Understanding By Design



Unit Design

For

Structure and Functions of the United States Government

Developed by

Molly Cowan

Cesar Chavez Academy Upper Elementary

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Understanding by Design

Unit Design Worksheet

|Unit Title: Structure and Functions of the U.S. Government |Subject/Course: Social Studies |

|Topic: U.S. Branches of Government |Grade: 4 |Staff Name: Molly Cowan |

|Stage 1 - Desired Results |

|Established Goals: |

| |

|Content Goals: |

|4—C3.0.1 Give examples of the ways the constitution limits the powers of the federal government (e.g. election of public officers, separation of powers, checks and|

|balances, Bill of Rights). |

|4—C3.0.2 Give examples of powers granted to the federal government (e.g. coining money, declaring war) and those reserved for the states (e.g. driver’s license, |

|marriage license). |

|4—C3.0.3 Describe the organizational structure of the federal government in the United States (legislative, executive, and judicial branches). |

|4—C3.0.4 Describe how the powers of the federal government are separated among the branches. |

|4—C3.0.5 Give examples of how the system of checks and balances limits the power of the federal government (e.g. presidential veto of legislation, courts declaring|

|a war unconstitutional, congressional approval of judicial appointments). |

|4—C3.0.6 Describe how the President, members of congress, and justices of the Supreme Court came to power (e.g. elections versus appointments). |

|4—C3.0.7 Explain how the federal government uses taxing and spending to serve the purposes of government. |

| |

|Literacy Goals (CCSS): |

|RI.4.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area. |

|W.4.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic. |

|W.4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. |

|W.4.2.A Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; including formatting (e.g. headings), illustrations, and multimedia |

|when useful to aiding comprehension. |

|W.4.2.B Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. |

|W.4.2.D Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. |

|W.4.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. |

|S.L.4.5 Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes. |

|SL.4.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade-4 topics and texts, |

|building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. |

|Understandings: |Essential Questions: |

|Students will understand that... |How do the federal government and state government share power? |

|1-2. the federal government and the state government share powers. |How is the federal government organized? |

|3. the U.S. government has an organizational structure. |How do leaders in our government come to power? |

|4. the powers of the federal government are separated among the branches. |How does the system of checks and balances limit the power of the federal |

|5. the system of checks and balances limits the power of the federal government. |government? |

|6. the president, members of congress and Supreme Court justices come to power in |How are the powers of the federal government separated among the branches? |

|different ways. |How does the federal government serve the purpose of government? |

|7. the federal government uses taxing and spending to serve the purposes of |How do the president, members of congress, and the Supreme Court come to power? |

|government. | |

|Students will know... |Students will be able to... |

|1-2. the federal government and the state government share powers. |Identify the powers of each branch of the federal government. |

|3. the U.S. government has an organizational structure. |Explain how the federal government is organized. |

|4. the powers of the federal government are separated among the branches. |Explain how the system of checks and balances limits the powers of the federal |

|5. the system of checks and balances limits the power of the federal government. |government. |

|6. the president, members of congress and Supreme Court justices come to power in |Describe how the president, members of congress, and Supreme Court justices come|

|different ways. |to power. |

|7. the federal government uses taxing and spending to serve the purposes of |Recognize that the federal government uses taxing and spending to serve the |

|government. |purposes of government. |

|8. the federal government and the state government are granted different powers. |Give examples of powers granted to the federal government and those reserved for|

| |the states. |

|Unit Enduring Understanding: |Unit Question: |

| | |

|Students will understand that the federal government is organized into three |How is the federal government organized? |

|branches and that each branch has specific powers. | |

| |How are the powers of the government divided? |

|Students will understand that the federal government and the state government have| |

|different powers. |How do leaders in government come to power? |

| | |

|Students will understand that government leaders come to power in different ways. | |

| | |

|Stage 2 - Assessment Evidence |

|Performance Tasks: |

|G – Your goal is to create a tree project which demonstrates the structure and function of the federal government. |

| |

|R – Political scientist |

| |

|A – Students in 4th grade (classmates) |

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|S – You are a group of political scientists and you must educate your classmates on the structure and function of the branches of the federal government. |

| |

|P – Structure and function of government tree project (may use a medium of your choice). |

