Reaching the Government Through the Web

Reaching the Government Through the Web

A WebQuest for 11th Grade (Government Ethics)

Damon Brog
dbrog@milwaukeeacademyofscience.org

Introduction

Have you ever wanted to give the government a piece of your mind? Perhaps you have been angered by or concerned about an event in our community. The internet gives you the opportunity to instantly send messages to an elected official who has the responsibility of reading your concerns and acting upon them. Do your part as a member of our democracy and let the government know your concern.

The Task

This activity will result in…

Personal contact with an elected official.
A written position on an issue will be formulated and defended.
An intelligent and sound concern beind presented to government.
Personal point of view will be supported with facts, examples and details.
Knowledge of the way government affects issues being demonstrated.

To complete this project students will need to demonstrate that they have the ability to use the internet and government links to speak their mind on an issue. They will also show that they are mindful of the current events that affect the American public and its various levels of government.

The Process

To accomplish the task given for this assignment the students will start by:

Choose one of the current issues involving the government on either the local, state or national level. (we discuss these several times each week in class so this should not be difficult).
Next the student will need to formulate a position/opinion on the issue. The opinion will need to be supported by examples, facts and details. This will be written and submitted for proofing.
The students will revise their position/opinion based on teacher corrections.
The student will access the internet and use one of the websites linked to this webpage to contact the appropriate level of government/representative.

http://www.city.milwaukee.gov/

Notes: Milwaukee’s one stop search engine for local government.

http://wisconsin.gov

Notes: The state of Wisconsin’s portal of information regarding our state’s government.

http://www.senate.gov/

http://www.house.gov/

Notes: The homepage for the federal government in each chamber of the congress.

The student will use their revised position/opinion and type and send it as an email to the governing official.
The student will forward a copy of this email to my inbox (dbrog@milwaukeeacademyofscience.org) and once the official has replied they will forward the response to my inbox as well.
Finally the student will complete a sort review stating how they believe this correspondence could affect the government and why.

Evaluation

Meet these requirements and receive the corresponding grade.

	Beginning 1	Developing 2	Accomplished 3	Exemplary 4	Score
Choice of topic	Student chose a topic that was not related to government.	Student chose a topic that was related to government however they did not make a take a clear opinion or point of view.	Student chose a topic that was related to government and stated a clear opinion or point of view.	Student chose a topic that was related to government and supported their opinion brilliantly.
Rough Draft of opinion	Student wrote a rough draft but made no revisions.	Student wrote a rough draft and made limited revisions.	Student wrote the rough draft and made all appropriate revisions.	Student wrote the rough draft, made all revisions, and expanded on their point of view excellently.
Accessing public officials via the internet.	Student got on line, but did not establish contact with the government.	Student got on line, and sent a message to a public official.	Student got on line, sent the revised opinion/point of view on an issue that affects the government.	Student was able to complete all requirements and went above and beyond by receiving a written response from a public official that addressed their concern.
Receiving a response	Student failed to receive a response, because they did not ask for one.	Student failed to receive a response, but they did ask for one.	Student received a simple response from the government regarding their opinion/concern.	Student received an in depth response from the government regarding their opinion.
Written review	Student failed to complete a competent review of the assignment.	Student completed a review, yet was unsuccessful at detailing how the opinion did or did not affect government.	Student completed a review, and was successful at detailing how the opinion did or did not affect government.	Student composed a brilliant review of the assignment and was able to clearly articulate how their opinion did or did not affect government.

Conclusion

After completing this online project the students will have gained experience in how they can become involved in the political process through using the internet. If this process is interesting to a student and they like being involved in what is happening in our political system than they may want to continue exploring ways they can have an impact on the political process through the use of the internet.

Credits & References

Thanks to Rachel Schemelin for walking me through the process of making this fancy Webquest.

Additional thanks to all of those serving in our political process and helping to make America a democracy and a light to the other nations however dim it may sometimes shine.