Subject: Social Studies Type of Lesson: Cooperative learning, discovery

learning,

Grade: 10 CSEC OBJ: Describe the structure of Government

(Section A, # 22)

Term: 2 Unit Number # 1 Government

and Title:

Duration: 70 minutes Week Number: 6

Lesson Number #17 Legislature Steps in the Law

and Title: Making Process

Objectives
As a result of this lesson, the student will be able to:
1) define the concept legislation.
2) differentiate between different types of laws.
3) identify the various steps in the law making process.
4) correctly order the steps in the law making process.
5) value the steps in the law making process as it relates to
democratic government.

Prerequisite Student Knowledge

The student should be familiar with:
1) the structure, composition and function of the legislature.
2) the three arms of government.
3) the democratic principle and the separation of powers.

Important Points
1) A law is a signed bill which represents regulations and rules which
are binding on a community.
2) Types of laws include immigration laws, commercial laws, traffic
laws, civil laws, criminal laws and constitutional laws.
3) The governing party has considerable influence in the law making
process as they have a majority in both the Senate and the House
of Representatives.

Teacher Instructional Material 1

4) There are two broad steps in the law making process; forming the
bill then passing the bill. A bill is an act of Parliament in draft form
or a written proposal that is not yet a law.
5) There are different types of bills:
a. Public bills - These enable government policies and are
introduced by ministers or other officers of the
government;
b. Private members bills These are introduced by any
other member of the house.

6) A bill can be introduced in either the House of Representatives or

the senate. The Senate is however, unable to introduce bills of a
financial nature.
7) The law making process begins with the draft stage:
a. An issue of public or governmental dissatisfaction is
raised;
b. A green paper is drafted to raise public awareness and
public discussions. This is followed by a white paper
which highlights what the stakeholders desire that the
law covers and how they want them to be addressed.
c. The legal draftsman in the Attorney Generals office
puts this proposal into legislative form; that is a draft
bill which is sent for cabinets approval.
8) After, the minister makes his intention to introduce the bill known.
The bill is now presented at several stages which are:
a. The first reading The bill is examined but not
debated. If there is significant opposition it may be
altered or rejected.
b. The second reading The bill is debated; its strengths
and weaknesses and potential consequences are
highlighted
c. Committee stage Here a group of selected
parliamentarians consider the content of the debates and
makes suggestions for amending the bill.
d. Report stage The committee makes its report.
e. Third reading- a second debate is done. Here the bill is
either rejected or accepted; no amendments are possible
at this stage.
f. Senate debate In a bicameral legislature, after the
House of Representatives vote in favour of the bill, it is
sent to the Senate to undergo a similar set of stages.
g. Assent or proclamation- the stage at which head of state
approves, signs the bill and it becomes a law or act of
parliament. In a bicameral legislature, the bill only gets
here after both houses pass the bill.

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 9) Factors which are considered in the bill making process include its
wording, who it will affect, related laws and constitutional rights
and responsibilities and how the law can be effectively enforced.

Key Terms

Act of Parliament Assent/Proclamation Draft Bill

Green Paper Law White Paper

Challenge Areas
Research an issue which you think currently requires legislative
attention. Write a report on this issue detailing the nature of the issue,
the persons particularly affected and how they are affected, the current
laws affecting the issue and the legislative change or changes that you
think is/are required.

Next, design a green paper.

Describe the process that would follow the presentation of this green
paper. In your description anticipate the responses it will be met with
from the public, the various political parties and Houses of Parliament
as well as the Head of State.

Equipment/Materials Needed
Conference room, P.A. system, computer with internet connectivity,
multimedia projector

Note to Teacher
One aim of this lesson is to develop an appreciation for rules and the
collective interest. Therefore, ensure that your adaptation of the lesson
helps to engender positive attitudes towards the law. Help them to see
how they can have an input into the making of our laws.

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Teachers Lesson Notes

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Introduction
1) Introductory Activity: How is law making done? How would I
do it?

a. Begin by asking the students about the laws of the country

that they are aware of. Ascertain:
i. Some of the laws they know;
ii. The aspect of social life these laws pertain to?
iii. What usually happens when persons break these
laws?
iv. How effectively they think the laws they named are
enforced;
v. How important they think the laws they named are?
vi. The changes they would like to see in some of these
laws.
You may also mention some of the laws that exist that you
think they might not be aware of but which affect them
daily. This should have them thinking about the
importance of laws and the various laws which exist to
regulate their behaviour in society.

Record some of the answers given on the board for future

reference.

b. Now direct the students to the following news paper article.

It pertains to opposition Senator Tuftons concern about the
Patent laws and his dissatisfaction with them. Have the
students read the article and discuss the issue with the
guidance of the following questions:
i. What is the issue being presented for legislative
review?
Expected answer: The issue is the need to repeal
the patent law.
ii. Where was the issue raised?
Expected answer: The issue was raised in a sitting
of the Senate.
iii. Who is presenting the issue for legislative review?
Expected answer: An opposition Senator (Dr.
Christopher Tufton)
iv. Why had he to give notice of his intent to introduce
the issue in parliament?
Expected answer: Giving notice is a part of the first
stage of the process (draft stage).

