DIRECT INSTRUCTION LESSON PLAN GUIDE AND TEMPLATE

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Name: Kaitlyn Saeger
Lesson #:

Lesson Title: 3 Branches of Government in North Carolina

Grade Level/Subject: 4th Grade, Social Studies Topic: North Carolina Government
NCES/CCSS Standard
and Objective (1)

4.C&G.1: Understand the development, structure and function of North

Carolinas government.
4.C&G.1.2: Compare the roles and responsibilities of state elected leaders.
Behavioral Objective
After watching the video and reading the information from the book and
(2)
organizing it into a Venn Diagram students will use that information to complete
a crossword puzzle that I have created for them.
Objective Rationale (1) Students will need to learn about the different branches of government to be able
to describe what role each branch plays in North Carolinas state government.
They need to understand how each branch impacts the laws that the state has in
place.
Prerequisite
Before this lesson students should know that like the United States government
Knowledge and Skills
the government of North Carolina has three branches. They should also know
(1)
what the three branches of government are.
Key Terms and
executive branch
Vocabulary (1)
legislative branch
judicial branch
Content and Strategies
Instructional
Strategies
Focus/Review
You are going to Raleigh in a month from today. Some of the things that you
(prepares students for
will be doing there are taking tour of important government buildings. So, today
the lesson) (2)
we are going to talk about North Carolinas government. Who can tell me what
the three branches of government are? Does anyone know what each branch
does?
Objective as stated for
Today we are going to be talking about the three branches of government. By
students (helps students the end of this lesson you will be able to talk about what each branch of the
set their own goals for
government does and you will complete a worksheet on the branches of
the lesson) (1)
government.
Teacher Input
Pre-video: I pull up the video that they will be watching and ask the students
(provides the content to what they think the video is going to be about. Also, what things they think they
students in a teachermight learn from the video about the branches of government. Lets watch the
directed manner) (3)
video to see how it explains the branches of the government. I introduce to the
terms Executive and to remember it as the branch that sees that the laws are
carried out; Legislative and to remember it as the branch that makes the laws;
and Judicial and to remember it as the branch that sees that the laws are carried
out fairly.
During video: Have the students watch the video with closed captions and pause
it during to ask questions and allow them time to write notes. I would be asking
questions, such as What is the executive branch compared to in the circus?
Revised for spring, 2012

Guided Practice
(scaffolded practice
with the content; helps
students make sense of
the content provided in
Teacher Input) (3)
Independent Practice
(application activities
to help students use
and demonstrate what
they have learned) (2)
Closure (provides a
wrap-up for the lesson)
(1)
Evaluation (How will
you assess students
learning so that you
can determine if they
met the objective of the
lesson?) (2)

What about the legislative branch? And the judicial branch?

After video: What were some important things that you learned about each
branch from this video?
With their shoulder partner (the person next to them) each student is going to
create a little flip book. There will be a section for each branch of government.
Students will read the information on pages 171-173 in Harcourt Social Studies
with their partner. For each section in the flip book they will need to jot down
information that they think is important for each branch of government. I will
walk around as students are working and ask questions, such as why do you
think that information you wrote down is important? Is there anymore important
information in the text that you think you should write down?
Students will clear their desks and once everyones desk is cleared I will walk
around and give them a crossword puzzle. Students will need to complete the
crossword puzzle independently, using the information that they have learned
from the lesson. They will be able to use their notes to complete the crossword
puzzle.
For a closure students will need to write down if they could have a job in one of
the branches of government, which branch it would be in and why they would
want a job in that branch.
I would have 3 people share their answer, one person for each branch of the
government.
Summative:
Students will complete a crossword puzzle using information that they have
learned from

Formative:
I will be walking around asking questions during the lesson to check for
understanding.
Plans for Individual
I dont think that there needs to be any differentiations for this class because it is
Differences
a Talent Development class and they are all performing above grade so this
(differentiations needed lesson is geared towards that already.
for students) (1)
Materials used in the
-Computer
lesson;
-Video
-21 flip book templates
-21 crossword worksheets
Resources used in
developing the lesson (1)

- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EISWIY9bG8&index=28&list=PLKt00sUUapAKKZrQuxaa2oc9546RWKoOD
- http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/code/BuildCrissCross.asp
- Berson, Michael J., Tyrone C. Howard, and Cinthia Salinas. "Government in
North Carolina." Harcourt Social Studies: North Carolina Geography, History,
and Culture. Orlando: Harcourt School, 2009. 171-73. Print.
Overall alignment in the lesson (2):
Add any instructional materials needed for the lesson here (worksheets, assessments, PowerPoints,
slides from SmartBoard programs, etc.) (2)

Revised for spring, 2012

North Carolina's Government

Across
1.wholeadsNorthCarolina'sgovernment
2.seesthatthelawsarecarriedoutfairly
4.whatiswrittenbytheGeneralAssembly
8.thenameforNorthCarolina'sjudicialbranch
9.whatthegovernordoestoabillthatisapprovedbytheGeneralAssembly
10.seesthatthelawsarecarriedout
11.makesthelaws
Down
1.thenameforNorthCarolina'slegislativebranch
3.thejudicialbranchmakessurethatthelawsagreewiththis
5.whatthegovernorcandoifhedoesn'tagreewithabill
6.thenumberofjusticesthatserveonNorthCarolina'sSupremeCourt
7.oneofthethingsthatthegovernorpreparesforthestate

Revised for spring, 2012