Middle-Childhood Lesson Plan By Whitney Whitehair

Transcription

1 Middle-Childhood Lesson Plan By Whitney Whitehair Lesson: The Three Branches of Government (Legislative, Executive, Judicial) Length: 2-45 minute sessions Age or Grade Level Intended: 5 th grade Academic Standard(s): SOCIAL STUDIES: Civics and Government Functions of Government: Describe the three branches of the United States government, their functions and their relationships. (Core Standard) Performance Objective(s): Given the Three Branches of Government Assessment, the students will be able to name the missing parts of the branches of government with 75% accuracy. (6 of 8 blanks) Given the Three Branches of Government Assessment, the students will be able to describe the three branches of government with 66% accuracy. (2 of 3 branches) Assessment: Students will be assessed based on the vocabulary information learned from class, the website, and the handouts. At the end of both sessions, the students will be assessed through an assessment asking students to fill in missing parts from a previously given handout. The students will also be asked at the bottom of the assessment to explain what each of the three branches does. (All assessments/key, handouts are attached) The KWL charts will be a source for the teacher only. Students will not be assessed on their results. The teacher can use the results of what the students want to know for postlessons and the results of what the students learned can be altered if needed in this future lesson plan format. Advance Preparation by Teacher: Obtain a 3 legged chair (introduction/motivation) Reflections. The United States: Making a New Nation. Harcourt School Publishers. (2008). o Unit 5: Governing the Nation (Lesson 3: Three Branches of Government) Reserve computer lab for 2 nd session Print off Three Branches of Government Worksheet o Cut in half Print off Three Branches of Government Assessment Print off Sample Ballot of bring in a real ballot Print off KWL Charts Chalk/Chalkboard

2 Note cards that have the following words printed on them (Founding Fathers, Constitution, Judicial, Executive, Legislative, Congress, House of Representatives, Senate, The President of the United States, The Vice President of the United States, The Supreme Court.) mock Constitution (paper that looks like it would be the Constitution) Pretend flame like the statue of liberty to pass around Procedure: (**Have students pre-read the lesson 3 chapter) Introduction/Motivation: 1. Teacher will hold up the chair with three legs. 2. Ask Does anyone know what this is? (Bloom s: Knowledge) (Chair, three legged chair, etc.) 3. What happens when I sit on this chair? Holds my body weight 4. What would happen if I was missing a leg of this chair and I tried to sit down? (Bloom s: Evaluation) Fall down 5. This chair s legs are a lot like the three branches of government we have. 6. List the three branched on the board. Judicial, Legislative, Executive 7. Each chair stool represents one of these three branches. 8. Each branch works together to create the laws just like each of the legs work together to create the stool. 9. The stool represents the government as a whole. 10. Have students fill in the K & the W of the KWL chart. Step-by-Step Plan: 1 st session: 1. Pick a group of people to come up and be The Founding Fathers (Gardner s: Bodily- Kinesthetic) Explain to students The Founding Fathers created the Constitution. o Hand The Founding Fathers the mock Constitution They wanted to form a government that did not allow one person to have too much authority or control. While under the rule of the British king they learned that this could be a bad system. They then created three separate branches of government. 2. Have everyone take their seats. 3. Have 3 students come up and stand under each branch. Remind the three that each has its own responsibilities and at the same time they work together to make the country run smoothly and to assure that the rights of citizens are not ignored or disallowed.

3 This is done through checks and balances. A branch may use its powers to check the powers of the other two in order to maintain a balance of power among the three branches of government. o Relate how their parents might use checks and balances to make sure both have equal powers in making decisions. 4. Have everyone take their seats. 5. Have the legislative branch come to the center. (Gardner s: Visual-spatial) Hand them the pretend flame. The legislative branch of government is made up of the Congress. o Have one student come up to the room and hold the note card with Congress Congress has the power to make laws. Congress has two parts, the House of Representatives and the Senate. o Have two students come up to the room and hold the note card with House of Representatives and Senate 6. Explain to the student that if the Congress wants to make a law that everyone will eat cookies for lunch everyday both the House and the Senate would have to agree and vote yes or no in order for it to pass. 7. Have everyone take their seats. 8. Have the Executive branch come to the center. Hand them the pretend flame. The Executive branch of Government makes sure that the laws of the United States are obeyed. o Hand out The President of the United States Leader of the country and commands the military. o Hand out The Vice President of the United States President of the Senate and becomes President if the President can no longer do the job. 9. Explain to the students that they control who obeys the laws. They make sure that there is peace and that all laws are being followed. All citizens of the United States are required to follow the law. For example, if we passed a law to eat cookies everyday for lunch, the Executive branch would make sure that everyone is obeying that law. What are some laws that you have to follow as a United States Citizen? 10. Have everyone take their seats. 11. Have the Judicial branch come to the center. Hand them the pretend flame. The Judicial branch of government is made up of the court system. o Hand out The Supreme Court The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. Courts decide arguments about the meaning of laws, how they are applied, and whether they break the rules of the Constitution.