| |

|S – Your work will be judged based on the following rubric: |

|Key Criteria: |

| |

|Objectives: |

|Unsatisfactory |

|Fair |

|Good |

|Points Earned: |

| |

|Legislative branch: |

|Who is part of this branch? |

|0 points |

|None of the members of the branch are listed. |

|1 point |

|Some of the members of the branch are listed. |

|2 points |

|All of the members of this branch are listed. |

| |

| |

|Legislative branch: |

|How does this branch limit the powers of other braches? |

|0 points |

|No information provided. |

|1-2 points |

|Some information provided. |

|3 points |

|All important information provided. |

| |

| |

|Judicial branch: |

|Who is part of this branch? |

|0 points |

|None of the members of the branch are listed. |

|1 point |

|Some of the members of the branch are listed. |

| |

|2 points |

|All of the members of this branch are listed. |

| |

| |

|Judicial branch: |

|How did this branch limit the powers of the other branches? |

| |

|0 points |

|No information provided. |

|1 point |

|Some information provided. |

|2 points |

|All important information provided. |

| |

| |

|Executive branch: |

|Who is part of this branch? |

|0 points |

|None of the members of the branch are listed. |

|1-2 points |

|Some of the members of the branch are listed. |

| |

|3 points |

|All of the members of this branch are listed. |

| |

| |

|Executive branch: |

|How did this branch limit the powers of the other branches? |

| |

|0 points |

|No information provided. |

|1 point |

|Some information provided. |

|2 points |

|All important information provided. |

| |

| |

|Group work: |

| |

|0 points |

|Did not use class time to focus on the project OR often distracted others. |

|1 point |

|Used some of the time well during each class period. There was some focus on getting the project done but occasionally distracted others. |

| |

|2 points |

|Used time well during each class period. Focused on getting the project done. Never distracted others. |

| |

| |

|Presentation |

|0 points |

|The project is distractingly messy or very poorly designed. It is not attractive. |

|1-2 points |

|The project is acceptably attractive though it may be a bit messy. |

| |

|3 points |

|The project is attractive in terms of design, layout and neatness. |

| |

| |

|Conventions |

|0 points |

|There are several misspellings, capitalization, and punctuation mistakes. |

|1-2 points |

|There are some misspellings, capitalization, and punctuation mistakes. |

| |

|3 points |

|There are no mistakes in spelling, capitalization, and punctuation. |

| |

| |

| |

| |

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|Other Evidence: |

|Before |During |After |

|KWL – Students will list what they know and what they |Journals – Students will complete daily journal |Unit Test – Students will be given a test after the |

|want to know about the structure and function of |reflections and take notes when necessary. |unit has been completed and Presentations have been |

|government. |Think-Pair-Share – Students will work in pairs to |given. |

|Quick Writes – Before each lesson students will be |discuss vocabulary and reinforce concepts as they are|Branches of Government Tree Project- Students will |

|asked to write their thoughts and questions for the |introduced. |create a tree (as a group) which demonstrates how the |

|day pertaining to the objectives. |Quizzes – Give short quizzes or Exit Cards - to show |branches of the federal government limit the powers of |

|Pretest – Students will be given an assessment to |mastery of concepts needed before moving to the next |other branches. |

|understand their knowledge on the unit before any |concept. | |

|instruction is given. | | |

| | | |

| | | |

|Describe the assessment/s and state the prompt if applicable. x F x S | | |

| | | |

|What type of scoring tools will be used for evaluation? | | |

|x Analytic rubric x Checklist | | |

|x Holistic rubric x Answer Key | | |

|□ Criterion rubric □ Other | | |

| | | |

|Student Self-Assessment and Reflection: |

| |

|Students will complete periodic journal reflections about how the structure and function of our government affects our everyday lives. As we learn more |

|information, students will continue adding to the KWL chart. They will record what they’ve learned so far and what questions they still have. Before turning in |

|their final project, students will complete a self-assessment rubric to ensure that all criteria have been met. |

|Stage 3 - Learning Plan |

|Differentiated Instruction: |

| |

|Level C: Complete number 1 and 2 and choose two more of the following activities for a total of 25 points. |

|1. Complete a cut-and-paste flow chart for how a bill becomes a law. (5 points) |

|2. Analyze a list of laws. Determine if they are fair, enforceable, understandable, and flexible. Explain your thinking. (5 points) |

|3. Create a Venn diagram that shows the similarities and differences between the structure of the state and federal government. (5 points) |

|4. Journal entry—If you could appoint someone you know to the Supreme Court, who would you choose and why? What qualities do they have that would make them a good|

|judge? (5 points). |

|5. Journal entry—What are some characteristics of a good leader? Who do you know that is a good leader? What makes them a good leader? (5 points) |

| |

|Level B: Complete numbers 1 and 2 and complete one more of the following activities for a total of 40 points. |

|1. Create a book that connects the words of the preamble to a visual image (e.g. draw a picture or use pictures from a magazine). (10 points) |

|2. Think about what would happen if we did not have a system of checks and balances. Write a letter to a friend explaining what kind of problems we might have in|

|our government without this system. (10 points) |

|3. Create a board game that demonstrates how a bill becomes a law. (10 points) |

