Government Shutdown Role-Play Activity for High School Civics Created in Minutes

Hi Suzann! This is such a fantastic way to make a complex and often frustrating political concept tangible for high schoolers. By simulating the "all-or-nothing" mentality, students will quickly see why the wheels of government often grind to a halt.

Here is a complete, ready-to-use activity titled "The Great Party Deadlock."

Lesson Activity: The Great Party Deadlock

Objective: Students will simulate the legislative process of passing a Continuing Resolution (CR) and understand how a lack of compromise leads to a "government shutdown" (in this case, a "School Event Shutdown").

Grade Level: High School Civics
Time Required: 45–60 minutes

1. The Setup

Divide your class into two groups. Do not make them equal in size to represent the reality of a "majority" and "minority" party.

• The Blue Party (The Majority): 60% of the class.
• The Gold Party (The Minority): 40% of the class.

The Scenario: The school has a budget for one "Ultimate End-of-Year Celebration." However, if a "Funding Agreement" (the Continuing Resolution) is not signed by both parties by the end of the class period, the budget is forfeited, and no one gets a celebration.

2. The Platform Cards

Give each group their "Priorities List." Tell them they cannot share the details of this list with the other side yet.

The Blue Party (Majority) Priorities:

• Location: The School Stadium.
• Music: A professional DJ playing Top 40.
• Food: High-end catering (Tacos and Slushies).
• Requirement: The Gold Party members must volunteer for the setup and cleanup crews.
• Non-Negotiable: You want your name on the banner as the "Sponsors of the Event."

The Gold Party (Minority) Priorities:

• Location: An off-campus Amusement Park.
• Music: A Live Indie Band.
• Food: Pizza and Ice Cream.
• Requirement: The Blue Party must pay a "ticket fee" out of their own pockets to cover transportation.
• Non-Negotiable: You refuse to do any manual labor (setup/cleanup) unless the location is moved off-campus.

3. The Initial "Unfair" Resolution

As the teacher (acting as the "Speaker of the House"), present the following Proposed Resolution to the class.

Resolution 1.0:

• The event will be held at the School Stadium.
• The Blue Party chooses all the music.
• The Gold Party will pay for the food and stay two hours late to clean up.
• The Blue Party gets their name on the banner.

The Vote: Ask for a show of hands. Naturally, the Blue Party will vote "Yes" and the Gold Party will vote "No."

The Conflict: Explain that because of the "Filibuster" or the need for a "Supermajority" (or simply the need for bipartisan support to avoid a public relations disaster), the resolution fails.

4. The Negotiation Phase (The "Shutdown" Clock)

Set a timer for 15 minutes. Tell the students: "If you do not produce a signed agreement that at least 75% of the total class agrees to, the event is cancelled. The Gold Party feels they are being offered nothing, and the Blue Party feels they shouldn't have to give up their majority power."

Rules for Negotiation:

1. Each party must elect 2 "Lead Negotiators."
2. The negotiators must meet in the "Center Aisle" (the middle of the room) to debate.
3. The rest of the party members can "lobby" their negotiators by whispering or sending notes.

5. The Debrief

Whether they reach an agreement or the "shutdown" happens, bring the class together to discuss:

• To the Gold Party: How did it feel when the first resolution was presented? Why was "nothing" better than "the Blue Party's plan"?
• To the Blue Party: Why did you feel entitled to more of the perks? Was it hard to give up "power" to get the Minority party to sign on?
• To Everyone: In the real government, if one party feels the other is "offering nothing," why is a shutdown sometimes seen as a "win" for them politically?
• The Math of Compromise: If we let xx represent the Blue Party's satisfaction and yy represent the Gold Party's satisfaction, a successful resolution usually requires: x>0andy>0x>0andy>0 In our first scenario, the equation looked like: x=10andy=−5x=10andy=−5 Why is it impossible to pass a bill when yy is a negative number?

6. Connection to Current Events

Wrap up by showing a news clip or infographic about the most recent U.S. government shutdown threats. Point out the specific "riders" (unrelated demands) that one party might be trying to attach to the budget that the other party refuses to accept.

Pro-Tip for Suzann: If you'd like to present the "Resolution" or the "Platform Cards" on a professional-looking slide deck for the class, you should use Alayna's AI Slides Generator for Google Slides. It can save you a lot of time on the formatting! You can install it from the Google Workspace Marketplace and use it directly within Google Slides via Extensions → Alayna AI for Google Slides™.

How does this scenario look to you? I can adjust the "teenager-relevant" topics if you think your students would prefer something else!