Civics & Government · 9th Grade

Active learning ideas

The Vice Presidency

Active learning helps students grasp the Vice Presidency’s shifting role because it requires them to analyze primary documents, debate constitutional nuances, and design solutions rather than memorize static facts. By engaging directly with historical documents, scenario-based discussions, and structured tasks, students connect abstract constitutional language to real-world consequences and modern practices.

• Common Core State Standards
• C3: D2.Civ.1.9-12
• C3: D2.Civ.6.9-12

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Socratic Seminar
• 40 min · Small Groups

Timeline Analysis: From Figurehead to Governing Partner

Students construct a visual timeline of Vice Presidents from Adams to the present, categorizing each as a figurehead or governing partner based on brief profiles. The class identifies the pivot points -- specific administrations or external events -- where the role changed, and the debrief focuses on whether the change was driven by constitutional revision, political need, or individual leadership choices.

Analyze the most important function of the Vice President.

Facilitation Tip

During Timeline Analysis, ask students to identify turning points where informal expectations overtook formal duties, requiring them to justify their choices with evidence from each era.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Considering the Vice President's constitutional duties and modern-day roles, what do you believe is their single most important function?' Facilitate a class discussion where students must support their claims with evidence from the lesson.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Socratic Seminar
• 35 min · Small Groups

Document Analysis: The Four Sections of the 25th Amendment

Each group analyzes one section of the 25th Amendment: summarizing what it does, what problem it was designed to solve, and one historical scenario where it would apply. Groups report out and the class assembles the complete succession and disability framework. A brief case study (e.g., Eisenhower's heart attacks or Nixon's resignation) makes the stakes concrete.

Explain how the 25th Amendment clarifies the line of succession.

Facilitation Tip

For Document Analysis, have students annotate each section of the 25th Amendment using a two-column chart: one side listing what the text says, the other listing what it implies about presidential succession.

What to look for

Provide students with a brief scenario describing a President becoming incapacitated. Ask them to write a short paragraph explaining how the 25th Amendment would be applied to determine who assumes presidential powers and why.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Designing the Vice Presidency

Students write their own answer to: "If you were designing the Vice Presidency from scratch, what formal duties would you assign?" Pairs compare and identify their top two design principles. Class discussion synthesizes responses and evaluates them against the current constitutional reality and practical governance constraints.

Justify whether the Vice President should have more formal constitutional powers.

Facilitation Tip

In Think-Pair-Share, give pairs a clear 3-minute time limit to draft a one-sentence proposal for redesigning the VP’s role, then compare proposals with another pair to highlight competing priorities.

What to look for

On an index card, ask students to list one formal constitutional duty of the Vice President and one informal duty they have taken on in recent administrations. They should also write one sentence stating whether they think the informal duties detract from or enhance the office.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 04

• Formal Debate
• 35 min · Whole Class

Formal Debate: More Constitutional Power for the VP?

Students debate whether the Vice Presidency should have more formally defined constitutional powers, a stronger statutory role, or should remain as is. Each position must address the Senate role, the succession function, and the risk of creating a rival power center within the executive branch that could complicate presidential authority.

Analyze the most important function of the Vice President.

Facilitation Tip

During the debate, assign roles explicitly: one team defends expanding VP constitutional powers, the other defends preserving the status quo, and require each to cite at least one historical precedent for their position.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Considering the Vice President's constitutional duties and modern-day roles, what do you believe is their single most important function?' Facilitate a class discussion where students must support their claims with evidence from the lesson.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should emphasize the gap between constitutional text and political reality, using case studies like Cheney under Bush or Biden under Obama to show how delegation shapes the office. Avoid framing the VP as a marginal figure; instead, highlight how modern expectations have transformed it into a strategic advisory role. Research suggests students learn constitutional change best when they trace real controversies, such as the 25th Amendment’s origins, rather than treating amendments as abstract rules.

Success looks like students accurately distinguishing formal constitutional duties from informal roles, applying the 25th Amendment correctly in scenarios, and articulating how informal influence has reshaped the office over time. They should be able to explain why the VP’s power depends heavily on presidential trust and political context.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Timeline Analysis, watch for students assuming the Vice President regularly presides over the Senate.

  During Timeline Analysis, group students by era and give each group a Senate roll-call record from that period. Ask them to count how many times the VP actually presided versus the President pro tempore, then present their findings to the class to correct the misconception.

• During Document Analysis, watch for students believing the 25th Amendment was part of the original Constitution.

  During Document Analysis, ask students to trace the language of the 25th Amendment back to Article II’s vague disability clause. Have them draft a one-paragraph amendment that would have addressed Eisenhower’s health crises in the 1950s, then compare it to the actual 25th Amendment text.

• During Think-Pair-Share, watch for students assuming the Vice President can act independently in policy matters.

  During Think-Pair-Share, provide students with excerpts from presidential signing statements or memoirs (e.g., Dick Cheney’s role in energy policy) and ask them to identify whether the VP’s actions were constitutionally authorized or politically delegated.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Socratic Seminar
• Think-Pair-Share
• Formal Debate