Francis, Winter 2015: Adapted from - UbD Template 2.

1 - Grant Wiggins & Jay McTighe 2011

The Executive Branch

Subject/Content:

Time Frame: [what month do you supposed this to be]

GOVERNMENT/CIVICS
Topic Area: [As in, what is the overall UNIT (ie. properties of matter)

Grade Level:

THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

HIGH SCHOOL / 11TH GRADE

Designed by

Length of Unit:

JESSICA ROBBINS

10 DAYS

School District:

School:

Unit Overview
The aim of this lesson is to familiarize students with the sources of power in the Executive Branch and educate them on its
organization and functions. This material will also help students recognize how their knowledge & understanding of the topic will
cause them to be better at evaluating current and past Presidents and their staffs.

Stage 1 Desired Results

ESTABLISHED GOALS/ STANDARDS

BIG IDEAS and KEY SKILLS from established goals

The Central Concepts, BIG IDEAS, and KEY SKILLS of this unit are

THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

3.1.2 Analyze the purposes, organization, Understanding the organization & functions/purposes of the Executive Branch
functions, and processes of the executive and where they get their power
HSCEs

branch as enumerated in Article II of the

Constitution.

11-12th Grade CCSS

2. Determine the central ideas or
information of a primary or secondary

Sources of Power for the Executive Branch:

ARTICLE II of the Constitution
INHERENT POWERS DERIVED FROM THE CONSTITUTION

source; provide an accurate summary that

makes clear the relationships among the
key details and ideas.
7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources
of information presented in diverse
formats and media (e.g., visually,
quantitatively, as well as in words) in
order to address a question or solve a
problem.
Reading Standards for Informational Text
8. Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in
seminal U.S. texts, including the
application of constitutional principles
and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S.
Supreme Court majority opinions and
dissents) and the premises, purposes, and
arguments in works of public advocacy
(e.g., The Federalist, presidential
addresses).

The Organization of the Executive Branch:

PRESIDENCY
VICE PRESIDENT
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT (EOP)
SPECIAL ADVISORY GROUPS
DEPARTMENTS:
Cabinet
Independent Agencies
Government Corporations
Presidential Functions/Purposes:
1.Chief of State
head of government, rules and reigns over gov. (Not all nations presidents rule. One can
simply reign)
2.Commander in Chief
head of the armed forces with power to directly and immediately control the army
3.Chief Diplomat
main author of American foreign policy
4. Chief Legislator
shapes public policy may suggest, request, and insist that Congress enact laws he/she
believes are needed
5. Chief of Party
leader of political party
6. Chief Guardian of the Economy
president does not control the economy, but is expected to help it run smoothly
7. Chief Executive
as vested by the Constitution with broad executive powers

Understandings At the end of this unit, students will understand THAT

o there is constitutional provision for the Executive Branch

o the source of power for the Executive Branch is established with the original draft of
the Constitution and, also, with later added amendments
o the structure of the Executive Branch and the Presidential line of succession gives the
VP a lot of power
o the duties performed by the Cabinet and Special Advisory groups make them powerful
o powers and roles of the President are diverse, distinct, and an expected part of his job
o the Departments play a huge part in helping the President to execute his responsibilities
o in order to have educated opinions a person must comprehend the roles/function of the
president/Executive Branch

Central or Essential Questions Questions that drive unit inquiry in a CLEAR

conceptual order

Is our President doing a good job?

Learning Objectives What will students be able to do with their knowledge

after instruction?

Students will compare/contrast the power Article II gives/ does not gives the
executive branch
Students will explain the structure/organization of the executive branch.

Students will identify the individuals and agencies who exercise executive power
(including the Vice President, Special Advisory Groups, and the Federal Bureaucracy)
Students will be able to describe presidential roles
Students will be able to create connections between material and current events, thus
furthering their understanding of the executive branchs importance

Value of Content
By learning this content and these skills, students will

Understand the growth of the power of the Executive Branch over time through a
historical perspective in order to help them shape their individual political ideologies in
an educated way.

Students will be able to define key terms associated with the organization of the
Executive Branch; thus, causing them to keep up easily with current news about
government and politics.

Students will be able to make more informed decisions when performing civic duties,
such as voting, based on their greater level of knowledge about the roles of the
President and Executive Branch departments.
Acquisition

Students need to learn these component parts of the knowledge and skills

The Source of Power for the Executive Branch:

ARTICLE II of CONSTITUTION
DIRECT POWERS: The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the U.S.A.

Appointment Power with the advice and consent of the Senate, Ambassadors, other
public Ministers and Consuls, judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the
United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which
shall be establish by Law.

Power to Convene Congress: president required to inform Congress periodically of

the State of the Union and he has authority to convene either or both houses on
extraordinary Occasions

Power to Make Treaties: with foreign nations must be approved by 2/3s of Senate &
he can receive ambassadors

Veto Power: authority to reject any congressional legislation

Power to Preside Over the Military: Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of
the United States

Pardoning Power: an executive grant releasing an individual from the punishment or

legal consequences of a crime before or after conviction, and restores all rights and
privileges of citizenship.

