Overview: 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 in Teacher’s Resources.
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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: Senate Housing Committee The Senate Housing Committee considers issues relating to:
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Learn about how a biennium works as you get ready for the 2026 session. The upcoming session is the short session, just 60 days, and legislators will have many issues to address, from the budgetary shortfall to pressing priorities from both political parties. Tune in to Teach with TVW each week to see how legislators are working to solve Washington’s most important problems. Essential Questions:
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In a democracy like ours, civic engagement is imperative. There are numerous ways to make your voice heard by the government: voting, protesting, petitioning, boycotting, or writing to your legislators. But there is another way that many people may not know about or may find too intimidating: testifying at a public hearing for a pending piece of legislation. In this 7 minute video, Ms. Paulson talks to lobbyist Melissa Gombosky and Representative Andrew Barkis about the importance of testifying at a public hearing, as well as tips for what to do with your time at the microphone. Essential Questions:
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When many people think of “the government”, they think of legislators giving long winded speeches on the floor of the House and the Senate. However, most of the work done during the Legislative Session is done in committees. Committees are the place where bills are researched, discussed, debated, and voted upon. Committees are where the public has the chance to have their voices heard, and committees allow legislators to focus on a specific topic so that the nuances of a proposed law are clear. In this 4 minute episode of Capitol Classroom+, you will experience the anatomy of the committee room, so that when you watch a committee hearing on TVW, you know the ins and outs. Essential Questions:
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The first week of the legislative session, especially after an election year, is filled with many ceremonial elements. In addition to the agenda setting speeches given by the Speaker of the House Laurie Jenkins, President of the Senate Lt. Governor Denny Heck, and Governor Bob Ferguson, legislative work started. Legislators began meeting in their committees, hearing bills. With over 40 committees meeting between the House and the Senate, there was a lot for Legislators to do! And with 1 out of every 5 members of the Legislature being new this year, the Capitol Campus was filled with many people smiling and looking for the most direct way out of the Legislative building. Essential Questions
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Help students understand how Washington State’s executive branch operates through elected statewide officials and their real-world responsibilities. This series explores the roles of the State Treasurer, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Commissioner of Public Lands, Insurance Commissioner, and State Auditor, highlighting how each office impacts daily life in Washington. Students will examine key issues such as education funding, land and resource management, financial oversight, insurance regulation, transparency, and accountability in government. The series builds civic understanding of how elected executive officials serve the public and balance competing needs across the state.
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Understand how laws are made in Washington State through clear, engaging examples. This video series follows the full legislative process—from bill introduction and committee hearings to debate and final votes—while explaining key roles, procedures, and real-world impacts. Students will learn how ideas become law, how citizens can participate, and how state government decisions shape their communities. Ideal for building foundational civics knowledge and connecting classroom concepts to what’s happening in Olympia today.
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Washington State is one of the only states in the nation that has a Top Two Primary for all of its Statewide Elected positions, Congressional positions, and Legislative positions. Held in the August preceding a November election, the top two winners of the primary regardless of political party move on to the general election. Washington State has conducted this type of primary for almost 20 years. Essential Questions:
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While the presidential election will dominate the media coverage, mainstream and social, and conversations in the classroom, who wins the Statewide Elections will directly affect your day to day life. This video will provide background information about the state of Washington races post the August Primary Election and pre the November Election. Essential Questions:
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