How to Help Fourth Graders Write Laws That Matter
"Mrs. Zema, I don't know what to write."
It's Friday afternoon—Day 3 of our Reconstruction simulation. Students have just finished reading the 1869 Legislative Briefing describing the voting crisis in Florida: Southern Democrats winning elections, Black officials being removed from government, violence increasing.
Now they need to write bills responding to these problems. And Marcus is staring at a blank page, overwhelmed.
"What's the hard part?" I ask.
"I want to help freedmen vote," he says, "but I don't know how to write that like a real law. And I don't know if my idea will actually work."
Marcus isn't alone. Half the class is stuck at the same point—caught between wanting to solve problems and not knowing how to transform ideas into legislative language.
In the past, I would have said: "Just write what you think should happen and we'll figure it out."
Students would have produced vague statements like "Be nice to everyone" or "Let people vote if they want to."
Now, I use a scaffold that transforms how students write bills. And by Monday's Legislative Session, Marcus will present a detailed law about punishing voter intimidation with mandatory sheriff investigations—a bill sophisticated enough to generate genuine debate.
Here's how I teach fourth graders to write legislation that matters.
The Problem with "Just Write What You Think"
When teachers assign a writing task like this without scaffolding, we get predictable results:
Vague declarations: "Everyone should be treated fairly."
Impossible demands: "All people must be nice to each other or go to jail."
Solutions without problems: "We should build more parks" (when the crisis is about voting rights).
Good intentions without mechanisms: "Freedmen should have rights" (but no explanation of HOW those rights are protected).
These aren't bad because students don't care. They're bad because students don't know what makes a law actually work.
They've never written legislation before. They don't know what elements a bill needs. They can't picture how their words translate into action.
So instead of meaningful laws that address real problems, we get well-meaning ideas that wouldn't survive first contact with reality.
The Four-Part Framework That Changes Everything
Instead, I start bill-writing with a simple framework. Every bill needs exactly four parts:
1. What the bill will do: The specific action or rule the bill creates.
2. Who the bill will help (or affect): Which groups benefit and which groups might be upset.
3. Why this bill is important: The problem it solves or the goal it achieves.
4. What happens if someone doesn’t follow the law: The consequences or enforcement mechanism.
That's it. Four parts.
But these four parts force students to think like legislators instead of wishful thinkers.
The Practice Bill: Recess Rules
Before students write bills about Reconstruction, we practice with something they understand: recess.
I put this example on the board:
PRACTICE BILL: Fair Recess Time
What will this bill do? This bill will give all students 30 minutes of recess every day.
Who will this bill help? This bill will help all students at our school get more exercise and playtime.
Why is this bill important? This bill is important because students need time to play and run around so they can focus better in class.
What happens if someone doesn’t follow this law? Teachers who skip recess without a good reason (like bad weather or safety concerns) will receive a reminder from the principal.
"Notice," I say, "that the bill doesn't just say 'make recess better.' It specifies exactly what will happen: 30 minutes every day. It identifies who benefits: all students. It explains why: exercise helps focus. And it includes what happens if teachers don’t follow the rule."
Students nod. This makes sense.
"Now," I continue, "what if I changed the bill to say 'Students who finish all their work get 30 minutes of recess, but students who don't finish get only 15 minutes'?"
Hands shoot up.
"That's not fair!" Zoe protests. "Some kids work slower but they still need recess!"
"So who does that version help?" I ask.
"Fast workers," someone calls out.
"And who does it hurt?"
"Slow workers. Kids who struggle with school."
"Exactly. Every law helps some people and affects others. Sometimes what seems fair to one person feels unfair to another. That's what makes legislating hard."
Students are starting to understand: Laws aren't just about good ideas. They're about specific actions that affect real people in different ways.
Understanding the Groups: Who Will Your Law Affect?
Before students write Reconstruction bills, they need to understand the four main groups in post-Civil War Florida:
Freedmen & Northern Republicans Formerly enslaved people and politicians who want Reconstruction to succeed.