POWERS WITHOUT DIRECT CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION: The President has

inherent powers based on the major role the constitution gives the president in foreign policy.
For Example:

To conduct foreign policy, presidents also have signed executive agreements with
other countries that do not require Senate action. The Supreme Court ruled that these
agreements are within the inherent powers of the president.

Under executive privilege, the president decides when information developed within
the executive branch cannot be released to Congress or the courts. A claim of
executive privilege is based on the separation of powers, the need to protect diplomatic

and military secrets, and the notion that people around the president must feel free to
give candid advice. Many presidents have invoked executive privilege including
Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal and George W. Bush during the
investigation into the firing of a number of U.S. attorneys.
The Organization of the Executive Branch:
PRESIDENCY:
qualifications: natural born citizen, at least 35, resident of US for at least 15 years, terms: 4yr
w/chance of reelection, & salary: 400,000 since 2001 w/50,000 in expense account,
succession: who may become or act as president upon a standing presidents death, resignation,
incapacity, or removal from office (v.p., speaker of house, president pro tempore of the senate,
secretary of state, sec. of treasury, sec. of defense, attorney general, secretary to the interior,
secretary of agriculture....), election:
VICE PRESIDENT:

president of the senate as deemed by the Constitution

ceremonial assistant to the president

second highest official

indirectly elected by the people through the electoral college

4yr term with chance of reelection with the president

qualifications are the same as for the president

makes $230,700
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT (EOP)

created in 1939 by Franklin Roosevelt

the White House Staff heads up the EOP

some positions include: Office of Management and Budget, National Security

Council, White House Communications and Press Secretary

Helps to keep the Executive Branch running smoothly

Some EOP positions are approved by the Senate and others are just hired by the
President
BUREAUCRACY:

Special Advisory Groups:

e.g.s: Digital Advisory Board, Military Assistance Advisory Group, Presidents

Council of Advisors on Science and Technology

Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) since 1972 governs behavior of advisory
groups
Cabinet Departments:
(Could talk about how they are chosen and what they are...Explain how they help the president
with his roles, but will talk later about what they do in more detail)
State, Treasury, Defense, Interior, Justice, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health &
Human Services, Housing & Urban Development, Transportation, Energy, Education,
Veterans Affairs
Independent Agencies:
Executive Agencies (NASA, EPA) & Regulatory Commissions
Government Corp:
US Postal Service
Presidential Functions/Purposes
Roles of the President:
1.Chief of State
head of government, rules & reigns over gov. (Not all nations presidents rule. One can simply
reign)
2.Commander in Chief
head of the armed forces with power to directly and immediately control the army
3.Chief Diplomat
main author of American foreign policy
4. Chief Legislator
shapes public policy may suggest, request, and insist that Congress enact laws he/she
believes are needed
5. Chief of Party

leader of political party

6. Chief of Guardian of the Economy
president does not control the economy, but is expected to help it run smoothly
7. Chief Executive
as vested by the Constitution with broad executive powers
Importance of the relationship between President and his Cabinet.
Cabinet helps president execute his roles
The interactive relationship between both

Existing Student Knowledge

Anticipated preconceptions

The best presidents are highly educated and have a lot of

experience in government.

Students may view the President as a superhero,

believing he has all the power to fix much of the problems
in the nation.
Students may assume the President alone is really the only
important part of the Executive Branch. It may be hard for
them to understand why the other bureaucrats in this branch
are so influential in United States politics as well.

Anticipated Challenges

How instructor will use preconceptions

We would use the preconceptions...we could:

Talk about a little bio of past presidents and their lack of

education, social status, experience in government, etc.

Some students may have come from different countries who

do not have the same type of government we have in the
U.S., making learning something different that much harder.

How instructor will mediate these challenges

By accommodating students with differing backgrounds and

learning styles over the course of this unit. Content will be
presented in a variety of learning activities through which
content is presented to students, with cooperative learning
including both small group work and whole-class discussion.
Students will use information in multiple forms, including

primary and secondary sources, visuals, and speeches.

Give examples from current news stories on public policy,

showing the students an example of the Presidents inability to
get policy passed that was important to him.

Show current news on something Cabinet officials had been

influential in doing that also had a good amount of effect on
the nation as a whole.

Other notes on Stage I

Stage 2 Determining Acceptable Evidence

Performance Tasks

Give a description here of the Performance TASKS.

