Phase: | After/Explain/Elaborate |
Activity: | The teacher will review the learning targets. Attention Grabber: Who makes important decisions? The President Who is allowed to have an opinion about these decisions? Citizens How are decisions made? By voting on them. The teacher will place the students in groups of no more than 5 students. The teacher will distribute the We the People: Making a Government set of learning cards to each group. Teacher note: When distributing the cards make sure the cards are face down. The teacher will review the learning cards that detail each government official. The teacher will assign each student a role within the group. Activity Procedures The teacher will write a responsibility on the board. The students will have to decide which government official in their group is responsible for that job. The teacher will ask the selected student (government official) to stand up next to their seat. The class will decide if the right person(s) from each group is standing. Responsibility #1 - This person serves as the commander and chief of the United States Armed Forces. Responsibility #2 - This person works with a group to take action on bills, resolutions, amendments, motions, nominations, and treaties by voting. Responsibility #3 This person is in charge of the executive branch of the city government. Responsibility #4 This person works with a group to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the President in the case of an Electoral College tie. Responsibility #5 This person helps to make policies for local governments. Responsibility #6 This person respects and obey state, federal, and local laws. The teacher will make the connection of how the government officials that were discussed in the activity all contribute to making laws and rules that keep us safe. The teacher and the students will review the differences between a law and a rule by reviewing the definition with students. In cooperative learning groups, the students will collectively work together to create 3 rules or laws for a classroom constitution. |
Assessment Strategies: | Assessment The students will work in cooperative learning groups to develop 3 laws or rules for the classroom constitution. (Teacher can add more laws and rules for each group.) The teacher and students will combine each group’s rules or laws to form a classroom constitution. (Write rules or laws on flip chart paper to display in the classroom.) |
Advanced Preparation: | The teacher will need to display the learning targets. The teacher will need to pre-print out the “We the People: Making a Government learning cards” for each group. The teacher will need flipchart paper. The teacher will need markers. The teacher will need to create a slide show or some type of presentation with the activity responsibilities (6) listed so that the whole class can view them at one time. |
Variation Tips (optional): | Intervention (Small Group/Reteach) For the students who need assistance, the teacher work with them in a small group to reteach and review. Expansion (Quick Write) As a citizen of (insert city or town), what would be two things you would want your local government to change about your city/town? |
Notes or Recommendations (optional): | This learning activity is most beneficial in a small group classroom setting. Links to Related Activities: We the People: Introduction to Civics and Government: Part One We the People: Introduction to Civics and Government: Part Two |
Keywords and Search Tags: | Branches of Government, Citizen, Civics, Government, Laws, Rules |