Want: Voting rights, schools, land ownership, protection from violence
Will be happy about: Laws protecting their rights
Will be angry about: Laws limiting their freedom
Southern Democrats & Former Confederates White Southerners who want to restore pre-war power structures.
Want: Limited voting rights, control over workers, power in government
Will be happy about: Laws that return power to white property owners
Will be angry about: Laws that give rights to freedmen
Wealthy Landowners & Business Leaders Plantation owners and investors focused on economic growth.
Want: Reliable workers, low taxes, railroad development, stability
Will be happy about: Laws helping businesses
Will be angry about: Laws increasing costs or regulations
Moderates & Small Farmers Poor white families who didn't own slaves.
Want: Fair opportunities, free schools, land, jobs
Will be happy about: Laws helping poor families
Will be angry about: Laws ignoring their needs
I display these descriptions prominently. Students refer to them constantly while writing bills because they need to predict: "Which groups will support my law? Which will oppose it?"
This transforms bill-writing from "what sounds nice?" to "who benefits and who's hurt by this specific action?"
Sentence Starters: The Scaffold That Works
Here's where Marcus gets unstuck.
He wants to protect voting rights, but he's staring at a blank template not knowing how to start. So I show him the sentence starters:
If you want to PROTECT FREEDMEN'S RIGHTS:
"Formerly enslaved people will now have the right to..."
"This bill protects freedmen by..."
"All citizens, regardless of race, shall be allowed to..."
"To ensure equality, this bill will..."
Marcus reads these. Then he writes:
What will this bill do? "This bill protects freedmen by punishing anyone who threatens or attacks voters. Sheriffs must investigate all reports within 24 hours. People who break this law will pay a $500 fine or go to jail for 6 months."
He's using the sentence starters as a springboard to articulate his own idea. The scaffold gave him a way to start; his thinking provided the content.
I provide sentence starters for different perspectives because students have different values they're trying to advance:
If you want to LIMIT FREEDMEN'S RIGHTS:
"To maintain order, this bill requires that..."
"This bill protects property owners by..."
"To vote in Florida, citizens must..."
If you want to HELP THE ECONOMY:
"To rebuild Florida's economy, this bill will..."
"Plantation owners will be able to..."
"Workers will be required to..."
If you want to FIND COMPROMISE:
"To bring Florida together, this bill..."
"While protecting everyone's rights, this bill..."
"This bill balances..."
These starters aren't scripts—they're thinking tools. They help students transform vague intentions into legislative language.
The Bill Examples That Show What's Possible
After practicing with recess and reviewing sentence starters, I show students four complete bill examples representing different approaches to various Reconstruction challenges:
EXAMPLE 1: A Bill About Education Funding Equal School Funding Act
What it does: Requires Florida to give the same amount of money to Black schools as it gives to white schools. School districts that don't follow this rule will lose state funding.
Who it affects: Helps Black children get better education, but upsets white taxpayers who don't want their tax money supporting Black schools
Why it matters: All children deserve good schools with trained teachers and adequate supplies
What happens if someone doesn’t follow this law: School districts that don’t follow this rule will lose all state funding until they comply
EXAMPLE 2: A Bill About Land Ownership Freedmen's Land Access Act
What it does: Allows formerly enslaved people to buy government-owned land in Florida for $1 per acre. Each family can purchase up to 40 acres. The government will provide a 5-year loan with no interest.
Who it affects: Helps freedmen become landowners, but upsets white farmers who worry about competition for land
Why it matters: People who own land can support their families and have independence
What happens if someone doesn’t follow this law: Government officials who refuse to sell land to qualified freedmen will be removed from their position and fined $100
EXAMPLE 3: A Bill About Labor Contracts Fair Employment Contract Law
What it does: All work contracts must be written in simple language that workers can understand. Workers must have 24 hours to review contracts before signing. Any contract signed without this waiting period is invalid.