In a group of three I will assign each group a president to research. All of your research will be conducted online through academic
sites or journals. Groups will use Prezi to present information findings about their chosen president. This project will have three
components: research, design, and presentation. For the research part, assigned groups will research their chosen president through

academic web sites. It will be each groups responsibility to research their president's background, qualifications, his vice president and
appointed officials, and collect images for the project. Prezi will be used for the creation phase of the project once research has been
completed.
Finally, students will give a presentation in which they have to present for at least 5 minutes on their chosen president. Students will be
scored by a rubric in which they will be measured on their content, organization, creativity, presentation and mechanics. To ensure
accountability for individual work, students will also submit a short reflection on their contributions to the project and on their fellow
group members. In addition, all students must present their opinion on if they would vote for their president. By the end of the project
it is my hope that all students will develop a deeper understanding of the president they researched and a general idea of presidents that
their classmates are researching and presenting on.
Formal Assessments (Multiple choice quizzes or tests, essay questions)

1. Through the enumeration (list of things named) in Article II of the Constitution, the President is given power to do all of the
following EXCEPT (pick one)
a) Reject a piece of legislation created in Congress
b) Restrict the nation from trade with an enemy nation
c) Command the military to enter direct warfare
d) Address the nation concerning his plans on education
2. What is the correct order for the presidential line of succession in the case of his death, resignation, etc.?
a) vice president, speaker of house, president pro tempore of senate, sec. of state, sec. of treasury
b) vice president, president pro tempore of senate, speaker of house, sec. of state, sec. of treasury
c) vice president, secretary of state, secretary of defense, attorney general, secretary to the interior
d) sec. of state, vice president, speaker of house, pres pro tempore of senate, attorney general
3. What is the longest time that one person can be president?
a) 4 years
b) 8 years
c) 12 years
d) for as long as they are elected

4. What is the Executive Office of the President?

a) another name for the oval office of the President
b) part of the white house staff that handles phone calls
c) officials that help the executive branch run smoothly
d) the Press Secretary officials who brief the press and media
5. How are cabinet officials chosen for their departments?
a) the president directly appoints the cabinet figureheads
b) cabinet officials are chosen by the previous presidency
c) a 2/3s vote is needed from both the house and senate
d) both the president and congress elect each official

6. The system of checks and balances is best illustrated by the power

of
a) the President to veto a bill passed by Congress
b) Congress to censure one of its members
c) a governor to send the National Guard to stop a riots
d) state and Federal governments to levy and collect taxes

7. Which of the following was an original Cabinet department?

a) Housing and Urban Development
b) War
c) Criminal Justice
d) Transportation
e) Peace
8. The job of the Executive Branch is to:
a) Make laws
b) Enforce laws
c) Interpret laws

d) Change laws
9. The formal body of presidential advisors who also head the executive departments are known as the
a) Joint Chiefs of Staff.
b) cabinet
c) Executive Council
d) White House Council.
10. Which of the following illustrates the president's role as chief of state?
a) Kennedy's 1961 trip to France.
b) Clinton's meeting with Newt Gingrich.
c) Eisenhowers use of troops to integrate public schools in Little Rock Arkansas
d) George W. Bush's order to use military force to topple Iraq and capture Saddam Hussein..

Essays

Some people think that the president has too much responsibility, while others think his functions are necessary for fulfilling the
duties of the office. Choose a side to argue based on which five of his roles are most important.

First, explain some of the powers the Constitution gives the president: Give two direct powers and two inherent powers.
Secondly, explain how the dynamic of these two different kinds of powers lead to possible use and abuse by the president?
I WILL FIX THIS

Performance Assessment Blueprints-Provide a blueprint for at least one task.

What understandings and goals will be assessed though this task? What essential questions will be uncovered in
this performance task?

there is constitutional provision for the Executive Branch

the source of power for the Executive Branch is established with the original draft of the Constitution and, also, with later
added amendments
the structure of the Executive Branch and the Presidential line of succession gives the VP a lot of power
the duties performed by the Cabinet and Special Advisory groups make them powerful

powers and roles of the President are diverse and distinct

Essential Questions:

How does a president's background affect my decision to vote for them?

What are some important qualifications for a president?

How do the legacies of each president inform my vote?

Would I vote for this president?

Through what authentic performance task will students demonstrate understanding? Describe task(s) in detail so
students clearly understand the expectations. (Optional -- of GRASPS here)
???????? Not sure what this spot is asking for, do you? This box was not on the original template we were
working on that he gave us.

What student products and/or performances will provide evidence of desired understandings?
After doing research and producing a digital presentation on a chosen president, I hope they will be able to determine if their chosen
president was doing a good job.

By what criteria will student products and performances be evaluated? Provide standards or rubrics by
which the task will be judged.

Presentation Elements for Rubric

1.

Opening shot with a photo of their president

Full name of president

Political Party

Presidential number

Years of presidency

2.

Background information

Must have at least 3 facts about the presidents background

Facts can include family, childhood, religion, etc.

Each fact must have a photo to illustrate their background.

3.

Qualifications

Must have at least 3 facts about the presidents qualifications.

These are experiences of the president that helped prepare him for the
job. (education, business experience, etc.)