4 12. Explain to the students that this branch makes sure everything makes sense and when and where we use them. For example, if we go back to the pretend cookie rule, they would establish what the law for eating the cookies was, and what would happen if someone doesn t follow the rules. 13. For a better visual here is a handout that will help you visualize the parts of the Three Branches. (Pass out handout). 14. Pay close attention to each part because without one part, each branch would fall apart, much like the stool would. 15. Keep this worksheet because we will be referring back to it in the next lesson. Share it with your family at home. 2 nd session: 1. Teacher will start off by having students come up to the chalkboard and make a list on the board of things they remember from last time. (Gardner s: Interpersonal) 2. Have students read off what they remember. Focus on answers that will lead to more discussion 3. Ask the follow-up questions: What document forms the main idea for the three branches of government? (Bloom s: Comprehension) o Constitution What is the name of the people who formed the Constitution? o Founding Fathers What are the 3 branches? o Legislative, Executive, Judicial What are the purposes for the branches? (Bloom s: Analysis) o Each has its own responsibilities and at the same time they work together to make the country run smoothly and to assure that the rights of citizens are not ignored or disallowed. 4. Write the following website on the board Explain that this is a supplemental (one that adds to their book) website that will help them review about what they have been learning in the classroom book. 6. On the back of the worksheets that they were given in session one, they will write down information about each of the three branches. ** emphasize to the students that it is their responsibility to write down helpful facts because they will be taking an assessment afterwards** Students need to pay attention to o Functions of each branch o Who is a part of each branch o Their relationships as a whole 7. Take the students to the lab. 8. Make sure that students are only on the website given. (Gardner s: Intrapersonal) Once they are finished, collect their papers and ask them to sit quietly until others finish. Make sure you give a time limit- 15 minutes at least

5 Give plenty of time for the assessment- should take 20 minutes at the most 9. Once you get back to the classroom, have the students put everything away. The teacher should have all of the worksheets that may have any answers that could be used for cheating. 10. Handout Three Branches of Government assessment. 11. Ask class if they have any more questions about how the branches work? Closure: Ask students to raise their hand and give one thing they learned from this lesson. Tell the students that the government plays an important role in the way that we live our lives every day. Have students fill in the L of their KWL chart. It is important that we know how it works in order to participate in it. One thing that our government plays a big part in is voting. (By a raise of hands) How many of you have heard or seen your parents voting for people in the government such as the President? Show the sample or real voting ballot. Tell the students that they will be learning more about how and why we vote in our government and what happens in voting in each branch. Adaptations/Enrichment: Adaptations: For a student with a learning disability in reading, read the directions out loud to the student. If the student needs help reading the content area reading assignment part, have the student follow along with their finger when reading as a class and allow more time during independent reading time. Make vocabulary cards for the eight words on the assessment for the student to practice during both sessions. Enrichment: Students that have a high ability in reading and/or social studies, have the student pick on specific person in the branch and focus on what they do to help make that branch function correctly. The student would be doing the same amount of work but would be using real State representatives to engage their learning. Self-Reflection: Based on the KWL charts, what did the students find most effective? What parts did they want to know more about? Will there be any field trips close that could help show a branch of the government/how parts of the government works? (State level? At the local level? ) What state leader is part of the branches that could be tied into the lesson? Were there any parts of the branches that were unclear or specific concepts the students struggled with in comprehending the material? Resources:

6 KWL Chart Name Date Directions: Before you beginning your lesson, list the details in the first two columns. Fill in the last column after completing your final lesson. The Three Branches of Government What I Know What I Want to Know What I Learned

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8 Three Branches of Government Three Branches of Government Handout

9 The Three Branches of Government Name Date Directions: For each number box, fill in the appropriate word(s) missing Directions: For numbers 2, 3, and 4, describe what each branch is responsible for. Use complete sentences. If you need more space, use the back of this paper Assessment

10 The Three Branches of Government Name Date Directions: For each number box, fill in the appropriate word(s) missing. 1. Constitution 2. Legislative 3. Executive 4. Judicial 7. President 8. Supreme Court 5. House of Representatives 6. Senate Directions: For numbers 2, 3, and 4, describe what each branch is responsible for. Use complete sentences. If you need more space, use the back of this paper. 2. The legislative branch of government is made up of the Congress and government agencies, such as the Government Printing Office and Library of Congress, which provide assistance to and support services for the Congress. Article I of the Constitution established this branch and gave Congress the power to make laws. Congress has two parts, the House of Representatives and the Senate. 3. The executive branch of Government makes sure that the laws of the United States are obeyed. The President of the United States is the head of the executive branch of government. This branch is very large so the President gets help from the Vice President, department heads (Cabinet members), and heads of independent agencies. 4. The judicial branch of government is made up of the court system. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. Article III of the Constitution established this Court and all other Federal courts were created by Congress. Courts decide arguments about the meaning of laws, how they are applied, and whether they break the rules of the Constitution. Assessment Answer Key