Unit Final

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines
Power and the Branches of Government

5th Grade Social Studies
April 4, 2014 Spring Semester Melia Vines
Contents
Unit Planning .............................................................................................................................................. 3 Unit Standard: ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Unit Objective: ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Bridges Graphic Organizer ...................................................................................................................... 4 Skills/Concepts/Vocabulary/Facts Chart ................................................................................................. 5 Instruction Summary .................................................................................................................................. 7 Day 1 Lesson ........................................................................................................................................... 8 Day 2 Lesson ......................................................................................................................................... 13 Day 3 Lesson ......................................................................................................................................... 18 Day 4 Lesson ......................................................................................................................................... 23 Day 5 Lesson ......................................................................................................................................... 28 Assessment Summary ............................................................................................................................... 33 Assessment Matrix ................................................................................................................................ 34 Summative Assessment Data ................................................................................................................ 35 Students Summary .................................................................................................................................... 37 Plan for Individual Learners .................................................................................................................. 38 Multiple Intelligences Graphic Organizer .............................................................................................. 40 Literacy Strategies ................................................................................................................................. 42 Limited Language Proficiency Chart ...................................................................................................... 43 Technology Summary ............................................................................................................................... 46 Technology Chart .................................................................................................................................. 48 Cross Curricular Summary ......................................................................................................................... 49 Cross Curricular Connections Chart ...................................................................................................... 50 Culminating Activity .................................................................................................................................. 52 Unit Rationale Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 53 Philosophy of Education ....................................................................................................................... 54 Materials and Resources Summary ........................................................................................................... 56 Materials and Resources Chart ............................................................................................................. 58 Additional Resources ............................................................................................................................ 59 References ................................................................................................................................................ 60
Unit Planning
5th Grade Social Studies Edgewood Elementary School
Unit Standard:
AL Social Studies Standard (2004) 5th Grade: 9.) List steps involved in the development of the Constitution of the United States, including inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation and struggles over the ratification of the Constitution. List powers granted to Congress, the President, and those reserved for states or for the people. Discuss major ideas and concepts of the Constitution of the United States, including duties and powers of the three branches of government Identify main principles in the Bill of Rights Describe the process by which territories achieve statehood under the Constitution
Unit Objective:
The Executive Branch of the government gives a certain set of power to the President and his cabinet. The Legislative Branch of the government gives a specific set of power to Congress.
The Judicial Branch of the government gives power to the nation's courts.
The powers of each branch government are regulated by checks and balances given by the other branches of government. When given a summative test, the students will explain the duties of the different branches of government and how the system of checks and balances is implemented in the United States with 70 percent accuracy.
Bridges Graphic Organizer
Day 1 Power is useless without authority.
How does the executive branch use power? Day 2 The executive branch gives power to the president and his cabinet
Day 3 The legislative branch gives power to Congress. How is the legislative branch's power different from the executive branch?
How does the judicial branch work with the legislative and executive branches? Day 4 The judicial branch gives power to the court systems
The government has a system of checks and balances to keep a separation of powers in order to prevent one supreme ruler. How do the branches of government work together to make our government work?
What is power?
Skills/Concepts/Vocabulary/Facts Chart
Skills
Identify the three branches of government Describe the power of the Executive Branch of government Describe the power of the Legislative Branch of government Describe the power of the Judicial Branch of government Describe the idea of power in government Describe the ways the branches of government work together Work collaboratively with their classmates
Concepts
Branches of Government / Purpose of Government
Facts
The Executive Branch of government holds the president. The President and his cabinet have the power to carry out and enforce laws made by Congress. The President is the head of the executive branch. The President is commander-in-chief of the military. The Vice President acts as the presiding officer of the senate. The cabinet members are nominated by the president, but must be approved by the Senate with a majority vote. The cabinet serves as advisors and heads of various departments and agencies for the president. The Legislative Branch is enforced by Congress. Congress makes up two parts, the House of Representatives and Senate. The Senate has 100 elected senators; 2 per state The House of Representatives has 435 representatives based on the states population The Legislative Branch has the power to declare war The Judicial Branch is made up of the court
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Vocabulary
Branches of Government Checking Power Executive Branch Judicial Branch Legislative Branch Separation of Powers United States Supreme Court Federal Government State Government Commanderin-chief Cabinet Checks and Balances Justice Legislature Amend Bicameral Power Authority Democracy
Power in Government
Checks and Balances
systems The Supreme Court is the head of the Judicial Branch There are 9 justices in the Supreme Court. Justices are nominated by the President and approved by the Senate. Lower Federal courts were not created under the Constitution, but were deemed necessary by Congress and were established by Congress. The Judicial Branch has the power to uphold the constitutionality of laws and check the other powers of government The government has a system of checks and balances to ensure power is evenly distributed. The President can veto bills from Congress Congress must approve judicial appointments made by the President Congress may impeach the President or a Judge The Supreme Court validates the constitutionality of laws.
Collaboration
Instruction Summary
The instruction in this unit is designed to use research-based strategies to aid in student learning. Throughout the unit, lessons are catering to collaboration, higher-level thinking, and different learning styles. The students are encouraged to ask questions and activate their prior knowledge as a means to help deepen understanding of the content. The students are given many opportunities to work together to find solutions to problems and answer questions. Pair and share is used many times during the unit to give students the opportunity to explain what they already know or describe what they have recently learned to a classmate. This strategy helps students verbalize their own understanding and is an effective way to review content. This unit uses pair and share to help students review and ask questions about previously taught material. The unit also scaffolds questions to give students the opportunity to see the broad picture and idea as well as know the specific information about the content. Questioning is also used as an agent to keep all students engaged. The unit uses random and strategic questioning to accommodate all learners in the classroom. This unit has many opportunities for collaboration. Collaboration is always paired with visual or tactile instruction to help students use more than one learning style in each lesson. The students begin each lesson taught with whole group, direct instruction and will move into collaborative groups during most individual practice time in the lessons. This unit is heavy in using research-based instructional strategies to better enhance student learning. Students receive many opportunities to learn the content in a new or different way in each lesson. The unit is designed to help students learn the content with direct instruction as well as abundant support.
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Day 1 Lesson
Design for Learning Instructor: Ms. Vines Grade Level/ Cooperating Teacher: 5th Grade/ Cook Lesson Title: Ive got the Power! Date: February 24, 2014 Curriculum Area: Social Studies Estimated Time: 30 minutes Standards Connection: AL Social Studies Standard 5th Grade: 9.) List steps involved in the development of the Constitution of the United States, including inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation and struggles over the ratification of the Constitution. Listing powers granted to Congress, the President, and those reserved for states or for the people. Discussion major ideas and concepts of the Constitution of the United States, including duties and powers of the three branches of government Identifying main principles in the Bill of Rights Describing the process by which territories achieve statehood under the Constitution Learning Objective(s): Students will compare and contrast power and authority with no errors on a Venn diagram. Evaluation of Learning Objective(s): Students will be expected to complete a Venn diagram contrasting power and authority. Students will be graded on the completion of the diagram and the accuracy of their statements. There should be at least 3 contrasts and at least one similarity in the diagram according to a checklist. Kid Friendly Objective: Today we are going to talk about power and authority in government. We will then compare the two in a Venn diagram. Engagement: Today we are going to talk about power and authority and compare the two in a Venn diagram. We are beginning a unit on the branches of government and are going to look at the power a government has. To start, I am going to give you a pretest so I can know what you already know about the government. Then, we will watch a video to review what we know about the government already. This test should not take long, it is just true or false and it is not for a grade. You shouldnt have to spend too much time on it. Teacher passes out pretests. When you have finished, hold your test in the air so I can come get it. Teacher collects tests and pulls up YouTube. Now that I have all of the tests, we are going to watch a Schoolhouse Rock video that should help you remember what has happened up until this point in history. Also, this is a song about the Preamble which you have the opportunity to recite for bonus points. Teacher shows YouTube Video: Schoolhouse Rock: The Preamble.
Learning Design: I. Teaching: During the video, teacher will pass out two Frayer model worksheets to each student. Now, you might have noticed during the video that I passed out a worksheet on your desk. This is called a Frayer model. It is used to help remember vocabulary. You write your word in the circle in the middle and then write the definition, examples, nonexamples, and characteristics of the word. Putting all these things together will help you remember what each word means. Teacher places her blank Frayer model under the document camera. The first word we are going to talk about is Power. Write that in the middle circle of your paper. Teacher writes Power in the middle circle of her paper. Power is the possession of control or command over others. Write that definition down while I write it. Its okay if you cant remember it, just look at the board when I finish writing. Teacher and students write the definition. Based on the definition we just wrote, what would you say are some characteristics of power? These can be synonyms or sentences, but raise your hand to tell me what some characteristics are of power? Students answer control, ruling, in charge, etc. Those are great characteristics. There are many different things we can connect to power. Someone that may have power over you could be your teacher. Ms. Cook has power over you because she can make the rules in this class. She has control over what you do. Before you write that as an example, can anyone give me another example of a person that may have power over you? Students answer parents, teachers, coaches, the president, etc. Great answers! Choose one or two of those answers and write it in your examples section. Now our last section is nonexamples. I want you to think of a non-example on your own, then turn and talk to your partner to share what you wrote. I am going to give you about 30 seconds to do this. Teacher sets timer and writes her own non-examples. I heard some great non-examples. When you have finished talking to your partner, take out your next worksheet. Teacher and students take out their next frayer model. On this model, I want you to write the word Authority in the circle in the middle. Teacher writes the word authority in the middle of her worksheet. Now, the definition for authority is the right to use the power that has been given. Lets write that, and then we will talk about it. Teacher and students write the definition in the definition box of the worksheet. Now, authority is a little bit of a trickier definition than power. A person that has authority already has power, but also has someone or something to back them up to make their power affective. What would you say are some characteristics of our definition of authority? Students answer, commanding, respect, responsible, etc. A person that may have authority in your life may be a babysitter. Your parents gave him or her authority on over you to tell you what to do in order to keep you safe. Can you think of another example of authority? Students answer police, parents, teachers, grandparents, etc. Great thinking! Now, just like before, I want you to think of some non-examples and write them. You may then share your non-examples with a partner. I will give you 30 more seconds. Teacher sets the timer for 30 seconds and fills in her non-example.
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Now that we know what authority and power are, lets talk about how they work together. Do you think you can have authority without having power? Students should answer no. Right, we cant have authority with no power. Do you think a person can have power with no authority? Students should answer yes. Right! A person can have power with no authority. A good example of a person having power but no authority is when the British were trying to tell the Colonists what to do right before the Revolutionary War. The colonists had made their own government with its own power and authority over them. The British did not have much authority anymore, but they were stronger causing them to still have power. Power does not work well without authority. Ms. Simpson gave Ms. Cook her authority. That means that Ms. Cook can enforce Ms. Simpsons rules along with her own classroom rules and Ms. Simpson will support her. People choose to let someone have authority. Another good example of power and authority is in our government. The government has the power to make laws and voters give them the authority to do it. This week we are going to be talking about how the power in our government works, but first we have to be able to understand that a person with power cannot do much without having authority. When the founders of our country were creating our government, they knew that they did not want only one person in charge. They wanted many people in charge; to do that they created branches in our government and worked to keep the power separate. Our governments branches are the legislative, judicial, and executive. The legislative branch makes laws, the executive branch enforces laws, and the judicial branch interprets laws. When these branches work together they divide their powers equally and create a democracy. A democracy is a fancy word for a government by the people. Our government is made so that it listens to its citizens and the citizens have a say in what happens in the country. II. Opportunity for Practice: Now, with a partner, I want you to create your own definition of power and authority, use each word in a sentence, and give an example of a person who has both power and authority in your life. While teacher is giving instructions, she is passing out the Create a Definition handout. You only need one per pair. You may begin. Students begin working. Assessment: When you have finished your definition, come get a Venn diagram. I would like you to write power over one circle and authority over the other. You will then write things that are different about them underneath the words and things that are the same where the circles overlap. Please turn your diagrams in to me when you have finished. Students finish practice and begin Venn diagram. Closure: Thank you guys for listening so well today! I think that you are going to enjoy learning about our government. Turn to a partner and tell them what we talked about today. Students share what we learned about the difference between power and authority.
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III.
IV.
Great job! You guys have done great today! Now table one can go get your backpacks and get ready to go home.
Content and Resources: http://youtu.be/VAuDRA9Sl3U - Preamble Video Pretest Venn Diagram Frayer Model Document Camera Timer Create a Definition Handout Pencils Plans for Individual Learners and Differentiation Strategies: H Students will complete a web scavenger hunt using the white house website: www.whitehouse.gov. L Students will identify examples of both power and authority with teacher support, and then draw pictures of an example of power and authority together. Reflection: I am proud of the way this lesson went. The students understood and were able to express their own opinions about the information as well. This made the class discussion richer for all students. The students liked making their own definitions and explaining their views on power vs. authority. They do very well with classroom discussions and they were eager to give their feedback and opinions. By the end of the lesson, most students understood the difference between power and authority. If I were to change this lesson, I would have let the students spend more time creating their own definitions. There was not as much time for this task, making it less personal for each student. Data Analysis: The results of these assessments concern me. While I am pleased to see that most students could give clear details and at least two contrasts, I expected more students to write a full description. Tomorrow, I will ask the students to explain the difference between power and authority in groups. I expect they will be able to verbally explain the difference between the two terms. At the end of the lesson, students were ready to leave, but had to finish their assessment before packing up. I expect their eagerness to leave affected their assessment results.
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3 - Full description of similarities and differences with no errors 2 - Clearer Details; but only 2 contrasts Power vs. Authority Venn Diagram 0 2 4 6 8 10 1 - Vague or inaccurate details/ 1 contrast or similarity
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Name and # : ___________________________
Branches of Government Pretest

