This booklet contains steps that will help the vocational student to acquire some letter writing skills quickly, the result of which will be the student's own personal letter to a legislator. Background information discusses the need for State or Federal financial support for vocational education and students' role in informing legislators about…

In this lesson plan, students are assigned a member of the California Assembly to research and a political faction to represent. Students examine representative bills voted on by the California Assembly to determine if their member's voting record coincides with the views of their political faction. Ultimately, students must decide whether, and…

Lobbying is defined as the function of citizens to express their views and to gain the support of legislators for proposed laws. This guide, for Massachusetts students, is designed to take students step by step through the lobbying process and to suggest strategies and resources to use in their own lobbying efforts. The guide contains the…

Intended to help secondary and college students and adults develop a clearer understanding of how our democracy works, this booklet examines how Congress makes legislative decisions and how it collects the information necessary to legislate. With 100 Senators, 435 Representatives, and 20,000 staff people receiving and processing information,…

Background information on lobbying will help secondary and college students and adults develop a clearer understanding of how U.S. democracy works. Discussed are what lobbying is, who the lobbyists are, lobby regulation, and the different kinds of lobbying groups. As an example of the environment within which lobbyists work, lobbying efforts…

In order to increase students' awareness of their place in the nation's political life, this unit introduces young children to the electoral process. Each lesson includes objectives, materials, procedures, and supplementary materials that can be duplicated for student use. The first five lessons are designed to improve student awareness of…

Designed to encourage informed and critical thinking on contemporary political issues and processes, the articles, case studies, and activities in this student handbook can be incorporated into secondary school social studies units on government or current events. Seven chapters cover the executive branch of government, Congress, the judiciary,…

Dedicated to celebrating the importance of law in U.S. life, the 19 stories collected in this volume are about legislators who enact the law, judges who interpret it, and lawyers who practice it. The stories describe the contributions to the United States through the law of distinguished individuals, emphasizing the devotion of many lawyers to…