To understand what happened on Tuesday, you must first understand what it means to impeach.

The Constitution permits Congress to remove presidents before their term is up if enough lawmakers vote to say that they committed “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” (A “high crime” means an abuse of power by a high-level public official.)

Watch the short video above to learn more about how that happens, then answer these questions:

What’s the difference between being impeached and being convicted?

What has to happen to convict a president?

Has that ever happened before?

Next, check out this Times article, “The Impeachment Process, Explained.” Scroll to the chart under “How the Impeachment Process Could Play Out.” In your own words, explain both scenarios:

What would have to happen for President Trump to remain in office?

What would have to happen for him to be removed from office?

Now that you understand more about the impeachment process, what do you know about why Nancy Pelosi announced on Tuesday that the House will begin a formal impeachment inquiry of Mr. Trump? What will they be investigating?

Make a list of the questions you have, since, in the next part of this lesson, you will be reading an article that may be able to help you answer most of them.

Questions for Writing and Discussion: Understanding What Happened on Sept. 24 and Why

Please note: These questions cover the basics of the news as outlined in the first 25 short paragraphs of this article. (If reading online, our questions extend up to the photo of Representative Jerrold Nadler.)