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A Change at the House
January 4, 2007





Newspapers around the country are writing about the historic change
in Congressional leadership that is occurring today. The Democratic
Party has assumed control of both the House and the Senate.

Representative Nancy Pelosi of California becomes the first women in
American history to serve as Speaker of the House.

According to the article, when Speaker Pelosi spoke at the swearing in
of the leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus she said, “The
Democrats are back, and the C.B.C. is in the lead, in the lead!” The
article continues, “Ms. Pelosi exulted, envisioning ‘a new direction that
is there for all of the people, not just the privileged few,’ a direction
that ‘builds and strengthens the middle class.’”

Democrats plan on passing a sweeping array of legislation concerning
Congressional ethics and more in their first 100 hours in power.

Read the Article!!


Discussion-Starters for Younger Children:

  • Ask your students what it feels like to meet a new teacher or a
    new camp counselor for the first time. Why might some people
    be a little bit nervous about doing this?
  • Ask students to develop skits in which they act out the
    meeting of a teacher or a counselor for the first time.

  • If your students could create any law that everybody in the
    United States had to follow, what law would they make? Why?
  • Students could work in small groups to make a law.
    Then they could present their law to the whole class.
    The class could vote.

  • Ask your students what kinds of parties they have been to. Ask
    them why they think that people would have a party to
    celebrate having the right to make laws.
  • Draw pictures of a party to celebrate a new job.

  • Ask your students what it means to be rich. What does it mean
    to be poor? How can a poor person become rich? (Note: You
    might want to discuss the idea that money is not the only
    measure of wealth.)
  • Ask students to make podcasts explaining the difference
    between rich and poor. Podcasting is a great tool for
    students who have not yet learned how to write.


Discussion-Starters for Older Children:

  • Vocabulary Terms to Discuss: Majority; Gavel; Bipartisan; and,
    “The Proof is in the Pudding” (a metaphor used twice in the
    article).

  • Ask your students what they think it means to be in the middle
    class. Some people say that the Republicans favored the rich by
    giving them tax cuts which the Republicans did not give to the
    middle class or the poor. How might tax cuts to the rich benefit
    the entire U.S. economy? How might these tax cuts hurt the U.
    S. economy?

  • What did Speaker Pelosi mean when she said that the
    Democrats would build and strengthen the middle class? Is this
    is a good idea? Why/why not?
  • Consider holding a debate in your class in which
    students examine who has the ability to spend more
    money to help our national economy grow: a smaller
    group of very wealthy people or a larger group of
    middle class people.

  • Speaker Pelosi said that the Congressional Black Caucus is in
    the lead. The majority of the members of the House of
    Representatives do not belong to this caucus. What did the
    Speaker mean? Can your students think of any other groups
    that might take the lead? Whom? Why? Explain.

  • Pose: Speaker Pelosi has asked you for advice. She wants to
    know how congressmen should interact with lobbyists who
    want them to vote in specific ways. Should lobbyists be able to
    pay elected officials for their votes? Why/why not? Should
    lobbyists be able to take elected officials out to eat? Why/why
    not? Should lobbyists be able to make contributions to political
    campaigns? Why/why not?
  • Consider asking students to work in small groups to
    develop policy statements on these relationships.
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