Answer True or False to each of the following questions by coloring the face to the right of the question, happy for true or sad for false. If the question is false, make it true.
True False 1. The government is divided into 4 branches. _______________________________________________ 2. The legislative branch gives power to federal judges. _______________________________________________ 3. The Founding Fathers created the branches in the government to keep one person from having all of the power in the country. _______________________________________________ 4. The system of checks and balances is a way for the government to regulate power. _______________________________________________ 5. The executive branch gives power to Congress.
_______________________________________________
Name and # _______________________________________
Power
Authority
Name and # ___________________________________ Definition Characteristics
Examples
Non-Examples
Definition
Characteristics
Examples
Non-Examples
Name and # _______________________________________________
Create a Definition
Word: __________________________
Word: __________________________
Definition: __________________________ __________________________ __________________________
Definition: __________________________ __________________________ __________________________
Personal Example: __________________________ __________________________
Personal Example: __________________________ __________________________
Sentence: __________________________ __________________________ __________________________
Sentence: __________________________ __________________________ __________________________
Day 2 Lesson
Design for Learning Instructor: Ms. Vines Grade Level/ Cooperating Teacher: 5th Grade/ Cook Lesson Title: Hail to the Chief Date: February 25, 2014 Curriculum Area: Social Studies Estimated Time: 30 minutes Standards Connection: AL Social Studies Standard 5th Grade: 9.) List steps involved in the development of the Constitution of the United States, including inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation and struggles over the ratification of the Constitution. Listing powers granted to Congress, the President, and those reserved for states or for the people. Discussion major ideas and concepts of the Constitution of the United States, including duties and powers of the three branches of government Identifying main principles in the Bill of Rights Describing the process by which territories achieve statehood under the Constitution Learning Objective(s): Students will identify the powers of the executive branch of government in a cloze passage with no errors. Evaluation of Learning Objective(s): The students will be given a cloze passage with sentences about the executive branch of government. They will be expected to fill in the correct word in each sentence with a total of eight blanks. Students will be considered competent if they have no errors on their passage. The passage will also contain a word bank for students to refer to while completing the passage. Kid Friendly Objective: Today we are going to talk about the powers and duties of the executive branch of government, and then complete a cloze passage. Engagement: Today we are going to talk about the powers and duties of the executive branch of government, and then complete a cloze passage. First, turn and talk to a partner to explain the differences between power and authority. Students turn and talk. Great! Someone raise your hand to tell me the difference between power and authority. Students answer. Teacher calls on three different groups. Great! We said yesterday that there are three types of government. I already said the executive branch, but what did we say are the other two? Students answer legislative and judicial. Very good! We will talk about those later this week. Do you remember what else we talked about yesterday? Students should answer power and authority. Yes, we talked about how power is control a person has over a group and authority that a person has to use his power. We give all of our government officials the authority to use their power by voting for them. Rate yourself one to five, with one being the least and five being the greatest, on how well you feel that you know the information from yesterday. Hold your fingers in the air so I can see.
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Students rate themselves. Now that we have reviewed everything from yesterday, let s talk about the executive branch of government. To start, I am going to show you a video that explains the Presidential library. The president is the head of the executive branch, so we are going to learn a little bit about the library that ever president builds at the end of his presidency. Teacher shows CNN Explains: Presidential Libraries. Now, that was really cool. I didnt know that presidents built libraries before they left the White House. Now that you are thinking about the president and his office, lets talk about what the executive branch does before the president builds his library. Learning Design: I. Teaching: Teacher hands out foldable. I am passing a foldable out to each of you. This foldable is going to be a way I can measure your understanding each day. We are going to write facts about the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government as we talk about them each day this week. When you get yours, you should fold it in half, like a hotdog, Teacher demonstrates with her own foldable, and cut only on the dotted line. We want to be able to lift the words on this page like a flap with information about each branch of government on it. You can start folding and cutting when you get your paper. Students cut their foldables. Now today we are only going to be writing under the flap that says Executive. Teacher places her foldable under the document camera and lifts the executive branch flap back. Fold your flap back like I have mine if that helps you. Now, the executive branch holds the president, vice president and cabinet members. Thats important information so we need to write it on our foldable. Teacher writes President, VP, and Cabinet beside a bullet on the page. This branch of government has the power to enforce laws. This is also important information we need to know for our foldable. Teacher writes enforces laws beside another bullet. So now we have two key facts about the executive branch of government, who is in the branch and what the branch does. Give me a thumbs up if you are with me so far. Students give thumbs up. Now lets talk about the executive branch in detail. I am going to pass out a graphic organizer for you to fill out with me as we go through this next part. Teacher passes out executive branch graphic organizer while giving instructions: In the center of the graphic organizer youll see that Executive branch is already written, and out from it the words president, vice president, and cabinet. Those are the people we just talked about as being part of the executive branch. Teacher places her graphic organizer under the document camera. Now, look at the president bubble on the graphic organizer. I am going to start with him. Lets listen to the facts about the president, and then we can decide what information we need to write. The president is the head of the executive branch and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He can sign and veto bills and conducts diplomacy, or makes friends, with other nations. He can also sign and negotiate treaties and extend pardons for crimes, meaning he can let a criminal off the hook. Who can raise their hand and tell me who the president of the United States is right now? Students answer President Obama. Exactly, President Obama is our nations president. He is the 44th president our nation has had. Now, lets think about this information and decide on about 4 things that need to go on our graphic organizer
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under President. Raise your hand when you have an idea. Students say that he is the head of the branch, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, sign and veto bills, and negotiate and sign treaties. Teacher writes on her graphic organizer under the document camera these answers as the students say them. Very good. Those are great answers to help us remember what the president does. Everyone needs to have the bubbles that I have filled in on their graphic organizer. Teacher pauses to allow students to fill in their graphic organizer. Now we are going to look at the Vice President. He does not have as many jobs as the president so it is not going to be as hard for him. The Vice President serves as the president of the Senate where he or she casts the deciding vote if there is ever a tie. The VP also is the runner-up to the president. He or she takes over if the president cant do his or her duties. The Vice President is also elected with the president. Lets look over this information and pick out about 2 things that you would consider to be important about the Vice President. Raise your hand when you have something important. Students raise their hands and say that the VP serves as President in the Senate and that he or she is the runner up for the presidency. Great job! I am going to record that in my graphic organizer. Teacher writes on graphic organizer on Doc. Cam. Teacher and students write those answers on their graphic organizers. Now we are going to do our last section of the graphic organizer, the cabinet. The cabinet does not have as much power as the other parts of the executive branch. The cabinet is made up of advisors to the president. These are people that the president appoints to make up 15 different departments. Some examples of these departments are the Department of Education or The Department of Homeland Security. Of this information, raise your hand to say what you think should be considered the most important? Students answer that the Cabinet is made up of advisors to the president that make up 15 different departments. Great job! This is the most important information. Teacher writes on the graphic organizer on the document camera. We are going to write advisor to the president with 15 different departments.
II.
Opportunity for Practice: Now, take your graphic organizer and your foldable. I want you to do exactly what we were doing a few minutes ago and pick out the most important information that we need to know about the executive branch of government. I want you to then write that onto your foldable. Students look at the foldable and graphic organizer and choose what is the most important and complete their foldable for the executive branch. Great job! I want you to take a minute to quietly turn and talk to your neighbor and tell them what you chose to include. You have 30 seconds to tell them. Teacher sets timer. Assessment: Good talking, I heard you all saying some great things. Put your graphic organizer and foldable into your folder. Now we are going to fill in the blank on these sentences. Teacher begins passing out cloze passage. When you receive yours you may begin. There is a word bank at the top to help you, but you should not need your graphic organizer or foldable. When you have finished, sit quietly and we will go over the
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III.
answers. Teacher walks around the room while the students are working, listening to student reasoning and pointing out when a particular student is using great logic to fill in the blank. IV. Closure: Now that everyone has finished, I am going to put the answers on the board. If you didnt get one right, dont change it. Just put a mark beside it. That way I will know what I need to go back and explain better. Teacher puts the cloze passage PowerPoint slide on the board and asks each question. Raise your hand if you want to answer a question. Students answer questions and teacher reveals correct answers as they are said. Great job today you guys! You are really interested in the government, and I love it! I am coming around to collect your papers. While I do that, what did we learn today? Students answer about the powers of the executive branch. Yes, and someone tell me what is one power in the executive branch? Students answer. Great job! You have all done so well! Table 1 quietly stand to get your backpacks, it is almost time to go home.
Content and Resources: Foldable Document Camera Pencils Executive Branch Graphic Organizer Timer Cloze Passage Cloze Passage answer sheet CNN Explains: Presidential Libraries http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2013/04/10/eitm-presidential-librariesforeman-orig.cnn.html
Plans for Individual Learners and Differentiation Strategies: H Students will create their own executive branch of government with rules, a president, vice president and a cabinet. Students must determine what they need to have an effectively working executive branch. Students may work in groups. L Students will complete a web scavenger hunt using the White House website page on the executive branch: www.whitehouse.gov Reflection: This was a good lesson. I regret that it was taught at the end of the day. By the time we got to the lesson the students were tired and ready for the day to end. It was difficult to keep them on task and to go through the parts of the executive branch with them. I felt good about the knowledge of the content. The students had many questions that I was able to answer because of the depth of my knowledge. I am proud of the lesson I taught. The students seemed to grasp the concepts. I feel that the strongest point in my lesson was using the graphic organizer. It helped
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the students visualize the importance of each part of the executive branch. I feel that I could have done a better job engaging the students as it was the end of the day and the class was tired. Data Analysis: I was not surprised with the results of the assessments. The understanding of the group seems to be reflected in the assessment scores. Tomorrow, I plan to review the executive branch in a turn and talk and with teacher prompting to give struggling students the opportunity to understand the content better. I will also spend time reviewing the executive branch with explicit teaching. These strategies should help the struggling students catch up without boring the students who understand the concept.
Day 2: Executive Branch Cloze Passage
No Errors Errors
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Name and # _______________________________ Word Bank President Executive Cabinet Fifteen Vice President I went on a trip to Washington D.C. and learned about the ____________________ branch of government. Did you know that the ____________________ is the head of the branch? He has two other parts in the branch with him the ________________ ________________ and the __________________. The __________________ __________________ is known as the runner-up to the president, but he also serves as President of the Senate. The __________________ are advisors to the President. They help the President run the executive branch by being in charge of ______________ different departments. I had a great time on my trip!
Name and # _______________________________ Word Bank President Executive Cabinet Fifteen Vice President I went on a trip to Washington D.C. and learned about the ___Executive____________ branch of government. Did you know that the ___President__________ is the head of the branch? He has two other parts in the branch with him the _Cabinet__________ ________________ and the ____Vice President______. The __Vice ________ __President_____ is known as the runner-up to the president, but he also serves as President of the Senate. The __Cabinet_____ are advisors to the President. They help the President run the executive branch by being in charge of ___fifteen____ different departments. I had a great time on my trip!
Name and # _________________________________________________
Day 3 Lesson
Design for Learning Instructor: Ms. Vines Grade Level/ Cooperating Teacher: 5th Grade/ Cook Lesson Title: The Legislative Branch Date: February 26, 2014 Curriculum Area: Social Studies Estimated Time: 30 minutes Standards Connection: AL Social Studies Standard 5th Grade: 9.) List steps involved in the development of the Constitution of the United States, including inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation and struggles over the ratification of the Constitution. Listing powers granted to Congress, the President, and those reserved for states or for the people. Discussion major ideas and concepts of the Constitution of the United States, including duties and powers of the three branches of government Identifying main principles in the Bill of Rights Describing the process by which territories achieve statehood under the Constitution Learning Objective(s): The students will explain at least five of the legislative branchs responsibilities with no errors. Evaluation of Learning Objective(s): The students will complete an exit slip at the end of the lesson explaining the powers of the legislative branch. The students will be graded on the five facts they write. They will receive 5 out of 5 points if they have 5 factual statements about the legislative branch on their exit slip. Kid Friendly Objective: Today we are going to talk about the legislative branch of government, and will then explain its responsibilities on our foldables. Engagement: Today we are going to talk about the Legislative Branch, so you need to take out your foldables from yesterday. Before we begin, lets discuss what we talked about yesterday. Yesterday, we were talking about the executive branch and their powers. Turn and talk to a partner and describe the executive branchs power. Students turn and talk. Teacher will walk around the room, listening to conversations of the students. I am so pleased, I heard great conversation. Who did we say was the head of the executive branch, Student 1? Student 1 answers the President. Very good! The president is the head of the executive branch. Who else make up the executive branch Student 2? Student 2 says the cabinet and Vice President. Exactly, the president, cabinet and vice president all make up the executive branch of government. What did we say were some powers in the executive branch? Look at your foldable. Students say Commander in Chief, enforcing laws, can sign and veto bills, negotiates and signs treaties, etc. Great job! Where the executive branch enforces laws, the legislative branch makes laws. We
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are going to watch a quick video explaining how a bill is made into a law, and then we will talk about the legislative branch. Teacher shows Schoolhouse Rock: Im Just a Bill.
Learning Design: I. Teaching: Now, like you have just seen, the legislative branch makes laws. That is a long process that we will talk about a little later in this lesson. This branch also has the power to declare war and confirm or reject presidential appointments. These are the main powers of the legislative branch, so we need to write those in our foldable. Teacher and students write make laws, declare war, and confirm or reject presidential appointments under the legislative section of their foldable. Teacher begins passing out Venn Diagrams. Now, our countrys legislative branch is kind of special. It is what is called bicameral, which is a really weird word. Raise your hand if you have ever heard the word bicameral before. Students raise hands. Okay, so some of you may have heard of it. Bicameral means two parts. Together both parts make up Congress. One part is called the House of Representatives and one part is called the Senate, and each one has a different set of powers within it. We talked about the House of Representatives and the Senate last week when we were talking about the writing of the Constitution. There was a compromise that created both sections of Congress. What was that called? Students answer the Great Compromise. Very good! It was the Great Compromise that was used to create the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives was determined by a states population and the Senate was a set number per state. So we have 435 Representatives and 50 Senators. Give me a thumbs up if you remember the Great Compromise. Students give a thumbs up. I have passed out a Venn diagram and we are going to fill it out with the powers of the Senate and the House of Representatives, so write Senate above one circle, and House of Representatives above the other. Teacher and students write Senate and House of Representatives on the Venn diagram. Were going to talk about the House of Representatives first. The House of Representatives have the power to order taxes. They can take a vote and decide that it is time to raise taxes for the American people to pay. So write order taxes in the House of Representatives circle. Students and teacher write. They can also impeach or question the motives of federal officials, such as the president. A president has to have done something really bad to be impeached. We need to write that as a power of the House. Students and teacher write. The House of Representatives can also elect a president if there is a tie in the votes. Lets just write elect the president if there is a tie on our sheet. Students and teacher write. The Senate has the power to ratify or adopt treaties and confirm the presidents appointments such as his cabinet members. The president has to ask permission from the Senate before bringing in new people. The Senate can choose to allow or deny that person to be placed in power. So we need to write ratify treaties and confirm president appointments under the Senate circle. Teacher and students write.
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Now all of Congress, which is the House of Representatives and the Senate combined, have powers. They can make new laws or change old ones, establish a budget for the government, coin money, declare war, raise an army and navy, regulate trade, make rules for immigration and establish federal courts. I know these are a lot of powers, but lets write them in the middle section of the Venn diagram. Teacher and students write powers of Congress in the middle of the Venn diagram. Teacher reads the powers aloud while the class is writing to help them remember what they were. The last thing we are going to talk about today is how a bill becomes a law. The legislative branch creates laws, so we need to know how that works. Teacher passes out How a Bill Becomes a Law Flow Chart. While I am passing these out, what are some types of laws you can think of? Students answer traffic laws, no stealing, etc. Good thinking! There are many laws that have been passed by our legislative branch. All laws start out as bills. Just like Bill in the video we watched at the beginning of class. The bill must be introduced to Congress by a legislator a person who works in Congress. In space number 1 of the chart I passed out, lets write Introduced to Congress. Teacher and Students write. Sometimes the president will request that a legislator introduce a bill, but even the president cannot introduce it. The bill is then given to a committee to review and they will either change it or reject it. That goes into space two of our chart. We need to write given to a committee for review. Teacher and students write in space 2. Once the bill is approved by the committee, it is taken to the House of Representatives or the Senate. If the bill started in the House it will go to the Senate. If it started in the Senate then it will go to the House. While it is there, a time will be scheduled for the whole group to consider the bill. Lets write in space 3 that the bill moves to the House or Senate. Teacher and students write in space 3. This can take much time, but when the bill finally gets considered by the whole group, the legislators, or congressmen and women, get to debate if the bill is right for the nation. The debate can go on for a really long time. We should write on space 4 that Congress debates the bill. Teacher and students write in space 4. Once they stop debating, the bill is voted on in the House and in the Senate and the majority wins. We should write that the bill is voted on in space 5. Teacher and students write in space 5. If the bill wins in Congress it is sent to the president where he may choose to sign it or veto it. We should write in space 6 that the bill goes to the president. Teacher and students write in space 6. To veto something means to reject it. In the government it is a fancy word for saying no. If the president signs the bill, it becomes a law. See where your chart splits? On space 7 where it says signed we need to write becomes a law. Teacher and students write in space 7. In space 8 where it says vetoed, we need to write goes back to Congress. Teacher and students write in space 8. If the president vetoes a bill and Congress thinks it is a good law, they can override the veto with another vote, but it has to be 2/3 majority of the people in Congress that think it should be a law. We know much about fractions. We know that 2/3 is almost one whole, so almost all of Congress has to agree that this should be a law. In space 9 write Congress can override with 2/3 majority vote. Teacher and students write in space 9. Now this was much information. I want you to rate your understanding on the legislative branch from one to five. One means that you do not know what the
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legislative branch is and five means that you are ready for the test. Hold up the fingers to represent your understanding. Students hold up fingers.
II.
Opportunity for Practice: Teacher places construction paper around the room. Now, I am going to divide you into six groups, each group will have 2 to 3 people. Your group will create a poster with information about either: The House of Representatives, Senate or How a Bill Becomes a Law. Two groups will create a poster for each category. Then, we will hang up your groups poster and do a Gallery Walk. This means that we will walk around the room looking at all of the posters that have been created. I will assign your group to a poster, and each poster that is placed around the room has a topic written on it. You can make it as creative as you would like. You may write words to describe the topic or you can draw pictures. You could even write a poem or draw a comic strip! I am going to count you off into groups, then assign you a poster board and spot in the room. Teacher counts students off and sends them to different areas around the classroom. Teacher begins handing out post-its. We are going to do our gallery walk now. I want you to walk around and write one comment on a post-it note for each poster topic including your own. You should hand in a total of three post-its. Make sure your name is on the post-it note. I want what you write to give me an idea of what you learned today. Place your post-it notes on my poster at the front of the room under the appropriate topic when you finish. You may begin walking around the classroom. Students begin walking and writing.
III.
Assessment: You all did a great job on your posters! You also made great comments on your classmates posters. Now I need you to please take out your foldable. Students take out their foldables. I want you to write five facts about the legislative branch on your foldable. When you finish writing your facts, you should place your foldable on the stool in the front of the classroom and walk back to your seats. Students write five facts and turn in their foldables. Closure: Thank you all for being so great today! What did we learn about today? Students answer the legislative branch. Great! What is one power that the legislative branch has? Teacher calls on a student to answer. Student answers most likely saying that it has the power to create laws. Very good! I am so glad you all paid attention so well. I will call you by table to go pack up.
IV.
Content and Resources: Schoolhouse Rock: Im Just a Bill YouTube Video: http://youtu.be/2nKyihoV9z8 Branches of Government Foldable Document Camera Venn Diagram
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Flow Chart Construction paper Markers Notecards Pencils
