Government Lesson Plans

Government lesson plans have to be engaging to students or they will mentally check out of class during the first week of the course. One reason there is a lack of interest in government is that students look upon the government as something that they have no control over. The government is looked upon an entity that is unreachable and inaccessible. That is why government lesson plans should work to teach students that they can have an impact on the government and that their voices do matter.

One way to make the government seem more “real” is to take your students to meet their local government leaders. Students should be required to meet their local mayor and to know the names of their city council members. A field trip to the mayor’s office should be scheduled into your government lesson plans. Students should also be required to go on a field trip to assembly meetings. In addition, students should be required to bring in articles from the newspaper that shows how actions of the local government are affecting their city.

Once teens tap into what is happening in their community you will be surprised at how openly they will express their opinions in class. You can hold debates which will enable the students to talk about their opinions on city, state or federal laws. This will naturally lead you into the next phase of your government lesson plan which could be about voting and campaigns. 

There are some students that find themselves in a viable government class who come to realize that they want a career in politics. Imagine how proud you will be if one of your students ever became mayor, governor or president!  You have a great impact on your students. Having a government lesson plan that engages teens is crucial to sparking their interest in government.