"The Speaker of the House recognizes Representative Jayden." The nine-year-old stands, clutching his handwritten bill. "My bill says that U.S. soldiers must guard every polling place in Florida during elections." The room erupts. This is Day 4 of our Reconstruction simulation, where 22 fourth graders are discovering that winning a war is actually easier than building a just government afterward.

How to Help Fourth Graders Write Laws That Matter

"Mrs. Zema, I don't know what to write." Marcus stares at a blank page, wanting to help freedmen vote but not knowing how to write that like a real law. Last year, students would have produced vague statements like "Be nice to everyone." This year, using a four-part bill-writing scaffold that includes enforcement mechanisms, Marcus will present a detailed law about punishing voter intimidation—sophisticated enough to generate genuine legislative debate.