Lesson Plans: The 3 Branches of Government. By: Jacob Hunter, Ryan Sprenger, and Liz Moyle. Ed 339

Transcription

1 1 Lesson Plans: The 3 Branches of Government By: Jacob Hunter, Ryan Sprenger, and Liz Moyle Ed 339

2 2 Table of Contents: Rational 3 UbD Unit Plan...5 Lesson Plans.6 Electoral College 7 Checks and Balances.8 Legislative 10 Executive 16 Judicial 19 Appendix..24 Lecture material..24 Worksheets..27 Annotated Bibliography..34

3 3 Rationale We chose to complete a unit on the three branches of the United States government for several reasons. Firstly, it is a subject area that all three of us feel that we have a strong background and content knowledge of. Secondly, we believe that the content of the unit represents a fundamental building block that students need before they can scaffold further understanding of United States government on. Finally, our personal experiences with this particular unit have stood out in our minds as particularly negative and boring. We desired to compile an interactive, engaging, and challenging unit design that will not only provide information, but also inspire inquiry. As previously mentioned, it is important for students to have a basic knowledge of the three branches of the United States government. Without this base knowledge students will have a difficult time comprehending many of the concepts of more advanced United States history units. For example, through this unit students will gain a working knowledge of the basic roles and responsibilities of the various branches of government. Using this content knowledge in future units students will be able to interpret and analyze a time when government has potentially misused or abused its power. A second example of how this unit is a key scaffolding piece can be found in Wisconsin Social Studies Standards for History B Identify a historical or contemporary event in which a person was forced to take an ethical position,

4 4 such as a decision to go to war, the impeachment of a president, or a presidential pardon, and explain the issues involved Before students can be expected to be able to fully explain the issues involved in a controversial contemporary issue they first need to establish the necessary background knowledge. This unit represents a fundamental set of background knowledge that is absolutely necessary to analyze contemporary and historical issues/events, and is therefore an important part of meeting standard B Another standard that this unit helps to address is Wisconsin Social Studies Standards for History B.12.5 Gather various types of historical evidence, including visual and quantitative data, to analyze issues of freedom and equality, liberty and order, region and nation, individual and community, law and conscience, diversity and civic duty; form a reasoned conclusion in the light of other possible conclusions; and develop a coherent argument in the light of other possible arguments A key aspect of this lesson is analyzing and interpreting where the various branches of government derive their power from. By exploring where governmental bodies authority and power come from students will be exercising many of the key aspects of standard B Overall, the content of this unit represents a fundamental piece of knowledge that every United States citizen should have at least a basic understanding of. Our primary objective was to put together a unit plan that presents this knowledge to students in an engaging and thought-provoking manner. We believe that we have met this objective, and have compiled a unit plan that sets both teacher and student up for success.

5 5 CourseTitle:UnitedStatesHistory(12 th grade) Unit:ThreeBranchesofGovernment UnderstandingbyDesignUnitPlan Stage1 DesiredResults ProfessionalStandards: B.12.6 Select and analyze various documents that have influenced the legal, political, and constitutional heritage of the United States B Identify a historical or contemporary event in which a person was forced to take an ethical position, such as a decision to go to war, the impeachment of a president, or a presidential pardon, and explain the issues involved B.12.3 Recall, select, and analyze significant historical periods and the relationships among them B.12.5 Gather various types of historical evidence, including visual and quantitative data, to analyze issues of freedom and equality, liberty and order, region and nation, individual and community, law and conscience, diversity and civic duty; form a reasoned conclusion in the light of other possible conclusions; and develop a coherent argument in the light of other possible arguments EnduringUnderstandings:Studentswillunderstand... TherolesandresponsibilitiesoftheExecutive,Legislative,andJudicialBranches Understandtheimportanceofchecksandbalances Understandhowpowershiftsbetweenareasofgovernmentthroughouttime EssentialQuestions: Whatuniqueresponsibilitiesdoeseachofthethreebranchesofgovernmenthave? Whatarechecksandbalances? Wheredoesgovernmentalpowerandauthoritycomefrom? Knowledge:Studentswillbeableto/can: Haveaworkingknowledgeofthesimilaritiesanddifferencesofthethreebranchesofgovernment Knowthebasichistoryofeachofthethreebranches Usespecificvocabularyrelevanttoeachbranch Skills:Studentswillbeableto/can: Analyzekeyhistorictrendsinvolvingthethreebranchesofgovernment Implementvocabularytodisplayanunderstandingofthethreebranchesofgovernment InterprettheConstitutiontodocumentwheregovernmentalauthoritycomesfrom Dispositions:Studentswillbeableto/can: Articulateanopinionabouttheroleofgovernmentintheirdailylives Understandtheimportanceusinghistoricalevidencetobackupanopinion