Each fact must have a photo to illustrate their background.

4.

Presidency

Must show 5 facts about events during their presidency. These can be
labeled as successes or failures.

Each event must have a photo tied to it.

5.

Would you vote for him?

All students will write a paragraph (5 sentences) arguing reasons for
voting or not voting for their president. All students will present their
opinion to the class during their team presentation.

Multimedia Project: Powers, Organization, and Functions/Purposes of Executive

Branch

Teacher Name: Mrs. Robbins

Student Name:

CATEGORY

________________________________________

Presentation

Well-rehearsed
with
smooth
delivery
that holds
audience
attention.

Rehearsed with fairly

smooth
delivery that
holds
audience
attention
most of the
time.

Delivery not smooth,

but able to
maintain
interest of
the
audience
most of the
time.

Delivery not smooth

and audience
attention
often lost.

Content

Covers topic indepth with

details
and
examples.
Subject
knowledg
e is
excellent.

Includes essential
knowledge
about the
topic.
Subject
knowledge
appears to
be good.

Includes essential
information
about the
topic but
there are 12 factual
errors.

Content is minimal OR
there are
several
factual errors.

Organization

Content is well
organized
using
headings
or bulleted
lists to
group
related
material.

Uses headings or
bulleted lists
to organize,
but the
overall
organization
of topics
appears
flawed.

Content is logically
organized
for the most
part.

There was no clear or

logical
organizational
structure, just
lots of facts.

Originality

Product shows a
large
amount of

Product shows some

original
thought.

Uses other people\'s

ideas
(giving

Uses other people\'s

ideas, but
does not give

original
thought.
Ideas are
creative
and
inventive.

Work shows
new ideas
and insights.

them
credit), but
there is
little
evidence of
original
thinking.

them credit.

Requirements

All requirements
are met
and
exceeded.

All requirements are

met.

One requirement
was not
completely
met.

More than one

requirement
was not
completely
met.

Workload

The workload is
divided
and
shared
equally by
all team
members.

The workload is
divided and
shared fairly
by all team
members,
though
workloads
may vary
from person
to person.

The workload was

divided, but
one person
in the group
is viewed
as not
doing
his/her fair
share of the
work.

The workload was not

divided OR
several
people in the
group are
viewed as not
doing their
fair share of
the work.

Mechanics

No misspellings or
grammatic
al errors.

Three or fewer
misspellings
and/or
mechanical
errors.

Four misspellings
and/or
grammatica
l errors.

More than 4 errors in

spelling or
grammar.

Instructional Sequence for the Assessment

NEED TO DO THIS STILL

Calendar
Day

Module

Big Ideas, Skills

Hook for Entire Unit

Is Our President Doing a

Good Job?

Sources of Power

Do you know there are

many presidential tasks
that the Constitution
commands and others that
are without direct
constitutional provision?

Organization of
Executive Branch

Intro: Organization of The

Executive Branch

Objectives

Potential Activities

That students will

- Watch YouTube video
decide it is important to of peoples opinion of
president
know whats expected
of the president in order
-Anticipation guides
to judge whether hes
doing a good/bad job
Students will
-Interaction on the
communicate the
website for Executive
powers of the President Orders. Students will
as vested in the
see what the history of
constitution and will be past E.O.s since the
able to make sense of
Franklin Roosevelt
executive orders/
administration
agreements/privileges
Have students free
Ask students to consider write and discuss.
who the President would

Assessme
nt
Verbal

Have
students find
two
past/current
E.O.s and
write a free
write about
them

ask for help or advice?

Organization of
Executive Branch

Explain the multiple

positions in the Executive
Branch.

Organization of
Executive Branch

Asses students with a Pop

Quiz on material
presented

Presidential
Functions

Intro: Different Roles of

Pres

Presidential
Functions

Functions & Intro to

Research Project

Relationship btwn
president & cabinet

Lecture on the
organization of the
Executive Branch and
who makes up the
Executive Branch.
Check over to make sure
a majority of the class
understands the material
presented.
Students will be able to
describe the seven roles
of the president and be
able to assess the current
performance of the
executive branch

Lecture on the
organization of the
Executive Branch and
who makes up the
Executive Branch.

hook
w/YouTube
experiment
split-page
notes on
PowerPoint

recognize how the

video
duties performed by the
Cabinet make the
Presidents job possible
debate over how
-Put class into groups:
powerful cabinet heads one group would be
president & others will
are vs. the president
be different
departments. After
given a fact sheet of
some of the recent
activities of groups,
groups will debate

-verbal
discussion

Presentation
of the debate

about who has

accomplished the most
in the past six months
9

Research Project/
Computer Lab Day

10

Unit Test

Determining how we
believe our current
president is doing

create connections
between material and
past or current
presidents, thus
understanding how one
goes about appraising
the job of the president

Daily Plans
HOOKING Lesson Plan I

Title of lesson: THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Your Name: JESSICA ROBBINS

Length of activity: 50 MINUTES/1 CLASS PERIOD

Overview:

Individual
mini
research
papers on
current
president

This activity will help get the students thinking about what they already know/dont know about the
Presidents job. As a group they will analyze different presidential tasks and rank them in order of
importance as they see fit.
Central problem/ Essential question:

Identify the UNITS central problem (in question form) that you will be hooking students into

The central problem in this Unit, the Executive Branch, is based on the question: Is the President doing a
good job? Getting the students thinking about what the President actually does is essential to them being
able to answer this question.

