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Annenberg Classroom

Article I: The Legislative Branch

12 resources available

Lesson Plan

High School | Balancing State and Federal Power: The Constitution’s Commerce Clause

This lesson centers on the constitutional and historical themes presented in the Balancing State and Federal Power: The Constitution’s Commerce Clause film. Students investigate how the Commerce Clause in Article I, Section 8 became one of the most significant sources of federal authority and a recurring point of tension between state and national power. The lesson emphasizes: 

Congress’s enumerated powers under Article I of the Constitution
The evolving balance between state and federal authority
The role of Supreme Court interpretation in expanding, limiting, and redefining federal power
The ongoing relevance of Commerce Clause debates in a modern, interconnected economy

*Developed by Robyn and Ryan Slay, experienced social studies educators in Georgia.

Lesson Plan

Middle School | Who Gets to Decide? The Commerce Clause and the Balance of Federal Power

This lesson, based on Balancing State and Federal Power: The Constitution’s Commerce Clause, introduces students to the Commerce Clause as a foundation of federal power and a key source of ongoing debate between state and federal governments. The lesson emphasizes:  The basic structure of the U.S. Constitution and Article I  How the Constitution divides power between

Lesson Plan

High School | One Nation, Many States: Investigating the Commerce Clause and the Balance of Power

This lesson centers on the constitutional and historical themes presented in the Balancing State and Federal Power: The Constitution’s Commerce Clause film. Students investigate how the Commerce Clause in Article I, Section 8 became one of the most significant sources of federal authority and a recurring point of tension between state and national power. The lesson emphasizes: 

Congress’s enumerated powers under Article I of the Constitution
The evolving balance between state and federal authority
The role of Supreme Court interpretation in expanding, limiting, and redefining federal power
The ongoing relevance of Commerce Clause debates in a modern, interconnected economy

*Developed by Robyn and Ryan Slay, experienced social studies educators in Georgia.

Video

Balancing State and Federal Power: The Constitution’s Commerce Clause

How do we balance power between the states and the federal government? This question has shaped American democracy since the Constitutional Convention, when delegates faced the challenge of creating a stronger federal system while preserving state authority. This film explores the Constitution’s Commerce Clause found in Article 1, Section 8, which grants Congress the power “to regulate commerce…among the several states” and examines its historical context and ongoing impact.

Timeline

Article I

Article I creates the two sections of Congress – the Senate and the House – and outlines its powers and limits.

Timeline

Article I – War Powers

The framers specified the powers of Congress in great detail in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution. They include the power to declare war.

Lesson Plan

How a Bill Becomes a Federal Law

Through this lesson, students will learn about the dynamic process of federal lawmaking and how it relates to them.

Lesson Plan

One School’s Fight: The Making of a Law

Through this lesson, students will learn about the dynamic interconnections of people, principles, and process that are involved in making federal laws.

Video

One School’s Fight: The Making of a Law

This documentary tells the story of a tiny school in Yosemite National Park that tries to solve its funding problem by getting a bill passed in Congress and, in the process, learns many lessons about how federal laws are made.

Timeline

Article I – Commerce Clause

The Constitution is ratified. Article 1, Section 8 gives Congress the authority “To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes.”

Game

LawCraft

Learn how laws are made in an updated version of LawCraft. Select a district to represent in the House of Representatives, then review letters from constituents. You’ll dig into survey data and select an issue that’s important to you and the people who live in your district. Take that issue to the House and jump into the law-making process. See if you can make the compromises necessary to get your bill passed by the House and Senate and still make a law you’re proud of.