Civics & Government · 12th Grade

Active learning ideas

Pork Barrel Spending and Earmarks

Active learning makes abstract legislative processes tangible for students by letting them analyze real examples and practice decision-making roles. When students examine specific earmark cases or debate funding priorities, they move beyond memorizing definitions to wrestling with trade-offs and consequences of pork barrel spending.

• Common Core State Standards
• C3: D2.Eco.12.9-12
• C3: D2.Civ.10.9-12

• 35–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Earmark Hall of Fame and Shame

Post stations around the room featuring real earmarks from U.S. history, including the 'Bridge to Nowhere,' local infrastructure projects, and community health center funding. Students rotate through stations, marking each as 'public interest,' 'special interest,' or 'unclear,' then discuss what criteria they used to make each judgment.

Analyze the arguments for and against earmarks in legislative appropriations.

Facilitation Tip

During the Gallery Walk, place controversial earmark examples side-by-side so students naturally compare justifications and outcomes as they move through stations.

What to look for

Provide students with a brief description of a hypothetical earmark request. Ask them to write two sentences identifying a potential benefit and two sentences identifying a potential drawback of approving this earmark, referencing the public interest versus special interest debate.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Formal Debate
• 35 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: Should Earmarks Be Banned?

Divide the class into two sides. Each side receives a packet of real arguments from legislators, economists, and watchdog groups. After preparation time, teams debate while the rest of the class scores arguments on logic and evidence quality rather than agreement.

Evaluate whether pork barrel spending serves the public interest or special interests.

Facilitation Tip

For the debate, provide each team with a shared Google Doc to compile evidence and counterarguments in real time, which you can project for whole-class analysis.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Should earmarks be permanently banned, partially reinstated with strict oversight, or fully restored to their pre-2011 status?' Facilitate a debate where students must support their position with evidence from historical examples and arguments about legislative efficiency and accountability.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Role Play
• 45 min · Whole Class

Role Play: District Appropriations Meeting

Students play members of Congress from districts with competing funding requests. Each student must request one earmark for their 'district' and argue its public benefit. After all presentations, the group votes on which projects to fund within a fixed budget, forcing prioritization.

Justify reforms to the budgetary process to enhance transparency and accountability.

Facilitation Tip

In the role play, assign students to specific stakeholder roles (e.g., mayor, lobbyist, budget analyst) and give each a one-page brief with their priorities clearly listed to maintain focus on the meeting’s goals.

What to look for

Present students with a list of terms related to the legislative process. Ask them to define 'earmark' and 'pork barrel spending' in their own words and then explain how the two terms are related, using a simple analogy if helpful.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should balance the technical mechanics of earmarks with their ethical dimensions to avoid either dry procedural instruction or oversimplified moralizing. Research shows that case-based discussions work best when students first identify the concrete stakes before debating abstractions like 'public interest.' Avoid framing the topic as purely corrupt or purely noble; instead, use neutral language like 'political incentives' to keep discussions productive. Start with local or regional examples students can relate to before moving to national cases.

Students will explain how earmarks function, evaluate their ethical and practical implications, and justify their positions using evidence from historical examples. Success looks like students distinguishing between community benefit and political gain while applying legislative process knowledge to contemporary scenarios.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Earmark Hall of Fame and Shame Gallery Walk, students may assume all earmarks are wasteful or corrupt.

  During the Gallery Walk, have students sort examples into two columns: 'Potential Public Benefit' and 'Likely Waste/Corruption' based on the evidence cards, then discuss whether the same project could fit both categories depending on perspective.

• During the Structured Debate on banning earmarks, students might think banning eliminates politicians' ability to direct funds for political gain.

  During the debate, ask students to cite specific post-2011 cases where discretionary grants flowed to politically advantageous districts despite the ban, using data from the Congressional Research Service as evidence.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk
• Formal Debate
• Role Play