Subjects: Civics, US Government, US History

Grade Level(s): 8-12

Time Frame [Based on 50-minute periods (e.g., 4, 50-minute periods)]: 3-5, 50-minute periods

Objectives [What the student should know and be able to do at the end of the lesson]:

1.0 Overall: American democracy faces a crisis – the crisis of noncompetitive elections.  More and more, American elections consist of incumbents cruising to victory. In this lesson, students will be able to explain why congressional elections are noncompetitive, analyze the pros and cons of electing incumbents to Congress, and analyze the need for congressional term limits.

Bloom’s Taxonomy: CongressLink lesson plans are built around Bloom's taxonomy. The purpose of the taxonomy is to provide a coherent format for lessons and to make it easier for teachers to design them according to CongressLink's standards. If you are preparing a lesson, be sure to read the detailed information about the taxonomy -- it will be a big help.

2.0 Knowledge: Students will be able to explain why congressional elections are noncompetitive. 

3.0 Understanding: Students will read the article “Noncompetitive Elections for Congress.”

4.0 Application: Students will be divided into groups of three.  The groups will participate in an 8-minute group discussion based on the discussion prompts displayed on the LCD or overhead projector.

5.0 Analysis: Students will share one or two major points from the discussion with the class and each group will make a list of pros and cons for keeping incumbents in Congress.

6.0 Synthesis: Students will prepare to debate term limits for Congress, finding three sources supporting term limits and three sources opposing term limits.

7.0 Evaluation: Students will participate in a Congressional debate on a Constitutional Amendment concerning term-limits.  They will create a list of improvements for Congressional Elections to close the assignment.

Procedure/Sequence

Step 1: Students will read the “Noncompetitive Elections for Congress” article by Lee Hamilton, The Center on Congress at Indiana University Website: http://centeroncongress.org/radio_commentaries/noncompetitive_elections_for_congress.php

Step  2: Divide students into groups of three.

Step 3: Pass out poker chips to the group giving each group member a different color.  Assign a task based on the color.  For example, the red chip will be the facilitator.  The job of this student is to keep everyone on-task and be the spokesperson.  The blue chip will be the time-keeper, and the white chip will be the reporter.

Step 4: The groups will participate in an 8-minute small group discussion based on the discussion prompts displayed on the LCD or overhead projector.

• List the criticisms addressed in Lee Hamilton’s commentary.
• Discuss the validity of the criticisms.
• Discuss Hamilton’s response to public criticisms.

Step 5: Each group will share one or two major point(s) from the discussion with the class.

Step 6: Based on the students’ knowledge of Congress and the discussion, each group will make a list of pros and cons for keeping incumbents in Congress.  The lists should be displayed around the classroom.

Step 7: For homework, students will prepare to debate term limits for Congress.  They will need to find three sources supporting term limits and three sources opposing term limits.  The students will need to turn in an annotated bibliography of these sources.

Step 8: Students will participate in a congressional debate on a constitutional amendment concerning term-limits.

Step 9: To close the assignment, students will create a list of improvements for congressional elections.

Materials

Photocopies of “Noncompetitive Elections for Congress” article by Lee Hamilton, The Center on Congress at Indiana University website: http://centeroncongress.org/radio_commentaries/noncompetitive_elections_for_congress.php
LCD or overhead projector
Discussion prompts
Poker chips
Large chart paper

National Standards [based on National Standards for Civics and Government, Center for Civic Education, 1994. Citation based on section, subsection, standard of the document]:

2C- What is American political culture?
3E- How does the American political system provide for choice and opportunities for participation?
5C- What are the responsibilities of citizens?
5E- How can citizens take part in civic life?

Rubric: See: http://www.congresslink.org/rubric/pdf

Author(s):
Misty LeClerc
Wando High School
Mt. Pleasant, SC