Florida — Internet Activities

The Florida High School and Prentice Hall present Florida Internet Activities to Keep You Current

Comparing and Contrasting Constitutions
The Governor and The President
Who represents me?

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Lesson developed by:	Bruce Friend The Florida High School Friendb@fhs.net
Unit:	EXPLORING FLORIDA AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
Lesson title:	Comparing and Contrasting Constitutions

Description: Students will compare and contrast The Bill of Rights of U.S. Constitution to Article I of the Florida Constitution. Students will identify rights and protections that both constitutions guarantee. Students will also identify and evaluate rights and protections that are provided by the Florida Constitution but are not included in the Bill of Rights.

Procedure: Students will need access to both the U.S. Constitution and the Florida Constitution. The following Web sites are recommended for this assignment:

U.S. Constitution
Florida Constitution

Have students create a chart in which they identify rights that both constitutions provide and those rights that are only provided by the state constitution.

Discuss with the students (or have them create a written explanation) as to why the Florida Constitution would include rights and protections not listed in the Bill of Rights.

Describe to students that even though the U.S. Constitution is the "supreme law of the land", that states can still put restrictions on rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights without technically denying those rights. For an excellent example of this, analyze the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution with what the Florida Constitution says about the right to bear arms.

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Lesson developed by:	Bruce Friend The Florida High School Friendb@fhs.net
Unit:	EXPLORING FLORIDA AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
Lesson title:	The Governor and The President

Description: The president and the governor are the leaders of the executive branch at their respective government levels. In this activity students will compare and contrast the powers and responsibilities that are granted to each.

Procedure: Students will need access to both the U.S. Constitution and the Florida Constitution. The following Web sites are recommended for this assignment:

U.S. Constitution
Florida Constitution

Have students create a chart, graph, poster, or Web site, in which they identify the powers and responsibilities that are granted to the president of the U.S. and the governor of Florida. Use color coding or some other method to identify which powers are shared by both positions and which are unique to either office.

In addition to comparing and contrasting respective powers and responsibilities, have students compare the requirements to hold each office and any term limit restrictions.

As a wrap-up for this activity, have students create a persuasive argument in which they answer the following question: Who has more power, the president or the governor of Florida, to directly affect the lives of citizens? Support your answer by citing constitutional powers that each holds and other facts that you can assemble.

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Lesson developed by:	Bruce Friend The Florida High School Friendb@fhs.net
Unit:	EXPLORING FLORIDA AND NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
Lesson title:	Who represents me?

Description: Monitoring your elected officials is perhaps the most important step that citizens can take to make sure that their voice is being heard in government. With the introduction of the Internet into millions of homes across the U.S., keeping track of our representatives at all levels of government has never been easier.

In this activity, students will identify who their national and state representatives are and how to contact them. Students will also select a political issue that they are interested in and then track the voting records of their elected officials on that issue.

Procedure:
A) There are many websites that can provide information about who represents you, both in the national and state government. One helpful site is Project Vote Smart. By following the directions provided at this site (it is as easy as entering your zip code), identify the following:

1. Your two U.S. Senators.
2. Your representative in the U.S. House of Representatives.
3. The governor of Florida
4. Your representative in the Florida Senate.
5. Your representative in the Florida House of Representatives.

Create a brochure in which you identify each of the above, as well as a mailing address, phone number, and e-mail address.

B) Using the "Issue Position" feature that Project Vote Smart provides, select an issue that you are interested in. Research the voting records of each of the above representatives on this issue. Write a brief summary that explains the position that each representative has generally taken on this issue.

C) Draft a letter, e-mail, or telephone message that you will use to contact one of the above representatives. In your statement, either congratulate them on their voting record and let them know why you support their opinion OR educate them as to why you disagree with their stand on this issue and let them know why you feel they should change their voting record on this issue.