|4. Write a preamble for our school. What is the mission/purpose of our school? (10 points) |

| |

|Level A: Complete both of the following activities for a total of 72 points |

|1. Branches of government tree project—22 points |

|2. Branches of government unit test—50 points |

|Learning Activities: |

| |

|Where/Why/What—Where are we going? Content and language objectives will be reviewed before each lesson and students will typically have a quote or a phrase to |

|interpret at the start of each lesson. This quote or phrase will be an indicator of the topic of the lesson. Students will be made aware that there will be a |

|unit test on this material as well as a culminating branches-of-government tree project. |

| |

|Why? Students will understand that government and laws have specific functions and purposes, which give structure and organization to society. Then will |

|understand how government affects them on a personal level. |

| |

|Hook/Hold—I will hook students’ attention by asking them to consider what life would be like without laws and rules in society. We will brainstorm various |

|consequences of such an anarchist society and discuss why our society does not have these types of problems. |

| |

|Equip—Students will be equipped to succeed during this unit by developing prior knowledge on various concepts related to our government. In addition, students |

|will be given choice in activities so that they are learning at their own pace and level of complexity. Finally, there will be several formative assessments |

|throughout the unit so that lessons can be adjusted as needed to ensure student success. |

| |

|Rethink/Revise—Students will be able to re-think and revise their work and understanding by making predictions about various topics and then being able to go back |

|and change their answers. For example, students will predict what responsibilities each branch of government has by placing responsibility leaves on a |

|corresponding tree branch. Once we learn the facts, students will then be able to adjust the leaves as needed. They will also be able to predict things that a |

|U.S. president can and cannot do, using their knowledge of the legislative branch. Besides making predictions, students will also have opportunities for |

|think-pair-share, class discussions, and journaling. |

| |

|Evaluate—Students will evaluate themselves through the use of a K-W-L chart, journal entries, and a self-assessment rubric for the final project. |

| |

|Tailor—This unit will be tailored in a way that it accommodates various learning styles and intelligences. Instruction will be differentiated and special |

|education students will have activities that are aligned with their IEP. SIOP strategies will also be incorporated for ESL students. |

| |

|Organize—We will begin this unit by exploring the purposes of laws and a central government. We will discuss what the founding fathers had in mind when they |

|designed our government as laid out in the Preamble. |

|We will then go on to learn about the members and responsibilities of the three branches of government, including their powers and limitations. Throughout this |

|unit, students will learn new essential vocabulary, essential concepts, and will be formatively assessed to improve instruction. Quizzes will also be given |

|periodically (e.g. steps for how a bill becomes a law). |

|Essential Vocabulary |

|Branches of government – The three different sections of the government. |

| |

|Cabinet – A group of people who help and give advice to the president. |

| |

|Checks and balances – The way in which the branches of government keep each other from having too much power. |

| |

|Constitutional government – A government based on a constitution describes the powers of government. |

| |

|Delegated powers – Powers people give to the federal government by the Constitution. |

| |

|Executive branch – The branch of the government that enforces the laws. |

| |

|Founders – The people who helped establish our country. |

| |

|Judicial branch – The branch of the government that decides what the laws mean. |

| |

|Judicial review – The power of the Supreme Court to declare a law unconstitutional. |

| |

|Legislative branch – The branch of the government that makes the laws. |

| |

|Levels of government – Federal, state, and local governments. |

| |

|Override – When Congress votes to cancel a president’s veto. |

| |

|Popular sovereignty – The power and authority of the government comes from the people. |

| |

|Preamble – The introduction to the U.S. Constitution that explains the purpose of a unified government. |

| |

|President – The head of the executive branch and the leader of our country. |

| |

|Representative – A member of the House of Representatives. |

| |

|Representative government – A form of government where people choose representatives to make decisions for them. |

| |

|Republic – A government not lead by a hereditary rule (leaders based on birth), but where people hold the power of government and choose leaders to make |

|decisions. |

| |

|Reserved powers – Powers not given to the federal government. |

| |

|Senator – A member of the senate. |

| |

|Separation of powers – Power is separated, or divided, among three branches of government. |

| |

|Shared powers – Powers granted to both the state and federal governments. |

| |

|Supreme Court – The highest court in our country. |

| |

|Unconstitutional – In conflict with, or violates, the U.S. Constitution. |

| |

|Veto – When the president turns down a bill or refuses to sign it into law. |

|Sequencing the Learning |

|Monday |Tuesday |Wednesday |Thursday |Friday |

|KWL- What is government and how |Quick write in social studies |Think-Pair-Share: what type of |Quick write in social studies |Watch Schoolhouse Rock video |

|is our government organized? |journal (interpreting a quote |government did the founding |journal (interpreting a quote) |about the Preamble. |

