America's Legislators Back to School Program

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Middle School Lesson Plan III - The Mindwalk

Introduction:

State governments carry out much of the work of meeting the needs of citizens and most of the laws affecting citizens are state and local laws. Although this activity is intended to demonstrate to students the extent to which laws passed by all levels of government affect their lives, students will discover that given our system of federalism, laws passed by state governments impact their lives in many more ways than laws passed by the federal government. Although the U.S. Constitution does not specifically list the powers of state governments, the 10th Amendment gives to the states or to the people all powers not given to the national government or denied to the states.

Objectives:

At the conclusion of this activity, students will be able to:

• explain the extent to which law affects their lives;
• categorize laws by the level of government involved;
• explain the importance of the 10th Amendment;
• demonstrate their understanding of the impact of law on their lives by writing a short story about their lives.

Materials:

• Handout # 3: "The Mindwalk" (Teachers may wish to adapt this story to the context of students' own state. )
• Transparency #3: 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
• Transparency #4: Enumerated Powers of Congress
• Colored pencils or markers

Teaching Time:

One class period with homework

Procedure:

1. In preparation for a classroom visit by a state legislator from their district, read aloud or make copies and distribute Handout #3, The Mindwalk. Ask students to raise their hands at every point when they think the law is involved. Ask students to describe how the law is involved in that part of the story. Alternatively, arrange students into groups of 4-5 students. Have each group create a list of all of the laws that are mentioned in the story. Ask students if this story could be a typical story of their lives. Are students surprised at the extent to which law is a part of their lives?
2. Once students have determined the extent to which the law is involved in the story, ask them to hypothesize the level of government involved in each instance. Ask them to color code the items in the story using colored pencils or markers. Red will indicate the national laws, blue for state laws, and yellow for local laws. (Do not be concerned about exact answers.) Are students surprised that many of the laws from this story-- and, indeed, their own lives-- have been passed by state legislatures? (Suggested answers have been provided at the end of the lesson.)
3. As another alternative, divide students into three groups. Tell students that groups will "claim" each law or policy given in the story. Give the first group a sign with the word "federal"; the second group, "state"; and the third, "local." As the story is read, each group should raise its sign and "claim" that particular policy. When finished, ask the group that claimed the state policies/laws to make some generalizations about the laws that they claimed. Students should realize that many of the laws from this story have been passed by their state legislature.
4. Ask if any students know why so many laws involved in their lives are passed by state legislatures? To provide background for students, show Transparency #3, The 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
5. Teachers may wish to provide an explanation of federalism to students. Before the Constitution was written each state already had its own constitution. Many delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 wanted state governments to retain much of their power. Other delegates argued that only a strong national government could handle the problems facing our country. The framers settled upon a system known as federalism, in which some powers are divided between the national and state governments, while allowing them to share other powers. Students may already know that the Constitution lists the powers of the national government. Teachers may display Transparency # 4, Enumerated Powers of Congress, Article 1, Section 8, or refer students to Article 1, Section 8 in the U.S. Constitution. Students should note that the Constitution does not specifically list the powers of the states. Instead, the 10th Amendment gives to the states or to the people all powers not given to the national government or denied to the states.
6. Explain that in the next several days, one of their state legislators will visit the class. Although members of Congress tend to get more attention in the news media, state legislators actually make most of the laws that affect our daily lives. In preparation for this visit, have students scan the local newspaper, monitor the local news, or go to their state's internet homepage to identify some policy issues that their state legislature is currently discussing. Students should bring a list of issues to class the next day. On the following day, compile a class list of issues that students have found reported in the local media.

Suggested Homework Activities:

1. Students can write their own "mindwalk" story. Select some stories to be read aloud by students during the next class period. Have students list the laws involved and then categorize them according to the level of government that created the law.

2. Students might wish to create a humorous illustration in which they use symbols (i.e., speed limit signs, newspaper headlines, driver's licenses, a dog license, food labels, mattress pad tags) to show the extent to which laws affect our lives. Symbols should be identified by the level of government involved in each example.

This project is supported by a Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grant sponsored by The Dirksen Congressional Center, Pekin, IL.

Posted 9/12/01
Updated 3/19/09