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CIV.IQ
Middle School (6-8)Government Structure50 minutes

The Structure of Congress

Essential Question

How is Congress organized to do its work?

Overview

Students compare the House and Senate, explore the committee system, and identify leadership roles.

C3 Standards Alignment

D2.Civ.1.6-8D2.Civ.4.6-8

Learning Objectives

  • Compare the House of Representatives and Senate (size, terms, representation)(D2.Civ.4.6-8)
  • Explain the purpose of the committee system(D2.Civ.1.6-8)
  • Identify leadership roles in each chamber
  • Navigate CIV.IQ to find committee information

Materials

  • --Computer/tablet access
  • --Worksheet M1: Congress Structure Analysis
  • --Congress comparison chart (blank)

Vocabulary

House of RepresentativesSenateStanding committeeChairRanking memberJurisdictionMajorityMinoritySpeaker

Procedure

1Opening

10 minutes
  1. Question: "Why TWO chambers instead of one?"
  2. Quick comparison: House = proportional representation (population), Senate = equal representation (2 per state)
  3. Preview: "Today we investigate HOW Congress organizes its work"

2Investigation

20 minutes
  1. Navigate to CIV.IQ Committees page
  2. Each student selects one committee to investigate
  3. Record: chair, ranking member, number of members, jurisdiction
  4. Navigate to representative profiles to find leadership positions
  5. Record leadership roles: Speaker, Majority/Minority Leaders, Whips

3Analysis

12 minutes
  1. Complete Worksheet M1: House vs Senate comparison chart
  2. Compare one House committee to its Senate counterpart
  3. Identify which party controls each chamber and what that means for committee chairs

4Wrap-up

8 minutes
  1. Share findings: "What surprised you about how Congress is organized?"
  2. Discuss: Why divide work among committees instead of having everyone vote on everything?
  3. Key takeaway: Congress is an organized system — understanding its structure helps us follow legislation

Activities

Committee Investigation

exploration15 minutes

Navigate to CIV.IQ → Committees section. Examine the list of standing committees. Select one committee and find: Who chairs it? Who is ranking member? How many members? What jurisdiction?

Open on CIV.IQ: Committees →

Leadership Exploration

exploration12 minutes

Navigate to representative profiles and look for leadership positions: Speaker, Majority/Minority Leaders, Whips, Committee chairs.

Open on CIV.IQ: Representative Profiles →

Complete Comparison Chart

worksheet10 minutes

Complete Worksheet M1 comparing one House committee to its Senate counterpart. Identify which party controls each chamber.

Discussion Questions

  1. Why do you think Congress is divided into two chambers?

    Follow-up: What are the advantages of this system?

  2. Why does Congress divide work among committees?

  3. What power do leadership positions have?

Assessment

Students can explain committee purpose and describe leadership structure accurately.

Extensions

  • --Research a specific committee's recent hearings
  • --Find which committees your representatives serve on

Common Questions

Why do you think Congress is divided into two chambers?
What are the advantages of this system?
Why does Congress divide work among committees?
This discussion question is explored in the The Structure of Congress lesson plan.
What power do leadership positions have?
This discussion question is explored in the The Structure of Congress lesson plan.