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 v. What does the article mean by unanimous support
across the aisle for the proposal?
Expected answer: This means that both the
government and opposition ministers are in support
of the proposal. This means that the proposed
changes are very likely to be implemented
vi. What are some of the reasons presented for a review
of the law?
Expected answer: Reasons for this include the need
to protect the creative potential of Jamaicans, to
secure income from innovations by Jamaicans and
to benefit from facilities made available by the
World Intellectual Property organization.
vii. Why did Senator Tufton have to present these
reasons to the parliament when introducing the
issue?
Expected answer: Justification for a proposal is
necessary to aid both sides in determining the value
of the proposal. It also helps the public in forming
opinions about the matter.
viii. Could someone else have presented this issue for
legislative review?
Expected answer: Others such as the ministers of
government or members of parliament could have
introduced the bill.
ix. What do you think will follow this step in
parliament to address the issue?

http://jamaica-
gleaner.com/gleaner/20120319/news/news1.html

c. This exercise should get students thinking about the law

making process and how we move from a legislative idea to
an actual law. It should also have them thinking about the
persons that are involved in the law making process.

2) Instruct the students that they will be exploring the process of

making a law in the lesson.

a. Place the students into four broad groups.

i. Group one will represent the governing party in the
house;
ii. Group two will represent the opposition in the
house;
iii. Group three will represent the senate and

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 iv. Group four will include representatives of the
Warning Cabinet, the Attorney Generals office the governor
Child Pornography is general and members of the public/stakeholders.
definitely a sensitive
issue but one which Inform the students that in these groups they will research
puts teenagers at and simulate the law making process using an issue of
risk. Some students common interest to the class. Groups will be expected to
may even know
persons who have play the appropriate role in each law.
been victimized.
Therefore, approach b. Either ask the students to select an issue they think needs
with sensitivity; Use
the opportunity to legislative attention or select one for them. If a conference
raise the students room is available it may help to use this room for this
awareness and help lesson.
them protect
themselves. c. Next, instruct them to seek information on the issue on
which they will simulate the law making process.
Each group will consider the roles its members would play
in the process and prepare to present accordingly;
In preparation, the students must be instructed to consider:
i. The nature of the issue;
ii. Who it affects;
iii. The desired legislative change;
iv. The negative and positive consequences of the
Notes proposed change;
Draft your
v. The likely response of all the parties in the law
marking scheme making process to the proposed change;
and ensure that vi. The steps in the process.
students know d. Afterwards, instruct students to select representatives from
how they will be
assessed. their group who will speak on their behalf.
e. Have the students rearrange the class to reflect the
formation of the house for debates in parliament. The
speaker and the clerk as well as members of the public
must be identified from the fourth group to facilitate the
process.

Inform the students that your evaluation will be based on

demonstrated knowledge of the steps in the process as well
as application of knowledge about the issue being debated.

Encourage students at this point to think about an issue they

think requires legislative attention, and agree on the same
before proceeding.

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 Body of Lesson
1) What are the different types of laws?

Figure 17.1: Types of laws existing in Jamaica

a. The picture above gives ideas about the different types of

laws that exist in Jamaica. Use the multimedia projector to
show the image to the students.
After letting them view the picture, ask them to:
i. Identify the aspects of social life to which the
different elements in the picture pertain.
ii. Guess the classification applied to laws for each of
the aspects of social life they have identified;
iii. Make a list from their answers and write the
purpose of each set of laws they have identified.
iv. Visit the websites below for examples of each
category they have identified and record at least two
for each type.

http://moj.gov.jm/?q=laws&title=&field_tags_tid=All&
order=title&sort=asc

Important Point
b. At this point, discuss the answers that the students have
This activity should
help them to develop
the analytical skill of
classifying.
http://www.japarliament.gov.jm/index.php?option=com
_content&view=article&id=334&Itemid=45
Note that the acts here were passed in the period 2009
to 2011.
arrived at so far, record them on the board and help them to
formulate broad categories based on the similarities in their
answers. Try to settle on a maximum of six categories.

c. Note to the students that not all laws affect everyone

equally; some persons are never directly affected by some

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 of the existing laws. Then instruct them to complete the
above exercise by identifying at least two sets of persons
they think would be most affected by the categories of laws
they have named.

d. Next, have the students turn to their text books to evaluate

their answers. Here they should see broad categories such
as commercial laws, criminal laws, civil laws, immigration
laws, traffic laws and constitutional laws.
i. Having done this, allow them to make changes in
their notebooks accordingly. Help them to evaluate
their answers through discussion.

e. Let the students note what category the law they plan to use
in the simulation exercise falls into. Also, give them time to
identify who will be affected, how they might be affected
and consequently, the nature of the legislature they would
want to see passed.

