Subject: Social Studies
Lesson Length: 40 - 45 mins
Topic: How the U.S. Government Works
Brief Description: Students will learn about the three branches of the U.S. government and be able to differentiate between them.
Know Before You Start: This lesson works well as an introduction to the three branches of government. The lesson on “Checks and Balances” serves as a great companion to this activity. Terms to know: constitution and democracy.
Hook:
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Begin a discussion by asking: “Who is in charge of the United States government?”
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Use this discussion as a springboard to introduce the three branches of government and why the nation’s founders decided on this method of governing.
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Read and discuss the sample comic.
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Which branch of government is represented in the comic?
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What are the duties of this branch of government?
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Activity:
- Have students select one of the three branches of government.
- Using the sample comic as a guide, have students demonstrate their knowledge of that branch in a two-panel comic.
- The comic should include:
- Which branch they selected.
- Who leads this branch.
- What the job of this branch of government is.
Closure:
- Use the "Jigsaw" method to group students.
- Have students present their comics to the group to teach other group members about their branch of government.
Differentiation:
- Allow students to use the speech-to-text feature.
- Allow students to work in pairs or groups as needed.
Resources:
- Comic to print or display
Suggested Content Packs:
Legislative Branch
Executive Branch
Judicial Branch (US Government)