6 6 Stage2 AssessmentEvidence CorePerformanceTask: Studentswillusetheonlinetoolbubbl.ustocompleteamindmap.Themindmapwillserveasbotha formativeandsummativeassessmenttool.studentswillbuildonthemapastheunitprogressesand eachnewbranchisintroduced.studentswillbeexpectedtodrawconnections,identifychecksand balances,andnoteoriginsofpowerforeachbranchofgovernment. RelationshiptoEnduringUnderstandings: Bycreatingamindmapstudentswillorganizetheirthoughtsandproduceavisual representationoftheimportantcomponentsofthethreebranchesofgovernment.enduring Understandingswillbereinforcedthroughtheconnectionsthatthestudentsmakeontheirmap. OtherAssessmentEvidence: Studentswillbeformativelyassessedoneachbranchthroughouttheunitthroughtheuseofactivity guides,discussionevaluations(bothpeerandteacher),andreadingguides. Therewillbeasummativeassessmentontheunitasawholeintheformofaunittestconsistingof multiplechoiceandshortanswerquestions. Stage3 LearningActivities LearningActivities(Describe/Listtheclassactivitiesofthelesson: ConstitutionalConventionLesson InteractiveReadingGuideimplementation Checks,Balances,andSovereigntyLesson SupremeCourt introduction ImportantSupremeCourtCases Congress introduction HouseofRepresentatives rolesandresponsibilities Senate rolesandresponsibilities ElectoralCollegeandElections ExecutiveBranchandthePresident FieldTrip

7 7 Electoral College Jacob Hunter, Electoral College and the Election Process, 12 th grade, Three Branches of Government, Technology integration Concept: Using the 2012 Presidential Election and the PBS.org Who s going to Win? lesson and tools students will learn about the electoral college, analyze a battleground state, and as a group predict the outcome of their state. By jigsawing seven battleground states together the class will predict the outcome of the Presidential Election Target Learning Objectives/Outcomes: o o Students will gain a working knowledge of how the electoral college works Through their predictions students will have a vested interest in the election result Essential Questions: o What is the Electoral College? o What are the major factors that impact how a state will vote? Standards addressed: C Identify ways people may participate effectively in community affairs and the political process C.12.7 Describe how past and present American political parties and interest groups have gained or lost influence on political decision-making and voting behavior B.12.2 Analyze primary and secondary sources related to a historical question to evaluate their relevance, make comparisons, integrate new information with prior knowledge, and come to a reasoned conclusion Materials/Resources: Schragger, Stephanie. Presidential Election 2012: Who's Going to Win?. PBS, 22 Oct Web. 29 Oct < on_09-17.html>. Anticipatory Set (Hook): 5 minutes Getting paid to think like a historian discussion- Elections are just like the weather people want to know what is going to happen tomorrow today. News companies pay big money to people who can think like a historian and predict who is going to win. Discuss who is going to win states like California and Texaseasy to predict no one is going to pay for that prediction. Move on to battleground

8 8 and swing states and discuss how these are the big money states that we really need to think harder about. Activities (Step by Step Procedures): Activate Prior Knowledge- Electoral College- 5 minutes Ask class what they know Summarize what they know into the two minute verison Major points to emphasize How we elect our president Compromise between large and small states Each state gets an amount of electors based on population 9 times 10 popular vote winner takes all of a state's electors 270 to win Introduce Battleground State Worksheet and model using SmartBoard- 5 minutes Break into groups, provide battleground State- 5 minutes Let them work- 20 minutes Cast the votes minutes Each group will take 1-2 minutes to explain their choice and cast their State s vote Closure (can include assessment/evaluation): 5 minutes Discussion on whom our class picked to win, and what major issues we found. Extensions/Adaptations: Discussion with students after the election about if their individual State predictions were right, and on if the class predicted the election accurately. Allow groups of students to use other technology tools besides SmartBoard to navigate PBS battleground map. Checks and Balances Ryan Sprenger, Checks and Balances, 12 th grade. Three branches of government. Reading/writing integration Concept: In this lesson we are going to discuss the checks and balances of the government and how each branch limits one another and keeps the government in check Target Learning Objectives/Outcome: 1. How the branches of government keep each other in check 2. To understand what role each branch plays in government Essential Questions: 1. What would happen if there was not a system of checks and balances?

