Legislative Actions of Washington State Lesson Plan for Civics and Government: Middle and High School – 2 to 3 class periods The State Government writes laws that affect the daily lives of all Washingtonians. Yet, most people do not understand how the laws are made, what goes into the legislation, or how that legislation is enacted. In this lesson, students will discover what the state legislature is doing in regards to issues they care about. Organizing Concepts: Legislative process, exploration of social issues and perspectives, citizen action, lobbying, transparency. Objectives: Compelling Questions: More About This Curriculum Kit In two to three class periods, students will first identify an issue that they are concerned with, then they will discover which legislators are working on that issue, what those legislators are doing about this issue, and how students can have their voice heard. This lesson can be teacher led as a whole class, or assigned as an independent supplementary project. By using this curriculum, students learn not only how legislation is passed in Washington State but also how they can become involved and engage in issues they care about. There are suggested discussion questions, classroom activities, and options for summative assessments that engage students in their local community by examining the effects of new legislation. Education Standards
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The 105 day long session began on January 13, 2025. For the following four months, the 98 House members and 49 Senators grappled with climate and energy concerns, rising housing costs, the budget, and the paramount duty of the state, K-12 education, amongst many other important issues. Teach with TVW stayed in step with the action, creating short explainer videos showcasing how policymaking works in Washington state, from bill filing, to public testimonies and final passage on the House and Senate Floors. You can also sign up for our Newsletter and get updates on CC+ and other classroom resources. THE SERIES Final Act – The Governor’s Desk What power does the governor have in the Legislative Process? In the United States and in Washington State, we pride ourselves on our system of representative democracy and the checks and balances that help keep this system in place. With Sine Die, the bulk of the legislative branch’s work is finished for the year, and now the Executive Branch’s role in the legislative process begins in earnest. Legislation that passed both the House and the Senate is sent to the Governor for approval. The Governor’s signature acts as a check on the legislature; the governor will have 20 days after Sine Die to either sign or veto the proposed legislation. If they choose to do neither, the bills will become law without a signature. Of course the Legislature can override vetos with a 2/3 vote of both the House and Senate, but this check on the Executive Branch can be hard to achieve in a divided Legislative Body. Hear from former Governor Gregoire and former Governor Inslee explain how the governor is involved during the session, how they come to the decisions they do, as well as the bill signing powers they have. Class Resources: Essential Questions: WK14 April 21st-25th – Conference Committees There are many steps that a bill must go through to reach final passage. In order to reach the governor’s desk, a bill must be voted out of the House and Senate in the exact same language. If the Senate changes a House bill, the House can either vote to concur (agree) to those changes, dispute (send the bill back to its House of Origin), or ask for a conference committee. It is during this step of the legislative process that the House and the Senate collaborate to pass legislation. The majority party will have the most members on the conference committees, and they also have the majority of votes on the Floor. Currently, Democrats have the majority in both chambers, giving them legislative control over which bills make it through the legislative process. Learn more about conferences committees in this 5 minute video which features interviews with Democratic Senator Noel Frame and Republican Senator Drew MacEwen. Class Resources: Essential Questions: WK13 April 14th-18th – The Rules Committee There are many procedures and protocols that the Legislature follows to ensure that everything happens in a timely fashion. We have told…
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On The Issues is produced by Teach with TVW, the education wing of TVW, Washington’s Public Affairs network, in partnership with the Legislative Page Program. Each week throughout the 2025 Legislative Session Legislative Pages researched issues the legislators are working on and prepared questions to be brought to legislative leadership. Each topical collection below is bundled with a 20 minute lesson plan. Perfect for kick starting discussion in the classroom, and providing insight into the policymaking process. If you have 1 to 2 class periods, check out the comprehensive Legislative Committees lesson plan for a deeper dive, and facilitate class discussion and research across multiple committee topics. 