Who it affects: Protects workers from unfair contracts, but plantation owners must give workers more time and can't pressure immediate signatures
Why it matters: Workers deserve to know what they're agreeing to before they sign their lives away
What happens if someone doesn’t follow this law: Employers who force workers to sign contracts immediately will have those contracts canceled by the court. The employer must also pay the worker $50 for their time.
EXAMPLE 4: A Bill About Public Services Equal Access to Public Buildings
What it does: All government buildings, courthouses, and post offices must be open to all citizens regardless of race. Any government official who refuses service to a citizen because of their race will be fired and fined $200.
Who it affects: Gives all citizens access to government services, but angers people who want separation of races
Why it matters: Citizens who pay taxes deserve equal access to government services
What happens if someone doesn’t follow this law: Any government official who refuses service to a citizen because of their race will be fired immediately and fined $200
These examples are powerful because they show students what complete bills look like at their level—not simplified baby versions, but genuine legislative proposals appropriate for fourth grade.
What Happens During Writing Time
Armed with the framework, group descriptions, sentence starters, and examples, students spread out to write bills.
And something remarkable happens: Instead of staring at blank pages, students write purposefully.
Jayden writes a bill requiring federal troops at polling places because he values immediate protection for voters. The examples were about schools and land ownership, but Jayden applies the same structure to address armed intimidation. His bill is direct: soldiers will guard every voting location in Florida.
Marcus writes a bill creating harsh punishments for voter intimidation because he believes strong consequences will deter violence. The examples showed how to structure penalties and enforcement mechanisms—Marcus uses that framework to address threats at polling places, with $500 fines and mandatory investigations within 24 hours.
Sophia focuses on mandatory secret ballots because she's concerned that visible voting allows employers and others to threaten people. The examples didn't address voting at all, but Sophia saw how to balance competing concerns (protection vs. cost, rights vs. order) and applied that thinking to ballot privacy.
Kai writes a bill banning weapons within 100 yards of polling places because he wants to stop armed intimidation. The examples about public services and labor contracts showed how to write clear rules with specific consequences—Kai uses that same structure for weapons restrictions while trying to respect people's general rights to carry weapons.
These bills reflect genuine philosophical differences—and that's exactly what I want. Students aren't all writing the same "correct" bill. They're writing bills that align with their values while grappling with the constraints of what's actually possible.
The scaffold gave them the structure. The examples showed them what complete bills look like. Their thinking provided the content specific to the 1869 voting crisis.
The Checklist That Prevents Common Mistakes
Before students finalize bills, I have them use a simple checklist:
☐ My bill has a clear title
☐ I explained what the bill will do
☐ I explained who the bill will help or affect
☐ I thought about which groups will be happy and angry
☐ I explained why the bill is important
☐ I explained what happens if someone doesn’t follow the law
☐ My bill is written in complete sentences
☐ I can explain my bill to other students
☐ I am ready to defend my bill during debate
That last checkbox is crucial: "I am ready to defend my bill during debate."
Because here's what students need to understand: Writing the bill is just the beginning. On Monday, they'll have to convince other legislators that their bill deserves to pass.
The scaffold helps them write good bills. The debate will test whether those bills can survive scrutiny.
Monday Morning: When Bills Become Laws (Or Don't)
Monday arrives. Students bring their carefully written bills to Legislative Session Day.
Speaker of the House Emma selects four bills to debate—chosen strategically to represent different perspectives and generate real discussion.
And here's what happens: Because students used the scaffold to write detailed, thoughtful bills, the debate is substantive instead of superficial.
When Jayden presents his federal troops bill, other legislators don't just say "I like it" or "I don't like it." They engage with specifics:
"What if having soldiers there makes Southern Democrats so angry they react with more violence?"
"Who decides if someone is trying to intimidate voters versus just exercising their right to be present?"
"Won't this cost a lot of money? How does Florida pay for federal troops?"
These are sophisticated questions—and students can ask them because Jayden's bill was specific enough to analyze. If he'd written "Stop people from being mean at polling places," there wouldn't be anything to debate.
The scaffold didn't just help students write bills. It helped them write bills worth debating.
