Website review by Patricia Monticello Kievlan, Common Sense Education | Updated October 2015
Kids In The House
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Kids in the House

Detailed, age-appropriate intro to the U.S. Congress and its history

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Editorial review by Common Sense Education
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Grades
K–12 This grade range is based on learning appropriateness and doesn't take into account privacy. It's determined by Common Sense Education, not the product's publisher.
Subjects & Skills
Social Studies, Critical Thinking
Price:  Free
Platforms:  Website
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Kids in the House is a kid-friendly intro to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The site features info on how laws are made, what Congress is, its history, and its physical location at the Capitol.
Each section of the site offers content geared to different age ranges -- here, to the early elementary years.
Each grade level's glossary has age-appropriate language and detail; these definitions pop up elsewhere on the site when you roll over these words.
Check out the Clerk's YouTube page (linked from the High School section of the site).

Pros: Comprehensive info explores the House's role and its history; different sections for different age groups offer great leveled reading.

Cons: The lesson plans aren't especially detailed, and the text-heavy design might turn off reluctant readers.

Bottom Line: A great starting point for accessing the rich history and complex work of the U.S. House of Representatives.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

The built-in lesson plans aren't much to write home about. Some are just worksheets, while others are links out to other websites. Those other sites are high-quality resources, but it's up to the teacher to add value and structure for your classroom. Your best bet is to take a long look around all four age level versions of the site, especially starting with the high school site and the Clerk's YouTube channel. Consider using the site's four sections as potential units in a government or social studies class. Use the info here as a jumping-off point for your students' own exploration of the House's history or your first forays into understanding the role of the legislative branch. Finally, consider using the matching info from the different age level versions for different reading levels in your classroom: ELLs and struggling readers might benefit from using one of the simpler versions of the text.

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Standards:

Kids in the House is a website about the United States House of Representatives managed by the office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives. From the site's homepage, users first select an age level: choices are Early Learners, Grade School, Middle School, and High School. Each level then links to content with language and complexity appropriate to that age group. The content varies in its length and specifics, but each age range features info divided into four sections: What is Congress?, How Laws Are Made, Art & History, and Around the Capitol. Each section features rollover text that offers definitions of key terms, and kids can visit a full glossary of the vocabulary from each section. Each of the four age-specific sections links to a teacher page that lists all lesson plans, activities, and related links for the site. Some include PDF lesson plans related to the House's history and purpose; others are links to websites like the House's own History, Art & Archives, or to the independent Center for Civic Engagement.

Users can also visit the Meet the Clerk page, which introduces users to current clerk Karen L. Haas. 

While the site's pretty text heavy, the content is solid, and teachers who dig deep will be rewarded with in-depth info and well-articulated details about the House's history and role in government. The four age ranges can seem pretty wide (and "grade school" sounds a little clunky), but it's neat to compare the related content across the four levels and see what changes and what stays the same, especially in the glossary section and in the explanations of how a bill becomes a law. One great find: the high school section links to the Clerk's YouTube channel, which has a wealth of terrific videos about the history of the House and the legislative process. That the YouTube channel is only linked from the high school page is one of many thoughtful details that went into curating this site: Its developers worked hard to construct age-appropriate, highly useful content, and teachers have tons of great info to choose from in a nice range of formats.

That being said, the site isn't perfect. At least one link to email your representative is broken, and pages are text-heavy with sometimes-dated images. The built-in lesson plans vary in detail and quality too. Still, there's some terrific reference information and historical content here; this one's definitely worth a look.

Overall Rating
Engagement Would it motivate students and hold their interest? Is it visually appealing? Would it inspire teachers to try something new or change their instruction?

Most pages are pretty text heavy and just the facts, ma'am, but close readers will discover some great details.

Pedagogy Does the tool help teachers promote a more student-centered experience? Will students gain conceptual understanding or think critically? Does it deepen teachers’ pedagogical thinking?

Lesson plans nicely ramp up with more complexity on the same topic, like how a bill becomes a law. Included lesson plans could use more detail, but there's good content if teachers dive deep.

Support Can students and teachers get assistance when they need it? Is it created with people of different abilities and backgrounds in mind? Is learning reinforced and extended beyond the digital experience?

The same info is presented for four different age ranges, making the site a good fit for a wide range of ages and abilities. The site is intuitive to navigate.

Common Sense reviewer
Patricia Monticello Kievlan Foundation/nonprofit member
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Key Standards Supported

Reading History/Social Studies

  • RH.6-8.4

    Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.

  • RH.6-8.10

    By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

  • RH.9-10.4

    Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.

  • RH.9-10.10

    By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

  • RH.11-12.4

    Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).

  • RH.11-12.10

    By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Reading Informational Text

  • RI.K.3

    With prompting and support, describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

  • RI.K.4

    With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text.

  • RI.K.10

    Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding.

  • RI.1.3

    Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text.

  • RI.1.4

    Ask and answer questions to help determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.

  • RI.1.10

    With prompting and support, read informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1.

  • RI.2.3

    Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.

  • RI.2.4

    Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.

  • RI.2.10

    By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 2–3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RI.3.3

    Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.

  • RI.3.4

    Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.

  • RI.3.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2–3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

  • RI.4.3

    Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

  • RI.4.4

    Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.

  • RI.4.10

    By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 4–5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RI.5.3

    Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.

  • RI.5.4

    Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.

  • RI.5.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

  • RI.6.3

    Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g., through examples or anecdotes).

  • RI.6.4

    Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.

  • RI.6.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RI.7.1

    Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

  • RI.7.4

    Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

  • RI.7.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RI.8.3

    Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

  • RI.8.4

    Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

  • RI.8.10

    By the end of the year, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

  • RI.9-10.3

    Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them.

  • RI.9-10.4

    Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).

  • RI.9-10.10

    By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

  • RI.11-12.3

    Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.

  • RI.11-12.4

    Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).

  • RI.11-12.10

    By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

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