1-2 PERIOD LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES LESSON PLAN In 1 to 2 class periods, this lesson plan introduces students to the issues that Legislative Committees address in a typical Legislative session. Students will have the choice of 11 different issues to examine, learning which committees address these important topics. Additionally, students will assess their own opinions and ideas that relate to the topics presented in the videos. Slide deck and documents can be customized for sharing, and distribution to your students. Objectives: Resources: FULL SERIES WITH 20 MIN LESSON PLANS Senate Housing Committee The Senate Housing Committee considers issues relating to: Overview: During the 2025 session, Legislative Pages (students ages 14-16) had the opportunity to interview legislators from both the Majority party and the Minority party about issues of interest. In this lesson, students will learn about where the Majority Party, currently the Democrats, and the Minority Party, currently the Republicans, stand on three important policies addressed by the House Education Committee. Essential Questions: 20 min Lesson Plan: Housing House Education Committee The House Education Committee considers issues relating to kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) education. Overview: During the 2025 session, Legislative Pages (students ages 14-16) had the opportunity to interview legislators from both the Majority party and the Minority party about issues of interest. In this lesson, students will learn about where the Majority Party, currently the Democrats, and the Minority Party, currently the Republicans, stand on three important policies addressed by the House Education Committee. Essential Questions: 20 min Lesson Plan: K12 Education Senate Higher Education and Workforce Development Committee The Senate Higher Education & Workforce Development Committee considers issues relating to: Overview: During the 2025 session, Legislative Pages (students ages 14-16) had the opportunity to interview legislators from both the Majority party and the Minority party about issues of interest. In this lesson, students will learn about where the Majority Party, currently the Democrats, and the Minority Party, currently the Republicans, stand on three important policies regarding college affordability in Washington State. Essential Questions: 20 min Lesson Plan: Higher Education House Early Learning & Human Services Committee The Early Learning & Human Services Committee considers a broad array of issues and services affecting children and families, including early learning; child care; child and youth development; child welfare services; children’s mental health; at-risk and homeless youth; juvenile justice; economic assistance programs; developmental disabilities; and long-term…
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Housing Unit Housing is a major issue in Washington state. This curriculum kit focuses on HB 1782, a bill that was introduced in the 2022 session that passed the following year. The bill addresses the housing issue by increasing supply. By the end of this kit your students will have a strong understanding of the challenges such legislation runs into when addressing such a large scale issue. Organizing Concepts: Legislative process, exploration of social issues and perspectives, citizen action, lobbying, transparency. Compelling Questions: More About This Curriculum Kit On this feed, educators will find 2022/23 Capitol Classroom PLUS content condensed into a seven week Curriculum Kit, complete with formatted, easy to follow lesson plans. Each week requires only 1-2 class periods to complete the entire curriculum map. Each lesson plan comes with both a Curriculum Guide and a Student Notebook. The kit follows an Affordable Housing Bill: Addressing Middle Housing, from its introduction in the 2022 Legislative Session to its final passage (in a different form) in the 2023 Legislative Session. Educators will find videos of session content, explanations about the legislation from a dedicated volunteer lobbyist, and interviews with stakeholders all collated into a streamlined version without many of the unexpected twists and turns that the legislative session often entails. By using this curriculum, students learn not only how legislation is passed in Washington State but also how members of the community can become involved. There are suggested discussion questions for each video, classroom activities, and options for summative assessments that engage students in their local community by examining the effects of this new legislation.
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Firearms 2023 Unit This all-in-one curriculum about the Washington State Legislature details not only the intricacies of how a bill becomes a law, but also how Washingtonians can get involved in the process. This allows students to understand all the steps to become civically engaged while also tracking a topic of interest. For this curriculum kit, the bill is SB 5078: Protecting public safety by establishing duties of firearm industry members. Organizing Concepts: legislative process, exploration of social issues and perspectives, citizen action, lobbying, transparency. Compelling Questions: More About This Curriculum Kit: Here, educators will find 2023 Capitol Classroom PLUS content condensed into a seven week Curriculum Kit, complete with formatted, easy to follow lesson plans. Each week requires only 1-2 class periods to complete the entire curriculum map. Each lesson plan comes with both a Curriculum Guide and a Student Notebook. The kit follows a Firearms Bill addressing firearms accountability, from its introduction in the 2023 Legislative Session. Educators will find videos of session content, explanations about the legislation from a dedicated volunteer lobbyist, and interviews with stakeholders all collated into a streamlined unit without many of the unexpected twists and turns that the legislative session often entails. By using this curriculum, students learn not only how legislation is passed in Washington State but also how members of the community can become involved. There are suggested discussion questions for each video, classroom activities, and options for summative assessments that engage students in their local community by examining the effects of this new legislation.
