Who cares about Michigan Laws?

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This lesson is most appropriate for High School classrooms.

Theme: What are the types of laws made by the Michigan Legislature

MCF Benchmark: Evaluate how effectively the federal government is serving the purposes for which it was created.

Other benchmarks this lesson targets include: none

Materials needed:

  1. Access to a computer. (Hard copies of the relevant information may be made where computers are not available in the classroom.)
  2. Booklet entitled "A Citizen's Guide to State Government," available in print through your state representative or senator. Also available on-line (see suggested web resources section below).
  3. Copy of The Constitution of the State of Michigan of 1963 available in print through your state representative or senator. Also available on-line (see suggested web resources section below).
  4. Access to state or local newspapers. The Detroit News and Free Press are available on-line (see suggested web resources section below).
  5. Handouts (Refer to downloads section below.)

Methodological procedure:

THE DAY BEFORE THE LESSON:

Here are two short class activities and homework assignment which, given the day before the lesson will get the students started on the appropriate train of thought:

Write the word GOVERNMENT on the board. Have the students word associate and concept map out words and ideas related to the word 'government.' Inevitably, the students will come up with the word 'law' in association with the word 'government.' If necessary, feel free to lead the students in that direction if 'law' never comes up by asking them how government works, its purpose, etc. Circle the word and assign the homework listed below.

For homework, have the students brainstorm a list of laws that have affected them during the past 24 hours. (Minimum list of 20 items.) The goal of this activity is to reinforce the impact of government on the lives of high school students. Clarify the assignment by demonstrating this concept. Pick a student to come to the front of the class. Ask that student to tell the class everything that that they did that day from the moment that they woke up. As the student goes through each agonizing step, have the student think about laws that affect what they do. For instance state law governs the very fact that they had to come to school. When they got in the car they put their seatbelt on because of a state law, etc. Keep doing this until the students have a general idea of what you are looking for.

DAY OF THE LESSON:

  1. WHAT LAWS INFLUENCE YOUR LIFE?

    At the beginning of the class, have students write on the board some of the laws that have affected them in the last 24 hours. Have students share their opinions on the laws that have affected them. [Which laws are good/ bad, productive, discriminatory, etc.]

    Ask the students to think about where these laws came from: Who do they think made these laws? Why do they think these laws were made (what was their purpose)? Especially examine the laws that the students disagreed with or did not understand. Who do they believe these laws favor/disfavor?

    Ask students to determine the appropriate level of government that was responsible for the making of each law (federal, state, local). Underline any laws made at the national/federal level. Circle any laws made at the state level. Put a box around any ordinances made at the local level.

  2. WHAT ARE LAWS?

    • Ask students to define the word 'law.' You may want to have students write a spontaneous definition individually and then put students into groups. Have each group come up with the best overall definition that they can for the word 'law.'
    • Have a member of each group list their group's definition of the word 'law' on the board or an overhead. Discuss the different definitions in order to challenge the students to really think about what a law is.
    • Ask students to think about if our laws reflect our values. Go through some of the core democratic values and ask the students for everyday examples. The Core Democratic Values can be found on-line (see below). For example, the core democratic value of life is reflected in the fact that we have laws against murder in our state. (See MCI lesson plans under the heading "Do the core democratic values still work in Michigan today?" for an extension on this topic.)
    • Ask the students why we need laws. What would it be like if there were no laws? Go through a scenario of a typical day. Think about driving (speed limits, traffic lights, etc.). Think about stores (you wouldn't be punished for stealing). Think about drugs and alcohol. Think about schools. How well- educated would our society be if we didn't have state compulsory education laws?

    Next you will want to provide the students with an overview of the many different types of laws that affect our lives at every level of government. For example:

    • Federal/National Level: U.S. Constitution, Federal Statutes, Federal Regulations, Common Law
    • State Level: State Constitution, State Statutes, State Regulations, Common Law
    • Local Level: Charters, Ordinances, Common Law

    Review with students the meanings of the various terms and review what branch of government is involved in making each form of law. (See downloads for suggested definitions for the different forms of laws.) Having an example of each different type of law will help the students grasp each on a more concrete level. Perhaps try to fit some of the laws that the students listed in their homework into each category of law. Of course, try to focus more on the state and local levels.

    Ask students to think about federalism (why our government is set up in a way that the national/federal government can make federal laws that govern our country, our state government can make state laws that govern our state and our local government can make local laws/ordinances that govern our counties, cities, townships, villages, etc). Who for instance, do the students believe would be better able to make a law that affects whether or not skateboards should be allowed on the sidewalks in the city, township or village where they live- the federal, state or local government? Why?

    Ask the students who, for instance, they believe is best able to make laws affecting local schools? What about death penalty laws or laws affecting the practice of religion? Give the students other current examples of special interest to your local community and state and ask the students which level of government they believe should be responsible for making laws on those issues and why.

  3. WHAT TYPES OF LAWS ARE MADE BY THE MICHIGAN LEGISLATURE?

    [For this portion of the lesson having a computer for the teacher (that can be projected on a screen or TV) or computers for all students would be especially useful. Otherwise, hard copies of the pertinent information will need to be printed out and copied ahead of time.]

    Tell the students that we will be focusing on state statutes. Start by informing students of the source of power for the Michigan legislature. See the Michigan Constitution, Article IV, Section I. (The Michigan Constitution can be accessed on-line at the link below.) Ask the students to look for the provision in the Michigan Constitution that tells legislators what types of laws they can pass. Refer to Article IV, Section 51. This is a very broad provision. Remind students that the legislators are limited, however, in that any laws made by the Michigan Legislature cannot conflict with the United States Constitution.