Objectives:
Students will be able to:
1. compare/contrast the power article II gives/does not give the president

explain the structure/organization of the executive branch.

describe presidential roles

Standards:
HSCEs
3.1.2 Analyze the purposes, organization, functions, and processes of the executive branch as enumerated in Article II of the
Constitution.

Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding:

Explain the challenges you anticipate students might face in accomplishing the lesson

objectives AND how you plan to address these.

Some students may have come from different countries who do not have the same type of government we have in the U.S.,
making learning something with no prior foundation that much harder.

To accommodate students with differing backgrounds and learning styles over the course of this unit. Content will be presented in a variety
of learning activities through which content is presented to students, with cooperative learning including both small group work and wholeclass discussion. Students will use information in multiple forms, including primary and secondary sources, visuals, and speeches.

Students may assume the President alone is really the only important part of the Executive Branch. It may be hard for them to
understand why the other bureaucrats in this branch are so influential in United States politics as well.

We would use the preconceptions...we could:

talk about a little bio of past presidents and their lack of education, social status, experience in government, etc.

give examples from current news stories on public policy, showing the students an example of the Presidents inability to get policy
passed that was important to him.

show current news on something Cabinet officials had been influential in doing that also had a good amount of effect on the nation
as a whole.

Materials/Evidence/Sources:

Use bullet points to identify the resources that the teacher and students will use in the lesson. Attach all relevant materials such as

handouts, lecture notes, etc.

YouTube clip about presidential approval

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XaTsFjjBpg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prtKw0y2WgU

Current event/news article about presidential approval

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2015/01/19/obamas-approval-rating-bump-by-the-numbers/

Executive Orders Disposition Tables Index

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/executive-orders/disposition.html

anticipation guides A, B, and C

https://docs.google.com/a/oakland.edu/document/d/1US1biFXvjNE1CXHcfZM7mAb8EnA2hwPteftZIuzGJ9g/edit

Instructional Sequence: List the steps in teaching this lesson including ways you intend to launch and close the lesson and the details of teacher and student actions.
These steps should be appropriately detailed so that a substitute teacher could teach the lesson. Provide an approximate time frame for each step.
The first step of your instructional sequence should detail how you will launch the lesson, including what you will say to the students about the importance of the lesson, what it is
that you want the students to learn, and how this lesson links to what has come before and what will follow it.
1., 2., 3., etc.

The last step of your instructional sequence should detail how you will conclude the lesson, including what you would say to the students about the lessons take away or main
objective and how todays lesson links to tomorrows and thereafter.

Launch lesson with question:

Imagine you have been elected President of the United States. What do you think would be the best
part of the job? Having your own personal jet? Living in the White House? Having a bowling alley in your
house? (Yes, theres a one lane bowling alley in the basement of the White House!) Being president is not
just fun and games. You have real responsibilities.

Hook Activity

Ask students what they think the Presidents job is.

Give students a moment, then randomly call on students to share what they thought of. (5 min)

Distribute one Anticipation Activity to each student.

Read the directions for the Anticipation Activity with the class. (5 min)

Assign students to complete Groups A, B, and C of the Anticipation Activity. (2 min)

When they have finished, discuss each group of three tasks with the class. (5 min)

Conclusion of Lesson:
Does this help you think about some of the more serious aspects of the Presidents job? The President,
along with the rest of the Executive Branch, has a lot of responsibility. In the days ahead we will learn
about the source of their power, how the Branch is organized, and the functions and purposes of the

President and his Cabinet.

Assessment:

Explain how you will assess student understanding during and after instruction. This might be formal or informal and should align with lesson objectives and
the instructional sequence.

This activity will not be assessed. It is merely a way to get students engaged and thinking about the
Executive Branch.

Attach all handouts, texts, images, lecture notes, etc.

Lesson Plan II

Title of lesson:
Your Name:
Length of lesson:
Context of Lesson:

Briefly explain how the lesson aligns with what came before, what comes after, and with the unit as a whole [for
mini-lessons, briefly describe what sort of course (include course title and grade level) and unit this lesson might be in]

Overview:

Provide a short (2-3 sentence) description of lesson

Central problem/ Essential question:

Objectives:

Identify the lessons central problem (in question form)

Use bullet points to specify the lesson objectives (Big IDEAS and SKILLS as learning goals). Use the format: Students will
Be sure to ground your objectives in state content expectations and/or national standards, and cite which expectations you use (place the

number of the expectation in parentheses following each objective). Students will know/be able to:

Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding:

Explain the challenges you anticipate students

might face in accomplishing the lesson objectives AND how you plan to address these.