| |about government) |fathers want for the United | | |

|Brief lecture on the definition | |States? What did they believe |Class discussion on what the |Students have this class period|

|of government. |Lecture on founding fathers’ |in? |words of the Preamble mean. |to work on their Preamble book.|

| |desire for a republic based on | |Students will make flashcards | |

|Small group brainstorm activity- |popular sovereignty and limited|Brief explanation of the U.S. |that they will use to study for| |

|Designing an imaginary government|government. |Constitution and the Preamble. |a quiz on the Preamble. They | |

|from scratch (Who is in charge? | | |will also use these cards to | |

|How is it organized?) |Reevaluate previously written | |help them with their Preamble | |

| |design for a government. Is |Read We the Kids by David |book (see layered curriculum). | |

|Class discussion- Share ideas of |their government aligned with |Catrow. While reading aloud, | | |

|how each group chose to design |the principles of the founding |stop after each page and have |Explain and begin Preamble book| |

|their government. |fathers? |students make predictions about|project. Break students up to | |

| |Why or why not? |what each line of the Preamble |small groups. | |

|Exit slip- What is government? | |means. | | |

|What does the government do? | | | | |

| | | | | |

|Monday |Tuesday |Wednesday |Thursday |Friday |

|Completion of Preamble book. |Quiz on the Preamble. |Quick write in social studies |Think-Pair-Share: Who makes the|Think-Pair-Share: How does a |

| | |journal. What are laws? Why do|laws? How do laws become laws?|bill become a law? |

| |Refer back to KWL chart. |we have laws? | | |

| |Discuss what we know about the | | |Lecture on the bill making |

| |way our government is |Students will analyze a list of|Watch Schoolhouse Rock video on|process for the state |

| |organized. Students should |laws and determine if they are |how a bill becomes a law. |government vs. the federal |

| |have some background knowledge |fair, enforceable, | |government. |

| |on this topic from 3rd grade. |understandable, and flexible |Class role-play activity: Group| |

| | |(see layered curriculum). |students into the senate and |Bill to law flow chart activity|

| |Remind students that there are | |the house of representatives. |(see layered curriculum). |

| |three branches of government. |Lecture on the legislative |Choose committee members and a | |

| |Pass out t-chart with the three|branch. Who is part of it and |president. Introduce a bill | |

| |branches. Another handout will|what are its main |and go through the steps of how| |

| |have cut-and-paste squares |responsibilities? |a bill becomes a law. | |

| |where students will make |Students will revise their |Afterwards, students will take | |

| |predictions about which |predictions from the previous |notes on the process. | |

| |branches have which members and|day. Add new information to | | |

| |responsibilities. |KWL chart. | | |

| |Discuss as a class. | | | |

|Monday |Tuesday |Wednesday |Thursday |Friday |

|Quiz on how a bill becomes a law.| | | | |

| |Create a Venn diagram to show |Think-Pair-Share: |Entrance slip- |Introduction to court system. |

| |the similarities and |How do you think the president |What are some of the things a |Students will read to find |

|Introduce the Executive Branch, |differences between the federal|becomes president? |president can do? What are |information about different |

|including members and |government and the state | |some things he cannot do? |types of courts by analyzing |

|responsibilities. Discuss the |government. |Discussion on how presidents | |newspaper articles. |

|state executive branch and the | |must be elected by the people. |Read article about a fictional | |

|federal executive branch. Refer|OR | |country where the president has|Students will learn about the |

|back to prediction chart. | |Prediction chart about things a|absolute power. Students will |purpose of the judicial branch,|

| |Journal Entry: President Obama |president can and cannot do. |reflect on what kind of |members of the judicial branch,|

| |is the leader of our country. |Use this as an opportunity to |problems this caused. |and how the justices are |

|Exit slip: Who are members of the|What characteristics make a |introduce checks and balances. | |appointed. |

|executive branch and what are |good leader? Who do you know |Students will take notes. | | |

|their main roles? |that would make a good leader? | | | |

| |Why? | | | |

| | | | | |

|Monday |Tuesday |Wednesday |Thursday |Friday |

| | | | | |

|Quick write- Who are the members |Completion of Level C and B |Explain group project in |Branches of government tree |Branches of government tree |

|of the judicial branch? What |activities. |detail. Students will create a|project |project and presentations |

|purpose do they serve? | |tree which demonstrates the | | |

| | |important principals of the | | |

|Mock appointment of a Supreme | |three branches of government. | | |

|Court justice. A president will | | | | |

|appoint a justice and congress | | | | |

|will have to approve. This will | | | | |

|reiterate the system of checks | | | | |

|and balances. | | | | |

|Monday |Tuesday | | | |

| | | | | |

|Review for unit test |Unit test | | | |

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