• Research and Analysis: Learning more about the functions and responsibilities of City and State politicians.
• Critical Thinking Skills: Making sense of the data, information, or experiences retrieved from the Power Map.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Identifying challenges these politicians are facing and developing effective solutions to those issues.
• Organizational and Time Management Skills: Planning and meeting deadlines effectively.
• Communication Skills: Creating and delivering a clear and engaging presentation in front of class.
• Public Speaking: Ensuring preparedness and engaging in class discussions.

• Device with access to the Internet

1. Access Prior Knowledge: Levels of Government within a Federal System (5-10 mins)

• Ask students: “What are the different levels of government in the federal system?”
  • Here are the general answers: national (federal) level, state level, and local level. Please emphasize that the national government with power distributed to individual states, then further delegate power to local entities like cities and counties within their jurisdiction.
• Once the different levels of government are discussed, ask students if they can share some responsibilities of state and local governments?
• Ask a follow-up, consider asking your students if they know their district NYS Senator or NYC Council member representing their district (where they reside).
• After inquiring about the politicians, ask if they have ever contacted their local politicians, or maybe someone in their family, to raise attention to an issue in their neighborhood/community. If students are unaware, please focus on a NYS Senator or NYC Council member representing your school’s district.

2. Collaboration: Exploring NYC’s State and City Politicians (15-20 mins)

• Put students in small groups (2-3) and assign (or have them choose) which level of government they would like to focus on (City or State).
  • Once students form groups and have been assigned to focus on City or State level, students should choose which district they would like to do their research on. Ideally, students should choose a district they reside in or are familiar with. If they are unaware of the NYS Senator or Council Member representing their district, the Power Map details the neighborhoods the politician represents.
  • After students decide the district they would like to focus on, students should utilize their devices to be directed to the Power Map website, where they will research their district’s city or state politicians.
  • Students should focus on these following questions:
    1. Name of the politician, position and contact information.
    2. Who does the politician represent (which neighborhoods)?
    3. When is their next election?
    4. What authority does the politician maintain?
    5. What has the politician done so far in their role? Specifically, what issues or bills has the politician advocated for while in office.
    6. Any recommendations or issues Students’ feel should be addressed by the politician (an extension of the activity).
  • Note: Encourage students to divide up the responsibilities amongst each other. If not enough is available in the power map, please encourage students to conduct external research.

3. Presentation: Sharing their Learning (15-20 min)

• The end goal of this lesson is for students to produce a presentation with all of the information collected about their assigned politician. This will not only increase students’ awareness about the power players in their local government [which often can be challenging], but can also gauge conversation about important issue matters that are present in their local neighborhoods.
  • Students can also come up with solutions to the problems faced in the district that they were assigned to focus on.
• Presentations should be short, around 3-5 mins, to ensure everyone gets a chance to present their research. The slides should cover all six of the questions that students were encouraged to focus on (while conducting their research).
• While students are presenting, encourage the audience to to write down any interesting observations or facts about the politicians presented. Students are also encouraged to focus on these two questions:
  • Are there any issues that the politician presented that you would’ve approached differently? If so, what other method would you incorporate?
  • If you were to write a letter to the politician, is there any advice or questions you would ask?

4. Closing and Class Discussion (5-10 mins)

• This is a great time to have students share about their experience exploring and researching different levels of the government and the politicians that represent different districts in NYC. Some initial post-discussion questions may include:
  • What surprised you the most about the roles and responsibilities of City and State officials?
  • How well do you feel your district's politicians address the needs of the community? Can you provide examples from your own research or from what your classmates presented?
  • Were there any challenges you faced when researching your district’s representatives? How were you able to overcome them?
  • Why is it important to know who represents your district and how can this knowledge empower you as a citizen?
  • After this research, what are some steps you can take to stay informed about local government and elections?

5. Optional Activity (Extra Credit Opportunity)

• Encourage your students to write a letter to a local representative or the students’ district representative. This is a great way to help them exercise their voices and teach them the importance of advocating for needs and concerns.