9 9 2. How does the concept of checks and balances work? Standards: 1. C.12.5 Analyze different theories of how governmental powers might be used to help promote or hinder liberty, equality, and justice, and develop a reasoned conclusion 2. C.12.6 Identify and analyze significant political benefits, problems, and solutions to problems related to federalism and the separation of powers 3. B.12.6 Select and analyze various documents that have influenced the legal, political, and constitutional heritage of the United States Materials/Resources: http//dpi.wi.gov/standards/ssc12.html 3. Jigsaw activity 4. Mount, Steve. " Constitutional Topic: Checks and Balances." Last modified Accessed December 10, Anticipatory Set: Quote: The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few or many, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny. James Madison Have the students discuss this quote and what it exactly it means. Why does Madison think it is tyranny? Activities: Intro: 10 minutes- Have the students discuss the quote and discuss what they believe checks and balances are Jigsaw Activity 20 minutes: Put the students into groups of 6, after they are in the groups assign the students in either: Executive, Judicial, or Legislative. They will then branch off into another group and read up on the Checks and Balances of the three branches. Discussion 10 minutes: They may stay in their groups and I will give them a scenario in which the American government had no checks and balances I would ask them what would happen if that were the case. They can then come up with ideas. Class Discussion/Closure 10 minutes: Come back as a group and discuss with the class what they came up with, and discuss a government without checks and balances. Is Madison right would it be tyranny? Extensions/Adoptions: If they did not finish worksheet have them finish that, or summarize the key points.

10 10 Legislative Branch: The Roles and Powers of Congress Jacob Hunter, Roles and Powers of Congress, 12 th grade, Three Branches of Government, reading and writing integration Concept: Through this lesson students will gain a working knowledge of the major big ideas and concepts pertaining to the roles and powers of Congress. This lesson will serve as the first level of scaffolding that will create a base knowledge to be built on in future lessons. Target Learning Objectives/Enduring Understandings: Congress s power comes from both implied and enumerated rationales Congress s role in government is checked by the other branches of government Essential Questions: What is the difference between implied and enumerated power? What are the major powers of Congress? What are the major checks on Congress and who holds them? Standards addressed: Social Studies Performance Standard C.12.5 Analyze different theories of how governmental powers might be used to help promote or hinder liberty, equality, and justice, and develop a reasoned conclusion. Common Core State Standards for Literacy: L.6 Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific word and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level. Materials/Resources: Buehl, D. (2009). Classroom strategies for interactive learning (3rd ed.). Newark,

11 11 Del.: International Reading Association. Center for Civic Education. (2009). We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution. Retrieved October 10, 2012, from he+people+textbook&source=bl&ots=zngwb5orkc&sig=vz_pod18fyq9mvyv 6lnBWQ0bClI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hJ11UL6SAYnE9gSDzYG4Bg&ved=0CDQQ6AE wa Social Studies Performance Standard C Grade 12. Retrieved October 3, 2012, from Anticipatory Set (Hook): Purpose Statement: We are going to examine the role and powers of Congress as a whole so that you can understand the whole before we examine the Senate and House of Representatives individually. We will be talking about implied and enumerated powers so as to understand how government justifies its use of power. Activities (Step by Step Procedures): Activate Prior Knowledge: (10 minutes) Large group brainstorming session on what powers we know Congress has, doesn t have, and what powers we think they might have. Also consider where those powers come from. Hand out text frame Model how to complete text frame (5 minutes) o As a class complete Keywords portion of the text frame and add one or two attributes Read the material as a large group. Students will take turns reading paragraphs. (25 minutes) Pair Share completed text frames (5 minutes) Large group discussion on reading using text frame as discussion guide (10-15 minutes) Closure (can include assessment/evaluation): Assessment: o Completed Text Frames will be handed in to be graded on completion o Students will be assessed on their participation in read aloud and discussion

12 12 Extensions/Adaptations: Allow students to read different lengths of material to accommodate various reading levels Students can pass on reading one passage, but all students will be expected to read something The Senate Ryan Sprenger, The Senate, 12 th grade. Three branches of government. Reading/writing integration Title: The Senate Concept: Explain the importance of the senate in the government and explain the differences between the house and senate Target Learning Objectives: 1. Make sure they know the difference between the house and the senate 2. The way the senate operates (debates, 2/3rds majority etc.) 3. Passing a bill in the senate Essential Questions: 1. How is the house and senate different? 2. How does the senate operate? 3. What role does the senate play in passing a bill? What is needed for that to happen? Standards: 1. C.12.4 Explain the multiple purposes of democratic government, analyze historical and contemporary examples of the tensions between those purposes, and illustrate how governmental powers can be acquired, used, abused, or legitimized 2. C Evaluate the ways in which public opinion can be used to influence and shape public policy 3. C Describe and evaluate ideas of how society should be organized and political power should be exercised, including the ideas

