Teacher Guide: Procedure Learning Context | Procedure| Instructional Modifications | Time Required | Resources | Assessment Plan What Students and Teachers Do? Lesson 1: Students will review the "Understanding Redistricting" web site presentation of concepts, issues and scaffolding questions. As a class or in small groups students will discuss the following questions: Discussion/Brainstorming Questions: A. If representation to the House of Representatives is based on population, how can representation remain equal when the population shifts to different regions of the country? B. What issues must be considered in fairly apportioning (dividing up) Congressional seats among the states? C. In what situations will it be impossible to have equal representation for all people? Why? D. From the Census Apportionment Chart and the U.S. Interactive Census Map, tell how has representation has shifted in the past 10 years. What regions won and lost representatives? E. What are the issues that the redistricting task force has to take into account when reducing New York State's Congressional districts from 31 to 29? Compare the issues you brainstorm as a class to the Issues Summary Chart. F. If you were invited to speak at a public hearing on redistricting, what issues would you raise in each of the following situations? Read some of the actual NYS public hearing transcripts to get ideas. Each group should have a recorder of the group's ideas and a group leader that will present their findings and ideas to the class during class discussion. Your Republican rural district might be merged with a more populous Democratic urban/suburban district. Your Democratic urban/suburban district may be merged with another Democratic urban/suburban district. Your town or city may be divided between several districts. Your popular Congress representative's district may be merged with another district represented by an equally popular representative of the same party. (For example: They are both Republicans or they are both Democrats.) Your district contains a large Hispanic population with a Hispanic legislator representing the district. However, it may be divided up into three districts in which there are few Hispanics in any of the three districts. Sample issues for scenarios above. Lesson 2: The student groups will review redistricting issues using the Issues Summary Chart and create student maps and recommendations for redistricting solutions for New York State Congressional Districts for the 108th Congress. Teachers will print out the New York State blank map for groups to use in making their recommendations. Groups will use the NYS Case Study Document, including NYcitizens.org Interactive Census Maps as a resource to determine populations and make-up of counties. As a group, students will write a paragraph with their defense as to what districts they altered and why. They need to end up with 29 districts instead of the 31. Have groups present their recommendations to the class. What issues can other groups raise to challenge their recommendations? How many other groups had similar recommendations? Lesson 3: With the Issues Summary Chart in mind, students in each group will take turns playing the simulation game, On-line Redistricting "The State of Imaginary". Students will choose a role and represent the interests stated in the role as they redistrict "Imaginary State". How many different solutions can the group come up with? Have students show their solution to their group. They will judge whether the student have met the goal of their role and maintained the requirements represented in the issues summary chart. Lesson 4: Group projects Choose one of the following group projects to demonstrate your understanding of redistricting. Students may propose their own project. Projects choices include: debating the redistricting issues in a classroom forum presenting a variety of viewpoints by creating a local class newscasts or newspaper. writing editorials advocating for a special interest group's or citizen's point of view regarding a redistricting issue. creating political cartoons or issues posters to demonstrate a special interest group's or citizen's point of view creating a position letter that could go to representatives on a legislative task force for redistricting creating a political cartoon highlighting a position regarding redistricting analyzing transcripts of public hearings and developing their own project from these transcripts (a skit, editorial, speech, their own statement of issues, cartoon, etc.) discussing redistricting issues on electronic discussion boards at the NYcitizens.org website with other classes and citizens across New York State. Creating and performing a song or rap, highlighting issues of redistricting or advocating for a particular interest group. building a website reporting on redistricting resources and news. Creating a map with proposed redistricting solutions and data tables showing the results of combining districts or counties. Student groups may also propose other projects that demonstrate their mastery of the topic. Site Map | Discussion Board | NYcitizens.org | Contact | Interactive Maps | Home | Best if viewed in Netscape 4.75 / Internet Explorer 4.01 or later browser version. ©2002 WXXI Public Broadcasting Council