Austin Bogina

Lesson Number 2
Title: People of the Government
Discipline: Civics/Government
Standard: #3- Societies are shaped by beliefs, ideas, and diversity.
Benchmark: 3.1- The student will recognize and evaluate significant beliefs, contributions, and
ideas of the many diverse people and groups and their impact on individuals, communities, states,
and nations.
Student Performance Objectives: The student will demonstrate cooperation and compromise in
roles of leadership and participation of the different people and groups that run the government.
List of Materials:

Worksheet over the differences between U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S.
Senate.
Worksheet If I were the President, I would writing prompt
SmartBoard
Computer for the teacher
Motivational displays
Election posters
White papers
Markers/color pencils
Scissors
Glue
Podium/Stand

Anticipatory Set: Start the class off by asking the question, Who calls the shots around here?
and see where the class takes the discussion. Responses should include, but not limited to, you
(the teacher), principal, or superintendent. Next ask, Who calls the shots when you are at
home? with the students response being their parents or guardians. These opening questions
should stimulate the students interest in what types of power different people have. As a class,
promote a discussion of the different types of rules and procedures that the people in charge get
to have and implement. On the SmartBoard, as a visual tool, draw and display a tree branch with
the Superintendent at the top, then branching down below it have the Principal, followed by a
branch leading to the teacher. This will show the students the types of people that have power,
but still have to answer to an even high power, such as to the President of the United States.

Instruction/Modeling: The lesson will have been started with the anticipatory set listed above,
and just like in Lesson 1 both lecture and questioning for understanding as learning styles are
being used. After the students have an understanding of what the goal for the lesson is going to
be, go right into explaining the different types of government officials and people that the U.S.
government consists of. The different groups and people that will be taught include Congress,
Senate, House of Representatives, Governors, and the President of the United States. The first
page the students are going to fill out is a worksheet that lists the different jobs of the U.S. Senate
and the U.S. House of Representatives. Students will also search for how many members are in
each of the groups. To make this more of an interactive activity, I recommend placing the
students in groups of two to make the activity run more smoothly and less difficult on each
student. The students have different tools around the room that they can use to find the answers
they are looking for, so allow them to use what is needed (ex. Computers, iPads, books, etc.).

Check for Comprehension: After the groups of two have finished the first activity sheet,
combine two groups of two to make groups of four. The teacher will be looking for clarification
that the students are grasping the concepts so assign one of the following questions to each of the
groups and have them brainstorm an answer to present to the class. The questions include:
1) Why are committees so important when considering how the House does its work?
2) Why is the Rules Committee such an important committee in the House?
3) Why does the majority party get the blame for everything Congress does?
4) Why is the House considered to be the most democratic body in the world?
5) How can the minority party be successful in passing legislation if it has less members than the
majority?

Guided Practice: When the students have displayed an understanding for the previous topics,
they will begin the longest activity of the lesson. This activity may need to be spread out through
a few days to allow the students to successfully complete and understand the objective. Since
the students now understand what each different government office does, they will participate in
their own government office elections. The students will not be running against one another, but
instead developing an election campaign with the ideas and beliefs that they will be running on
to obtain a position in the office. In groups of three or four, have them decide what office they
will be running for and who their candidate will be. They will then create posters, buttons, or
other campaign slogans that display the platform the candidate is running on. At the end of the
activity, the students will present their designs and give an explanation for why they chose that
specific office to run for.

Independent Practice: This part of the lesson will require the students to have the worksheet
titled If I were President I would because it will serve as their writing prompt. Once again,
the students will now have an understanding for the different offices that the government consists
of so this should not be a difficult task but instead a final review. There is more than enough
room on the worksheet for the students to develop two paragraphs for their writing prompt.

Closure: To end the lesson, when the students finish the activity sheet, ask for volunteers to
share what they wrote. If there are no volunteers, explain that three students must share their
writings before the class can move on to the next lesson. Also have one final review of the
different offices that the government consists of. This will signify the final emphasis on the
lesson and tie everything the students have learned back together for one final, complete,
understanding.

Evaluation: I will collect the different offices activity worksheet and also the final worksheet
dealing with the presidency. I will collect each of the activities from the students so that I can
view their understanding of the lesson and material. Finally, I will also have the whole-class
activity of the election campaign materials that the groups created and made for the office they
were running for. All three of these items and materials will serve as great reflection items for
me to study for the students understanding of the lesson.