Materials/Evidence/Sources:

Use bullet points to identify the resources that the teacher and students will use in the lesson.
Attach all relevant materials such as handouts, lecture notes, etc.

Instructional Sequence:

List the steps in teaching this lesson including ways you intend to launch and close the lesson and the
details of teacher and student actions. These steps should be appropriately detailed so that a substitute teacher could teach the
lesson. Provide an approximate time frame for each step.
The first step of your instructional sequence should detail how you will launch the lesson, including what you will say to the students
about the importance of the lesson, what it is that you want the students to learn, and how this lesson links to what has come before
and what will follow it.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Etc.
The last step of your instructional sequence should detail how you will conclude the lesson, including what you would say to the
students about the lessons take away or main objective and how todays lesson links to tomorrows and thereafter.

Assessment:

Explain how you will assess student understanding during and after instruction. This might be formal or informal and
should align with lesson objectives and the instructional sequence.

Attach all handouts, texts, images, lecture notes, etc.

Lesson Plan III

Title of lesson:
Your Name:
Length of lesson:
Context of Lesson:

Briefly explain how the lesson aligns with what came before, what comes after, and with the unit as a whole [for
mini-lessons, briefly describe what sort of course (include course title and grade level) and unit this lesson might be in]

Overview:

Provide a short (2-3 sentence) description of lesson

Central problem/ Essential question:

Identify the lessons central problem (in question form)

Objectives: Use bullet points to specify the lesson objectives (Big IDEAS and SKILLS as learning goals). Use the format: Students will Be
sure to ground your objectives in state content expectations and/or national standards, and cite which expectations you use (place the number
of the expectation in parentheses following each objective).
Students will know/be able to:

Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding:

Explain the challenges you anticipate students

might face in accomplishing the lesson objectives AND how you plan to address these.

Materials/Evidence/Sources:

Use bullet points to identify the resources that the teacher and students will use in the lesson.
Attach all relevant materials such as handouts, lecture notes, etc.

Instructional Sequence:

List the steps in teaching this lesson including ways you intend to launch and close the lesson and the
details of teacher and student actions. These steps should be appropriately detailed so that a substitute teacher could teach the
lesson. Provide an approximate time frame for each step. The first step of your instructional sequence should detail how you will launch the
lesson, including what you will say to the students about the importance of the lesson, what it is that you want the students to learn, and how
this lesson links to what has come before and what will follow it (1. 2. 3. 4. Etc.) The last step of your instructional sequence should detail
how you will conclude the lesson, including what you would say to the students about the lessons take away or main objective and how
todays lesson links to tomorrows and thereafter.

Assessment:

Explain how you will assess student understanding during and after instruction. This might be formal or informal and
should align with lesson objectives and the instructional sequence.

Attach all handouts, texts, images, lecture notes, etc.

Lesson Plan IV
I need to make sure this is enough to cover 3 days, finish instructional sequence, and make up assessments
before & during instruction

Title of lesson: PRESIDENTIAL FUNCTIONS/PURPOSES Roles of the President

Your Name: JESSICA ROBBINS

Length of lesson: 3 CLASS PERIODS

Context of Lesson:

Briefly explain how the lesson aligns with what came before, what comes after, and with the unit as a whole [for mini-lessons, briefly describe what

sort of course (include course title and grade level) and unit this lesson might be in]

This lesson is within the Executive Branch Unit. It is directly following the lesson explaining how the executive branch is organized.
Now, I want the students to learn what different function/purposes/roles this branch plays.

Overview:

Provide a short (2-3 sentence) description of lesson

This lesson will teach students about what the actual roles of the President are and how his department helps him to reach his
objectives.

Central problem/ Essential question:

Identify the lessons central problem (in question form)

What are the responsibilities of the president? Are they specific? How does he/she accomplish all the tasks at hand?

Objectives:

Use bullet points to specify the lesson objectives (Big IDEAS and SKILLS as learning goals). Use the format: Students will Be sure to ground your
objectives in state content expectations and/or national standards, and cite which expectations you use (place the number of the expectation in parentheses following each
objective).

Students will know/be able to:

describe presidential roles and break down how distinct and diverse they are

recognize how the duties performed by the Cabinet make the Presidents job possible

debate over how powerful cabinet heads are vs. the president

Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding:

Explain the challenges you anticipate students might face in accomplishing the lesson

objectives AND how you plan to address these.

student assumption that president has powers that are more legislative or judicial may make it difficult to teach a narrow lesson
on the executive branch. Theyre prior knowledge or assumptions about how all branches are interconnected and how checks
and balances play a role in it all could make it difficult.