13 13 of monarchism, anarchism, socialism, fascism, and communism; compare these ideas to those of representative democracy; and assess how such ideas have worked in practice 4. B.12.1 Explain different points of view on the same historical event, using data gathered from various sources, such as letters, journals, diaries, newspapers, government documents, and speeches 5. B.12.5 Gather various types of historical evidence, including visual and quantitative data, to analyze issues of freedom and equality, liberty and order, region and nation, individual and community, law and conscience, diversity and civic duty; form a reasoned conclusion in the light of other possible conclusions; and develop a coherent argument in the light of other possible arguments Materials/Resources: http//dpi.wi.gov/standards/ssc12.html American Psychological Association, "Differences between U.S. House and Senate." Accessed December 10, Smartboard/PowerPoint 6. Koed, Betty. United States Senate Historical Office, "The Ten Most Important Things to Know About the U.S. Senate." Accessed December 10, A made up bill for the students to debate Anticipatory Set: Play a clip from Schoolhouse Rock How a Bill Becomes a Law Activities: Intro 10 minutes- Show them the short clip, then briefly discuss what that exactly meant

14 14 Activity Guide 10 minutes- As a group have different students read the description of the Senate, and then look at the chart between the differences between the House and the Senate, then discuss with the class and ask if they have any questions. Activity 25 minutes- Have the students debate a bill(split class into two) then have the class vote whether it should be passed or turned down, need a majority 2/3rds Closure 5 minutes- Have them explain on a piece of paper the purpose of the debate and one main role the senate plays in government Extensions/Adoptions- Quick discussion on key legislation that has been passed or have them tell me of any legislation that they have heard of recently. Our House in the Middle of D.C. Liz Moyle Our House in the Middle of D.C. - The House of Representatives Grade Level: 6-8 Legislative Branch of U.S. Government Concept: Having the students understand the roles and responsibility of the House of Representatives Target Learning Objectives/Outcomes: The students should know how many people make up this group, what the roles and responsibilities are. Essential Questions: What are the roles and responsibilities of government? Should the majority always rule? Who should make the rules/laws? Standards addressed: C.12.2 Describe how different political systems define and protect individual human rights C Describe and evaluate ideas of how society should be organized and political power should be exercised, including the ideas of monarchism, anarchism, socialism, fascism, and communism; compare these ideas to those of representative democracy; and assess how such ideas have worked in practice

15 15 Materials/Resources: Scripts for each person o House o Senate o Bill o President o Archivist of the United States Paper Markers Name tags Anticipatory Set (Hook): Have the song Our House playing as the students are getting settled in and then ask them what they know about the House of Representatives. Activities (Step by Step Procedures): Taking the following steps and break into groups. Each group will be responsible to research the step and create a presentation to teach the class. Step 1. An individual member of either the Senate or the House of Representatives usually introduces a bill. Step 2. Next, a bill is assigned to the appropriate House or Senate committee or subcommittee for hearings. After hearings have been held, the committee or subcommittee votes on whether to approve the bill. If it is not approved, the bill dies. If it is approved, it proceeds to the next step. Step 3. An approved bill is then sent to the entire House or full Senate. Amendments may be made at this time. After discussion, the bill is voted on. If it is not approved, it may be sent back to committee. If a bill is approved, it is sent to the next step. Step 4. After the house of origin has approved a bill, it is sent to the other house for approval. Step 5. Bills approved by both houses of the legislature must be checked for accuracy. A conference may be called to reconcile minor differences in versions of the bill. If differences cannot be reconciled, the bill may die. If the differences are reconciled, the bill moves on to the next step. Step 6. Reconciled bills go to the President to be signed. If the President vetoes the bill, it may be sent back to the legislature for another vote to override the veto. If the President signs the bill, it becomes law. If the President does not veto or sign the bill within 10 days, it becomes law. Step 7. The law is sent to the Archivist of the United States, who assigns a number to it.

16 16 Step 8. The law is published. Closure (can include assessment/evaluation): The students will take the information learned and create a worksheet that could be used to teach the next class about who the house of representatives is and how a bill is passed. Extensions/Adaptations: Break down the steps in more simplistic terms and give them to the students for a cheat sheet they can refer to throughout the activity. Define key words that might cause confusion and have those on the same sheet. It would just be a worksheet that certain students would have without others knowing, making the gap smaller. Executive Branch: Who is the president and what are the duties? Liz Moyle Who is the president and what are the duties? -The President Grade 6-8 Executive Branch of the U.S. Government Concept: Get students to realize how the president gets elected, what the qualifications are, and what are the roles. Target Learning Objectives/Outcomes: Be able to name some major responsibilities the President of the United States has and the qualifications of the position. Essential Questions: Who should govern? Standards addressed: C.12.4 Explain the multiple purposes of democratic government, analyze historical and contemporary examples of the tensions between those purposes,

