Congress and the Federal Budget

General Overview

This activity allows you to try your hand at allocating the Federal Budget. You'll first be asked to allocate categories such as Defense, Welfare, and the Environment, according to how you think they were actually allocated in 2005. Then we will show you how they were allocated by Congress so you can compare your estimate with reality. Next, you'll get to allocate the budget according to how you think it SHOULD be allocated. Finally, you'll be able to see an average of how everyone else who has used this module felt that the budget actually was, and what they thought it should be. View the "how to" document.

Lessons

Creating a Budget (Grades 5 – 8)
In this lesson students will become familiar with creating budgets. Students will determine how much money they have and how much they can afford to spend or save.

Paying for Government Services (Grades 5 – 8)
Students will identify major services provided by the national government and describe how those services are paid for.

How Should Congress Allocate Money? (Grades 5 – 8)
In this lesson students will create a graph that shows what they see as priorities for national spending and explain their opinions.

Creating a Federal Budget (Grades 9 – 12)
In this lesson students will analyze the elements of a budget and examine the process of creating the federal budget.

Raising Money for Government Services (Grades 9 – 12)
This lesson describes the various taxes that U.S. citizens pay and explains how taxes transfer the use of resources from the private sector to the government. Students will evaluate how money is raised to pay for government services.

Balancing the Budget (Grades 9 – 12)
In this lesson students will analyze the U.S. federal budget, discuss the federal deficit, and propose changes to balance the budget. Students will then explore possible future effects of the national debt on individuals and the economy.

Rubric
This section contains performance assessment rubrics for students who have completed all of the lessons in the Federal Budget Allocation Module. These rubrics may be saved and used "as-is," or you can modify the rubrics in any way that is appropriate for your students.

Other Resources

Glossary: The glossary provides definitions for key terms students should know in order to complete this module.

Web sites: This section includes Web sites that will further develop students' understanding of how Congress allocates the federal budget.

Print Materials: This section lists resources for both teachers and students about how Congress allocates the federal budget.