- If it needs to be addressed, I will mention checks and balances and how the legislative and judicial roles are an entity all
themselves, but I will explain that we will touch on them more later and remind the students to try and focus solely on the president's
direct authority alone.

due to lack of time it will be difficult to teach the kids about the in depth functions of the each department, but they need to
understand how much work they do
- I will...

Materials/Evidence/Sources:

Use bullet points to identify the resources that the teacher and students will use in the lesson. Attach all relevant materials such as

handouts, lecture notes, etc.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/schedule/complete/2015-04-06

powerpoint of Functions of Executive Branch/Roles of President (not mine...but could use slides/wouldnt use audio)/ start at
1.30ish seconds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=262ck-bt6qo

guideline for students to take notes concerning the interaction between the Cabinet and the President

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxSvi6JCCfk

Instructional Sequence: List the steps in teaching this lesson including ways you intend to launch and close the lesson and the details
of teacher and student actions. These steps should be appropriately detailed so that a substitute teacher could teach the lesson.
Provide an approximate time frame for each step.The first step of your instructional sequence should detail how you will launch the lesson,
including what you will say to the students about the importance of the lesson, what it is that you want the students to learn, and how this
lesson links to what has come before and what will follow it.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Etc.
The last step of your instructional sequence should detail how you will conclude the lesson, including what you would say to the students about the lessons take away or main
objective and how todays lesson links to tomorrows and thereafter.

Assessment:

Explain how you will assess student understanding during and after instruction. This might be formal or informal and should align with lesson objectives and
the instructional sequence.

During Instruction:

After Instruction:

Unit test with multiple choice & essay questions

Multimedia Project: Researching A Past or Present President

Attach all handouts, texts, images, lecture notes, etc.

Lesson Plan V
I just need to go back on Oakland atlas and put the full lesson on here in order to extend it over 3 days
Title of lesson: PRESIDENTIAL FUNCTIONS/PURPOSES - Roles of the President

Your Name: JESSICA ROBBINS

Length of lesson: 3 CLASS PERIODS
Context of Lesson:
The overall lesson of the Executive Branch will come after talking about the Legislative Branch and before the
Judicial Branch. This lesson itself, though, will be taught in the context of the students already knowing about the
Constitutional powers of the President as per Article II and his executive prerogative, along with inherent powers.
After the students learn about the presidents other roles/responsibilities outside of the Constitution, they following
lesson will be about the checks and tensions among branches.
Overview:
In this lesson, students explore the seven roles of the president and how the president uses the Cabinet and
federal bureaucracy to govern. Students will analyze the functions of the bureaucracy with respect to regulation and
implementation of law.
Central problem/ Essential question:
How are the purposes of government and constitutional principles reflected in the powers and structure of the
executive branch?

Objectives: Students will know/be able to:

Break down the different roles of the president, paying special attention to how he executes the law, which is
one of his many roles and explain the structure of the rest of the Executive Branch (Cabinet & regulatory
agencies) as they pertain to assisting the president in his roles (HSCEs- C3.1.2)
Assess the importance of participating in civic life through understanding the roles of the president in order to
develop a more educated opinion over presidential performance. (C3.1.4)
(C6.2.4) Participate in a real or simulated election, and evaluate the results, including the impact of voter
turnout and demographics.

Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding:

Explain the challenges you anticipate students might face in accomplishing the lesson objectives AND how you plan to address these.

Materials/Evidence/Sources:
Unit 4 Supplemental Materials
<http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/games_quizzes/president_roles/>
Instructional Sequence:
Before beginning this lesson, assign students to read the appropriate sections of the textbook that address the roles
of the president, the cabinet, and the federal bureaucracy.
1. Begin the lesson by explaining that in addition to both constitutional powers and executive prerogative
presidents have other responsibilities. Have students review the weekly schedule distributed from Lessons 1 and
2. Ask them to look at Oct. 14, 2010. Point out that at 4:00 PM, the president participated in a youth Town Hall
live on Viacoms BET, CMT, and MTV networks. Is that in the Constitution? Is that done in an emergency
situation as an executive prerogative, or is that just part of the job?
2. Explain that in total, the different responsibilities of the president, whether they come from constitutional grants
of power, executive prerogative, or are just based on tradition and custom, are defined collectively as falling into
seven distinct roles. Distribute the document, Roles of the President located in the Supplemental Materials
(Unit 4) to students and display the same to the class. Discuss each role by giving a brief definition and a few
examples. They are:
Chief of State
Chief Executive

Chief Diplomat
Commander in Chief
Chief Legislator
Chief of Party
Chief Guardian of the Economy
A teacher reference guide has been included in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 4) as a guide.