Plans for Individual Learners and Differentiation Strategies: H Students will choose a R.A.F.T. writing assignment to write about the legislative branch of government. L Students will watch BrainPop videos on Presidential Power, How a Bill Becomes a Law, and the Branches of Government and complete a note taking guide for each video. Reflection: Todays lesson went very well. The students already had a basic knowledge of the legislative branch and were able to connect much of their background knowledge to the subject. I feel the strongest point in the lesson was having the foldable as an aid to assist the students in organizing their thoughts. I feel the students were engaged more in this lesson due to the background knowledge they already had. This was a good lesson. I felt that a downfall to this lesson was the amount of timing I had to teach it. At the time I taught the lesson, I was cramped for time and had to move through the material very quickly. I wish I could have spent more time on the lesson; however, I was very pleased with the students engagement levels. Data Analysis: I was very surprised and impressed with the results of the students assessments. The prior knowledge of the class helped greatly in this lesson. All students explained at least five facts about the legislative branch in their foldables. I feel that this lesson is a good indicator of the class understanding during the lesson.
5 Facts 4 Facts Legislative Branch Facts 3 Facts 2 Facts 0 10 20 1 Fact
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Power and the Branches of Government Name and # _______________________________________ Melia Vines
Senate
House of Representatives
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Name and # __________________________________________ How A Bill Becomes a Law
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Day 4 Lesson
Design for Learning Instructor: Ms. Vines Grade Level/ Cooperating Teacher: 5th Grade/ Cook Lesson Title: The Judicial Branch Date: February 27, 2014 Curriculum Area: Social Studies Estimated Time: 30 minutes Standards Connection: AL Social Studies Standard 5th Grade: 9.) List steps involved in the development of the Constitution of the United States, including inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation and struggles over the ratification of the Constitution. Listing powers granted to Congress, the President, and those reserved for states or for the people. Discussion major ideas and concepts of the Constitution of the United States, including duties and powers of the three branches of government Identifying main principles in the Bill of Rights Describing the process by which territories achieve statehood under the Constitution Learning Objective(s): The students will explain at least three of the judicial branchs responsibilities in a 3 -2-1 Review with no errors. Evaluation of Learning Objective(s): The students will complete a 3-2-1 review at the end of the lesson explaining three things they learned, two things they want to learn more about, and one question they still have. The students will be graded on the three things they learned. They will receive 3 out of 3 points if they have 3 factual statements about the judicial branch on their review. Kid Friendly Objective: Today we are going to talk about the judicial branch of government and complete a 3-2-1 review. Engagement: Today we are talking about the last branch of government the judicial branch, and then we will complete a 3-2-1 review. First, we need to review what we have talked about earlier this week. Raise your hand to tell me what are the branches of government that we have already discussed? Student answers the executive and legislative branch. Great! Student A, what are the powers of the executive branch? Student A answers Commander in Chief, Enforces laws, etc. Who is the head of the executive branch, Student B? Student B answers the president. Good job! You really know your stuff! Someone raise their hand to tell me the powers of the legislative branch. Student answers to make laws. Very good! Who makes up the legislative branch, student C? Student C answers Congress. And how many parts does Congress have, Student D? Student D answers 2. What are those two parts Student E? Student E answers the House of Representatives and the Senate. Great job! I think you are ready to learn about the judicial branch! I brought this book called You be the Jury for today. I am going to read a case to you,
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and you should decide if the person is guilty or innocent. You have to listen carefully in order to know if the person is telling the truth or lying. Teacher reads The Case of the Dangerous Golf Ball to students. Do you think the person is guilty or innocent? Raise your hand if you think guilty. Innocent? Students raise their hand to indicate their answers. Teacher reveals the answer and reason. That was a fun way to get started with the judicial branch, which also consists of the court system. Teacher passes out students foldables. Leave your foldable on your desk for now. Teacher places hers under the document camera. Learning Design: I. Teaching: Now, the Executive and Legislative branches enforce laws and make laws, but the judicial branch interprets laws. Sometimes, a law is questioned. This can be caused by someone finding a loop-hole in the law, or simply not obeying the law. In these cases, a court decides if the individual, business or state is wrong. There are federal courts and state courts. Each one has types of cases that they will hear. For example, the state court will listen to issues involving individuals or businesses. The federal court, or Supreme Court, will hear cases involving states or questioning laws. Sometimes there is a court case that questions the validity of a law. That means that someone is asking if the law follows the Constitution. There have been times that a law that Congress has passed and the president has signed has been considered unconstitutional and removed. This happened many times with laws regarding slavery. People would question laws in the Constitution that were not consistent with what was being enforced. This is a way for the people to point out flaws in the government. So, looking at your foldable, what is the important information we should write down? Students answer that the judicial branch interprets laws. Okay, lets write it. Teacher and students write judicial branch interprets laws. Have you ever asked your mom or dad why a rule is a rule? Students answer. Personally, I never understood why it matters if I blow bubbles in my drink or not, but my mom said that it was not allowed. One day, I told her that the rule was not fair and that it didnt make any sense, she explained to me that blowing bubbles in my drink was rude and distracting to others and that is why it is a rule. Did she change the rule? Students may answer no. No, she did not, but she did interpret it for me. That is what the government does. The courts will listen to people explaining why a law is unfair and the court will interpret the law for the person and will even sometimes change the way the law is viewed. Now, you should know that the judicial branch includes the state courts and the Supreme Court. All the courts in the nation are a part of the judicial branch. The Supreme Court handles any issues between states as well as any question about a law. The state courts handle smaller cases such as criminal cases. Only the courts have the power to interpret laws in the country. Today we are mostly going to be talking about the Supreme Court because they have the most power of all the courts. Now, on your foldable, what should we write about this information? Students should answer that all of the courts are included in the judicial branch, and the Supreme Court is the highest. Very good!
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Lets write that. Teacher and students write all courts are included in the judicial branch with the Supreme Court as the highest. There are currently nine judges, or justices, on the Supreme Court. The justices are appointed by the President and then approved by the Senate before they can take the job. Once a justice is approved, he or she has the job for life unless removed by the legislative branch. The Supreme Court has the power to interpret a law and the authority to tell the lower, state courts how they must apply that law. So, the Supreme Court has a few powers: the judges have their job for life, they have the power to interpret laws and have the power to tell the lower courts how they should be reading the laws. Why do you think it is important for the smaller courts to follow the Supreme Courts ruling? Students should answer that it is so the entire nation follows the same laws. Very good! The national rules and the way we follow the Constitution need to be consistent. What are the powers of the judicial branch that we should include in our foldable? Students answer that justices have their jobs for life and can tell the lower courts how to read laws. Great job! You guys are really understanding this concept! To tie this all together, we are going to watch a short video about the three branches of government and what they do. Teacher plays Schoolhouse Rock: 3 Ring Circus. Now, we are going to move on to something else to help us see how the judicial branch works. II. Opportunity for Practice: I am going to pass out a list of our school rules or laws for today. Teacher begins passing out school rules handout. I want you to work with your table to interpret these laws, just like a judge would interpret the Constitution. With your group, write the interpretation on the lines underneath the law. We are going to compare how each person interprets the law when we get done, so it is important you write how you decide to interpret the laws. Students write their interpretation of the school rules. Okay, Table 1, would you like to share how you interpreted Law 1? Students explain their interpretation. Very good! Did another table interpret it differently? Students answer. Good. Lets look at Law 2. Table 2, how did you interpret that one? Students answer. Great! Did anyone else interpret that law differently? Students answer. Okay, Table 3, tell me how you interpreted Law 3. Students answer. Good job. Did someone say something different? Students answer. Very good. Do you see how the laws can be interpreted differently by different people? That is why it is important for the courts underneath the Supreme Court to follow the Supreme Courts lead. Very good you guys. Assessment: Now that you are pros at interpreting laws, I want you to do a 3-2-1 review. We have done these before. You write 3 things that you learned today, try to write these three things as specifically as you can, 2 things you would like to learn more about, and one thing you still have a question about. I am passing out loose leaf paper and you may begin when you receive yours. Teacher begins passing out loose leaf paper. Closure: Good job today you guys! I can tell you are really enjoying learning about the government. What all did we talk about today? Students answer that we talked about
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III.
IV.
the judicial branch. Yes, and what is the judicial branchs power? Students answer that it interprets laws. Good job! Take out a sheet of paper and write a 15 word sentence describing the judicial branch. When you turn in your paper, you may pack up to go home. Students write about the judicial branch and pack up.
Content and Resources: Schoolhouse Rock: 3 Ring Circus - http://youtu.be/tEPd98CbbMk School Rules handout Loose leaf paper Pencils 3 branches of government foldable You be the Jury by Marvin Miller Plans for Individual Learners and Differentiation Strategies: H Students will choose to participate in a mock trial or research a famous Supreme Court case and choose a type of report to write from a choice board. L Students will identify school rules from a list and interpret them with examples. The student may then choose to write, tweet, or draw a picture of one of the laws interpretations. Reflection: This lesson was not the strongest I have taught. Though not bad, I felt that it was my weakest thus far. The judicial branch is a tricky part of the United States government so I was not as confident in my content as I felt before teaching. The students did not seem as engaged in this lesson and were very tired by the end of the day, making it difficult to be productive. Tomorrow, I hope to review the judicial branch and include more information to help clarify the importance of the branch as well as assess their learning. While I had one or two students very interested in the makings of the judicial branch, it was not an enjoyable lesson for the entire class. Data Analysis: The data of this assessment was not very surprising. The assessment was given the day after the lesson was taught, and the students demonstrated an interest in learning how the judicial branch of government works. I feel that the assessment indicated student understanding and am pleased with the results.
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16
14
12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Judicial Branch Review 3 Facts 2 Facts 1 Fact
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Name and # _______________________________________
School Rules 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Follow directions Be respectful to your classmates and teachers Complete all homework and classwork Have all materials ready and in class. Strive for excellence
Day 5 Lesson
Design for Learning Instructor: Ms. Vines Grade Level/ Cooperating Teacher: 5th Grade/ Cook Lesson Title: Balancing Act Date: February 28, 2014 Curriculum Area: Social Studies Estimated Time: 30 minutes Standards Connection: AL Social Studies Standard 5th Grade: 9.) List steps involved in the development of the Constitution of the United States, including inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation and struggles over the ratification of the Constitution. Listing powers granted to Congress, the President, and those reserved for states or for the people. Discussion major ideas and concepts of the Constitution of the United States, including duties and powers of the three branches of government Identifying main principles in the Bill of Rights Describing the process by which territories achieve statehood under the Constitution Learning Objective(s): The students will describe five ways the system of checks and balances work in the nation with 100% accuracy. Evaluation of Learning Objective(s): The students will be expected to write at least five ways the government branches can check another branch in a quick write. A student will be considered competent if he or she has written five factual checks and balances. Kid Friendly Objective: Today we are going to learn about the way the branches of government can check and balance one another, and then complete quick write. Engagement: So, we have already talked about the three branches of government. Someone raise your hand to tell me what are those again? Student answers the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government. Great job! Someone else raise their hand to tell me what the different branches do. Student answers that the executive branch enforces laws, the judicial branch interprets laws, and the legislative branch makes laws. Very good! You have all been paying close attention. We are going to watch a Brain Pop video for a few minutes reviewing the Branches of Government. Table one should listen for information about the executive branch and be ready to share. Table two should listen for information about the legislative branch and be ready to share. Table three should listen for information about the judicial branch and be ready to share. Teacher plays Brain Pop: Branches of Government. Table one what did you hear about the executive branch? Table one answers. Table two what did you hear about the legislative
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branch? Table two answers. Table three what did you hear about the judicial branch? Table three answers. Great listening! Today we are going to learn about the way the branches of government can check and balance one another, and then complete a flow chart. Learning Design: V. Teaching: Teacher begins passing out flow chart. I am passing out a branches of government flow-chart for todays lesson. We are going to look at the ways that the branches of government work to make sure that one branch does not become stronger than the others. Raise your hand, why do you think the founding fathers decided that it would be important to keep one branch of government from becoming stronger than the others? Student answers so that they would not have one branch be all-powerful. Exactly, because that is exactly what they had worked so hard to separate from when they became a free country apart from England. They had already had a king, and they didnt like it. So we have a system of checks and balances to keep everyone in government equal. Nearly everything in government that is done by one branch, can be undone by another branch. So, look at your flow chart. Teacher places her chart under the document camera. Do you see the space labeled legislative branch? Students answer yes. Do you see the arrow that is drawn to the legislative branch from the executive branch? Students answer yes. I want you to write in the blanks beside the arrow that the president can veto a bill and call Congress into session. Congress only has so many meetings per year, but if there is a problem in the government, the President can call them back. We already knew that a president can veto a bill. Raise your hand if you have an idea of how these things could help our country? Student answers that vetoing a bill can keep bad bills from becoming laws, and if there were a national emergency, the president may need Congress in session to declare war. Very good thinking! Now, the judicial branch can check the legislative branch as well. Look at the arrow that is being drawn to the legislative branch from the judicial branch. Beside it you should write that the judicial branch can deem a law unconstitutional. Students and teacher write. This is so Congress cannot pass unfair laws. Now, lets move on and talk about the executive branch. Look at the arrow that is drawn from the legislative branch to the executive branch. Beside the arrow, write that Congress can override a presidents veto and must approve treaties. The legislative branch may also remove a president. Teacher and students write. So Congress can keep the president from taking too much power or make him pass a bill that will benefit the people. Look at the arrow from the judicial branch going to the executive branch; beside that arrow write that the judicial branch may deem a law unconstitutional. That means the president cannot work with Congress to pass laws that are unfair or do not go with the Constitution. This happened during slavery. Many bills got passed that were not in line with the Constitution and they had to be reinterpreted or removed from the Constitution. Why do you think the founding fathers thought it would be bad if the president controlled everything? Students answered that it would be like having a king
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in the country instead of a democracy. Very good! The founding fathers did not want a king, they wanted a government that gave everyone a say in how it was run. Now, I want you to look at the arrow going from the executive branch to the judicial branch. The executive branch enforces the rulings of the judicial branch. This means that the executive branch can listen to the Supreme Courts ruling and then choose how they are going to carry it out. They choose what is best for the nation. What would happen if the person who enforces the laws was the same person who interprets them? Students should answer that the person would have too much power and could misuse it. Exactly. Great thinking! The executive branch also appoints or chooses the judges when an opening becomes available on the Supreme Court. Lets write all of this on our flow chart. Teacher and students write. Now, we are looking at the arrow going from the legislative branch and to the judicial branch. The legislative branch may remove a judge if he or she is not doing the job properly. The legislative branch must also approve any judge before they become a Supreme Court justice. We need to write those beside our judicial branch arrow. Teacher and students write. Raise your hand and tell me why it is important to have checks and balances in the government? Students answer because it keeps the powers in check. Yes, we need the power in our nation to be balanced so that no one person will have all of the power. Great job! I want you to rate your understanding on the checks and balances of government. Raise your hand for each number. One means that you do not understand it at all and five means that you are ready for the test. Students raise their hands. VI. Opportunity for Practice: Now we are going to do a word sort. Teacher begins passing out word sorts. This is going to help you remember the ways the branches balance each other. It is a review of everything we have been learning the past week. Heres how it works: I am passing out cards to each person, on your card there are written different parts of the branches of government. With a partner, you are going to sort the words by branch. Students pair up and sort the words by branch. Assessment: Good job you guys! Lets go over where you put the words. Teacher calls on students to tell which branch the different powers go. Good job. Put up your flow chart now and take out a sheet of paper. I would like you to write at least five different checks a branch of government can use on another branch. When you have finished, please place your paper on the table in the front of the room and go get your laptop from the hall. Students write. Closure: Students go get their laptops. Now that you have all finished, I have posted a Schoology discussion entitled Checks and Balances Discussion. I would like you to log in to Schoology and participate in the discussion. You need to post what you think is the most important thing you have learned about the branches of government. You need to write some details to make sure that I know what youve learned. Once you have Schoology open, you may begin the discussion.
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VII.
VIII.
When you finish the discussion, shut down and put up your laptop. Students put up their laptops. What did we talk about today? Students answer the checks and balances of government. Yes, what are some checks and balances the government has in place? Students answer with a check and balance that is in place between the branches. Very good. You guys did great today. When I call your number you may go pack up.
Content and Resources: Brain Pop: Branches of Government -http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/usgovernmentandlaw/branchesofgovernment/ Flow Chart Laptops Branches of government word sort Pencils Plans for Individual Learners and Differentiation Strategies: H Students may play I Have, Who Has to review their knowledge of the branches of government or design a logo and slogan for each branch of government that describes what the branch does. L Students will complete the word sort with a partner, and then write one check and balance for each branch. Reflection: This lesson had to move quickly due to the timing of the day. I feel the graphic organizer helped some students, but it also proved to be confusing to others. I hope to clarify the checks and balances of government more during test review with the class tomorrow. Overall the class understood the information. While I knew my content for this lesson, it did not transfer easily to the students as it had in other lessons. I hope to help students extend their knowledge to better prepare for the test in two days. It was a great lesson, and the students did follow along, but I did not anticipate the places that would confuse my students. I hope to correct misconceptions tomorrow during our class review. Data Analysis: The data from this lesson was not very surprising. After the past three days of learning the different powers each branch of government has, the students did not have much trouble knowing the facts about how each branchs power can be undone by another branch. The students seem to know the content well.
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16 14
12
10 8 6 4 2 0 5 Checks
4 Checks
3 Checks
2 Checks
1 Check
Checks and Balances Chart
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Name and # ________________________________
Assessment Summary
The assessments used in this unit are designed to give the teacher a measure of the understanding the students possess after each days lesson. The teacher uses formative assessments throughout lessons every day. The teacher may ask the students to show thumbs up for their understanding or she may ask them to rate their understanding one to five. The teacher also uses a series of preplanned formative assessments to measure the learning objective. These assessments are in the form of a 3-2-1 review, quick write, Venn diagram, cloze passage and exit slip. The formative assessments in the unit are aligned to the standard and learning objective to best measure student learning. The teacher will know students have learned the content if a majority of the class has indicated understanding during the lesson through immediate feedback and if the majority of the class (twelve out of twenty-three) has passed the formative assessment at the end of the lesson. Homework will not be given in this unit as there are a limited number of textbooks in the classroom. The variety of formative assessments used in the lessons provides students with practice in literacy skills, but students are only assessed on the social studies content that is being taught. The 3-2-1 review gives students the opportunity to write three facts and tell the teacher the things they found interesting as well as ask a question. This helps the teacher know where to plan instruction next as well as how best to engage the students by designing the lessons to include student interest. In using a quick write, students may choose what they tell their teacher about the days instruction. This gives students the freedom to show off the ir learning to the teacher. Venn diagrams are best used during a compare and contrast lesson. The diagram provides an organized place for students to explore the relationship and meaning of words or ideas. The Venn diagram shows the teacher that the students know enough about the topic to not only compare it to other items, but to also contrast it. A cloze passage is a tool that builds reading fluency. It requires the student to read the facts and insert the correct words. This shows the teacher that students know characteristics about the information being taught. Exit slips are great for quickly collecting data on student learning. The formative assessments used in this unit are designed to allow students to show their learning in the clearest possible way. The summative test at the end of the unit is designed to test the same skills as the formative assessments. The questions in the summative test are taken directly from daily instruction. The results of the summative test were satisfactory and are a great indication of student learning. Using a variety of means to assess the class has seemed to challenge students to develop a deeper understanding of the content. Students are given the opportunity to give the teacher immediate feedback by rating their understanding; they are also given the opportunity to show what they know through formative assessment. Students also have the opportunity to show their understanding through the summative assessment at the end of the unit. Data shows the students have done well learning the material in this unit as the average score on the summative test is 88%. The high score is an encouraging indicator of student learning during this unit.
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Assessment Matrix
Lesson Objective Formative Assessment

