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Title:
I'm Just a Bill

Grade Level:
Third grade

Length:
45 minutes

Performance Expectation:

The student will be able to map out the steps taken in order to become a law and they will draw a map displaying these steps.

Materials:

Crayons, markers, construction paper, a copy of the "bill" song

Procedures:

1. The students will listen to the song entitled "I'm Just a Bill."

2. The students will be given a copy of the lyrics of the song and the class will have a group discussion evaluating it.

3. The class together will determine where the bill starts it's journey and the different places it has to stop along the way to the White House.

4. The discussion will involve all the students and the teacher will create a chart in the front of the classroom writing down what the students agree on. ( Including the steps they believe are correct.)

5. Have the class come to a consensus on which steps are correct.

6. Give the students each their own piece of construction paper and have them draw a simple map showing the path the bill must follow to become a law.

7. After the students have completed this task, let them display their drawings to the rest of the class.

8. Hang the pictures around the classroom for viewing and comparing.

9. End the class with a group discussion reviewing the path to the White House.

Assessment:

At the end of the lesson, have the students discuss with each other the different steps needed for a bill to be passed and why they think it is so important for all of these steps to be reached in order for a bill to become a law. After the students have completed their task of creating their own map, and after the class discussion, pass out a blank map to have the students fill in. The teacher should create a map resembling the ones the students have created and then, in a form of a quiz, have the students fill out the steps using their previous knowledge. For example, the quiz will be made in a form of a blank road map with different "stops" located along the way. The students will be responsible for filling in the different destinations with the specific steps the class discussed earlier in the lesson.

Adaptation/ Consideration:

If there are any children with special needs in my classroom, I will provide them with an alternate way of completing their assignment. I will provide blank maps available for any student who feels they cannot complete the task or who may have difficulty drawing the road the White House. I will also keep an open discussion during the student's time to create their own map so that the students that may not understand the correct sequence of events leading to a bill becoming a law, can have some extra help without being singled out in front of the class.

Reference:

Frishberg, Dave. (1973). School House Rock. "I'm Just a Bill." J. Kramer, personal communication, October 6, 1997