    Ask the students to list what kinds of laws that they think Michigan legislators make. To get the discussion going ask them, for instance, if they think that our state legislators can make laws that govern what we can and cannot say. Direct the students to the Michigan Compiled Laws web-site at the link below. Have them perform a MCL quick start search for MCL 750.103 by typing in '750.103' in the search window. Review with the students the current Michigan law prohibiting cursing and swearing. Get the students' reactions to this law. Ask the students if they are familiar with the recent Michigan case involving a man canoeing who was tried under a similar statute that prohibited cussing in front of small children. Direct the students to the Detroit News web-site listed below.

    Next, direct the students again to the home page for the Michigan Compiled Laws at the link listed below. Have them click on the 'Chapter Index' section. Explain to the students that the Michigan Compiled Laws are all existing general and permanent laws of the State. Have the students scroll through the 830 chapter headings of the Michigan Compiled Laws. Invite the students to click on a couple of headings to explore the laws under that heading. You may want to guide them through one or two of these searches. You may also want to show students a volume of the book form of these compiled laws for them to look through. Any law library and several local libraries have a set of MCL (Michigan Compiled Laws) or MCLA (Michigan Compiled Laws Annotated).

    Ask the students if they knew that their state legislature made laws on all of these subjects. Compare the list of laws that they came up with for homework at the beginning of this lesson to all of the different types of state laws that they are aware of now. Tell the students that during a two-year session, the Legislature will introduce approximately 3,500 bills - 600-800 of these will become law. Inform the students that they are responsible for following all of the laws in this state, whether they are aware of them or not. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. If time, you may also want to explore the web-site on 'dumb laws' in the state of Michigan. (This web-site lists several ridiculous laws that are still on the books and can be found at the link below.)

  4. HOW CLOSELY DO THE LAWS OF MICHIGAN SERVE THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH OUR STATE GOVERNMENT WAS CREATED?

    Have the students brainstorm as to the issues that they personally believe there should be a state law on or current state laws that they believe should be changed. Ask the students why these issues are important to them. Ask the students to think about if these issues are important to others in the state as well. Do the issues chosen by the students negatively impact another group or conflict with another group's values? If so, how do the students feel about that? Whose values do the student's feel are more important (their own, family, majority, politicians, etc.)? Do the issues chosen by the students promote our beliefs as stated in the Preamble to the Michigan Constitution? Are the issues chosen by the students matters of primary public concern as indicated in Article IV, Section 51 of the Michigan Constitution?

Author's notes:

This lesson is best conducted in two 45- 50 minute periods or one 90 minute period. Steps 1 and 2 can be done on the first day, leaving the heart of the lesson, step 3, until the next day. If there is time left at the end, feel free to let students begin their homework. You may choose to leave time for them to begin searching for the law they want to change or discuss as a class some new laws that they would like to introduce.

Assessment strategies:

For homework, have each student write a position paper that (1) proposes an idea for a new law; (2) proposes a change to a current law; or (3) supports or opposes a current bill. If they need direction, tell them to look back to the Michigan Compiled Laws or the web- sites from class for ideas. The students should consult with their state representative's office, research current laws and/or research current bill proposals to determine if their issue has already been addressed. (The link to the Michigan Legislature website, listed below in the suggested web resources section, would be particularly helpful to students with their research.) Within the paper, the students should discuss why and how this change could happen. They should demonstrate a clear understanding of what types of laws are within the jurisdiction of the state legislature.

Enrichment suggestions:

Students could become actively involved in the legislative process by putting together a presentation based on their position paper. As part of their research, students should research the legislators and committees who have a vested interest in helping to support their issue. The students should also contact special interest groups or lobbyists who may support their idea. (For links to special interest groups and lobbyists, refer to the MCI lesson plans under "What do lobbyists in Michigan do?" and "What special interest groups are there in Michigan?")

The final format of the student's presentation should closely follow the bill analysis format used in 'Issue Analysis' available to download below. Other bill analyses can be found by searching for various bills on the Michigan Legislature website listed below.

The students should present this information to their state representatives either in person or, if it is not possible for them to meet with a representative in person, by creating videotapes of their presentation for the appropriate representatives, committees and special interest groups.

Before the presentation, have the students perform an informal free write on how effectively they believe the Michigan government is serving the purposes for which it was created. The students should cite examples to support their opinion based on their own experience and current events. Several days after the presentation have the students perform another informal free write on the same question.

The assessment for the extension activity consists of two parts. First, the teacher should perform an evaluation of the student's performance and effort in researching, preparing and participating in the presentation to the state representative. Secondly, after the students have had some sort of meaningful response from the Legislature, have the students write a formal reflective essay evaluating how effective their project was and, in the larger sense, how effectively they believe the Michigan government is serving the purposes for which it was created. In discussing this issue, the students should refer to the Preamble and Article IV, Section 51 of the Michigan Constitution. Also, as part of the essay, the students should review their informal free writes and compare and contrast their attitudes and beliefs as to these questions before and after their presentation. Students should also tie in current events where appropriate.

Available downloads:

  • Definitions , (8 K)
    Here is a list of suggested definitions for the various types of laws that will be discussed in this lesson.
  • Issue Analysis , (6 K)
    This is the 'Issue Analysis' handout that should be used with the enrichment activity.

Suggested web sites: