Severn 7th Graders Propose Environmental Legislation on Capitol Hill

8/18/2023

Do you remember taking field trips to DC in school? Perhaps a tour of the Capitol? A scavenger hunt through the monuments? For those in the mid-Atlantic, a trip to Washington D.C. is a typical experience for students learning about the United States government. But Severn’s Middle School is anything but typical. This year, Middle School teachers Ms. Kathleen Donovan, Ms. Carrie Ball, and Mr. Daryl Walsh worked together to give our students an authentic democratic experience that they are sure to remember. The entire 7th grade traveled to our nation's capital to participate in a mock senatorial debate, proposing legislation that would allocate $75 million dollars toward restoration of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

Building on the Past, Always Improving

Last year Ms. Donovan’s 7th-grade history classes took a somewhat similar trip. They traveled to the Capitol, toured the facilities and participated in an art appreciation lesson. That in itself was a great experience for our students, but Ms. Donovan saw room for improvement. This year she transformed the trip, collaborating with both the Capitol Staff and her fellow middle school teachers to create a more rich and meaningful experience for her students. She wanted her students to come away from the trip with a real understanding of how the legislative branch works and the inspiration to get involved as responsible citizens.

Ms. Donovan reached out to the Senate Student Program staff and asked to revamp an existing field trip about how an environmental bill becomes a law. Although the topic of the existing trip fit well with the 7th-grade curriculum, the Capitol lesson plan didn’t require much critical thinking on the part of the students. Ms. Donovan worked with their staff to refine the project, requiring more in-depth student preparation prior to the trip with the bulk of the actual visit focusing on the mock senatorial debate.

"I felt there was a huge opportunity to make the existing program more meaningful for the 7th grade. One of the most important things we teach students is how to become engaged citizens who approach complex political issues with educated, researched opinions. I wanted this trip to create an opportunity for students to apply their knowledge and see how the legislative process could effect change. Hopefully, students will remember this experience and will get involved.” — Ms. Kathleen Donovan

This is the Task Set Before You

Ms. Donovan introduced the project to her students with a challenge. She explained that a bill introduced by Senators from Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and New York to clean up the Chesapeake Bay Watershed is about to expire in 2018. She challenged her students to research the current environmental needs of the Chesapeake Bay and their assigned state and propose a new iteration of the bill in a two-minute, persuasive speech.

A Month in the Making

In the weeks preceding the field trip, Ms. Donovan, Ms. Ball, and Mr. Walsh worked together to align their curriculum with this project. In Ms. Donovan’s history class students learned:

what each branch of government does
how a bill becomes a law
what senators do and say
rules for proposing and passing legislation

In Ms. Ball’s science class, students researched the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and created an infographic to take as a visual aid to accompany the speeches. They learned how to:

conduct in-depth scientific research using quality sources
distill a wide swath of information down to the most pertinent details
use principles of visual design to present research in a meaningful way

In Mr. Walsh’s English class, students used their knowledge about government and their environmental research to craft their speeches. They learned how to:

use language and tone to convey an argument
acknowledge possible opposition in the writing process
fine-tune their writing to fit the bounds of a shorter form assignment while maintaining the efficacy of their argument

Severn Middle School student stands in front of the class to deliver a speech. — *Jack Giardina ‘23 presents his speech to the class.*

Just before the trip, each student presented their speeches to their peers in Ms. Donovan’s class and voted on the most persuasive arguments, one from each state. The winners were selected to present their speeches at the Capitol to kick off the mock debate. In Ms. Ball’s class, students also voted on the most effective infographics.

Image of student infographic design — *Sample infographics from Ms. Ball’s class.*

The Big Payoff

The debate itself took place in a Senate classroom attended by both Senate staff and media. Each elected speaker presented their speech along with the selected visual aid while their peers looked on, taking notes to prepare for the conversation ahead.

Severn student presents a speech at the Capitol in DC. — *Skylar Kagan ‘23*

“The big payoff was after the speeches when the kids really got into the debate. You could see the earnest expressions on their faces as they negotiated with their groups and made real compromises that made sense. That was the most amazing part of it. Every student was invested in the process.” — Mr. Daryl Walsh

Sharing the Admiral Energy with Others

Because this trip and the new lesson plan was such a success with our 7th grade, the Capitol will be using the new format for other schools moving forward. Excited by our community's investment in the project, the Senate Student Program Staff are eager to share this experience with school trips from around the country.

“This is, in my opinion, exactly what the student program should be. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am that Kathleen Donovan and the other teachers at Severn School coordinated their science, history, and English classes to work with the program, and they did so much to get the students motivated. It was a reminder to me that if you present a unique opportunity to students, they will jump at it with good, encouraging teachers, parents and mentors. Learning is really a collaborative effort.” — Senate Student Program Staff Member