2A: The Legislative Branch

Learning Target 2A: I can explain how Congress works and describe the lawmaking process. (Ch. 11 & 12)

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iCivics "LawCraft" Game: Want to make some laws? You can in LawCraft, where you play a member of Congress from the state of your choice. You'll pick an issue that's important to you and your constituents and take it all the way through the law-making process. If you're successful, you'll have a bill you can print and show off. See if you can make the compromises necessary to get your bill passed and still make a law you're proud of!

iCivics "Represent Me!" Game: In Represent Me!, you work as a legislator trying to meet the needs of your constituents. The people who voted you into office have various backgrounds, diverse opinions, and they each want different things from you. As their representative, you must consider their backgrounds before deciding what bills to sponsor in Congress.

iCivics "Making Laws" Webquest: Who gets this important job of making laws? Congress! This is the legislature (or lawmaking group) for our country. Congress is divided into two parts, the Senate and the House of Representatives. When the Constitution was written, this was the topic of a huge fight! The large states wanted a legislature where representation was based on a state's population; the more people, the power the state would have. Guess who disagreed? The small states! They wanted a legislature where each state had an equal say. How was this resolved? By creating a Congress with two houses. Let's see how this actually works!

USC Annenberg Center "The Redistricting Game": The Redistricting Game is designed to educate, engage, and empower citizens around the issue of political redistricting. Currently, the political system in most states allows the state legislators themselves to draw the lines. This system is subject to a wide range of abuses and manipulations that encourage incumbents to draw districts which protect their seats rather than risk an open contest. By exploring how the system works, as well as how open it is to abuse, The Redistricting Game allows players to experience the realities of one of the most important (yet least understood) aspects of our political system. The game provides a basic introduction to the redistricting system, allows players to explore the ways in which abuses can undermine the system, and provides info about reform initiatives - including a playable version of the Tanner Reform bill to demonstrate the ways that the system might be made more consistent with tenets of good governance. Beyond playing the game, the web site for The Redistricting Game provides a wealth of information about redistricting in every state as well as providing hands-on opportunities for civic engagement and political action.