Grade 7, Unit 5: The Constitution in Practice

Lesson: The Three Branches of Federal Government

Standards:
This lesson has been designed to meet the NYS requirements of a seventh grade curriculum. It
falls under the Grade: 7, Unit: 5 curriculums titled, The Constitution in Practice. Some of the
themes and key concepts that will be introduced are, time, continuity and change, power,
authority and governance, and, civic ideals and practices. This can all be found here under the
grade 7 portion of the document. I will also meet several ISTE standards for students. One such
standard included is creativity and innovation. Students will meet this standard through the bell
ringer exercise. Using Microsoft Paint, students will be asked to use their previous knowledge
and create visual models that illustrate their thinking. In this artistic exercise, students will have
the freedom to express themselves and their knowledge through their work. Another standard
being met is the ISTEs communication and collaboration. Students will briefly work in groups
to communicate their ways of thinking, and how they chose to demonstrate their understanding
of the three branches of government. Students will also meet this standard by using a variety of
activities that assess their understanding of the material (interactive games, exit slip).
Lesson Objective(s):
The objectives of this lesson are as follows:
- Students will be able to identify and interpret the roles of the executive branch.
- Students will be able to identify and interpret the roles of the judicial branch.
- Students will be able to identify and interpret the roles of the legislative branch.
- Students will be able to explain what the separation of powers is, and why it was created.
Introduce the Learning Activity:
I will introduce this lesson with a bell-ringer exercise. In this bell-ringer, I will have my students
go to paint, and draw a tree. This tree is to be labeled The Separation of Powers Tree. There
task is to draw the three branches of government, label them appropriately, and identify who
works in each branch. (Judicial Supreme Court, Executive President, and Legislative
Senate and House of Representatives). This exercise should help motivate students because it
allows them the freedom of creativity, while at the same time keeps them on task. This bellringer should be reviewed knowledge for the students, who have been introduced to the branches
in the previous lesson.
Provide Information:
Important information will be provided through this power-point. This power-point provides the
students with helpful information about each of the three branches. Such information includes:
the roles of each branch, what is each branch comprised of, and how are those people put into
power.

Provide Practice:
Students will be given the opportunity to identify and interpret the roles of each branch through
this interactive activity. In this online game students must match each responsibility with the
appropriate branch of government. This activity asks students to individually practice their
knowledge of each branchs role and abilities. Students will continue practicing identifying and
distinguishing the roles of the three branches of government with this Checks and Balances
Game.
Provide Knowledge of Results:
During these interactive activities, I will be walking around the room and addressing any
questions. I will try to help out struggling students with hints, and keep other students focused on
the task. During this time I will be effectively managing my classroom. I will be sure to provide
students with feedback orally, through compliments and suggestions. As these exercises count for
participation, I will have a keen eye on each student and assess his/her level of engagement. If
engagement is high then he/she will receive full participation points (10) for that day. If the
engagement is low however, I will confront the student and determine whether or not it is
because he/she does not understand the material, or because he/she does not want to participate.
In the case of the latter, the student would receive no participation credit.
Review the Activity:
After these activities have taken place, I will bring the focus back to me. I will then ask, Who
thought the games were fun, difficult, or too easy? This will let me know how effective these
specific games were in my lesson. I will ask if anyone has any further comments or questions. If
yes, I will address those. If not, then we will move on to our exit activity. The exit-slip activity is
how I will gauge the effectiveness of my lesson. I will ask students to revise and complete their
Separation of Powers Tree, and add whatever knowledge they can! They will then email their
art to me so that I can review what they have learned.
Method of Assessment:
Students will be assessed in their ability to identify and contrast the judicial, legislative, and
executive branches of government. I will do this by walking around the classroom and observing
their progress in the online activities. I will also use a written method of assessment in the form
of an exit slip. This exit slip will be sent to me via their e-mails, and must be completed before
they leave the classroom.