17 17 and illustrate how governmental powers can be acquired, used, abused, or legitimized C.12.5 Analyze different theories of how governmental powers might be used to help promote or hinder liberty, equality, and justice, and develop a reasoned conclusion Materials/Resources: Worksheets Poster board Coloring materials 3-4 Internet connected technology Presidential history texts Anticipatory Set (Hook): Have the students guess the number of presidents we have had, name one that has made a major impact in our history and why. Activities (Step by Step Procedures): Fill out the worksheet labeled: Could you be president Complete the activity of: What hats does the president wear? Filling out the worksheet and then its their assignment to draw one of the seven hats. They are to make it look like the definition, describe the job without using words. Closure (can include assessment/evaluation): Group project: Pick one of the presidents I have chosen and make a poster answering all of the hats that president wears or wore. Teaching the class about that particular president and touching on a particular time period. Extensions/Adaptations: Breaking down major issues and vocabulary into terms that students of all academic level can understand Having the students think about all the different responsibilities that he president does have, and to keep into account how busy each role in society is. Constitutional Convention Jacob Hunter, Constitutional Convention, Three Branches of Government, 12 th grade, reading and writing integration Concept: In order to gain an understanding of how the Constitutional Convention unfolded the class will take an in depth look at one of the major players of the convention- Gouverneur Morris. By reading a secondary source that analyzes the

18 18 role Morris, as an individual, had on the convention students will gain insight into what the convention as a whole would of been like. The concept of this lesson is not to overview the accomplishments of the convention, but rather to place the students in the shoes of a founding father. Target Learning Objectives/ Enduring Understandings: The founders were working off the cuff, and few outcomes were certain Individual personalities had a large impact on the shaping of the Constitution The founders came from many different backgrounds and held very different beliefs, everything was a product of compromise and checks and balances Essential Questions: Why do differing groups of people compromise? What role did individuals play in drafting the Constitution? What defines a founding father? Standards addressed: Social Studies Performance Standard C.12.4 and C.12.3 Common Core Standards for Literacy SL 12.1.a and L.12.4.a Materials/Resources: Buehl, D. (2009). Classroom strategies for interactive learning (3rd ed.). Newark, Del.: International Reading Association. Raphael, R. (2012). Power Play. American History, 47(1), Anticipatory Set (Hook): Purpose Statement: Today we are going to dissect a difficult secondary source. It is going to be challenging, but I know that if we work together and help each other out we won t have any troubles. To help us make sense of the article we are going to work as a group to complete an interactive reading guide. This will help us because the intelligence of a group is more than the intelligence of any individual. Activities (Step by Step Procedures): Activate Prior Knowledge: (10 minutes)

19 19 o Large group discussion on what we know about specific individuals at Constitutional Convention- Who were they, and what is important about them? Break into groups. Allow students to choose own groups of three Hand out materials o 1 reading guide for each student o 1 article for each student Model to large group first two steps of interactive reading guide Let groups get to work Last 10 minutes- Large group discussion on how Morris compares to what we thought about a founding father, and what we have learned. Closure (can include assessment/evaluation): Assessment- Students will turn in the notes they have taken on their interactive reading guide to be checked and graded on completion If group doesn t finish reading guide in class, then each individual will be responsible for finishing their reading guide on their own for homework. Extensions/Adaptations: Having quiet places, such as hallway or resource room, for certain groups to go and work Judicial Branch: Ryan Sprenger, Judicial Branch, 12 th grade. Three branches of government. Power Point integration Title: Supreme Court Concept: In this lesson we are going to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the Supreme Court in regards to the three branches of government Target Learning Objectives: 1. The role of the Supreme Court in the three branches of government 2. How the Supreme Court operates in the government

20 20 3. Evaluation will be the students act as supreme court justices and make decisions on hypothetical cases Essential Questions: 1. What role does the Supreme Court play within the three branches 2. In what way does the Supreme Court operate and contribute in the three branches of government Standards: 1. B.12.2 Analyze primary and secondary sources related to a historical question to evaluate their relevance, make comparisons, integrate new information with prior knowledge, and come to a reasoned conclusion 2. B.12.5 Gather various types of historical evidence, including visual and quantitative data, to analyze issues of freedom and equality, liberty and order, region and nation, individual and community, law and conscience, diversity and civic duty; form a reasoned conclusion in the light of other possible conclusions; and develop a coherent argument in the light of other possible arguments 3. B.12.6 Select and analyze various documents that have influenced the legal, political, and constitutional heritage of the United States 4. B Identify a historical or contemporary event in which a person was forced to take an ethical position, such as a decision to go to war, the impeachment of a president, or a presidential pardon, and explain the issues involved Materials/Resources PowerPoint/smartboard 3. Hypothetical scenarios for the Supreme Court (Impeachment case, Controversial legislation case, etc) Anticipatory Set: I could start out by saying that the Supreme Court is a powerful entity and has decided Presidential elections before. I could also challenge them to come up with ideas of what the Supreme Court does in government

