South Dakota State Government Project

MDU Overview JASON FERSDAHL

THEMES: My MDU will take place in Government class. It will be a multi-disciplinary unit involving College Prep English, English IV, and senior level Computer classes. The theme will be “South Dakota Government”.

OBJECTIVES: 1. Students will produce four letters using proper formal letter writing format. Two of the letters will go to each of the sponsors of the bills the students will research and two of the letters will go to the legislators of their home district. 2. Students will address four basic questions in their letters: 1) Why was this bill sponsored? 2) How will the bill change existing law? 3) How will the bill affect young people? 4) Do you think the bill will become law? Why/why not? 3. Students will practice Internet research skills by utilizing the Legislative Research Council to track their bills through the South Dakota Legislature.

Objectives Students Will Be Responsible For In My MDU

I. Bill Research A. Students will be required to choose one Senate bill and one House bill to follow through the South Dakota Legislature. The bill should be of interest to them and must be approved by the teacher. B. Students will be required to keep a journal of their bills including the following ideas 1. The original text of the bill 2. Any amendments made to the bill 3. The history of the bill status 4. A summary of how the bill will effect existing law 5. Their opinions on the bill. II. Letter Writing A. Students will create four letters to be written to the sponsors of each bill and their district Senator or representative. 1. The letters will be written in formal letter format that will be assessed by the English teacher and myself. B. Students will address four basic questions in their letters. C. Letters will be written encouraging a response from the legislators III. Research A. Students will use the Internet to research their bills of choice. They will use the Legislative Research Council’s Bill Directory to follow the bills through the legislative process. B. Students will utilize the Internet for valuable research and comprehend its value for future use. South Dakota Government Content Standards Covered In My MDU

Students will: 1. Analyze the interrelationships and structures of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches with regard to the constitutional requirements and institutional procedures; the legislative process; judicial review; the hierarchy of the federal court system; the presidential powers including expressed and implied; executive departments, regulatory bureaucracies, and agencies; and the impact of bureaucracies and government agencies on the U.S. constitutional system. 2. Analyze local public issues and distinguish between state and local governments including cities, counties and towns. 3. Develop the skills needed for informed participation in public affairs by analyzing public issues, evaluating candidates for public office, evaluating the performance of public officials, and communicating with public officials. 4. Explain and give current examples of how political parties, interest groups, the media, and individuals influence the policy agenda and decision-making of government institutions. 5. Analyze current issues confronting local, state, and national governments in terms of perennial challenges to democracies, including conflicts between majority rule and minority rights, individual rights and the public interest, levels of taxation and the expectation of public services, and state and national authority in a federal system.

Timeline for South Dakota Government Project

Week 1: Day 1: -Introduce Project: Expectations, Requirements, and Assessment -Begin Researching Bills

Day 2: -Continue Researching Bills -Have Bills Chosen and Recorded with Teacher

Day 3: Letter Writing

Day 4: Letter Writing

Week 2:  Follow the Legislature’s progress  Track Correspondence from Legislators  Update Bill Status  Begin Work on Journals Week 3:  Follow the Legislature’s progress  Track Correspondence from Legislators  Update Bill Status  Continue Work on Journals

Week 4:  Follow the Legislature’s progress  Track Correspondence from Legislators  Update Bill Status  Continue Work on Journals

Week 10:  Finish Journals and Write Opinions  Share Journals with Others SOUTH DAKOTA STATE GOVERNMENT PROJECT

1. Find two bills that will be discussed in detail this legislative year. One of these bills should originate in the House of Representatives (HB) and one should originate in the Senate (SB). Choose bills that are of interest to you. Inform me of your bills of choice so that nobody has the same bills.

2. Write four letters to members of the South Dakota Legislature. Two of these letters will be written to the major sponsors of the bills you choose. The other two letters must be written to a Representative and Senator from your home district asking how they feel about this bill. All of these letters must be typed using correct letter writing format. Include the following items in your letter:

 The name and legislative address of the person your are writing to.  Your name, school, class, and a brief description of why you are interested in the bill including your opinions of the bill.  A closing sentence thanking the Legislator for his/her time.  Your return address or e-mail address so that the Legislator may reply to your letter.

3. You will keep a journal of your bill including the following items:  A copy of the original text of each of your bills  Any amendments made to your bills  The history of your bills  The outcome of your bill with your opinions on it  Any correspondence you may have received from the Legislators you wrote to

The journal will be created on the computer using Word. You do not need to print this out, simply save it to your drive. Create two journals, one titled “SB#” and the other titled “HB#”.

This project will be worth 100 points in Government. The breakdown of each section will be : Letter writing: Each of the letters your write will be worth 10 points= 40 points Journal: The journal will be worth 50 points= 50 points Use of time 10 points 100 points total

You may use a number of resources to track the progress of your bills through the legislature. The South Dakota Legislative Research Council’s web site will probably be the easiest. The address is http://www.state.sd.us/state/legis/lrc.htm. You can also access this address through my web site at http://www.ttl99.dsu.edu/fersdahj/government/govtpagehtm.htm. You could also check the Argus Leader legislative reports to track your bills. Another resource you may also use is the television show “Statehouse” on SD Public Television at 10:30 p.m. nightly. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE GOVERNMENT PROJECT LETTER WRITING ASSESSMENT

NAME: ______

Bill #______1. The bill was written in the correct letter writing format. ______2. Your opinions on the bill were included. ______3. You thanked the legislator for his/her time. ______4. You included your address/email address for correspondence. ______5. Your letter was grammatically correct and error free. ______Total: ______(of 10)

TOTAL ON LETTER WRITING (40 POINTS POSSIBLE): ______

COMMENTS: ______SOUTH DAKOTA STATE GOVERNMENT PROJECT JOURNAL ASSESSMENT

NAME: ______

Rubric for 1 2 3 4 5 Assessment of Incomplete Limited Sufficient Good Excellent South Dakota Some Project is All Products Shows Greater Creates New Government Aspect is Complete, are complete, Depth and/or Understanding, Project Missing but Vague or but Limited Effort, Neat and Shows Neatness Difficult to Organized and Organization Understand Quality of Journal

Original Text of Bill

Amendments Made to the Bill

Summary of Bill History

Opinions on the Outcome of the Bill

TOTAL POINTS (OUT OF 50): ______

TOTAL ON PROJECT (OUT OF 100): ______

COMMENTS: ______

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