Running Head: CREATING A LAW

Creating a Law Project Proposal

Megan Harmon

Arizona State University

CREATING A LAW
2

Creating A Law

This paper will provide an overview of the student demographics, school budget

plans, classroom information, and the layout of the lesson plan. Background information

of the school is also provided including the school’s mission statement and the

socioeconomic information of the students. This paper will describe the reason behind

project-based learning and the implementation of the technology that will be used.

Applicant and School Narrative

My name is Megan Harmon and this is my fourth year teaching at Explorer

Middle School in Phoenix, Arizona. Through college, I took many classes on the United

States government and the processes that are followed during the law-making process.

I spent time learning how laws are created and the ways they can be challenged. My

personal philosophy of education is that teachers prepare the next generation of

children to grow into successful adults. These adults will eventually fill every profession

there is. Education is not only important for providing students with knowledge but also

to provide them with various life skills so they can be successful when they leave

school. My role is to not only help students develop their social skills, self-discipline,

self-esteem, and responsibility but to also help to prepare them to become meaningful

members of society. Part of this is understanding their rights as members of society and

understanding how laws function.

As a fourth-year teacher in a history classroom, I want to improve my student's

knowledge of their place in society and the steps they can take to improve society. This

will give my students a safe place to explore and find ways to better their community by
CREATING A LAW
3

discussing common issues and finding ways to fix them. This will be a project-based

learning experience to help students to explore and gain knowledge as they question

what they find. This encourages student engagement as it allows for personal

involvement and collaboration as they work in groups. Using this project will help my

students understand common issues faced by their peers and teamwork while they

work to find ways to find solutions.

School Environment

Explorer Middle school is part of the Paradise Valley Unified School district

which has approximately 30,000 students. Explorer Middle School itself has 886

enrolled students with a demographic breakdown of 81.9% Caucasian, 8.1% Hispanic,

4.1% identified as two or more races, 3% Asian, 2.5% African American, and .3%

American Indian.

This project will take place through all seven of my classes and will take place

over the course of one full semester. All of my classes are 8th-grade social sciences as

such this project will be beneficial across all of my classes. I have 7 classes with roughly

30 students per class. Spread equally through those classes, I have 11 students with an

IEP and 18 students with a 504 plan. About 5% of the children in my school are eligible

for free/reduced lunches. Overall, most of the students come from middle to upper-class

families, in which they have access to technology in their homes as well as what is

provided in the school. Explorer Middle school has a mission statement of Engage,

Empower, Explore, Experience. Paradise Valley School District places a lot of

importance on children learning to explore and how to have their opinions heard.

(Explorer)
CREATING A LAW
4

Summary of Project and Impact

This project is needed as it is not only part of the curriculum but it is also

designed to teach students the importance of their rights and how to use them. It will

also teach the students their place within the law-making system and how to make their

voices heard.

There will be ten days that will include many project-based learning activities.

One of these activities will include the students writing their own bills and will then acting

as Congress to approve or deny the bill. One student will also act as President to

approve or veto the bill. Another activity will be researching bills currently going through

Congress and attempting to pass or deny those bills through the student Congress.

This project will impact students as it will give them the opportunity to not only

learn about lawmaking but will give them the chance to act out the process. This will

engage the student due to the hands-on nature and personal opinions that will be

formed.

Student Impact

The impact of this project will be far-reaching. The number of students directly

impacted during the initial project will be around 180 within 6 classes. Within 3 years

this project will impact around 540 students. This project will impact students through

the use of project-based learning activities as it will show them how to be effective

researchers and leaders within their group. This project will keep the students engaged

as it will be hands-on and student-led.

Teacher Impact
CREATING A LAW
5

This project will potentially impact me as a teacher by giving me the opportunity

to have my students lead a project. This will move the lesson away from being taught

through presentations and explanations. This will impact other teachers as this lesson

can be implemented through the entire department changing the project from one class

working alone under one teacher to multiple classes working together under all of the

teachers within the department. This can be done by having the students move within

groups to different classrooms where they will focus on different topics within the

presentation. For example, one teacher could be in charge of the House of

Representative group, another would head the Senate group, and another would be in

charge of the general public. Students would rotate classrooms as they learn and

explore each of the roles with each teacher being an expert in their given subject.

Community Impact

This project will impact the community as students will learn to work with one

another outside of the classroom. It will impact the community as it will prepare

students to be productive and knowledgeable citizens that understand their role in the

law-making system. This project will help them to learn about the making of a law, how

to research and understand what the bills and laws are for, and to help them understand

how they can affect the law-making process. The skills developed over the course of the

project will include how to be an effective researcher and to understand and actively

use critical thinking.

Project Narrative
CREATING A LAW
6

Learning Goals and Outcomes

The driving question for the entire project will be: what makes a good/effective

law? The first day will be the introduction to how a law is created for which I have

attached the lesson plan. The essential question is: How is a law created? HS.C1.3.

The second day’s goal is to research bills that are currently on Arizona’s ballots.