21 21 Activities: Intro 10 minutes: tell the students the fact listed above, then ask them the question of what they think the Supreme Court does in government, and have them write their ideas on the board. Lecture 10 minutes- Go over the roles of the Supreme Court in government Work time 20 Minutes- Do an activity in groups where the students get to be Supreme Court justices and have them make important decision based on hypothetical situations, have them use that they learned in class to make their decision Closure 10 minutes- Have them share their decisions that they made in groups and how that relates to the Supreme Courts role in government. Extensions: Start to introduce famous cases that the Supreme Court has touched on, or ask them if they know of any current cases that the Supreme Court is deciding or has decided on. Cases and Their Faces Liz Moyle Cases and Their Faces- Important Trials throughout History Grade 6-8 Judicial Branch of U.S. Government Concept: Having the students realize how cases from the past influence the way we live today Target Learning Objectives/Outcomes: The students should be able to understand what the five cases were about and how they affected our future. Essential Questions: How do governments balance the rights of individuals with the common good? How is power gained, used and justified? Standards addressed: C.12.2 Describe how different political systems define and protect individual human rights

22 22 C.12.3 Trace how legal interpretations of liberty, equality, justice, and power, as identified in the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and other Constitutional Amendments, have changed and evolved over time C Describe the evolution of movements to assert rights by people with disabilities, ethnic and racial groups, minorities, and women Materials/Resources: o Tables/chairs or desks in the classroom o Poster board o Coloring materials o Access to 3-4 computers o A Gavel o Historical and Informational text about topics Anticipatory Set (Hook): Who has heard this before: You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me? Can anyone tell me something about this phrase? Activities (Step by Step Procedures): Students will work in small groups to develop their case and present it to the mock Supreme Court judges. 1. Assigned justices will research the process of becoming a Supreme Court judge, their job, perceived beliefs and the historical decisions of the case being studied. 2. Student groups will be assigned a Supreme Court case from those I have selected 3. Students will write a brief description of the case using the following questions as a guide and include any other important information relevant to the case: - What happened in this case? - What did the lower court rule before the case came to the Supreme Court? - What Constitutional right is involved in this case? - Who will be impacted and how by the final outcome? - What argument is made against the lower court s decision? 4. The two groups of students will use the information gathered to form their cases or arguments. The arguments can be based on the Case information and/or existing law. 5. The justices will prepare questions that they want to ask each side based on what they learned about the case. 6. The two teams will present their arguments to the justices by selecting one teammate to speak. The justices may ask their prepared questions or others that may arise from the argument presentations.

23 23 7. The justices need to be given time to deliberate and then announcing their decision. They will need to explain why they made this decision. Do an evaluation of the activity in which you discuss what worked during the process, what didn t work during the process and what the group feelings are about the outcome. Closure (can include assessment/evaluation): It will be based on participation during the group project and of a group evaluation. Also they will have to write a one-page paper on anything they learned or would like to comment on about this project. Extensions/Adaptations: Create PowerPoint about the process of creating an argument to present to the Supreme Court. Discuss the difference between the Supreme Court process and a lower court process. Make a concept map of the Supreme Court case and its outcomes. Make a bulletin board displaying the process that a court case must go through. Review cases that relate to the presidency and discuss the issues and decisions.

24 24 Appendix Lecture Material This is how the Legislative Branch checks other branches of government Legislative Branch Checks on the Executive o Impeachment power (House) o Trial of impeachments (Senate) o Selection of the President (House) and Vice President (Senate) in the case of no majority of electoral votes o May override Presidential vetoes o Senate approves departmental appointments o Senate approves treaties and ambassadors o Approval of replacement Vice President o Power to declare war o Power to enact taxes and allocate funds o President must, from time-to-time, deliver a State of the Union address Checks on the Judiciary o Senate approves federal judges o Impeachment power (House) o Trial of impeachments (Senate) o Power to initiate constitutional amendments o Power to set courts inferior to the Supreme Court o Power to set jurisdiction of courts o Power to alter the size of the Supreme Court

25 25 Checks on the Legislature - because it is bicameral, the Legislative branch has a degree of self-checking. o Bills must be passed by both houses of Congress o House must originate revenue bills o Neither house may adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other house o All journals are to be published This is how the Executive Branch checks other branches of government Executive Branch ChecksontheLegislature o Vetopower o VicePresidentisPresidentoftheSenate o Commanderinchiefofthemilitary o Recessappointments o EmergencycallingintosessionofoneorbothhousesofCongress o Mayforceadjournmentwhenbothhousescannotagreeon adjournment o Compensationcannotbediminished ChecksontheJudiciary o Powertoappointjudges o Pardonpower ChecksontheExecutive o VicePresidentandCabinetcanvotethatthePresidentisunable todischargehisduties This is how the Judicial branch can check other branches of government Judicial Branch Checks on the Legislature o Judicial review o Seats are held on good behavior o Compensation cannot be diminished Checks on the Executive

