Author: Krista Horning

Subject/Grade Level: Social Studies/8th Grade

Unit Title: US Constitution

Unit Goal: In order to answer the unit essential questions “Why do we need a constitution and how the does the US Constitution affect me?” today students will understand the various responsibilities and roles of each branch of government and examine newspaper articles that show these branches in action.

Lesson Title: The Three Branches

Objectives: Students will be able to

§ identify the three branches of government

§ list the responsibilities of each branch

§ engage in a student-led discussion regarding the responsibilities of each branch

§ categorize information as belonging to either the Legislative, Executive or Judicial branch based on the Constitutional Questions handout

§ examine newspaper articles and categorize them as either showing the legislative, executive or judicial branch in order

§ explain, orally and in writing, what power that branch is utilizing

ODE Standard: SS.08.CG.03 Understand the powers of each branch of government as stated in the Constitution.

Time Needed: 80 Minutes

Materials Needed:

§ Three Branches Tree diagram handout

§ photocopies of US Constitution

§ Constitutional questions handout

§ Chart of the Three Branches of Government handout

§ pre-selected newspaper articles

§ Choose Your Role handout

§ Elmo overhead projector

Introduction to Engage Students: During SSR, give the students who were absent in the last class their copy of the Constitution and the questions they started. Have them try to locate the answers to the remaining questions on their own. There will be time later in the period for them to get the answers they missed so this time will be used for independent practice and preparation for the later activity. After SSR, have the tree diagram on the board and ask students if they think they can correctly fill-in the missing branches. Have three volunteers come up and write the names on the board, using a different color marker for each branch.

Procedure:

§ After the three branches have been correctly identified, distribute their own copies of the diagram and have them fill in the branches.

§ Project the diagram on the Elmo so they may follow along.

§ Explain that they will now list the responsibilities and persons of each branch in the appropriate space on their diagrams.

§ Have a volunteer explain the purpose of the Legislative branch [to make laws]. Write this in the appropriate space and make sure students are following along. Explain that anything that has to do with writing or creating laws comes from this branch. Now ask a volunteer to say the names of groups of people who work under this branch [Congress people and Senators]. Write this name in the appropriate space on the diagram.

§ Continue this process for the remaining two branches, making sure students are following along and copying the information.

§ Explain that in a moment they are going to get their questions and Constitutions back and they will be responsible for working either alone or with a partner to finish the questions and they will then review each question and decide whether or not the question asks about powers from the Legislative, Executive or Judicial branches. Tell students they will write an “L”, “E” or “J” next to each question to show where they think this information belongs.

§ Have these directions written on the board.

§ Ask for any questions.

§ Distribute their handouts and allow them to work for 10-13 minutes, depending on how quickly they all finish the questions.

§ When all students have at least finished the questions, direct their attention back to the large group.

§ Review the last 5 questions together to make sure everyone has the correct answers. Make sure they are underlining the language in the text of the Constitution as they go.

§ Explain that they will now summarize and categorize the information they just extracted from the Constitution into a chart.

§ Distribute the Chart for the Three Branches handout.

§ Project the handout on the Elmo.

§ Ask a pre-selected student if she would like to be the scribe for the class. Have her go to the Elmo to take notes for the class to follow.

§ Tell students they will lead the activity while you provide extra support or information as they go through each question.

§ Ask for a volunteer to read the first 5 questions. Have that student come up to the front of the room and sit on the stool. Tell the class this person will read the questions out loud and then the rest of the class is responsible for determining under which branch those powers fall. Once they make a decision, the scribe will write the answer on the chart and the students will follow. Emphasize that they should write a description of the power rather than the name of the branch. For example, number one should say “has law-making powers.”

§ Allow students to fully lead the conversation. Only step in when extra information must be included.

§ When the first five questions have been properly categorized, ask the reader to select someone else to lead the next five questions.

§ Continue this process for all 25 questions.

§ Ask students for any questions or clarifications about each branch. During this time, prepare them for the language they will encounter in the next activity by defining and discussion a Bill, a veto, a veto override and impeachment.

§ Thank the student scribe and student teachers for their help.

§ Tell students they will now get into their Constitution Groups in order to read a few newspaper articles. They will then have to label the article as exemplifying one of the three branches. Explain they must choose roles for their group members according to their constitutions. When they have assigned roles, explain that the Peacemaker will come up to the front table and select one newspaper article to take back to their group for examination. The Loudmouth will read the article out loud while the other members take notes on what they think is important. When the article is finished being read the Scribe will read the questions they have to answer out loud and then listen to group input before writing any answers. When they are finished completing the questions and have identified under which branch the article belongs, they will return the article to the front table. If time permits, they will take another article and complete this same process. If time does not permit, they will turn their desks back into rows and wait for the closure activity.

§ Allow students to follow these directions and work until 8 minutes of class remain.

Accommodations/Modifications: Students will be working in pairs or in their cooperative groups, which will help support the students who qualify for special education services because they will be able to rely on their peers for reading and writing support. For a student who is absent on this day I will have them work during SSR to correctly categorize the Constitutional Questions they worked on before. If they do not finish, they will be able to fill in any missing information during the group activity.

Assessment: Students will be formally assessed based on the closing activity.

Closure: When eight minutes of class remain, have students turn in their questions and chart from the day’s activity and direct their attention to the board. Tell students to get out a piece of paper and have them write the names of the three branches of the federal government, which are listed on the board. Ask students to list at least one specific responsibility for each branch. Collect their papers as they finish. Thank students for their good work over the past 2 classes and dismiss them when the bell rings.

Newspaper Article

Title/Number of Article ______

Author of Article______

Date of Article ______

What is this article about? Choose one or two sentences from the article that explain the main idea and write them here.

What groups of people or individuals are mentioned in the article? Write the name of their group or their name here. Under which branch of the federal government do they fall?