National Government: The Legislative Branch
Session 1: Introducing the Legislative Branch

Materials

• Opening question posted
• Internet access (optional)

Instructional Activities

1. Ask students to respond to the following question in their notebook:
   
   What role does the legislative branch of the United States Government serve, and how is it organized?
   
   Encourage students to write down what they know but not to use any reference material to develop their response.
   
   
2. Allow students to share their responses with the class and record them on an overhead transparency. Prompt discussion by asking questions: 
   •    What are the titles of the members of Congress?
   •    How many members are in each house?
   •    What are the qualifications for serving in Congress?
   •    How are the members of Congress selected?
        
         Explain that these topics will be discussed during this unit.
   
   
3. Explain that Article I of the United States Constitution pertains to the Legislative Branch.  This branch of the government has the responsibility of making laws.
   
   
4. Ask students to identify the individuals from Virginia that serve in the United States Legislature. If computers are available in the classroom, students can search the list at the following Web site: <http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/>  (This site allows a search for congressional representatives by zip cope. It also provides contact information on the members of Congress.)  If computers are not available, this could be an out-of-class assignment.
   
   
5. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available teacher resources.