Teacher: Matt Sabatowski

Grade Level:
3

Subject Area: Government

Length of Lesson: 30 Minutes

Desired Results
Indiana Academic Standard(s)
3.2.3 Identify and explain the duties of and selection process for local and state
government officials who make,
implement and enforce laws
3.2.4 Explain that the United States has three levels of government (local, state and
national) and that each level has
special duties and responsibilities.

Enduring Understandings

Identify characteristics of each

of the branches of government
The specific details of each
branch house names, their
roles in society, etc.

Essential Question(s)
What are the 3 branches of
government?
What do each of these
branches do?
Where are each of these
branches offices located?
How does each branch affect
the other?

Knowledge and Skill Objectives

SWBAT distinguish between branches of government, name characteristics of
each (ex. Judicial has supreme court, interprets laws, etc.)
Assessment Evidence
A quiz over the unit on government will be administered at a later date, involving
these concepts along with broader topics (the duty of citizens, our basic rights,
etc.).
Learning Plan
Learning Activities
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/3-Branches-of-GovernmentGroup-Sort-Activity-445825
1. A brief review session, led by me, outlines the absolute basics of each
of the branches (names and basic functions of each)
2. Each child is given a slip of paper containing a characteristic of one of
the three government branches. Once I say go, everybody will go to a
section of the room that signifies their branch that they think their
characteristic belongs to. The kids can discuss among themselves and
decide which goes to which.
3. I go through with the rubric to each group and discuss with the class
which answers were right, explaining terms and functions that confused
the class along the way (ex. They didnt know that the presidential
cabinet existed, so I had to explain what it meant and its purpose)

Name____________________________________ Date_______ Period____

Lesson Plan Evaluation & Teaching Reflection
Was the content worth knowing? Support your response.
This content was definitely worth knowing, as knowing how our government works along with the
technical terms is the first step in being able to be politically informed and learn about the history
and workings of our nation and government. Obviously, I dont expect them to have opinions on
world issues, but this basic knowledge serves as the stepping stone that will propel them into
further political and social studies success.
Describe how the activity was developmentally appropriate.
While the terms used were relatively alien to them, the hands on nature of proceeding to different
sections of the room along with the guided explanations served as fun for the kids, and allowed
them to visually see which characteristics were sorted with which.
Give an example of how you know the activity was interesting to the children.
As the kids tried to sort into each of the groups, there was definetly some heated discussion
among them regarding which characteristic belongs where. I had to give them extra time in order
for them to decide!
Describe how the activity included opportunities for the children to test their knowledge.
The entire activity revolved around them testing their existing knowledge, a pre-test for knowing
the governments functions of sorts. Before explanation was given of each branch, they had to
sort, testing what they knew about government.
Describe a follow up activity that would build on concepts you have presented.
An activity that would build on concepts could expand the knowledge to the branches of
government among different levels (state, local, federal). While each branch has the same
function, there are a lot of differences that have potential to be explored, which is another
standard that must be met throughout the third grade year.

What behavior(s) did you observe while presenting the activity? What do you think caused the
behavior(s)?
I saw a quality discussion arise among students. They enthusiastically tried to figure out what
went where without any of my help, so hearing each of them give their opinions, some horribly
wrong, was entertaining, and more importantly, helped develop their deductive reasoning skills
along with previous knowledge. This behavior was caused by the fact that I refused to give them
help outside of word definitions, so they were forced to use each other for help instead.
How did you involve the children in the closure of the activity?

While going through the final explanation, I had the kids move to whatever spot they were
supposed to be at. With each characteristic, I asked who had it and explained if they were right or
wrong, and had them move to their proper spot, which added a new layer of interactivity to what
easily could have been a glorified lecture from myself.
Describe what changes you would make and what you would keep the same if you presented the
activity again.
The template I used was meant for 3rd through 5th, so some of the words were beyond their
comprehension, especially for the ENL kids. I had to spend a lot of time explaining terms, so if I
were to do this again, I would preserve the idea of the lesson, but make my own terms with
simplified vocabulary in order to better match their education level.