2) What are the steps in law making process?

a. Instruct all students to visit the following websites for a

case study on the recently enacted laws pertaining to child
pornography in Jamaica.
http://jamaica-
gleaner.com/gleaner/20060719/lead/lead6.html

http://www.japarliament.gov.jm/index.php?option=com
_content&view=article&id=236:senator-lightbourne-
tables-child-pornography-act-in-
parliament&catid=1:news&Itemid=8

http://jamaica-
gleaner.com/gleaner/20090726/news/news4.html

http://jamaica-
gleaner.com/gleaner/20120319/news/news1.html

b. Instruct them to create a flow chart to mark the steps in the

process that they have observed and to attach what they
think would be a suitable name for each step.

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 c. Discuss their answers and again, collectively classify the
steps that the students have named and record them on the
Warning board. Try not to exceed ten steps and help the students to
order the steps they have identified in a logical sequence.
Advise students to
read this content d. Having done so, direct the students to the websites below
along with their for an outline of the law making process in Jamaica.
text books for
verification.
http://www.jis.gov.jm/pdf/GovernmentOfJamaica.pdf

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/how_laws_are_made_
in_great_brita.htm

Instruct them to carefully note:

i. The parties involved in the process;
ii. The number and names of the steps in the process;
iii. What happens at each stage of the process;
iv. Compare the process in great Britain with the
process in Jamaica;
v. Compare the stages to the ones that are recorded on
the board

e. Now tell the students to note their answers and develop a

new flow chart based on their reading of the information.
f. Discuss these answers and compare the stages to the stages
that the students had arrived at in the previous activity. The
discussion should highlight who does what and when in the
process and the considerations that are taken at each stage.
i. Discuss the similarities found with our process and
the process in Britain and the reasons for these
similarities.
Students would have already been aware that Jamaica has
adopted the Westminster model of government used by
Great Britain resulting in many similarities in our
government.

g. Review the students learning with the activity copied

below. You may print individual copies for the students or
complete it as a collective or group activity using the
related PowerPoint presentation.

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 Figure 17.2: The law making process

Also see PowerPoint presentation for feedback.

h. Allow the students to map out the law making process for
the simulation exercise and identify what stages their group
will contribute to. Also, instruct them to anticipate the
likely reactions of the other groups to their decisions in the
exercise. Also allow them to use safe websites to further
explore the selected issue so that facts and evidence may be
employed in the simulation process.

Closure
In Class Assignment
1) At this point the students should be ready to simulate the law
making exercise. Let them know that there are no wrong or right
perspectives on the issue; however, they must be informed; and
they must demonstrate all of the stages in the process in the
presentation.

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Supplemental
Out-of-Class Assignment
1) With the aid of textbooks, Internet research and the print and
electronic media, find and describe at least four examples of how
the other arms of government affect the legislature in the law
making process.
2) Evaluate determine and state whether the influences identified
are positive or negative (bearing in mind the need for separation of
powers and democratic practices).

Glossary of Terms

Act of Parliament This is the result of the Head of State

approving and signing a bill. The signed bill
becomes an act of parliament or a law.

Assent/proclamation This is the approval of the Head of State

(President or Prime Minister) regarding a bill
after it has been passed by the legislature.

Draft Bill This is a proposal regarding an issue for

consideration by the legislature which has
been put in legislative form by a legal
draftsman in the Attorney Generals office.

Green Paper This is a document which raises points for

public discussions.

Law A signed bill or act of parliament.

White Paper This paper follows the discussion/examination

generated by a green paper. It is a paper
outlining a list of aims the government wants
to make into laws.

CSEC (type) Questions

1) It is necessary to make the citizens aware of a bill and its intended
purpose(s)

a. Define the term law. 2 marks

b. Give ONE reasons why bills passed in the Lower
House are likely to be passed in the senate. 2 marks
c. Explain TWO reasons for debating a bill in parliament
before it becomes law. 4 marks

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 d. Suggest THREE strategies for increasing the publics
participation in law making process. 6 marks
e. Explain why the strategies outlined above will work.
6 marks
Total 20 marks

Recommended Materials
http://jamaica.gov.jm/
http://countrystudies.us/caribbean-islands/34.htm

Bibliography
Brathwaite, S., Reynolds, P. (2004). Social Studies CSEC self study
and Distance Learning. Caribbean Examinations Council

Ruddock, L. C. and Robinson-Glanville, S. (1977). New Civics for

Young Jamaicans. Jamaica, Carlong Publishers.

Sandy, M. C., Grayson, S. C. (2004). Social Studies Essentials with

SBA, Study Guide and Exercises. Kingston: Carlong Publishers

Source:
Figure 17.1 Types of Laws

http://www.sensidynegasdetection.com/assets/images/commercial.jpg
http://criminaldefenseattorneysandiegoca.com/wp-
content/uploads/2012/02/1323107581_img2.jpg
http://www.google.com.jm/imgres?q=civil+laws&num=10&hl=en&bi
w=1249&bih=588&tbm=isch&tbnid=dAs-
http://www.in-jamaica.com/vidfeeder.php?keyword=&tag=TRAFFIC

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