HS.C4.5, ISTE-S 3a, and ISTE-S 3d. The third day’s goal will be to finish researching

bills and discussing as a class how each bill affects the students. On the fourth day, the

goal is for students to work in groups to write bills for “laws” in the classroom. The goal

for the fifth day is for groups to move through stations to make comments or

suggestions on the bills of each group. The question for the sixth day is: What are the

roles of each branch of government? HS.C4.1, ISTE-S 3c. The question for the seventh

day is: How does each branch of government affect the law-making process? HS.C4.1,

ISTE-S 3c. On the eighth day, the goal will be to discuss each role of government and

its effect on the law-making process. The students will then form a Congress. HS.C1.3,

HS.C4.3. On day nine and ten students will use what they have learned to either pass

or reject the laws they wrote on day four. HS.C2.1, HS.C4.7.

Description of Learning Activities

The learning activity for the first day will be to watch a short video on how a bill

becomes a law and to fill out a graphic organizer demonstrating the steps of a bill

becoming a law. On the second day, students will work in an informal cooperative

learning group. Each group will research bills that are currently on Arizona’s ballots and

will use the think-pair-share method to discuss what each group found. On the third day,

each group will finish researching and will discuss as a class using the formal
CREATING A LAW
7

cooperative learning strategy what was found and how it affects the students and their

families. On the fourth day, students will work in groups of four to five to write bills to

vote for “laws” within the classroom. The fifth-day students will finish writing their bills

and will move through stations to make comments or suggestions on other groups’ bills.

On the sixth day is students will research each branch of government through the use of

websites and will use a graphic organizer to describe the roles, checks, and balances

for each branch. On the seventh day, students will work with shoulder partners to

research how does each branch of government affect the law-making process. On the

eighth day, students will identify the role of government branches and will form a

Congress. On day nine and ten students will participate in the Congress to pass or

reject laws. At the end of the tenth-day, students will write a reflection on their role

within the law-making process and what makes a good/effective law. This project will be

completed within the class and will only need time outside of school if the day’s

activities were not completed to be prepared for the next day.

Assessment

At the beginning of the project, students will take a pretest on how a law is

created and the role of each branch of government. At the end of the project will be

another quiz to identify how much was learned throughout the project. At the end of the

second-day students will write an exit ticket with what bill they researched and a short

summary. On day three students will present to their groups what bills they found and

how they affect the students. On the fourth days students will write their bills in a shared

document after having the bill approved so groups do not write the same bill. Feedback

can also be provided within the document as the teacher will have access to each
CREATING A LAW
8

groups laws. On the fifth day, students will use a group activity to move through stations

to discuss other groups’ bills. On the sixth day, students will submit an exit ticket with a

short explanation for each branch of government. Students will submit an exit ticket on

day seven discussing the role of the branches of government in the law-making

process. On day eight the students will have a group activity discussing the roles of the

government and forming a Congress. During days nine and ten as students are working

as a Congress, the laws will be projected on the front board and students will use

computers to vote for each law after it has been discussed.

Sustaining The Project and Innovation

Technology

Throughout this project, students will use laptops within the classroom. Students

will use google drive to create their bills and presentations. By using this platform

students can share their information with the teacher so it can be monitored and used to

identify how the students are progressing through the project. Students will also be able

to use applications for voting and for testing to identify progress. The school currently

has enough laptops for each classroom to have one for every student.

After Proposal Period

After the project has concluded and the success has been identified and any

changes made this could be expanded to include the whole eighth-grade social studies

department. Students throughout the whole grade could create a Congress giving more

students the opportunity to voice their opinions on “laws” for their classrooms. This not

only gives the whole grade the opportunity to participate but it would keep the “laws”

consistent in every social studies classroom. This can also be expanded into the
CREATING A LAW
9

English department as students can learn how to properly write a bill and even to make

contact with local politicians to discuss local laws. Politicians and judges could be

contacted to come into the class to discuss the law-making process and how the

students fit into the system.

Innovation

Student’s learning will be transformed throughout this project as they become

effective researchers. Students will also have a safe space to voice their opinions as

they discuss their place in the law-making system and the laws they would like to create

within the classroom. Possible innovative solutions by the students or class could be a

program created to create and vote on bills. Students will develop communication skills

working within a group as they learn about the branches of government and laws. This

will change my teaching as I let the students work and explore new ways of learning

and expressing what they have learned as they teach one another.
CREATING A LAW
10

Budget Narrative

The items needed for this project are listed in Table #1. Chromebooks will also

be needed however, because our school currently has enough chromebooks for every

student it is not listed in the budget table. The sticky easel pad will be used for the

students to brainstorm bill ideas as well as for a gallery walk for other groups to provide

feedback. Markers will be used to write on the easel pad paper so the writing can be

easily read. Printer paper will be used for handouts to assist students through the

project as well as assessments to gauge student learning. Spiral notebooks and pencils

will be used throughout the project. These will be used for student notes and individual

brainstorming.
CREATING A LAW
11

Reference Page

Explorer Middle School. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.schooldigger.com/go/AZ/schools/0593001230/school.aspx
CREATING A LAW
12

Table #1

Proposal Budget

Item # and cost Where to Total Cost Possible

Purchase funding source

Post-it Super 1-2 pack @ amazon.com $40.71 donorschoose.

