     

    (21) Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:

    (A) use social studies terminology correctly

    (D) create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information

     

    (22) Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings. The student is expected to:

    (A) use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution