A program of observation of local government bodies was implemented to make 12th grade U.S. government students aware of their local governments and how local government affects them. The program consisted of three components: orientation, implementation, and evaluation. The students were given a slide presentation and an information packet that explained the program and its requirements. The packet also gave a description of the groups the students would be observing and a map that showed the locations of the meetings. The students had 5 weeks in which to complete three observations, not less than one hour each in duration, of three different types of governmental bodies--local legislative bodies, advisory boards, and trial courts. They were given worksheets on which to record pertinent information with spaces for sign-in, sign-out, and an official's signature. As a follow-up, each class discussed what had been observed at the meetings, and a posttest was given to measure how much had been learned, comparing its score with that of a pretest given at the beginning of the program. Students scored an average of 25 percentage points higher on the posttest than on the pretest. Though somewhat apprehensive before the observations, students on the whole reacted favorably to the program. Appendices include documents sent to gather information, the students' packet, the pretest-posttest, and a chart showing the students' reactions to the program. (DB)