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The Medicine Creek Treaty of 1854 is still alive today. In this video, we follow WA State Teacher of the Year ’22 Jerad Koepp (Wukchumni) as he visits the traditional lands of the Nisqually people in search of the treaty tree. As he explores the history, Jerad also learns from Nisqually and other Native American leaders about the language, history, and importance of the Medicine Creek Treaty. Help your students reflect and answer questions for classroom discussion or summative assessment with this 15 min documentary and Viewer’s Guides linked below. Student Viewer’s Guides
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Each week of the legislative session, Legislative Pages research, and bring questions to Democrat and Republican leadership, getting you both sides of the issues in this 5-7 min video shorts series. Each accompanied by a 20 min lesson plan or – Have a full class period? Give your students a deeper understanding of the legislative committee process with the Legislative Committees Lesson Plan. THE 2024 SERIES ENVIRONMENT Overview: During the 2024 session, Legislative Pages (students ages 14-16) had the opportunity tointerview legislators from both the Majority party and the Minority party about issues of interest.In this lesson, students will learn about where the Majority Party, currently the Democrats, andthe Minority Party, currently the Republicans, stand on two important policies surroundingHousing and Homelessness: affordable housing and housing availability. Essential Questions: 20 minute The Environment Lesson Plan HOUSING Overview: During the 2024 session, Legislative Pages (students ages 14-16) had the opportunity tointerview legislators from both the Majority party and the Minority party about issues of interest.In this lesson, students will learn about where the Majority Party, currently the Democrats, andthe Minority Party, currently the Republicans, stand on two important policies surroundingHousing and Homelessness: affordable housing and housing availability. Essential Questions: 20 minute Housing Lesson Plan MENTAL HEALTH Overview: During the 2024 session, Legislative Pages (students ages 14-16) had the opportunity tointerview legislators from both the Majority party and the Minority party about issues of interest.In this lesson, students will learn about where the Majority Party, currently the Democrats, andthe Minority Party, currently the Republicans, stand on two important policies surrounding HealthCare: youth mental health care, and social media’s effect on mental health. Essential Questions: 20 minute Mental Health Lesson Plan EDUCATION Overview: During the 2024 session, Legislative Pages (students ages 14-16) had the opportunity tointerview legislators from both the Majority party and the Minority party about issues of interest.In this lesson, students will learn about where the Majority Party, currently the Democrats, andthe Minority Party, currently the Republicans, stand on two important policies surroundingHigher Education: declining enrollment and barriers to access. Essential Questions: 20 minute Higher Education Lesson Plan LAW ENFORCEMENT Overview: This lesson plan for middle and high school civics focuses on the current issues of staffing shortages and police pursuits in law enforcement. During the 2024 session, Legislative Pages (students ages 14-16) had the opportunity tointerview legislators from both the Majority party and the Minority party about issues of interest.In this lesson, students will learn about where the Majority Party, currently the Democrats, andthe Minority Party, currently the Republicans, stand on two important policies surrounding LawEnforcement: staffing shortages and police pursuits. Essential Questions: 20 minute Law Enforcement Lesson Plan TRANSPORTATION Overview: During the 2024 session, Legislative Pages (students ages 14-16) had the opportunity tointerview legislators from both the Majority party and the Minority party about issues of interest.In this lesson, students will learn about where the Majority Party, currently the Democrats, andthe Minority Party, currently the Republicans stand on two important Transportation Policies:safety and sustainability on public transportation and treaty obligations to remove culvertsprohibiting fish passages. Essential…
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In addition to civics modules and lesson plans, Teach With TVW also produces documentaries to help students understand how their state government works by taking a deeper look into issues affecting the state.
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Civics 101 in 120 Seconds(ish) Introducing Your Soon-To-Be Favorite Parliamentarian: Mike Hoover Get the scoop on what makes the Legislature tick!
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