Research a Congressmen Project

How much is it worth?

30 points for typed up responses to seven questions (complete sentences in paragraph form, each partner must turn in their OWN ANSWERS.)

10 points for presentation

5 points for dressing up

= 45 POINTS TOTAL

What do I need to do for this project?

· You will work with a partner (or alone if you choose) to research a current member of the congress.

· You and your partner will choose one member of congress from the bag.

· Every day in class you will find information to answer 3-4 of the questions below, and type up your responses. Both partners should work on researching all questions together. (Do not split up the questions.) Your responses should be typed separately!!

· You will also need to prepare a one slide Google Docs Presentation, which will be shared with the class (this will be shown on the day speed dating takes place).

· The presentation component will consist of taking on the personality of the congressman you researched, and “speed dating” other members of congress to determine your compatibility.

· You will need to dress up for the speed dating activity.

· You may have one index card of information about your congress member during the speed dating activity.

What questions do I need to answer for this research project?

1. Basic biography of representative (include how they got to their congressional position).

2. Demographics of district or state that your representative represents. Explain WHO lives in this district! (Lots of statistics needed here!)

3. What issues are important to your district? What needs and wants do they have, and why do they have them?

4. What committees are the representative a member of and what does each committee do?

5. What bills has the representative sponsored and cosponsored. What are the purposes of those bills?

6. What is their voting history and trends? Are they always voting with their party? Do they take a hard line stance on some issues? track.us/

What should I include on my Google Docs slide?

● Picture, Name, State, Party, Role in Congress, highlights from career (bills sponsored, legislation passed, stance on important issues, voting record, etc.)

Which websites should I look at do my research? Here are a few ideas:

track.us/

se.gov

Campaign Websites

Wikipedia

Other .gov sites