Lesson 2.1: Congress: The Senate and the House of Representatives
Enduring Understanding:
The republican ideal in the U.S. is manifested in the structure and operation of the legislative branch.Learning Objectives:
Describe the different structures, powers, and functions of each house of Congress.Essential Knowledge:
The Senate is designed to represent states equally, while the House is designed to represent the population.Different chamber sizes and constituencies influence formality of debate.
Coalitions in Congress are affected by term-length differences.
The enumerated and implied powers in the Constitution allow the creation of public policy by Congress, which includes:
- Passing a federal budget, raising revenue, and coining money
- Declaring war and maintaining the armed forces
- Enacting legislation that addresses a wide range of economic, environmental, and social issues based on the Necessary and Proper Clause
Debrief 2.1: CNN 10
Activity 1: Chapter Unit Two Part One Notes
In your notebooks, we will travel through Parts 1 and 2 to learn the basics about the Legislative Branch. You will have about 20 minutes on each station so make sure to work efficiently! Note the answers to each of the "Parts," or stations in your notebooks. You can find a copy of each of the parts with this PDF.
Click Here to access the notes
Activity 2: Use OSAM to Analyze the Political Cartoon
Remember that OSAM stands for Objects, Symbolism, Actions, and Message.
