Fifth graders trace the path an idea takes to become a law, moving through both houses of Congress and across the President's desk, and put the steps in the right order.
Students will be able to…
Every law starts as an idea that has to survive a long journey. What steps does a bill take to become a law, and who acts at each one?
Project this and put the steps of lawmaking in order — tap each step from the first idea to the signed law.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
A law starts as just an idea. Before it can rule the land, it has to pass many tests. What journey does an idea take to become a law?
Students put the lawmaking steps in order.
Students match each step to who acts.
Students draft and trace a bill.
Students reflect on the lawmaking process.
Aligned to the C3 Framework for Social Studies and Common Core literacy in social studies.
Examine the origins and purposes of rules, laws, and key institutions.
Explain how groups of people make rules to create responsibilities and protect freedoms.
Explain how rules and laws change society and promote the common good.
Explain the relationships between steps in a process using the text.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students write a one-sentence bill, trace it through each step, and say whether it would pass, so the lawmaking process becomes something they can walk through. A printable how-a-bill-becomes-a-law worksheet is in the Social Studies library.
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A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.