Students will compare and contrast power and authority with no errors on a Venn diagram.
Students will identify the powers of the executive branch of government in a cloze passage with no errors. Students will be expected to complete a Venn diagram contrasting power and authority. Students will be graded on the completion of the diagram and the accuracy of their statements. There should be at least 3 contrasts and at least one similarity in the diagram according to a checklist. The students will be given a cloze passage with sentences about the executive branch of government. They will be expected to fill in the correct word in each sentence with a total of eight blanks. Students will be considered competent if they have no errors on their passage. The passage will also contain a word bank for students to refer to while completing the passage. The students will complete an exit slip at the end of the lesson explaining the powers of the legislative branch. The students will be graded on the five facts they write. They will receive 5 out of 5 points if they have 5 factual statements about the legislative branch on their exit slip. The students will complete a 3-2-1 review at the end of the lesson explaining three things they learned, two things they want to learn more about, and one question they still have. The students will be graded on the three things they learned. They will receive 3 out of 3 points if they have 3 factual statements about the judicial branch on their review. The students will be expected to write at least five ways the government branches can check another branch in a quick write. A student will be considered competent if he or she has written five factual checks and balances.
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Summative Assessment
Short answer: 2
Multiple Choice: 3 Matching: 2, 5, 9 Short Answer: 1
Students will explain at least five of the legislative branchs responsibilities with no errors.
Multiple Choice: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Matching: 1, 4, 6, 10 Short Answer: 1
Students will explain at least three of the judicial branchs responsibilities in a 3-2-1 Review with no errors.
Multiple Choice: 4, 10 Matching: 3, 7, 8
Students will describe five ways the system of checks and balances work in the nation with 100% accuracy.
Multiple Choice: 10, 11 Short Answer: 1
Name and # : ___________________________
Branches of Government Pretest

