West Virginia Department of Education
Electronic Resources Package
Module 01 - We the People!
Social Studies Fourth Grade
Course: Social Studies Grade level: 4
Title: Module 01 - We the People!
Big Idea: Government provides a structure to efficiently and equitably provide for its citizens.
|Content Standards and Objectives |Learning Targets |
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|SS4.1 |Identify the documents established by Founding Fathers |
|Identify, explain and critique commonly held American democratic |Explain the documents as established by Founding Fathers. |
|values, principles and beliefs (e.g., diversity, family values, | |
|community service, justice, liberty, etc.) through established | |
|documents (e.g., Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, | |
|Bill of Rights, etc.). | |
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|SS.4.2 |Explain the three branches of government as per the US Constitution |
|Compare and contrast the powers of each branch of government and | |
|identify the responsibilities and rights of United States |Compare and contrast power of each branch of government |
|citizens. | |
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Focus (or Guiding) Questions:
What three branches of government were created in the US Constitution?
What is the responsibility for each branch?
What was put in place by the Founding Fathers to ensure a fair and equitable set of laws that is relevant to the times?
Know:
The three branches of government are based on the Constitution
The responsibility of each branch of government is defined by the Constitution
Do:
Identify the three branches of government
Identify the responsibilities of each branch
Compare and Contrast the National and State Constitution
Complete a poem, song, rap, or painting explaining the branches of government.
|Introduction: Provide guidance to the teacher as to how this information might be introduced to students. |
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|Show the flow chart of The Branches of Government to the |
|class; however, do not offer any comments about it. Brainstorm what the students think this picture has to do with them |
Academic Vocabulary: (May include key events and people)
Research has shown that the least effective strategy for teaching vocabulary is having students look up words and write the definitions. For quality, research-based strategies for teaching content vocabulary see the website: 15 Vocabulary Strategies in 15 Minutes)
legislative branch
executive branch
judicial branch
majority rule
|Manage the Process: |
|Stage 1 |
|Draw a large Equilateral triangle on the board. Write each of the three branches of government on a card. Have a student come up and place |
|each branch at the correct location on the triangle. Question whether the cards are placed correctly. Possibly move the cards around. This |
|triangle shows that all branches have equal authority, so there is NO right or wrong way to place the cards. When the Founding Fathers wrote |
|the Constitution, they set up the system of government and that system is still used today. |
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|Stage 2 |
|Show the site . As each branch is covered, write important notes with that |
|branch in the triangle. |
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|Stage 3 |
|NOTE: Become familiar with this site before taking students to it. Without being familiar with it, one could get “lost” in the site. |
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|Divide the class into teams of two. Play the game on . |
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|Stage 4 |
|When the Constitution was written, it provided flexibility for each state to govern within its boundaries. Each state also has its own |
|Constitution. Look at the WV Constitution at this site: . Compare and contrast the branches |
|of West Virginia’s government with the National Government, and the responsibilities of each. Students may benefit from having a Box and |
|T-Chart graphic organizer when completing this activity. |
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|Stage 5 |
|Bring up the website that explains the laws and rights given to each |
|citizen. Have a class discussion on why the rights provide for a fairness, and justice. |
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|Stage 6 |
|Look at the WV Constitution and decide if these rights and laws exist there also. |
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|Stage 7 |
|Write the words “Major Rule” on the board. Brainstorm what prior knowledge the students have on what they think “Major Rule” means to |
|them. Refine what it actually is, and have students identify times we use major rule. |
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|Stage 8 |
|Divide the class into small groups consisting of 3-4 students. Each group should decide on a product (e.g., write a book (informational or |
|literary), make a music video of an original song, create a media project, paint a picture, etc.) that includes the points covered in this |
|lesson. Provide students with a rubric prior to their beginning the assignment so they will know the expectations in advance. A presentation|
|to the class upon completion should be an expectation. |
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|ENRICHMENT: |
|The series of books by Peter and Cheryl Shaw Barnes is an excellent source of information on the Branches of Government. The curriculum |
|guide A Mice Way to Learn About Government is also available. |
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Electronic Resources
|Acquisition of Background Knowledge |Suggestion for Utilization of Resource |
|Enter each resource separately |Cited |
| |Add additional rows by clicking the Tab|
| |Key while the curser is in the last |
| |box. |
|The Duties of the Three Branches of Government |This interactive site teaches the |
| |student about the branches of |
| |government. This may be used with an |
| |interactive board. |
| |This site contains many links to sites |
|Congress for Kids- Three Branches |that reinforce the responsibilities of |
| |the three branches of government |
| |A site that contains on-line games that|
|Congress for Kids- Bill of Rights |reinforce the Bill of Rights |
| | |
|Expansion of Knowledge |Suggestion for Utilization of Resource Cited |
|Enter each resource separately |Add additional rows by clicking the Tab Key |
| |while the curser is in the last box. |
|A Mice Way to Learn About Government: A Curriculum Guide by Peter W. Barnes |Curriculum Guide to a series of books about |
| |the branches of government |
|House Mouse, Senate Mouse by Peter Barnes and Cheryl Shaw Barnes |A book on the Legislative branch of |
| |government. A Mice Way to Learn About |
| |Government is a curriculum guide for the book |
|Marshall: The Courthouse Mouse: A Tail of the Supreme Court by Cheryl Shaw Barnes |A book on the Judicial branch of |
| |government. A Mice Way to Learn About |
| |Government is a curriculum guide for the book.|
|Woodrow, The White House Mouse by Cheryl Shaw Barnes |A book on the Executive branch of |
| |government. A Mice Way to Learn About |
| |Government is a curriculum guide for the book.|
|Printable version of the Constitution and Bill of Rights |This link will provide the teacher with |
| |printable versions of the Constitution and the|
| |Bill of Rights |
|Teachervision site |Great US Government Resources for the |
| |classroom teacher |
| |Scholastic site on the Constitution |
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| |Kids in the House |
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|Products, Investigations, and/or Assessments |
|Graphic Organizer to compare/contrast US and WV Constitutions |
|A product to illustrate what was learned during this module |
|A presentation of the product that was developed |
Student Reflection: How would life be different for citizens of America if the US Constitution didn’t exist?
Teacher Reflection: In what ways did completing this module help my students become better students? How can I improve the results the next time I teach these objectives?
Box & T – Chart
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