There Ought to be a Law Against That

A WebQuest for 12th Grade US Government Studies

Designed by

Mrs. Geralyn Murray

Introduction | Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | Credits | Standards

Introduction

Maybe you don't know it but the United States Legislative Branch is presented with as many as 10,000 proposed laws during every term they are in session but fewer than 1,000 of those bills become law.  Where do bills originate?  Many come from individuals in the legislature or from the President’s office.  Some are written by business, labor, agriculture and other special interest groups.  You may be surprised to learn that some are from ordinary private citizens like yourself.

This WebQuest will place the pen in your hand to write a bill.  Your focus will be limited to examining two sides of a controversial issue, making a choice as to what side you will take, then writing a bill to help resolve at least some part of the problem. 

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.     
  http://www.bartleby.com/59/6/givemeyourti.htm

Illegal Immigrants
    - amnesty or deportation
    - rights to social welfare or restrictions on access to schools and government funded aid; 
    - closed, patrolled borders or limited patrols and open access;
    - prohibit work  or allow free or limited access to job
    - define an issue of your choice within this topic


Education Reform
    - tuition vouchers for parent choice of schools or more funding to improve public education;
    - No Child Left Behind federal guidelines for education or let the states decide
    - year round schooling or traditional 9 month
    - define an issue of your choice within this topic                                                                                                             

                                         

The Task

Your job will be to assume a role in the process of creating and passing a federal law.  You will be a member of a legislative committee and you will play a unique part in addressing a problem which will affect your future and that of your future community and family.

Here is your task:

• Decide which issue interests your group the most.
• Research one of the choices mentioned.
• Decide as a group which side you will take on the issue.
  
• Decide what you will address in the issue with a bill
  
• Write the bill
• Defend the bill in committee
• Present the bill on the floor
• Vote

The Process

Before the process begins, you will be assigned to a group of 4 students who will become a committee sponsoring a bill and also serve as a congressional committee to review another group's bill.  After group discussion of the issues, decide together what issue you wish to address.

---

---

Phase 1   Research will be done by each group member, examining both sides of the controversy, either together or divide the task by teams - one studying the pro-arguments, one studying the anti-arguments.  Be sure that you use your critical thinking skills to examine the arguments for errors in thinking, author's qualifications, facts, and propaganda.

• Teams or groups will turn in a list of websites visited, and facts found to support your position and refute your opponent's position.

• Teams or groups will turn in a checklist of faulty arguments supporting or contradicting your positon found in your websearch.

---

Phase 2   Your group will choose to take a side based on the evidence found in your research and choose specifically what your bill will be about.

• Team will turn in a rough draft of their bill idea before it is written and sent to committee

---

Phase 3   You will each choose a role within your group:

• The Pollster will gather opinion data from classmates or within the school to see if your bill has any public support.  
  
• Pollster will turn in a copy of the opinion poll used
  
• Pollster will show tallied results of poll
  
• The Drafter will write the proposed bill using real congressional bills as a model. 
  
• Drafter will turn in copy of original drafted bill
• Drafter will turn in copy of final bill proposed on the floor

• The Debater will present the bill and defend it before another committee which will vote to keep it as is or revise it. 
• Debater will turn in talking points used to defend the bill before committee
• Debater will list at least two questions proposed by the committee which were answered
  
• The Sponsor will present the bill before the class with the entire committee available to answer questions and concerns about the bill.
• Sponsor will turn in text of "speech" given to present the bill before the class
• Sponsor will take the role of leader in answering or directing questions from class

---

Phase 4   After the bill is presented on the floor (before the whole class) it will be voted on. 

• Because your active involvement is required in all parts of this project, students will submit a brief report of their vote on each bill presented and reasons why they approved or voted against it, based on the evidence they heard or questions they had which were never answered.

---

Resource Links for Students

Research

Illegal Immigrants

http://www.ncpa.org/pd/monthly/pd396k.html

http://www.projectusa.org/

http://immigration.about.com/library/blheadlines.htm

http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=research_researchmain

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/border_security/border_patrol/

http://www.fff.org/comment/ed0199d.asp

Education Reform

School Choice 

http://www.ncpa.org/eduagend.html

http://www.schoolchoices.org/

http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=3541

http://www.ncpa.org/pi/edu/april98a.html

No Child Left Behind

http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml?src=pb

http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/107th/education/nclb/nclb.htm

http://www.nea.org/esea/index.html

http://www.ncsl.org/programs/educ/NoChild.htm

Year Round School arguments

http://www.bctf.bc.ca/ResearchReports/95ei03/

http://www.education-world.com/a_admin/admin137.shtml

http://www.nayre.org/

http://www.auburn.edu/~enebasa/html/home.pp.html

Search sites for more arguments

                                   

For help with vocabulary:

http://dictionary.reference.com/

Critical Thinking: 
Watch out for emotional language in arguments. 
Look for facts, details and persuasive arguments based on research instead of opinion.