Answer True or False to each of the following questions by coloring the face to the right of the question, happy for true or sad for false. If the question is false, make it true.
True False 1. The government is divided into 4 branches. _______________________________________________ 2. The legislative branch gives power to federal judges. _______________________________________________ 3. The Founding Fathers created the branches in the government to keep one person from having all of the power in the country. _______________________________________________ 4. The system of checks and balances is a way for the government to regulate power. _______________________________________________ 5. The executive branch gives power to Congress.
_______________________________________________
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Venn Diagram Checklist
Student Name: _______________________________________ _____ Student included at least three contrasting facts on each side of the diagram. _____ Student included at least two comparing facts on the diagram. _____ Information is factual and can be traced back to classroom discussion.
Name and # _______________________________________
Power
Authority
To hold command over others. Everyone has power. May have power without having authority.
Have power with permission. Teachers Police Officers The President Parents The right to use the power that an individual already possesses. Usually comes with respect.
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Name and # _______________________________ Word Bank President Executive Cabinet fifteen Vice President I went on a trip to Washington D.C. and learned about the ___Executive____________ branch of government. Did you know that the ___President__________ is the head of the branch? He has two other parts in the branch with him the _Cabinet__________ ________________ and the ____Vice President______. The __Vice ________ __President_____ is known as the runner-up to the president, but he also serves as President of the Senate. The __Cabinet_____ are advisors to the President. They help the President run the executive branch by being in charge of ___fifteen____ different departments. I had a great time on my trip!
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Name and # ________________________________ Choose the best answer for the following questions.
1. How many branches are in the government? a) b) c) d) 4 3 2 1
2.
What is a power of the Executive branch? a) Enforce laws b) Declare laws unconstitutional c) Make laws d) Create a bicameral legislature
3.
What is a power of the Judicial branch? a) Enforce laws b) Commander in Chief of the military c) Declare laws unconstitutional d) Make laws
4.
What is a power of the Legislative branch? a) Declare laws unconstitutional b) Enforce laws c) Make laws d) Interpret laws What does Bicameral mean? a) Two Parts b) Four Parts c) Six parts d) Eight parts
5.
6.
How many people are chosen for the House of Representatives? a) 2 b) It depends on the states population c) 6 d) 100
7.
How many people are in the Senate? a) 100 b) 55 c) It depends on the population of the state d) There is no Senate in our country.
8.
What is the first step in a bill becoming a law? a) It is signed by the president b) It is called unconstitutional by the Supreme Court c) It is presented to Congress d) It is changed
9.
How long does a Supreme Court justice keep his or her job? a) 4 years b) 9 years c) 20 years d) He or she keeps the job for life.
10. Which of the following is an example of the system of check and balances? a) The executive branch commanding the military. b) The legislative branch overriding a presidents veto. c) Congress raising taxes. d) A Supreme Court justice having his or her job for life.
11.
Which of the following is an example of the system of checks and balances? a) The president is the head of the executive branch. b) The legislative branch makes laws. c) The president vetoes a bill. d) Congress declares war.
Match the word or phrase to the correct branch of government.