Sticky Easel $40.71 each org
Pad

Crayola® 1-200 pack @ https://www.dis $82.99 donorschoose.

Marker $82.99 each countschoolsup org
ply.com

Copy And Print 3- 3 ream officedepot.co $59.97 donorschoose.

Paper boxes @ m org
$19.99 each

#2 Pencils, 150 2-150 pack @ amazon.com $24.98 donorschoose.

Pack $12.49 each org

Spiral 1-196 pack @ amazon.com $203.08 donorschoose.

Notebook, $203.08 org
College Ruled,
1 Subject, 70
Sheets,

Total cost 411.64

 CREATING A LAW
13

Appendix

Inquiry (5E) Lesson Plan

Teachers: Subject:
Megan Harmon Social Studies
Common Core State Standards:
● Civics: C3-An understanding of civic and political institutions in society and the principles these institutions are
intended to reflect including knowledge about law, politics, and government are essential to effective
citizenship.

● ISTE-3a-Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for
their intellectual or creative pursuits.

Objective (Explicit):
● By the end of the lesson, students will draw the process of how a law is passed with 80% accuracy.

Evidence of Mastery (Measurable):

◻ Include a copy of the lesson assessment.
◻ Provide exemplar student responses with the level of detail you expect to see.
◻ Assign value to each portion of the response.

Students will complete and turn in the attached chain of events worksheets.

Sub-objectives, SWBAT (Sequenced from basic to complex):

◻ How will you review past learning and make connections to previous lessons?
◻ What skills and content are needed to ultimately master this lesson objective?
◻ How is this objective relevant to students, their lives, and/or the real world?

Review of the three branches of government to introduce how laws are created and the role of each branch in the
lawmaking process. This is relevant as students will need to understand their role as citizens regarding laws.
Key vocabulary: whips, germane, constituents, Materials: Chain of events worksheet
chaplain, clean bill, cloture, caucus, filibuster, quorum,
roll call vote
Engage
◻ How will you activate student interest?
◻ How will you hook student attention?
◻ What questions will you pose, based on your objective, that students will seek to answer in Explore?

Teacher Will: Show “I’m Just a Bill” video clip Student Will: Watch the video and take notes on how a
Question-How is a bill made into law? bill goes through the three branches of government.
Explore
◻ How will model your performance expectations? Remember, you are not modeling what you want students to discover but
need to model expected behavior or required procedures.
◻ How will students take the lead and actively use materials to discover information that will help them answer the question
posed in Engage?
 CREATING A LAW
14
◻ What questions or prompts will you be prepared to use with students while they are “exploring”?

Teacher Will: Demonstrate how to search for the first Student Will: Research and explain the steps of how a
step of the bill from the video “how an idea becomes a bill becomes a law
bill”
Co-Teaching Strategy
◻ What co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?

Differentiation Strategy
◻ What accommodations/modifications will you provide for specific students?
◻ How will you anticipate students that need an additional challenge?

Students will work with partners

Explain
◻ How will all students have an opportunity to share what they discovered?
◻ How will you connect student discoveries to correct content terms/explanations?
◻ How will all students articulate/demonstrate a clear and correct understanding of the sub-objectives by answering the
question from Engage before moving on?

Teacher Will: Student Will:

Evaluate the information students have gained Share within table groups the information that was
found in their research.
Co-Teaching Strategy
◻ What co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?

Differentiation Strategy
◻ What accommodations/modifications will you provide for specific students?
◻ How will you anticipate students that need an additional challenge?

Provide the list of steps for the student to research

Elaborate
◻ How will students take the learning from Explore and Explain and apply it to a new circumstance or explore a particular
aspect of this learning at a deep level?
◻ How will students use higher order thinking at this stage? (e.g. A common practice in this section is to pose a “what If
question”)
◻ How will all students articulate how their understanding has changed or been solidified?

Teacher Will: Pose the question: how does a bill fail? Student Will:
Discuss how a bill can fail within their groups.
Co-Teaching Strategy
◻ What co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?

Differentiation Strategy
◻ What accommodations/modifications will you provide for specific students?
◻ How will you anticipate students that need an additional challenge?

Students will disucuss within a group how a bill can fail.

For an additional challenge students can search for bills that have failed.

Evaluate
◻ How will all students demonstrate mastery of the lesson objective (though perhaps not mastery of the Elaborate content)?
◻ How will students have an opportunity to summarize the big concepts they learned (separate from the assessment)?
 CREATING A LAW
15
Teacher Will: Check for understanding while students Student Will: Complete the worksheet demonstrating
are completing the worksheet the flow of how a bill becomes a law
Co-Teaching Strategy
◻ What co-teaching approach will you use to maximize student achievement?

Differentiation Strategy
◻ What accommodations/modifications will you provide for specific students?
◻ How will you anticipate students that need an additional challenge?

Students will work as a pair to complete the graphic organizer

CREATING A LAW
16
CREATING A LAW
17
CREATING A LAW
18