This 4-part activity kit shows students how Congress really passes, not just what the constitutional steps are.

This 4-in-1 activity kit covers

• All the steps in how a bill becomes a law
• The filibuster, cloture vote, veto, and override
• Real-life examples of how Congress completes the legislative process

Embedded with all sorts of supports like

• Teacher script with each lecture slide
• Graphic organizer included in guided notes
• Visual icons to associate with each step
• Editable text to tailor or use for text-to-speech

These activities can be done well in 2-3 class periods.

Included in this 4-part How a Bill Becomes a Law activity kit:

• Teacher Overview with detailed lesson plans for each activity, including various implementation options to suit your classroom needs
• 28-slide Google Slides Lecture covering the “textbook” and real-life steps for how a bill becomes a law, incorporating real examples from recent years; includes slide-by-slide teacher script and guided notes
• Matching/Sorting Cards (2 versions) to practice putting into order the steps of the legislative process, with accompanying icons to ELL and struggling readers
  – Small slips perfect for small group activity and for both sorting into order and matching images with descriptions
  – Half-page signs perfect for large groups or whole class “human timeline” sort for a kinesthetic activity
• Crack the Code Stations Game 11 stations, each with a code word question that another station answers, leading to students revisiting the stations, reviewing all the steps, and culminating in a final code to crack with an optional prize
• Political Cartoon & News Source Analysis for you to incorporate any current event on Congress and the legislative process with how-to analysis sheets
• Print PDF and digital Google files of all student materials

This resource is 25 PDF pages, plus Google files.

What grades is this intended for?
This was designed for high school, but could still work for upper middle school. 

What supports are included? How can I modify this?
Clear graphic organizer style notes include visual icons, activities are kinesthetic and intended for small group completion, how-to reference skill sheets for current event analysis activity, and lecture slides provide clear, focused content per slide. 

Google versions of student materials and lecture slides are editable to tailor for your students’ needs. 

Can I use this in a homeschooling setting?

Sure! Everything in this kit can still be used in a solo or a small-group setting. 

Is this editable? What file types does this resource come in?
The main resource is a secured, non-editable PDF file intended to be printed.

Included are links to editable Google files, to customize to your classroom needs and assign digitally if you choose. 

What standards does this address?

Several! Standards vary, but this resource supports these from various states:

• Analyze the structures, functions, and processes of the legislative branch
• Describe the procedure for enacting laws
• Analyze the role of Congress in terms of its relationship with the other branches

What are the terms of use for this resource?

This resource, including all ancillary files, may be used as needed for regular, non-commercial single-classroom use between a teacher and their students. 

This includes printing copies and sharing digital files with students through a secure platform, like Google Classroom or Canvas, email, or a classroom-only shared drive.

The using and sharing of any part of this resource in any manner outside the above-mentioned capacity is strictly prohibited. Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to,

• posting files on the open internet or in a Facebook group
• emailing files to or sharing print copies with others (without purchasing additional licenses)
• uploading or storing files in a shared cloud drive accessible by anyone other than students
• including any part, or any derivative work, within any commercial endeavor like curriculum development, professional training, or for-profit teaching like Outschool, or selling this resource as your own in either print or digital formats

Doing so violates the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), copyright law, and these terms.

By downloading this resource from Let’s Cultivate Greatness, the original user has been granted one license for a single teacher (or number of teachers matching the number of licenses purchased) and their students at any one time.  

Let’s Cultivate Greatness retains the full copyright of this resource.

This was a great way to teach the legislative process and enforce that learning through fun activities. – Tatum W.