26 26 o o Judicial review Chief Justice sits as President of the Senate during presidential impeachment Source: SummerDays(orlackofthem)Bill Forthisactivityyouwilleitherbeassignedasadebater(eitherfororagainst thebill),orasamemberofthesenate.youwillabout10minutestodiscuss withyourgroupwhatkindofargumentsyouwanttomakeforthebill.after bothsidespresenttheircasetheclasswillthenvoteonthebill. Therehasbeenabillproposedtoextendtheschoolyearintothesummer months.insteadofschooldistrictsgettingthreemonthsoff,schooldistricts wouldnowonlygetonemonthoff.thebenefitofthisisthatstudentswould beabletoincreasethetimetheygetdonewithprimaryschool,andwould havemoretimetolearncontent.insteadofgraduatinghighschoolat17 18 studentswouldbeabletobedonewithhighschoolat15 16.Thiswould meanstudentscouldmoveontocollegeearlierandgetintotheworkforce faster.theopponentsarguethatgoingtocollegeat15 16iswaytooyoung andthatstudentsandteachersneedthesummerbreaktorest/preparefor thenextschoolyear.comeupwithreasonswhythisbillshouldorshouldnot pass. CellPhoneinPublic ThereareninesupremejusticesthatsitattheSupremeCourt.Asagroupofnine youwilldecidewhetherornottalkingonyourcellphoneshouldbeallowedin publicbusinesseseverymemberofthegroupneedstomakeargumentsforor againsttheuseofcellphonesinpublic.inahypotheticalcase,thesenateand presidentrecentlysignedintolawsayingitwasillegaltotalkonthephoneina business.theargumentisthatthisisaviolationoffreedomofspeech;thepeople forthisbillsayitisnotaviolationbecausethepersoncanstilltalkonthephonejust notinpublicandcanstillsaywhattheywant.basedonwhatwelearnedearlier aboutfreedomofspeech,makeyourargumentsthenvoteasagroupandwewillsee ifthiscaseisconstitutionalornotconstitutional

27 27 Worksheets Jigsawactivity Howeachbranchofgovernmentcheckseachother.Usethe informationthatyourclassmateswillpresenttoyoutofilloutthischart.you mayusethebackofthissheetifyouneedmoreroom Legislative ChecksonJudicial? ChecksonExecutive? Executive ChecksonLegislative? ChecksonJudicial? Judicial ChecksonExecutive? ChecksonLegislative?

28 28 Text Frame Directions: Fill each circle in with a Key Word. Think of an attribute to place on each line.

29 29 This activity guide gives you a basic understanding of what the difference between the House of Representatives and what the Senate is. The Senate The Senate has 100 representatives in it. Regardless of the state s size, each state has two representatives in it. The representatives get to vote on bills and serve on committees in Congress. Typically senators will vote for what is best for their state and for the country in general. Each senator gets too serve for six years, and then is up for re-election. The biggest power that the Senate has the final decision in impeaching the President; however the Senate has never voted to impeach a President. This is the Senates Check over the Executive branch. Unlike the House, the Senate does not have a Speaker, instead the Vice- President is the leader of the Senate. The Vice-President only votes in the case of a tie, which is very rare. One senator may chose to filibuster an issue if he/she wants to hold up a bill. A filibuster means that one senator can hold the floor for however long he/she wants. They can pretty much talk about anything during this time. This technique is used if a Senator wants to delay a vote on a bill. They may do this in situations where the vote is going to be close, and wants to give more time for his/her colleagues to persuade other members to change their mind. During a vote on a Civil Rights bill (allowing African-Americans to vote without obstruction) Storm Thurmond holds the record for the longest filibuster holding the floor for 24hours and 18 minutes. He was unsuccessful though in changing any senator s mind and the bill passed. Differences between U.S. House and Senate House Larger (435 members) Shorter term (2 years) More restraints (rules) Narrower constituency Specialists Less media coverage Senate Smaller (100 members) Longer terms (6 years) Fewer restraints (rules) Broader constituency Generalists More media coverage

30 30 Power less evenly distributed Less prestigious position More expeditious debate Less reliant on staff More partisan Power more evenly distributed More prestigious debate Less expeditious debate More reliant on staff Less partisan SourcefortheDifferencesbetweenU.SHouseandSenatechart: senate.aspx

31 31 Interactive Reading Guide: Power Play by Ray Raphael 1. All Partners: Silently read paragraphs 1-4- Each partner share one thing about Gov. Morris that you think influenced his views. 2. Partner A- Read paragraph 5 aloud- What do you think fait accompli mean? 3. Partner B- Read paragraphs 6 and 7 aloud- Each partner share one difference between proposed executives and our current executive. 4. Partner C- Read paragraphs 8 and 9 aloud- How did Morris chip at the plan? 5. All Partners: Silently skim paragraphs 10, 11, and Partner A- Read aloud paragraph 13- What evidence is there that Morris played dirty politics here? 7. All Partners: Silently skim paragraphs 14, 15, 16, 17, and Partner B- Read aloud paragraph 19- Did Morris get his way because he was stubborn? 9. Partner C- Read aloud paragraph All Partners- take a minute to consider your Focus Question, and then share with your group. Be prepared to share your group s thoughts on one question- Focus or not- with the whole group.

