Submitted by: Allison Maupin
School: Varina High School
Summary
The students were given an assignment to write a bill about something they wanted changed or improved at school. The students were to write their bill just as a bill that would go to Congress would be presented. As the students finished their bills, my 3rd block became the House of Representatives, and my 7th block became the Senate. Each block was then divided into committees based on the topics of their bills (safety, school lunches, senior privileges, etc.) and the bills from 3rd went to 7th and vice versa. The students uploaded their bills into Google Docs and dragged them into the correct folder for the committees. Then, each house broke into committees and began to analyze their bills. They read the bills, commented on them, and changed them within Google Docs. Once the committees were done looking at bills, they presented to the class which bills they thought were most effective. The students then voted on bills through ActivEngage. At this point, the bills that passed with correct percentages, were sent to the other house of Congress. The next class, the same process took place except all students looked at the bills, they were debated on the floor and voted on again with ActivEngage. The bills that passed with correct percentages were sent to the instructor who played the role of president and could veto bills. The final bills that were chosen were given to the principal with hopes the changes could actually be made around the school.
TIPC Ratings
Approaching – Although the students were writing their own bill of private designation strictly for Varina High School, they were highly suggested to find an outside source to support their claim. So if a student was arguing that seniors should leave for lunch, they should have found a source that supported that seniors leaving for lunch is advantageous. It was their responsibility to research to find supporting arguments for their claims.
Ideal/Target- The students used a 21st century tool, GoogleDocs, in order to collaborate on bills and communicate with one another about their thoughts on the bills that they were reading. Each student has his/her own GoogleDoc name, so they could get on and look at the bills from anywhere at anytime. Also, any instructor or administrator that had the folders shared with them, could monitor the GoogleDocs to ensure no one was abusing this tool. Students could reflect on the bill that they had written by reading what other students commented on and adjusting their bill so that it would get passed to the President.
Ideal/Target- Students were encouraged to not only find a matter that they wanted to improve about the school but defend it to others so that it would get passed. The technology of Google Docs allowed the students to comment and question certain elements of a bill and then respond with a solution that they believed would help. This process encouraged students to work towards a common goal of getting a bill passed, by reworking a bill to fit the needs of all.
Ideal/Target- The students had a wonderful opportunity to reflect upon their 4 years at Varina and pick something that they wanted to improve about their school. They used the prior knowledge that they had in order to clearly define the problem, create an effective solution, and support it with evidence so that administration would actually pass the bill that they created. It was the goal of the individual to encourage and inspire their peers to support their bill so that it would get passed.
Student Artifact
Download Files
Contents:
- LESSON PLAN
- STUDENT ARTIFACTS