1. ____ Can override a presidents veto 2. ____ Can veto laws 3. ____ The Supreme Court 4. ____ Declares war 5. ____ Leads the military 6. ____ Raises money 7. ____ Keeps the job for life 8. ____ Justices 9. ____ President 10. ____ Congress A. Executive Branch B. Legislative Branch C. Judicial Branch
Short Answer: Choose one (1) of the following questions and answer it in the space below using complete sentences.
1. What would happen if a bill was passed in Congress, but vetoed by the President? 2. How are power and authority the same? How are they different?
_______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
Summative Assessment Data

The assessment written for this unit was not given in entirety to the students in the classroom. In the fifth grade classroom in which this unit was used, the unit was a small portion of a greater unit on the Constitution. The last four multiple choice questions and a matching section of the students Constitution unit test pertained exclusively to the branches of government. These questions were taken directly from the branches of government summative test that is included in this unit. The chart below is the average of correct answers for the branches of government section by question. The test was electronic and given to the students via Schoology. They took the test in class, on school laptops. There were no distractions or interruptions during testing. Overall, the class did well with the branches of government section of the test. The question that caused the most difficulty seemed to be the checks and balances section. The lower percentage of correct answers on this portion of the test is reflected in the difficulty of the content taught. The students did well with the lesson assessment, but it is evident that the assessment was not a fair measure of all of the students learning. While the matching section percentage could be an area of concern, the average indicated in the chart is the average of students that answered every matching question correctly. The percentage causes no concern as most students incorrectly matched only one or two options. In the future, I will spend more time reviewing and teaching the checks and balances section of the unit. The test indicates the students did not all understand the system of checks and balances in government. I will work to make this part of the content more relevant to the students lives and work to build more prior knowledge to the content. I am happy with the
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results of the test, I feel that my students did their best and the results indicate they knew the material well.
Percentages of Answers Correct by Question

Average Percentage Correct 95.8 76.7 66.7
91.7
91.7
Multi. Choice 1 Multi. Choice 2 Multi. Choice 3 Multi. Choice 4 Executive Judicial Branch Legislative Checks and Branch Branch Balances
Matching Powers to Branches
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Students Summary
I plan to meet individual students needs by scaffolding the level of support given to different learners during the unit lessons as well as after unit lessons. The students in the classroom range from very high to very low, creating a great need for differentiation. Throughout lessons, questions are scaffolded according to Blooms taxonomy. Some of the scaffolded questions are asked to specific students while others are asked at random. The questioning in this unit is designed to motivate and engage students as well as spark some discussion. Instruction is differentiated during lessons through the discussion and questions of the class as well as through teacher questioning. The teacher will also foresee many misconceptions and correct them early. Students will be motivated and engaged through questioning, technology, and graphic organizers. Students will also be encouraged to ask questions and make their own connections during the whole-group lessons. Students that need reteaching or extensions may begin their extension or reteaching during the practice section of the lesson. Both groups will be required to listen and participate in learning the new material before extending their knowledge or relearning the information. When the students participate in a modified assessment, the teacher will assess them using a checklist or rubric. Some groupings are designed to be random, such as during whole-group instruction; however, when the class is separated with extension and reteaching activities, the students will be in scaffolded groups. These groups are fluid and may change depending on the day. Students must receive permission from the teacher to move into an extension activity and may choose to join the reteaching activity if they feel it is needed. The teacher will also invite students to join her reteaching activity based on their struggles during the lesson. In the classroom, all students are encouraged to share their prior knowledge or experiences to enhance the learning of the group, this includes students with multicultural backgrounds. I will work with these students to ensure they understand the material and are receiving the support they need to be successful. In the classroom, all students are treated equally in that they each receive the help they need regardless of their background. All students should be able to understand the material and be successful in the classroom if the teacher is doing her job.
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Plan for Individual Learners

Day Learning Objective Individual Learning Objectives Extension Students will complete a web scavenger hunt using the white house website: www.whitehouse.gov. Individual Learning Objectives Modification Students will identify examples of both power and authority with teacher support, and then draw pictures of an example of power and authority together. Students will complete a web scavenger hunt using the White House website page on the executive branch: www.whitehouse.gov.
Students will compare and Day 1 contrast power and authority with Ive Got the Power! no errors on a Venn diagram.
Day 2 Hail to the Chief
Students will identify the powers of the executive branch of government in a cloze passage with no errors.
Students will create their own executive branch of government with rules, a president, vice president and a cabinet. Students must determine what they need to have an effectively working executive branch. Students may work in groups. Students will choose a R.A.F.T. writing assignment to write about the legislative branch of government.
Day 3 The Legislative Branch
The students will explain at least five of the legislative branchs responsibilities with no errors.
Students will watch BrainPop videos on Presidential Power, How a Bill Becomes a Law, and the Branches of Government and complete a note taking guide for each video Students will identify school rules from a list and interpret them with examples. The student may then choose to write, tweet, or draw a picture of one of the laws interpretations.
Day 4 The Judicial Branch
The students will explain at least three of the judicial branchs responsibilities in a 3-2-1 Review with no errors.
Students will choose to participate in a mock trial or research a famous Supreme Court case and choose a type of report to write from a choice board.
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Day 5 Balancing Act
The students will describe five ways the system of checks and balances work in the nation with 100% accuracy.
Students may play I Have, Who Has to review their knowledge of the branches of government or design a logo and slogan for each branch of government that describes what the branch does.
Students will complete the word sort with a partner, and then write one check and balance for each branch.
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Multiple Intelligences Graphic Organizer

Day 1 Ive Got the Power Create a Definition Day 3 The Legislative Branch Branche Branches of s of Governmen Govern t Foldable ment Turn and Foldable Talk Executiv Gallery e Branch Walk Graphic Organize r Executiv How a Bill e Branch Becomes a Graphic Law flow Organize chart r Creating Posters Gallery Walk Day 2 Hail to the Chief Creating Posters Gallery Walk Creating posters Gallery Walk Schoolhou se Rock: Im Just a Bill Day 4 The Judicial Branch Branches of Government Foldable 3-2-1 Review The Case of the Dangerous Golf Ball read aloud 3-2-1 Review Day 5 Balancing Act Quick Write Branches of Government Word Sort Schoology Discussion
Verbal/ Linguistic
Schoology Discussion
Existential
Interpersonal Frayer Model Intrapersonal
School Rules Interpretatio n School Rules Interpretatio n
Branches of Government Word Sort Schoology Discussion Branches of Government Word Sort Schoology Discussion Schoology Discussion
Naturalist Bodily/ Kinesthetic Schoolhous e Rock: The Musical/Rhythmi Preamble c
Schoolhou se Rock: 3 Ring Circus
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Frayer Model Schoolhous e Rock: The Preamble Venn Diagram Visual/Spatial
Venn Diagram Logical/Mathema tical
CNN Explains : Presiden tial Libraries Branche s of Govern ment Foldable Executiv e Branch Graphic Organize r Cloze Passage Branche s of Govern ment Foldable
Branches of Governmen t Foldable Schoolhou se Rock: Im Just a Bill Venn Diagram
Branches of Quick Write Government BrainPop: Foldable Branches of Government Schoolhous e Rock: 3 Checks and Ring Balances Circus Flow Chart Schoology Discussion
Branches of Governmen t Foldable Venn Diagram
Branches of Government Foldable
Quick Write Checks and Balances Flow Chart Schoology Discussion
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Literacy Strategies
Day 1: Ive Got the Power! Frayer Model Venn Diagram Create a Definition Executive Branch Graphic Organizer Cloze Passage Gallery Walk 3-2-1 Review Read Aloud Quick Write Schoology Discussion Word Sort How a Bill Becomes a Law Flow Chart Branches of Government Foldable X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Day 2: Hail to the Chief Day 3: The Legislative Branch Day 4: The Judicial Branch Day 5: Balancing Act
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Limited Language Proficiency Chart

