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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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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