Author: Jennifer Bloom, Learning Law and Democracy Foundation

This lessons asks students to identify the various ways in which government is involved in their lives by imagining their daily activities and completing a worksheet with the activities, the rules or laws involved, the purpose or reasons, and whether the government action is appropriate.

Objectives

• Students will recognize the impact of government in their lives
• Students will understand what government does
• Students will evaluate government action
• Students will analyze rules and laws

Grade Level

Grades 4-12

Time to Complete

One class period

Materials Needed

• Government Mindwalk Lesson Plan ^[1]
• GOVERNMENT MINDWALK Student Handout ^[2]

Procedure

1.       Introduce how rules and laws impact our lives. Ask students to quickly brainstorm some examples of rules in the classroom and school, laws in their communities. Ask them to think about the purpose for the rules or laws and what would happen if they didn’t exist.

2.       Tell students they are going to analyze the rules and laws that directly impact them from the moment they get up until the end of the day. The goal is to examine as many laws as possible.

3.       Using the “Government Mindwalk” worksheet, analyze one activity as a large group. Start with the beginning of the day.

Examples:

“My alarm went off and I woke up and turned it off.” Laws regarding product safety can be analyzed.

“I drove to school.” Laws about driving and mandatory attendance can be discusses.

4.       Students can work individually or in teams as they imagine their daily activities.

5.       Discuss as a large group.

6.       Supplemental Activity: Ask students to draw each activity in storyboard. Students could also draw what might happen if the rule or law didn’t exist.

GOVERNMENT MINDWALK Student Handout