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Unit 5: Californians and Government 1
Lesson 1: The Structure of Government
Focus Questions: What is the basic structure of the United States Government? What is the U.S. Constitution is and why it is important? What are the powers of the federal, state and local governments?
Activity # 1 Who Makes the Rules?
Materials needed: For each student, a copy of Who Makes the Rules? (Handout #1.1) and, for the teacher, a document camera or a transparency or chart of Handout #1.1.
Procedure: Explain to students that the rules and laws we follow are a part of our lives at home, in our classroom, and at school. Have students work in groups to complete the top section (above the shaded line) of Who Makes the Rules? ( Handout #1.1 )
Sample responses include: Who makes the rules? the laws?
Who enforces the rules? the laws?
Who determines if the rules/laws are fair? Home Answers will vary Answers will vary Answers will vary Classroom Teachers (and students) Teachers Teachers (and students)
School Teachers, students (sometimes), principal, school board, state government, and the Federal government.
Teachers, (student council) principal, school board
State court and federal court
Discuss the student’s responses and record their information on a large “class copy” of the Who Makes the Rules? (Handout # 1.1)
Activity # 2 Branches (Structure) of Government
Step 1: Define a government as a group of people who make and enforce the laws of a town, a city, a county, a state or a country.
Step 2: Explain to students that our government has a structure for deciding who makes the laws, who enforces the laws and who determines if the laws are fair and punishes wrongdoers. The branches of government are called: Legislative Branch : makes the laws Executive Branch : enforces the laws Judicial Branch : determines if the laws are fair and punishes the wrong-doers
Our municipalities (cities), the county, the state (California), and our national or federal (the United States of America) each have different branches of government where people make the laws, enforce the laws, and determine if the laws are fair.
Step 3: On the matrix, Who Makes the Rules? (Handout # 1.1) begun during Activity # 1, help students complete in the following:
Unit 5: Californians and Government 2
Branches of Government
Legislative Branch Executive Branch Judicial Branch
Local Level (City or Town)
City Council Mayor and/or City Manager
Superior Court (merged with county court)
County Level (Riverside)
Board of Supervisors Board of Supervisors Superior Court
State Level (California)
State Legislature: State Senate ( senators/ 4 year terms) State Assembly ( representatives/ 2 year terms)
Governor California Supreme Court – Appointed by the governor
National, or Federal, Level (United States of America)
Legislature: Congress Senate (50 senators – 2 per state/ 6 year terms) House of Representatives ( members – 53 from California/2 year terms)
President – elected every 4 years for a maximum of 2 terms
Supreme Court- appointed by the President for life.
Step 4: Explain that the three branches of the government are all equal, with no one branch being more important than the other. To make laws, all three branches have to agree. (In later grades, students will learn about our government’s system of checks and balances).
Note: Identify the cities, unincorporated areas, towns and the Indian tribal reservations within your local region. For example, the cities in the Coachella Valley include Cathedral City, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, and Rancho Mirage. Unincorporated areas and towns include Bermuda Dunes and Thousand Palms in the west end of the valley; Indio Hills, Sky Valley, North Palm Springs and Garnet along the northern rim; and, Thermal, Valerie Jean, Vista Santa Rosa, Oasis and Mecca to the southeast. The Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians, Agua Caliente Band of Mission Indians and the Torres-Martinez tribe each have reservations in the Coachella Valley area. These tribes have the right to form sovereign governments on their land. In many ways they are considered their own nation.
Activity # 3 The Constitution of the United States of America
Materials needed: For each student, a copy of their textbook, 3 sheets of 8 ½ X 11 paper. Note: Although reference is made to Harcourt’s Reflections: California A Changing State , the same activities and strategies may be completed using any of the state-adopted social studies textbooks.
Step 1: Explain to students that the United States Constitution was written in 1787. It is a written document that defines the structure and purpose of the U.S. government and describes the shared powers of federal, state, and local governments. The constitution describes the branches of government and tells what each branch does.
Step 2: Textbook Connection: Read correlated sections in the social studies textbook related to the branches of government. For example, Harcourt Reflections : Read Chapter 12, Lesson 1, pages 462 (The Constitution) and 464- 465 (The Federal Government).