Lesson Title Presentation of the Content Students will Graphic compare and organizers, contrast power and video, verbal authority with no explanation errors on a Venn diagram.. Objective Practice Activity Assessment Venn diagram comparing and contrasting power and authority. EL students will be expected to provide one Venn diagram example in each circle.
Students will create their own definitions for Day 1: power and Ive Got the authority on a Power graphic organizer with a partner. WIDA Standard: Discuss the EL students will work with a Social and dictionary definition of partner. They will Instruction power and be encouraged to al authority and talk about their Language write it on definition and use The graphic their photo Language Accommodations: organizer with definitions for of Social EL student prior extra support. Studies to the lesson. Give EL photo definitions to use during class. Students will Video, foldable, Students will identify the powers graphic choose the of the executive organizer, important Day 2: branch of verbal information on Hail to the government in a explanation their graphic Chief cloze passage with organizer to write no errors. onto their foldable. WIDA Standards: EL students will EL students will read the Social and watch a video information aloud Instruction on Executive Power prior to to themselves and al the lesson. If will be allowed to The possible, the talk about their Accommodations Language video will be in choices with the of Social the students teacher. Studies native language.
Written cloze passage
A modified cloze passage will be given to EL students. This cloze passage will contain a word bank and fewer blanks.
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Day 3: The Legislative Branch
Accommodations
The students will explain at least five of the legislative branchs responsibilities with no errors. WIDA Standard: Social and Instruction al The Language of Social Studies The students will explain at least three of the judicial branchs responsibilities in a 3-2-1 Review with no errors. WIDA Standard: Social and Instruction al The Language of Social Studies The students will describe five ways the system of checks and balances work in the nation with 100% accuracy.
Flow chart, gallery walk, illustrations, Venn diagram, verbal explanation
Day 4: The Judicial Branch
The students will illustrate either the way a bill becomes a law, the Senate or the House of Representatives. EL students will EL students will be permitted to be strategically follow along placed in groups while listening with English First to an audio Language book about the students. legislative branch prior to the lesson. Foldable, read Students will aloud, verbal interpret the explanation school rules as a judge.
Written exit slip
EL students will complete the exit slip with a word bank to use for reference.
3-2-1 Review
Accommodations
EL students will be given the opportunity to complete a webquest on the judicial branch prior to the lesson.
Day 5: Balancing Act
EL students will be strategically placed in groups with English First Language students. The school rules will be written in kidfriendly language. Video, flow Students will chart, word sort, complete a word verbal sort in which they explanation will be sorting the different powers to the correct branches of government in groups.
EL students will be permitted to use their foldable while completing the 3-2-1 review. Quick Write
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Accommodations
WIDA Standard: Social and Instruction al The Language of Social Studies
EL students will review the powers of government prior to the lesson and will be allowed to use a teachermade list of checks and balances during the lesson.
Grouping will be strategic and the EL students will be placed in a group with English First Language students.
Students will complete the quick write while using the word sort that explains the different branches powers.
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Technology Summary
Homewood City Schools is a technological rich area. The fifth grade classroom in which this unit was taught uses technology daily to enhance instruction. Technology was used in this unit daily. A document camera and projector were used to assist in instructing students and reinforcing good note taking. Videos were also used every day to inform and engage students during the lessons. The students did a quick write assessment using a Schoology discussion. Their summative assessment was also loaded and taken on Schoology. Using this technology provided engagement for the students, reinforced note taking skills, and provided more meaning to their work. In using a document camera while note taking, the students were able to take notes from the teacher, as well as show their good note taking skills to their classmates. The document camera provided engagement during the lessons and was also a means of positive reinforcement in the classroom. Students also watched educational videos on the days topic for engagement. The videos provided a visual to help students get a basic meaning of the content before the days lesson began. More meaning was provided to the students assignment when it was in the form of a Schoology discussion. The students took the assignment seriously and it brought up conversations about online safety that would not otherwise be discussed. For example, the importance of using good grammar when posting online is a big discussion during any assignment in which the students are required to post. The most meaningful part of the unit for the students was the online summative assessment. Posting the assessment online for the students to take during class time, was an authentic experience that will help the students later in life. They were also allowed to get immediate feedback on their tests and see the questions they missed. This method enhances learning because it prepares them for later tests and builds their computer fluency. The technology in the classroom offers the opportunity for more authentic experiences. As the traditional pen and paper become all but obsolete, students must be taught in other means that will prepare them for the future while it engages them. In the classroom, students are provided laptops by the school. All students have a device to use during school hours and any homework that may be online and cannot be completed at home is given class time as needed. Homewood School System is a technology-rich environment. The school and the students welcome all forms of new technology. It is encouraged to use technology in as many lessons as possible. Teaching students to learn with technology is a must. It provides authentic learning and motivates students to work harder on their assignments as they are engaged in an assignment that they know is important and critical to real life.
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Technology Chart
Day 1: Ive Got the Power Document Camera Note Taking (teacher and student use) Schoology Discussion Schoolhouse Rock videos CNN Explains: Video BrainPop Video Day 2: Hail to the Chief Day 3: The Legislative Branch Day 4: The Judicial Branch Day 5: Balancing Act
X X X X X X
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Cross Curricular Summary

There are several ways to teach this content across the curriculum. Teaching government in different areas of instruction may help students understand the concepts in a different context. It can also help students learn to transfer their knowledge to other subject areas instead of thinking in compartments. In language arts, the students may explain the relationship between two primary sources and write about their similarities and differences. Using primary sources provides students with an authentic learning experience in which they can see into the lives of people that lived during the time they are studying. The students may also include their opinion in what they have read to enhance comprehension and increase their competence in the material they are learning in social studies. In language arts, students may also research different opinions on a topic and debate their assigned opinion. This will help students learn how difficult a decision it was for the delegates to choose our form of government. It can also teach students the importance of knowing facts to support an argument, a skill that will help them in writing. In math, students may practice graphing on a coordinate plane by finding a delegates city and measuring the distance travelled from the city to Philadelphia. This task will give students an idea of the difficulty of the journey to Philadelphia. It also provides an extension to students as they place themselves in the delegates positions. The cross curricular activities in this unit are designed to give students a deeper understanding of the different personalities of the delegates and the decisions that had to be made in order to form the United States government. In adding these activities to the unit instruction, students will gain a better understanding of life during the time in which the Constitution was being written. Incorporating cross curricular activities that provide extended knowledge to the students will also engage the students during the unit lessons as they will make deeper connections to the information.
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Cross Curricular Connections Chart

Language Arts Standard CCRS 5 grade Language Arts 12. [RI.5.3] Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
th
Objective When given two historical narratives about the writing of the Constitution, students will explain the relationship between the authors ideas in two paragraphs with three details in each paragraph.
Activity The students will read two historical narratives written by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson describing their views on effective government. The students will complete a Venn diagram with factual details found in the texts. Students will then plan their paragraphs in an outline and begin typing them on computers. When the students have finished their two paragraphs, they will type one additional paragraph explaining whose idea they think is best and why.
Assessment Students should write at least two paragraphs with three details from the text in each paragraph. Students will be asked to identify their three details by underlining them. Students who have details that can clearly be drawn back to the text will be considered competent in the skill. The teacher will then use the final paragraph to formatively assess students knowledge of the unit content.
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Language Arts
CCRS 5th grade Language Arts 18. [RI.5.9] Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
The students will write three supporting reasons to accept or oppose a proposal in an exit slip with no errors.
The students will be divided into two groups and assigned an opposing or supporting position to the question: Should the United States have three branches? The students will be given sources to read and research. They will choose a representative to debate their cause using three reasons their team chose.
After the debate, the students will complete a Schoology discussion in which they explain three different reasons why their team supported or opposed a three branch system of government. Three factual reasons in the post will be considered competent in the content.
Math
CCRS 5th grade math [5.G.2] Represent realworld and mathematical problems by graphing points in the first quadrant of the coordinate plane, and interpret coordinate values of points in the context of the situation.
The students will solve math problems by graphing points on a coordinate plane and interpreting the values of the points on a map with no errors.
With a partner, the students will be given a list of cities they must locate on a map coordinate plane. The cities will be hometowns of delegates at the Philadelphia Convention. The students must locate the town, graph it on the map, and measure the distance between the delegates hometown and Philadelphia. The students will then write the delegate, his hometown coordinates, and the distance between his hometown and Philadelphia.
The students will be given one additional city to locate, graph, and measure independently. Students will turn in their individual work to the teacher. Students who produce work with no errors will be considered competent in the skill.
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Culminating Activity
To bring a close to the branches of government unit, students will demonstrate their learning by creating a presentation. The students will have the option to choose from a list the means of their presentation, but will have specific guidelines of information that must be included in their final product. Students may choose to use technology by creating a Prezi, iMovie, or Glogster, or students may choose to use a non-technological medium by creating a poster or newspaper article. The presentations will be created entirely at home and should reflect the information learned during the branches of government unit. Students will be encouraged to be creative and thorough as they present their information. The students will have the opportunity to present their work to the class on the due date. Students will be graded by a rubric in the categories of factual content, effort and overall presentation of the product. The content in the final product should be factual and thorough. Students will be expected to address every branch of government and what it does. Students presentations will also be graded on the effort that is evident in the final product. The presentations should demonstrate the students spent time on their product. Students will be expected to present the product with confidence and showing a thorough knowledge of content. This activity is designed to help students see the information they have already learned in a new, creative light. In creating a project and presenting it to their class, the students must have a deeper knowledge of the content. The activity ensures that all students have put sufficient time into learning the material. The presentation is also provides a means for students who wish to show off their knowledge. In completing this project and presenting the information all students in the classroom are gaining a deeper understanding of the United States government.
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th
Grade Branches of Government Project
As our unit on the branches of government comes to a close, our class will be creating presentations to celebrate what we have learned over the past several weeks. Students may choose from the list below the type of presentation they would like to create. Be creative! Students will be graded on the accuracy of content, effort, and
the overall presentation of the information. This project is designed to be a fun way for students to demonstrate their knowledge of the American government. Each project should include:
The names and duties of the three branches of government. The person or people who make up each branch. A picture or illustration for the branches. Any extra or interesting information about the three branches of government. Students should describe the required information in a narrative or bulleted format that is clear to the audience.
Students may choose from the following presentations:

Prezi (www.prezi.com) iMovie Glogster (www.glogster.com) Poster Newspaper Article (www.presentationmagazine.com/editablepowerpoint-newspapers-407.htm)
Please email Ms. Vines with any questions. Happy Creating! Ms. Vines
Unit Rationale Discussion

