Resources for Legislators

Talking with kids about representative democracy and how legislatures work is a great opportunity for lawmakers. The Back to School Program is designed to teach students what it's like to be a state legislator – to put kids in the shoes of a legislator. The purpose of this event is not to teach about the three branches of government or how a bill becomes a law, but rather to help students understand the pressures, conflicts and difficulties that legislators deal with in trying to solve public problems. Kids will learn best about what it's like to be a legislator if you make your visit to the classroom as interactive as possible. The links to the left provide you with a variety of resources to ensure a successful visit. These ideas will work best in classrooms rather than in large, all-school assemblies.

A variety of resources exist to help you, as a legislator, prepare for a visit to local classrooms. NCSL makes available, free of charge, a variety of classroom materials for high school, middle school and elementary school students that you can use when visiting classrooms in conjunction with the program. To request copies of the materials, please contact Legislative Information Officer, Wendy Madsen, at (307) 777-7881 or by e-mailing Wendy at: wmadse@state.wy.us.

NCSL has prepared several evaluation forms for the project for teachers, students, and legislators to complete, which are available online on the link on the left-hand side of this page.