Bill Writing Workshop

Classroom Plans · 02

Bill Writing Workshop Lesson Plan

Designed to fit in 2 class periods or club meetings (45 minutes each). This workshop takes students from an idea to a peer-reviewed draft bill, using the Bill Builder Worksheet in “Bill Builder Worksheet”. It fits into regular class time and works for grades 6 to 12.

Objectives

Students will:

• Identify a real problem in their community or state.

• Find the current law that relates to it.

• Write a clear, realistic bill that changes that law.

• Anticipate the strongest arguments against their bill.

• Give and use peer feedback based on the ranking criteria.

At a Glance

Classroom Plans · 02

Class Period 1: Finding the Problem and the Law

45 minutes

Anticipate · 10 minutes

Step 1: Think-Pair-Share

• Write on the board: “What’s one thing in our town or state that should work better?”

• Students jot 2 to 3 ideas, discuss with a partner, and share.

• Examples: later school start times, safer crosswalks, recycling in apartments, cell phone rules.

Step 2: Introduce Youth and Government

• Say: “What if you could write the law that fixes it, and argue for it in the State Capitol?”

• Optional: show the program video (3 minutes).

Reflect · 5 minutes

Exit ticket: “Our bill would change ____ so that ____.”

Engage · 30 minutes

Step 3: Narrow the Idea (10 minutes)

• Teams complete Step 1 (IDENTIFY) on the Bill Builder.

• Push for one specific problem, not a whole topic.

Step 4: Find the Law (20 minutes)

• Teams search their state’s statutes for the related law (Step 2: FIND).

• Model one search on the projector first.

• If there’s no law, that’s fine: they’ll write a new section.

Narrowing in Practice

Classroom Plans · 02

Class Period 2: Drafting and Peer Review

45 minutes

Anticipate · 5 minutes

Ask: “What makes a bill hard to argue against?” Look for: clear, realistic, paid for, and enforceable.

Explore · 35 minutes

Step 5: Draft (15 minutes)

• An Act To: one sentence naming the law and the change.

• Purpose: the spirit of the bill in 1 to 2 sentences.

• Provisions: who does what, penalties, and funding.

• Definitions: 3 to 5 key terms, written last.

Step 6: Plan for Opposition (5 minutes)

Teams complete Step 4 (DEFEND): the two hardest questions they’ll face, and their answers.

Step 7: Peer Review (10 minutes)

Teams swap drafts and score them on the ranking criteria:

• Is the purpose clear?

• Is there evidence of preparation?

• Is it important to the state?

• Is it realistic?

• Is it debatable?

Step 8: Revise and Submit (5 minutes)

Option 1 (best): submit through your state’s bill form in class.
Option 2: finish at home and submit by the deadline.

Reflect · 5 minutes

Remind students: their voices matter, their bill will be heard, and a con speech against it is a chance to make it better.

Peer Review Card

Copy one per team, or have reviewers write on the back of the draft.