• Go here to learn how to translate emotionally loaded words into neutral language.
• Go here to learn how to weigh the motives and qualifications of a writer.
• Go here to learn how to evaluate a claim and to recognize faulty arguments.
• Go here to learn more about some of the many false ways to persuade people through the use of a logical fallacy  Some of the most common illogical arguments:
• Red Herring
• Bandwagon
• Ad Hominem
• Weak Analogy
  
• False Dilemma - Either/Or Fallacy
  
• Slippery Slope
• Emotional Appeal

Roles

Pollster

http://www.gallup.com/help/FAQs/poll1.asp

http://nationalserviceresources.org/filemanager/download/662/guide_effective_citizenship_3.pdf   (scroll to page 6 of pdf document)

http://www.amstat.org/sections/srms/whatsurvey.html

Drafter

http://www.mpp.org/how.html

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/lawsmade.toc.html

http://www.house.gov/house/Tying_it_all.shtml

http://news.findlaw.com/

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/usgd/legproc.html

http://www.legaltrek.com/HELPSITE/Federal/Legislative/legislation.htm

Debater

http://www.uic.edu/depts/adn/seminars/powerpoint-intro/build-presentation.html

http://www.norfacad.pvt.k12.va.us/speech/Org.htm

Sponsor

http://www.norfacad.pvt.k12.va.us/speech/Org.htm

http://www.scaged.org/SCFFA/CDE/05CDE/PreparedSpeak/AnsweringQuestions.pdf

http://webpub.alleg.edu/employee/j/jsearle/resources/leading.html

Evaluation

Here is what is expected of you in this project.  You will be graded according to your performance which is detailed below.  This grade will reflect your work as an individual and how well you worked within your group, on your specific task.

	Beginnning 1	Developing 2	Proficient 3	Exceptional 4	Score
Follows Directions	-Participated in research, -Chose a role, -Turned in 1 group and 1 individual written assignment	-Examined two articles from opposing perspectives, -Analyzed arguments -Chose and participated in a role, -Turned in 1 group and 1 individual written assignment - Turned in ballot	- Examined 4 articles from opposing perspectives, - Analyzed each argument in at least two ways, - Chose and participated in a role, - Turned in 2 group and 2 individual writing assignments - Turned in ballot	- Examined multiple articles from opposing perspectives, - Analyzed each argument in two or more ways, - Chose and participated in a role, - Exemplified leadership and skill in role, - Turned in all group and individual writing assignments	/4
Draws Conclusions from readings	- Listed facts from named website to support position from readings - Turned in role report	- Turned in list of websites visited and two facts from each sight which support your position or refuted your opponent. -Turned in one written role assignment. -Turned in voting report with factual reason for at least one vote choice	- Turned in list of websites visited with facts from each sight which support your position and refute your opponent's. -Turned in both written role assignments. -Turned in voting report with factual reason for at least one vote choice	- Turned in list of websites visited with facts from each sight which support your position and refute your opponent's. - Turned in analysis of arguments -Turned in both written role assignments. -Turned in voting report with factual reason for all vote choices	/4
Recognizes Logic in arguments	Mentioned writer's authority, faulty argument or emotional language in one turned in assignment	Did two of the following: Translated emotionally loaded words into neutral language, weighed the motives and qualifications of a writer, evaluated a claim for faulty arguments, analyzed the type of ogical fallacy used by writer	Did more than two of the following: Translated emotionally loaded words into neutral language, weighed the motives and qualifications of a writer, evaluated a claim for faulty arguments, analyzed the type of ogical fallacy used by writer	Did all of the following: Translated emotionally loaded words into neutral language, weighed the motives and qualifications of a writer, evaluated a claim for faulty arguments, analyzed the type of ogical fallacy used by writer	/4
Understands the legislative process of lawmaking	Participated in two aspects of the Legislative Process: Researched, Analyzed, Debated, Defended, Wrote or Rewrote, Presented the bill before the floor, and Voted	Participated in at least three aspects of  the Legislative Process: Researched, Analyzed, Debated, Defended, Wrote or Rewrote, Presented the bill before the floor, and Voted	Participated in most aspects of  the Legislative Process: Researched, Analyzed, Debated, Defended, Wrote or Rewrote, Presented the bill before the floor, and Voted	Participated in all aspects of  the legislative Process: Researched, Analyzed, Debated, Defended, Wrote or Rewrote, Presented the bill before the floor, and Voted	/4
Total Points					/16

Conclusion

In this WebQuest, you have studied the procedures necessary for creating and passing a bill into a law.  You have also developed a better idea of the job of a legislator.  Lastly, you have demonstrated your ability to use critical thinking skills to address a societal problem in the forum of public opinion.  The main purpose of this activity is to make you aware of your rights and responsibilities as a citizen of this representative democracy in which you live.  You have a voice in this society and every voice counts.

Standards

 

Alabama Course of Studies: Social Studies Standards

12.7      Describe the functions of American government as outlined in the Constitution

 

Reading objectives: Alabama High School Graduation Exam Standards

I-3   Follow directions

II-2  Draw conclusions

III-1 Recognize logic in arguments

IV-4 Demonstrate reference material usage

 

 

 

Credits & References

Alabama State Department of Education Website for standards information: http://www.alsde.edu/

Images:

http://www.union.edu/LawsOfLife

http://www.economicswithaface.com/

http://school.discovery.com/clipart/

www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au/cartoon_281.html

Critical thinking:

http://www.auburn.edu/~murraba 

http://www.fallacyfiles.org/index.html 

Books:

McClenaghan, W.A. (2001). American government. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Publishing.

 Lucas, S.E. (2001). The art of public speaking. New York: McGraw Hill