Teacher Note: The number of roles the president plays varies depending on the source. Some sources do not
include chief legislator or chief guardian of the economy. Other sources include President of the West, which is
defined as spokesman for the Free World.
3. After introducing each role, have students work with a partner to explore the presidents schedule from Lessons 1
and 2 to identify the president acting in each of these roles. Allow students about 5-7 minutes to make notes on
the schedule and then elicit students responses with the whole class. For additional practice, have students play
the Internet game at <http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/games_quizzes/president_roles/>.
4. Next, tell students that they are going to focus on the role of Chief Executive. Explain that the Constitution
explicitly states that the president shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed and shall commission all
the officers of the United States. Art II, Sec. 3. Ask students to think about how one person can possibly do
this. Elicit student responses and guide them to the idea that the president has many people helping him
faithfully execute the laws of the United States.
5. Explain to students that one group of people that assist and advise the president are collectively known as the
Cabinet. Ask students to work with a partner in reviewing the text of Article II, Section II, Clause I of the
Constitution to locate the creation of the Cabinet in the constitutional text or display the same located in the
Supplemental Materials (Unit 4). Allow students about 1-2 minutes to search and then discuss what they found
(or did not find).
6. After students recognize that the Cabinet is not delineated in the Constitution, explain that at the Constitutional
Convention, there was a persistent effort to impose a council on the President. The idea ultimately failed, partly
because of the diversity of ideas: one member wished it to consist of members of the two houses, another
wished it to comprise two representatives from each of three sections, with a rotation and duration of office
similar to those of the Senate. The proposal, which had the strongest backing, was that it should consist of the
head of departments and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who should preside when the President was

absent. Of this proposal the only part to survive was the provision which stated:
; . . . he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive
departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, . . .
Using the US Constitution, Article II, Section II, Clause I located in the Supplemental Material (Unit 4), highlight
the above text for students. Ask students for the literal interpretation of the text. Guide students to recognize
the relationship between the president and the heads of the executive departments:
Is an entirely onesided affair
Is conducted with each principal officer separately and in writing
It relates only to the duties of their respective offices.
Ask students; do you think this is how the president interacts with the Cabinet today? After eliciting students
responses, explain that the Cabinet as we know it today was brought about solely on the initiative of the first
President, and may be dispensed with on presidential initiative at any time. Also explain that several Presidents
have in fact reduced the Cabinet meeting to little more than a ceremony with social trimmings. Be sure that
students understand that this can happen because it is not explicitly delineated in the constitutional text. (See
http://www.law.cornell.edu/anncon/html/art2frag12_user.html#art2_hd52).
7. Next, explain that in order for the president to take care that the laws be faithfully executed and shall
commission all the officers of the United States. Art II, Sec. 3, there are other offices and agencies within the
executive department beside the Cabinet. Tell students that they are going to investigate the scope of the
executive branch through a reading. Distribute the article Executive Branch - Divisions of the Executive
Branch, located in the Supplemental Materials (Unit 4). Allow time for students to read the article in class
(about 7-10 minutes).
8. Once students have completed the reading from Step 7, divide them into groups of four students each. Provide
each group with chart paper and markers. Explain to students that their task is to construct a graphic organizer
that represents the structure of the executive branch. Allow students to use the handout, but not their textbook.
Give them about 15-20 minutes to construct a graphic organizer of the executive branch and then post them
around the room
9. Allow the student groups a few minutes to travel around the room reviewing the other groups graphic
organizers. Have them reconvene at their original graphic organizer and discuss any changes, if any, they would
make (about five minutes). Discuss the graphic organizers with the entire class using the following questions:

What similarities did you notice?

How did the graphic organizers differ?
After reviewing other graphic organizers, did your group want to change anything? What and why?
Explore your textbook for a graphic organizer that represents the executive branch. How is it similar to
what students created? How is it different?
Guide students in some meta-cognition analysis:
o What thinking skills do you use when looking at a graphic organizer that has already been created?
o What thinking skills did you use when you had to create your own graphic organizer?
o How does looking at a graphic organizer and creating one make you think differently about the topic?

Debrief the exercise by noting that the executive branch is much larger than most people recognize. Remind
students that within the constitutional scheme, the executive branch is in charge of executing or carrying the laws
passed by Congress. In order to do this, Congress creates regulatory agencies and commissions empowered to
create rules and regulations to detail and enforce laws. Have students turn and talk with a partner in which they
identify two ways in which agencies in the federal bureaucracy may assist the president in performing his role as
Chief Executive.

Assessment:

Explain how you will assess student understanding during and after instruction. This might be formal or informal and
should align with lesson objectives and the instructional sequence.

Attach all handouts, texts, images, lecture notes, etc.

STAGE IV
FINAL BRAINDUMP: This is one- or two-page reflection on learning from the backward design unit planning process. The reflection considers
what you learned about planning that changed your view about teaching and learning. Consider also these questions: How do I see using what
I have learned in planning this unit for planning in the future? What were the biggest challenges that I faced? What am I most proud of?
Reflection is thoughtful and coherent and the writing is free of errors. (2)

I NEED TO DO STILL