Monday, February 2, 2009

Debating the Economy

Today, the Senate begins debate on HR 1: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The billed passed the House at the end of last week, and the Senate has promised to make changes through a vigorous debate.



You can begin the debate in your classroom as well! The National Constitution Center’s Town Hall Wall on the role of government in the economy is a great tool for starting this deliberation, and students track the legislation and monitor its progress in the Senate using the Constitution Center's Citizen Help Desk tool.

Classroom Activity Ideas:

Create a chart on a classroom bulletin board to track the legislation.
Students can use the Constitution Center’s Constitution Newswire to create a “News Journal” and follow the events as they happen, writing reflection pieces at the end of each week updating the debate.

Host a classroom debate, examine the amendments that are proposed by the Senate and students can present them to the class for debate.

1 comment:

  1. I was able to use this Town Hall Wall in conjunction with my unit on the Industrial Revolution this week. My class plays a simulation game involving the stock market and this debate fit nicely into our discussions about Blue Chip stocks.

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