32 32 Could You Be President? Article II, Section I, of the Constitution establishes certain requirements for the presidency. No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of the President; neither shall any person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. List the basic requirements for the office of the president of the United States: Based on this information, discuss and answer the following questions. 1. Do you think these are fair requirements for the office of president? Why or why not? 2. What additional requirements do you think should be added to this list? For example, should there be an educational requirement college graduates only or should anyone of any educational level be allowed to run? 3. What personal and social qualities should a person who is running for the presidency possess? Explain each of your choices. 4. In retrospect, which of the four presidents during the twenties did the best job while in office? What were the qualities that gave him this edge? 5. Would you want to be president? Why or why not? What do you think you could take to the presidency that is currently missing? Teacher Created Resources, Inc. #2100 The Twentieth Century

33 33

34 34 Annotated Bibliography American Psychological Association, "Differences between U.S. House and Senate." Accessed December 10, We picked this source because it had a good chart outlining the differences between the House and the Senate. This chart is very easy to read and most students could get a firm grasp on what the difference between the House and the Senate is. It also went along well with our activity. Buehl, D. (2009). Classroom strategies for interactive learning (3rd ed.). Newark, Del.: International Reading Association. We used this book because it has a lot of good ideas for activities and compiling lessons together. We used this as a resource throughout our lesson planning process to get ideas on what we exactly wanted to put in our lesson plan. Center for Civic Education. (2009). We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution. Retrieved October 10, 2012, fromhttp://books.google.com/books?id=igs_yrueqzac&printsec=frontcover&dq= we+the+people+textbook&source=bl&ots=zngwb5orkc&sig=vz_pod18fyq9m VYV6lnBWQ0bClI&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hJ11UL6SAYnE9gSDzYG4Bg&ved=0CDQ Q6AEwA This book gave us some ideas on how to teach the topic of the constitution to high school students. This book gives example of what one should include in the lesson plan and gives ideas on what activities one could do in the classroom. Koed, Betty. United States Senate Historical Office, "The Ten Most Important Things to Know About the U.S. Senate." Accessed December 10, This is a great resource sight to get information regarding Congress. For this particular page, Koed outlines the ten things that educators should teach to their students. This was helpful while creating the lesson on the Senate. Mount, Steve. " Constitutional Topic: Checks and Balances." Last modified Accessed December 10, This site did a very good job outlining all of the checks and balances in the three branches of government. We would use this as an activity guide so students could clearly see what exactly the checks and balances are. We would then do an activity with a graphic organizer using the jigsaw method to go through these checks and balances. Raphael, R. (2012). Power Play. American History, 47(1), 42-45

35 35 This is a good activity guide to get the students thinking and read the information on it. This gets the student involved and working with a partner and also helps them learn. Schragger, Stephanie. Presidential Election 2012: Who's Going to Win?. PBS, 22 Oct Web. 29 Oct < on_09-17.html>. We used this website as a technology component when we did our lesson on the election. Using this website we could let the students either on the computers or on the smart board to participate in the presidential election to find out who was going to win. We also used some of the information to include in our lesson. Social Studies Performance Standard C Grade 12. Retrieved October 3, 2012, from We used this site to determine what standards would meet our lesson plan. TeacherVison. (2000). Could you be president?. Retrieved from This was an activity guide with a series of questions that the students could answer to see if they could become president. This gets the students thinking about what it takes to become president and if one day they could possibly become the president. The Dirksen Congressional Center. (n.d.). Congress link. Retrieved from This is a great resource to find out information about anything related to the Congress. We used this to gather information about Congress and the role it plays in the checks and balances process. The president wears seven hats. (2004). Retrieved from bles/images/informed_7_4.pdf This was an activity guide that showed what the roles and activities of the President. This is an easy to read sheet that allows students to understand what roles the president plays in the Executive branch. The presidents. (n.d.). Retrieved from This is just a website from the White House that shows all of the presidents of the United States throughout the history of the U.S. This is a good site to find quick information about presidents, and also a good site for students to access if they ever need quick information about a president or see when a president was in charge.

36 36 Top 10 controversial supreme court cases. (n.d.). Retrieved from ml This site shows the top 10 controversial supreme court cases. This site is good because it shows the students what cases were considered controversial. It also then allows the educator to teach about the cases. It also could be used as an assessment form at the end after you taught the lesson to see if they learned about the cases.