Supplies

• Regulation Impact Cards
• Essay: The Expansion of Federal Regulation of Economy and Society
• Student journals or electronic devices for recording observations
• Large paper and markers for group work

Anticipate

• Give a brief introduction to expanding federal regulation of the economy and society. You can use the case study essay or other supporting links located in Teacher Supports. Discuss the idea that federal regulations impact various aspects of everyday life.
• Explain the day’s activity, emphasizing the exploration of the question: “What would a day without federal agencies and their regulations look like?”

Engage

• Distribute Regulation Impact Cards to students. Each card describes how a specific federal agency influences an aspect of daily life. Note that depending on class size, multiple students will receive the same Regulation Impact Card.
• Students reflect and write in their journals about how their day might change without the regulations made by these agencies. Encourage students to write how their lives would be negatively and positively impacted without these regulations.

Explore

• Divide students into small groups, each assigned to one bureaucratic agency. Each group creates a “Day Without” scenario, imagining and then artistically representing (through skits, posters, or digital presentations) how a typical day would unfold without their assigned agency.
• Each group presents their scenario to the class, highlighting the potential consequences of the absence of bureaucratic involvement.

Reflect

• After the group presentations, facilitate a discussion or a reflective writing assignment where students list three pros and three cons of bureaucratic regulation based on the scenarios explored during the presentations.
• Encourage students to consider aspects such as efficiency, expertise, protection vs. overreach, and impact on freedoms and economic activities.

Assess

• Initiate a class discussion on the following two prompts:
• Leadership in the bureaucracy is appointed, not elected. Discuss the potential effects this has on self-governance. Consider accountability, expertise, and political influence.
• What does it mean for self-governance if we look to the federal government to solve our issues?
• Here are additional prompts to help guide the conversation:
• How does reliance on bureaucracies affect our personal responsibilities?
• What is the role of individual choice and community action in areas typically governed by federal agencies?