The Law and Bicyclists

The Law and the Bicyclists Grades 4-8

Topic: Law, Government, Social Studies

Presenter: Anna Buzzard, Lawyer, J.D. – University of Washington

Hands-on: A ten minute class discussion will cover the three branches of government– legislative, judicial, and executive– in addition to the life cycle of a law and different types of law.  Students begin by working in groups on a worksheet that presents an ordinance (no vehicles in park) and a series of situations where the students decide whether the law has been broken.

The Problem of Bicycling: Students are instructed that they are now members of the city council and that there have been a number of complaints and near-accidents involving bicyclists and motorists, counsel members receive a hand-out with some of the complaints and some questions to get them started.  They work in teams of 3-5 (depending on class size) to draft rules for how, when, where and whom can ride a bicycle.  The session ends with a mock legislative session where students present their ideas and as a class discuss the proposed ordinances, edit and revise them, and vote to pass the ordinance.