Unit 5: Californians and Government 4
Sample answer key for Sort Cards – Three Levels of Government Federal Level State Level Local Level Prints and coins money Runs the armed forces and provides national defense
Makes laws for the state Makes laws for counties, cities and towns
Deals with other nations Helps fund public education Provides law enforcement, fire protection Meets in Washington D.C. Meets in the state capitol Provides roads, parks, hospitals, water Runs the Postal Service Issues drivers licenses Meets at City Hall President Governor Mayor
Step 3: Once each group has completed their sort, conduct a gallery walk where the students walk around the room from group to group to observe how the other groups sorted their cards. Show the students the route they will take. On a signal have the students move to the next group. Give them about a minute to view each group’s card sort and then signal them to move to the next group.
Upon return to their seats, students may resort their cards as needed. Discuss the similarities and differences of the various classification systems. Discuss the responsibilities of each level.
Step 4: As an individual follow-up, provide each student his/her own copy of Sort Cards-Three Levels of Government (Handout # 1.2) and have them independently sort the cards into the different levels of government, glue the cards into place on a sheet of construction paper, and label each level.
Activity # 5 A Plan for Government As you read the following sentences, have students show you a thumbs-up if the answer is the first response and a thumbs-down if the answer is the second response. To provide “think time,” students should wait to show their selection until the teachers asks them to “Show” their answer.
- The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights / Preamble.
- Congress is the legislative / judicial branch of the federal government.
- The federal government is located in Sacramento/ Washington D.C.
- The United States Congress makes laws for the entire nation / state of California.
- The cabinet is a group of the President’s most important advisors / senators.
- Supreme Court Justices are appointed for 10 years/ life.
- Trade between states is managed by the federal / state government.
- Both the federal and state governments are divided into two/ three branches.
- The United States House of Representatives has 100/ 435 members.
- The state with the most representatives in the United States House of Representatives is California / New York. Source: Harcourt Reflections Homework and Practice Book, page 127.
Activity # 6 Summary Writing: Structures, Functions and Powers of Government
Materials needed: For each student, a copy of Summary Writing: Structures, Functions and Powers of Government (Handout # 1.3); Harcourt’s Reflections: California A Changing State , page 468, or any of the state-adopted social studies textbooks.
Unit 5: Californians and Government 5
Prompt: Write a summary to compare and contrast the structures, functions and powers of local, state and federal government. Include at least ten academic content vocabulary words from the list below.
Rubric Indicator: Academic Content Language Indicator: Supports the Topic with Accurate Details Indicator: Uses Multiple Perspectives
Recommended Correlation: Summary Writing Rubric
List of Academic Content Vocabulary: amendments Assembly bill Board of supervisors Branches of government budget Cabinet California City Manager Congress constitution County County seat Democracy
duties Executive Branch Federal Government government Governor House of Representatives initiative Judicial Branch jury trial Legislative Branch legislature laws levels of government municipal
nation petition power President recall referendum responsibilities Senate sovereign Special district Supreme Court Tax United States veto
Assessment
Standard Lesson Title Teacher Directions
Handout for students with the prompt and rubric 4.5 1 Compare and Contrast the Structures, Functions and Powers of Local, State and Federal Government
pages 4- 5 page 10, Handout # 1.
Additional assessment of this lesson is integrated with the instruction and occurs throughout the lesson rather than just at the end. The focus questions provide a framework for the evaluation of the lesson. Work in a group to complete the “Who Makes the Rules” matrix (Handout #1.1) Construct a layered look book or a circle book and one each layer or circle, identify the function of one branch of government and other facts learned about that branch. Sort phrases related to government into local, state, and national categories (Handout #1.2)
Handout #1.
Sort Cards - Three Levels of Government
Runs the postal service Helps pay for public
education
Provides roads, parks,
water, hospitals
Runs the armed forces
and provides national
defense
Issues drivers licenses Provides law
enforcement, fire
protection
Governor Mayor
Meets in the state
capitol
Meets in Washington
D.C.
Makes laws for the state Makes laws for
counties, cities and
towns
Prints and coins money Deals with other nations
Meets at City Hall President
