Legislative History Scavenger Hunt

60-Minute Class Implementation for 1Ls

Presentation | 20 Minutes

9 slides | ~2 minutes per slide

20-Minute Presentation Pacing Guide

  • Slide 0 (Title): 30 seconds - intro yourself
  • Slide 1 (My Approach): 1.5 minutes - set context for interview
  • Slide 2 (Two-Session Model): 3 minutes - CRITICAL, explains the structure
  • Slide 3 (Learning Goals): 2 minutes - quick overview
  • Slide 4 (The Activity): 4 minutes - heart of presentation
  • Slide 5 (Assessment): 2.5 minutes - formative assessment
  • Slide 6 (Benefits): 2 minutes - quick wins
  • Slide 7 (Implementation): 2.5 minutes - practical steps
  • Slide 8 (Closing): 1 minute - wrap up, take questions
  • Buffer: 1 minute for questions/transitions

Key: Spend most time on Slides 2 (Two-Session Model) and 4 (The Activity). These are your core content. Keep everything else tight.

Overview

Why do legislative history?

  • Helps students with statutory interpretation
  • Provides context for understanding complex statutory language
  • Gives insight into possible career paths

Structure: Class Time → Learning Goals → Activity → Assessment

Overall Design

First Part: Foundation (45 minutes)

Introduce Resources

  • Anatomy of a Law: How bills become laws (introduction → committee → floor → conference → enactment)
  • Document Types: Committee reports vs. floor debates vs. hearings vs. bill text
  • Database Overview: Quick tour of Congress.gov, ProQuest Congressional, HeinOnline, Westlaw/Lexis
  • Citation Basics: Bluebook Rule 13 overview with examples

Second Part: Scavenger Hunt (45 minutes)

Students will work through a series of challenges that are designed to increase in complexity.

Learning Goals

By the end of this session, students can:

1. Navigate Legislative History Databases

  • Congress.gov for current legislation
  • ProQuest Congressional for comprehensive searching
  • HeinOnline for historical materials
  • Westlaw/Lexis legislative history databases

2. Identify Document Types Produced in a Legislative History

  • Distinguish committee reports from floor debates
  • Recognize hearings vs. other documents
  • Understand what each document type contains

3. Cite Legislative Materials

  • Committee reports (H.R. Rep., S. Rep.)
  • Congressional Record entries
  • Hearings with witness testimony

4. Select Appropriate Resources

  • Choose the right database for the task
  • Track bills through the legislative process

The Activity

Building on what they learned in the section on resources, students conduct hands-on research.

The Main Activity:

0-5 min: Orientation

Brief overview. Show ONE example of finding ONE committee report. Explain rules and available databases. Students already know what committee reports are from Session 1—this is just a refresher on HOW to find them.

5-45 min: Hunt

Students work through 5 challenges.

45-55 min: Debrief

Review answers. Go over any questions or issues students might have.

Challenges:

1. Basic Navigation (15 pts)
Find a famous law, identify key info

2. Committee Reports (25 pts)
Find and cite a Senate report

3. Floor Debates (20 pts)
Locate Congressional Record entries

4. Bill Tracking (20 pts)
Follow a bill's journey

5. Hearings (15 pts)
Find and cite testimony

+ Bonus challenges for fast finishers

Available Databases:

  • Congress.gov - Free, official source
  • ProQuest Congressional - Comprehensive full-text searching
  • HeinOnline - Historical materials, compiled leg histories
  • Westlaw - LH database
  • Lexis - Legislative History section

Students choose which database to use for each challenge. Part of learning is deciding which tool fits the task.

How Students Complete the Activity:

  • Work individually or in pairs on printed handouts or digital documents
  • Write answers directly in the answer spaces provided
  • Note which database they used for each challenge
  • Submit completed worksheets at end of class (physically or digitally)
  • Incomplete work is fine - this is formative assessment

During activity instructor can be available to give students assistance if they're stuck.

Assessment

Formative Assessment in Three Parts:

During the Hunt (Observation):

  • Identify which challenges cause problems
  • Track which databases students choose
  • Observe resource selection judgment

Answer Review (Completion):

  • Did they find the correct documents?
  • Are citations formatted properly?
  • Do they understand document relationships?
  • Did they select appropriate databases?

Debrief Discussion (Understanding):

  • Can they explain what they learned?
  • Do they know which resource to use when?
  • Can they articulate the legislative process?

Key Insight: Can tell by discussing with students where they had a particular challenge and why.

Benefits

  • Higher retention
  • More engaging
  • Students actually use databases in a meaningful context
  • Get Practice using resources

Hopefully doing the research helps them remember the resources better when they might need them in real world settings.

Implementation

What You Need:

  • Laptops/Ipads, etc.
  • Congress.gov
  • ProQuest Congressional
  • HeinOnline
  • Westlaw & Lexis
  • Handouts with challenges
  • Timer

Before Session 1 (Foundation):

  1. Prepare lecture slides on anatomy of law
  2. Create examples of each document type
  3. Prepare brief database demos

Before Session 2 (Scavenger Hunt):

  1. Test challenges across all databases
  2. Verify all database access works in classroom
  3. Print or load handouts
  4. Prepare hint cards
  5. Have a handy resource guide listing all available databases

Getting Started:

1. Schedule two sessions (or one 2-hour block)
2. Teach Session 1 (foundation)
3. Run Session 2 (scavenger hunt)
4. Take notes on what worked
5. Revise and repeat

Proably take some working out of rough edges to implement in the classroom. Maybe do a trial run or two with other librarians.

Closing

Learning Goals → Define what students need to be able to do

Activity → Students practice those skills hands-on

Legislative history is complex. This assignment will at least give untangle some of the complexity for them and give them a foundation for future research.

Questions?

Thank you.

References

Deborah A. Widiss, Making Sausage: What, Why and How to Teach about Legislative Process in a Legislation or Leg-Reg Course, 65 Journal of Legal Education 96 (2015) (2015). Available at: https://www.repository.law.indiana.edu/facpub/1838

Mary Whisner, Other Uses of Legislative History, 105 Law Libr. J. 243 (2013), https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/librarians-articles/ 25