Teacher’s Guide

The Unicameral Update makes a great classroom resource. Teachers can request free, multiple subscriptions for use in the classroom, or students may simply read the Unicameral Update online. This teacher’s guide includes ideas for incorporating the Unicameral Update into your civics classroom.

For additional resources and programs about the Nebraska Legislature, go to the Legislature’s student programs page. The Legislature also offers free educational publications, which can be found on its publications page.

Unicameral Update Exercises:

1. My Legislature: [ Grade Level: Any Grade ] Using past or current issues of the Unicameral Update that include a district map and a membership roster, ask students to identify their district and the member of the legislature that represents them. Students can then check issues of the Unicameral Update to identify a list of bills their member of the legislature debated or sponsored. This activity may be used in a stand-alone fashion for younger students, or may be coupled with one of the activities below for older students.

Goal: The “My Legislature” activity should increase students’ awareness of their ties to the Nebraska Unicameral.

2. Bill Brief: [ Grade Level: 9-12 ] Ask students to identify a bill that interests them and to write a one-page report on the bill. This bill brief should include the name of the bill, a brief summary of the issue, and an articulation of the debate from both proponents and opponents of the issue.

Goal: The “Bill Brief” activity should increase students’ abilities to analyze a political issue and to identify arguments for and against the issue.

3. Unicameral Bill Trek: [ Grade Level: 9-12 ] Ask students to track the progression of a bill throughout the semester. At the beginning of the legislative session in January, students should identify a new bill. As the session progresses, students should keep a record of any legislative activity on the bill, including committee testimony, amendments, and committee and floor votes. For a more complete look at the legislative process, you may wish to incorporate this activity with the Bill Brief activity discussed above.

Goal: The “Unicameral Bill Trek” activity should increase students’ understanding of the legislative process.

4. Legislator Journal: [ Grade Level: 9-12 ] Ask students to track the activities of a particular member of the Legislature over the course of the session/semester. Students should identify the member they will track at the beginning of the semester, and should keep a weekly log of his or her activities in the legislature, including bill sponsorship and debating activities.

Goal: The “Legislator Journal” should increase students’ understanding of the activities of legislators and of the legislative process.

5. Legislative Debate: [ Grade Level 9-12 ] Identify an issue which students will debate and separate students into “opponent” and “proponent” categories. Students should use copies of the Update as their research source; articles involving committee hearing testimony may be particularly helpful. Hold an in-class debate between the student proponents and opponents.

Goal: The “Legislative Debate” should increase students’ appreciation and understanding of how policy issues are complex and the need for legislative compromise.