The Power in the Branches of Government unit is designed to teach students about the United States government. The unit begins by teaching students the importance of power and authority. Students learn that the United States government has been designed to balance its power and authority to create a fair government. The topic, power, of this unit has been chosen to give students an idea of governmental power which will transfer to other forms of government. After completing this unit, students should be able to compare and contrast the overarching theme with other governments in the world. The instructional strategies used in the unit are designed to aid in classroom management, formative assessment, and student learning. Students pair and share and collaborate during the lessons to help enhance understanding of daily concepts. Students also use a variety of graphic organizers and videos. Not only do these tools aid in engagement, they also add the element of visual and auditory learning. Students are formatively assessed using 3-2-1 reviews and quick writes to help students think about the content they have learned and connect it to their prior knowledge. Scaffolded and strategic questioning is used to help students apply their prior knowledge and think about concepts to develop deeper meaning. This unit uses a variety of assessments to prevent students from becoming bored or expectant of the days assessment. Each day, a different assessment is used to measure student learning. The students will participate in a quick write, 3-2-1 review, exit slip, cloze passage, and Venn diagram. Using differing methods of assessments allows students a variety of opportunities to show that they have learned each day. Quick writes and exit slips require students to show a written knowledge of the information while a cloze passage shows that students can identify information about the lesson. 3-2-1 reviews allow students to question and analyze the information they have learned and Venn diagrams require them to compare and contrast the new information. The different skills that are exercised in the lessons are designed to strengthen students comprehension on the topic. There are many resources used throughout the unit the most being graphic organizers and videos. These resources provide engagement and interest for the students, but it also caters to multiple learning styles. Using videos with music helps visual and auditory learners as well as students who learn well with music. Using graphic organizers caters to auditory, visual and kinesthetic learners. These resources are agents to keep students focused and on task. The unit also contains a gallery walk and Schoology discussion. These means give students the opportunity to view their classmates opinions about the information being discussed. The topic, instructional strategies, assessments, and resources used in this unit were chosen because they are best educational practice. They engage and inspire student learning during lessons. They are also research-based methods that are proven to help students learn content. In using these strategies, multiple learning styles are being catered to in order to help all students be successful in the classroom.
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Philosophy of Education
My goal as a teacher is to inspire young people to reach their full potential. My classroom will reflect the beliefs of Idealism. I want my students to be well-educated, respectful members of society. I also want my students to have a thirst for knowledge as well as strive for good character. My classroom will be set up to help my students meet these expectations. Students will receive rewards for good behavior and consequences for bad behavior. I will also give my students many opportunities to learn valuable, relevant information during class time. I hope to be a teacher that makes a good impact on all students that walk through my door. I will teach to each students need to the best of my ability to ensure that all students are learning in my classroom. As I teach, I will facilitate student learning through my classrooms structure as well as my love for my students. I want my students to feel valued in my classroom. I will use a variety of learning styles that will accommodate as many students as possible. This will be evident in the use of pictures, manipulatives, and auditory opportunities in every subject. Students are not completely auditory, visual or tactile learners, and it is important take advantage of opportunities to combine the different learning styles as much as possible. This can be done through explicit teaching, worksheets and manipulatives. It can also be done through experimenting and inquirybased learning. As I teach my students, I will have a clear classroom management system in place that will work to the advantage of student learning. My classroom will be set up on the basis of respect. My students will show respect to me and I will respect them. Part of respect is doing what is best for another person. I will push my students to excel daily, and expect them to give me their very best. I strive to give my best to my students and I expect them to give their best to me. I will be on time and prepared for class at the beginning of the day. I will also be a teacher that takes time to listen to my students and give them the support and opportunities they need to be successful. My students will give me their best by being on time and ready to learn each day. I will work to give my students plenty of support, so that my high achievers and my lower achievers will have the materials they need to be successful in my classroom. My students will learn through hands-on experience, collaboration, and structure. My classroom will be set up with my students at tables in small groups, and working together on most assignments will be encouraged. In my class, we will use problem-based learning to encourage critical thinking skills and deep-thinking conversations with peers. My students will
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be given clear expectations for excellence in all subjects. I will set high standards in my class to help my students excel not only in my classroom, but also in life. Student learning in my classroom will be evident in the class working together during lessons. As students learn they will be talking to one another as well as the teacher. They will work together to solve problems and discuss possible answers. Evidence of this collaboration includes students having conversations with one another about a problem and working together to find a reasonable answer. Student learning can also be seen through students sitting quietly at their tables working with one partner, or individually as they read or write. Students do not always have to work together to learn a concept. Sometimes, a student needs time to process new information on his or her own. In my class we will work in a variety of ways to learn the different ways that a person may be expected to complete a task in real life. Sometimes, we must collaborate with others to find a solution to a problem, but other times we are left to solve a problem on our own. My students will be equipped to do both. As a teacher, I will create an inclusive learning environment that does not over-emphasize student differences. As I make accommodations for students, I will work to make them invisible to the rest of the class. I do not believe in allowing high achieving students help lower achieving students. This is not fair to either student, and it is not an effective way to teach or reteach material. I will work with all students individually as needed and will make myself available for any student that has a need before or after school. Teachers should be active participants in student learning and never stop encouraging any student. My students and I will work together to meet their goals. I will never give up on a student that is willing to learn. I hope to be a teacher that inspires young minds. In my classroom, everyone will be valued and respected; it will be a nurturing environment that is conducive to the learning of all types of students. I will incorporate many strategies that will inspire and challenge my young learners. My students will be critical thinkers and will know how to work together for a common goal.
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Materials and Resources Summary

The materials and resources used in this unit are designed to help aid student learning and address as many learning styles as possible. Every day, students use a form of graphic organizer or flow chart. During lessons in which a branch of government is specifically taught, students use a foldable that summarizes the days learning. Graphic organizers and foldables help students see their learning in a visual way during the lesson. During that time, the students kinesthetic needs are also addressed while they are writing information. The graphic organizers used in the unit consist of Venn diagrams to help students compare and contrast the definitions of power and authority as well as compare and contrast the House of Representatives and Senate powers. Process flow charts are used to describe how a bill becomes a law and the checks and balances of the government. A Frayer model is used as students are learning the definitions of power and authority. Students also use a graphic organizer to create their own definitions for power and authority. The executive branch graphic organizer is used to help students separate the different powers of each portion of the executive branch. The branches of government word sort helps the students review the branches powers while they are also learning about the checks and balances of government. Timers are used during the lessons to aid in classroom management and give students a limited amount of time to record answers or complete individual work. The branches of government pretest is used to assess how much students know about the branches of government before the start of the unit. The cloze passage is a means of assessment to indicate student knowledge of the information given on the executive branch of government. Art is incorporated through a class wide activity using construction paper, markers and notecards. These allow students to draw their understanding of different topics after learning about the legislative branch of government. It is a means to let the students work collaboratively and view other students interpretation of the information. The school rules handout is for a lesson in which the students learn that not everyone will interpret rules the exact same way. You be the Jury is a book to engage learners and is used as a means to teach students about the judicial branch of government. Laptops are used during a lesson for students to complete a Schoology discussion as well as communicate their ideas about the branches of government. Technology and music are incorporated in the unit through videos and songs. The videos are used to help teach the students content. Three Schoolhouse Rock videos are used during the unit. Each Schoolhouse Rock video contains a song to help students remember the content. The videos help review, teach content, and engage students prior to lessons. CNN Explains: Presidential Libraries, is used as an engagement tool to teach students about interesting facts about the president before exploring the executive branch. BrainPop: Branches of Government is used as a review of material as the unit draws to a close. The videos are used primarily for engagement, but they also help students begin thinking about government and spark questions and conversation before the lesson has started.
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The materials and resources used in this unit are designed to aid in student learning and engagement. Many students are able to learn in the classroom at a time because of the variety of materials and the multiple learning styles that are addressed. Graphic organizers and classroom activities aid students in their practice of the different skills they are learning. Students are supported in the classroom through the materials used and it is important to include as many as possible to enhance student learning.
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Materials and Resources Chart

Day 1: Ive Got the Power! Schoolhouse Rock: Preamble Pretest Venn Diagram Frayer Model Document Camera Timer Create a Definition Handout Pencils 3 Branches of Government Foldable Executive Branch Graphic Organizer Cloze Passage Cloze Passage Answer Sheet CNN Explains: Presidential Libraries Schoolhouse Rock: Im Just a Bill Process Flow Chart Construction Paper Markers Notecards Schoolhouse Rock: 3 Ring Circus School Rules Handout Loose Leaf Paper You be the Jury by Marvin Miller BrainPop: Branches of Government Laptop Branches of Government Word Sort X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X Day 2: Hail to the Chief Day 3: The Legislative Branch Day 4: The Judicial Branch Day 5: Balancing Act
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Additional Resources
1. Three Branches of Government SMARTBoard File with printable activities: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/3-Branches-of-GovernmentSMARTBoard-File-with-Printable-Activities-374310 2. How to Create a Classroom Constitution: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lessonplan/creating-classroom-constitution 3. Checks and Balances Game: http://www.brainpop.com/games/checksandbalances/ 4. Shh Were Writing the Constitution video version: http://www.schooltube.com/video/9284b435a56906f0172c/Shh-Were-Writing-theConstitution 5. Shh Were Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz http://www.amazon.com/WereWriting-Constitution-Jean-Fritz/dp/0698116240 6. How to Create a Branches of Government Tree Classroom Activity: http://homebase3.edublogs.org/8th-grade-tree-branches-of-government-in-georgia/ 7. Extra information about the three branches of government: http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0774837.html 8. Three branches of government webquest: http://alton.k12.mo.us/warren/3branch.htm 9. Branches of Power online game: http://www.brainpop.com/games/branchesofpower/ 10. Three Branches of Government quiz/ review: http://www.quia.com/rr/103659.html
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References
3 Branches of government SMARTboard file with printable activities (2012, October). In Teachers Pay Teachers. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/3-Branches-of-GovernmentSMARTBoard-File-with-Printable-Activities-374310 American government activities and worksheets. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/American-Government-Activities-andWorksheets-57688 BrainPOP. (1999). Branches of government [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/usgovernmentandlaw/branchesofgovernment/ BrainPOP. (1999). Branches of power. In BrainPOP. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://www.brainpop.com/games/branchesofpower/ Branches of Government Flip Book - Government freebies. (2012, October 8). Retrieved from http://www.fourthnten.com/2012/10/government-freebies.html Checks and Balances Flow Chart - Checks and balances and separation of powers. (2009). Retrieved from http://stgapgov.pbworks.com/w/page/7198971/Checks and Balances and Separation of Powers Checks and Balances Game. (1999). In BrainPOP. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://www.brainpop.com/games/checksandbalances/ CNN. (Producer) (2013). Cnn explains: presidential libraries [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2013/04/10/eitm-presidential-librariesforeman-orig.cnn.html Fritz, J. (1987). Shh! we're writing the constitution. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam.
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Jacobson, B. (Adapter). (2011). Shh! we're writing the constitution [Online video]. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://www.schooltube.com/video/9284b435a56906f0172c/ShhWere-Writing-the-Constitution Miller, M. (1992). You be the jury. New York: Scholastic Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/You-The-Jury-Marvin-Miller/dp/0590457276 Patterson, T. E. (2013). We the people (tenth ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill College. Pearson Education . (2008). Three branches of government. In Fact Monster. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0774837.html Our government. (n.d.). In The White House. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government Scholastic. (2014). Creating a classroom constitution . In Scholastic. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/creating-classroom-constitution Schoolhouse rock!: three ring circus [Web]. (1976). Retrieved from
http://youtu.be/tEPd98CbbMk
Schoolhouse rock!: Im just a bill [Web]. (1976) Retrieved from http://youtu.be/2nKyihoV9z8 Schoolhouse rock!: the preamble [Web]. (1976). Retrieved from http://youtu.be/VAuDRA9Sl3U Strickland, L. (2006). In My Cute Graphics. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://mycutegraphics.com/ Three branches of government review. (n.d.). In Quia. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://www.quia.com/rr/103659.html Tree branches of government. (2010). In How a bill becomes a law . Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://homebase3.edublogs.org/8th-grade-tree-branches-of-government-in-georgia/
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Venn Diagram Worksheet - Docstoc. (2013). New venn diagram blank - pdf. Retrieved from http://www.docstoc.com/docs/43301194/NEW-Venn-Diagram-blank---PDF Warren, A. (n.d.). Branches of government webquest. In Branches of Government Webquest. Retrieved March 29, 2014, from http://alton.k12.mo.us/warren/3branch.htm
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Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Bridges Graphic Organizer

Day 1 Power is useless without authority.

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Checks and Balances

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Name and # : ___________________________

Branches of Government Pretest

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Name and # _______________________________________

Name and # ___________________________________ Definition Characteristics

Name and # _______________________________________________

Definition: __________________________ __________________________ __________________________

Definition: __________________________ __________________________ __________________________

Personal Example: __________________________ __________________________

Personal Example: __________________________ __________________________

Sentence: __________________________ __________________________ __________________________

Sentence: __________________________ __________________________ __________________________

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Day 2: Executive Branch Cloze Passage

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Name and # _________________________________________________

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Flow Chart Construction paper Markers Notecards Pencils

Name and # __________________________________________ How A Bill Becomes a Law

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Name and # _______________________________________

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Checks and Balances Chart

Name and # ________________________________

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Power and the Branches of Government Melia Vines

Lesson Objective Formative Assessment

Multiple Choice: 3 Matching: 2, 5, 9 Short Answer: 1

Multiple Choice: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 Matching: 1, 4, 6, 10 Short Answer: 1

Multiple Choice: 4, 10 Matching: 3, 7, 8

Multiple Choice: 10, 11 Short Answer: 1

Definition: __

Definition: __

Personal Example:

Personal Example:

Sentence: __

Sentence: __

___________________________ _ _ _ _____________________________