Making a Law

In this activity students will come to understand how laws are created, from their initial draft, to debates, to the Senate and royal assent.

Activity

1. Start by asking the students about laws they know about. I.e. stopping at a red light, wearing a seatbelt, crossing a road at a cross walk.
2. You can make the comparison between a school’s rules and federal law. Have students reflect on which rules and regulations (“laws”) govern their school community, why they exist, how they are developed and how they become “official” rules. Have the students engage in a full-class or small-group reflective discussion about which rules do not exist in the school but should, and how rules and laws must evolve to reflect the society that drafts them.
3. Outline the process of making a law. See “Making a law – Step by Step” in Kayak #33.
4. In large or small group discussions, have students generate ideas for laws they believe should be implemented by the federal government.
5. In small groups or as individuals, have students write a proposal for a law.
6. Arrange the class to follow through the steps to make a law. Elect a first, second, and third reader, a House of Commons, committee members, a Senate, and a Governor General (the teacher could be the Governor General.)
7. Once students have there elected roles, follow the steps in “Making a Law – Step by Step.”

Note: This activity can be used to create the rules of the classroom.