The Free Resource I'm Creating
This week, I'm taking the bill-writing scaffold I use in class and creating a downloadable resource for teachers.
The Bill-Writing Scaffold for Fourth Graders will include:
The four-part framework with examples
Group descriptions students can reference
Sentence starters for different perspectives
Complete bill examples showing what's possible
The blank template students use for writing
The checklist to ensure quality
Tips for successful bill-writing
Guidance on understanding the mood system
Teachers can use this with the full Reconstruction simulation or adapt it for any lesson where students need to write proposals, make arguments, or create solutions to problems.
Because here's what I've learned: The skill of writing clear, specific proposals that consider multiple perspectives isn't just for simulations. It's for any time students need to advocate for change, whether that's proposing a new recess policy, suggesting a class rule, or eventually participating in real civic life.
What This Teaches Beyond Bill-Writing
By the end of this week, students will have written bills, defended them in debate, watched some pass and others fail, and seen how the mood tracker responds to their decisions.
But more importantly, they'll have learned skills that transfer beyond social studies:
How to articulate ideas specifically instead of vaguely. "Everyone should vote" becomes "All citizens over age 21 can vote regardless of race, education, or wealth."
How to consider multiple perspectives. Before writing, students must think: Who benefits? Who's hurt? What problems might this create?
How to justify positions with reasoning. The "why this matters" section forces students to explain their thinking, not just state preferences.
How to accept that good solutions can disappoint people. Some groups will be unhappy with every bill—that's not a failure of the bill, that's the nature of governing.
How to separate disagreement from disrespect. Jordan can argue against Jayden's bill while still respecting Jayden as a person and legislator.
These are life skills disguised as legislative writing.
The Moment It Clicks
Friday afternoon, after students have written their bills, Marcus comes up to my desk.
"Look," he says, showing me his voter intimidation penalties bill. "I wrote it so people who threaten voters get punished, but I added the part about sheriffs investigating within 24 hours so the evidence doesn't disappear. It's not perfect, but it tries to make sure the law actually gets enforced."
That's it. That's the moment.
Marcus understands that legislation isn't about finding perfect solutions—it's about balancing competing goods, accepting tradeoffs, and doing the best you can with imperfect options.
He learned that because the scaffold forced him to think through who his bill helps and who it might hurt. It required him to be specific about what happens and why. It made him grapple with reality instead of offering empty platitudes.
And on Monday, when the Legislature debates his bill, the discussion will be rich and complex—exactly what fourth-grade civic learning should look like.
Making This Work in Your Classroom
You don't need a full simulation to use this scaffold. You can adapt it for any time students need to propose solutions:
Classroom rules: Have students write "bills" proposing new class policies using the four-part framework. Who benefits? Who's affected? Why does this matter?
School improvement: Students write proposals for changes they'd like to see, considering which groups support or oppose their ideas.
Historical scenarios: Even without simulation, students can write bills responding to historical crises, practicing the thinking skills legislators need.
Current events: Students write proposals addressing contemporary issues, learning to consider multiple perspectives and practical constraints.
The scaffold works because it provides structure without dictating content. Students still choose what they care about and what values they'll advance—but now they have tools to express those ideas clearly and completely.
Download the Free Resource
I'm making the complete Bill-Writing Scaffold available as a free download this week.
It includes everything you need to help students write meaningful, debate-worthy legislation:
Complete framework with step-by-step guidance
Templates students can use immediately
Examples showing what quality bills look like
Differentiation tips for various skill levels
Instructions for adapting to different contexts
Whether you're teaching the full Reconstruction simulation or just want to help students practice clear, persuasive writing about solutions to problems, this scaffold gives students the structure they need to succeed.
Ready to help your students write bills that generate genuine debate?
The Bill-Writing Scaffold teaches fourth graders to think like legislators—considering multiple perspectives, anticipating consequences, and articulating ideas with clarity and specificity. Perfect for simulations, civic education, or any lesson requiring students to propose solutions to complex problems.
