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History, Civics & Social Studies · Grade 12

Government Powers and Public Policy

Where does government power come from, and how does it become policy? Learners classify enumerated, implied, reserved and concurrent powers, read McCulloch v. Maryland and trace the commerce clause from Gibbons v. Ogden to United States v. Lopez. They follow a bill through Congress and a regulation through notice-and-comment rulemaking, map the policy cycle and the roles of interest groups, and analyze a fictional policy proposal by its stakeholders, evidence and trade-offs without taking sides.

  • 4 lessons
  • About 140 minutes
  • Powers and policy check: 9 questions
  • Ways to answer: fill in the blanks, choose an answer, highlight a text, match pairs, type a number and put in order
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What learners will discover

  • Classify enumerated, implied, reserved and concurrent powers and explain McCulloch v. Maryland.
  • Trace how the Court's reading of the commerce clause has expanded and been limited.
  • Explain how bills become law and how agencies make rules with public comment.
  • Analyze a public policy through the policy cycle, stakeholders, evidence and trade-offs, without advocating a side.

Lessons

  1. Kinds of power 5 steps3 practiceabout 34 min
  2. The commerce clause 4 steps3 practiceabout 34 min
  3. Lawmaking and rulemaking 5 steps4 practiceabout 35 min
  4. Policy cycle, interest groups and analysis 5 steps4 practiceabout 37 min
  5. Powers and policy check 9 questions at the end

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