West Virginia Department of Education



Electronic Resource Package Template: Social Studies

Course: Social Studies Grade level: Second Grade

Title: Who’s the Boss?

Big Idea: Levels of Government

|Content Standards and Objectives |Learning Targets |

|SS.2.2 |Complete Branches of Government Chart |

|Illustrate levels of government (local, state, and national) and | |

|actively discuss the characteristics of effective leadership. | |

|TCS.K-2.13 |Create a project describing each branch of government |

|With support and guidance, create a product using a step-by-step | |

|process through the use of age appropriate digital and non-digital| |

|resources. | |

|DSS.K-2.3 |Think-Pair-Share – How school and the government are alike |

|Exhibit Respectful Behavior | |

|Show respect and caring behavior toward other | |

Focus (or Guiding) Questions:   

What is a law?

Why do we have laws?

Who makes the laws?

Who enforces the laws?

 

Know:

The three branches of government

The roles and responsibilities of each branch of government

Differentiate between local, state, and federal government

 

Do:

Do a foldable activity with the academic vocabulary.

Compare their school to the government.

|Introduction: |

|Introduce this module by showing students a three-legged stool.   Get the class to start talking about the stool by asking questions such as: |

|Why does the stool need three legs?  What would happen if one of the legs were missing?  How do the legs support each other and the stool?  |

|Have students to work with a partner to brainstorm ways the stool is like the government.  As students share their thinking with the entire |

|class, record their answers.  Depending on their background knowledge of the three branches of government, some students will understand that |

|the legs of the stool function much like the 3 branches of the government, each supporting the other two.  Some students may have limited |

|background knowledge, but either way, this activity will provide an opportunity for formative assessment and frame the amount and type of |

|instruction your students will need.  |

|Revisit this visual throughout the lesson and make comparisons with the school, and the branches of government. This will help the children |

|visually see that each branch works together to create the laws just like each of the legs work together to create the stool. |

| |

Academic Vocabulary:

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 .

Constitution

Law

Judge 

Congress 

Senate

Representative 

President 

Government:

Local 

State 

Federal

|Manage the Process: |

|Stage One:  |

|Use the Think, Pair, Share strategy and ask students how their school is like the government.  Some possible guiding questions to frame |

|student thinking include, but are not limited to: |

|What are the school rules? |

|What are the classroom rules?  |

|Who makes the rules? |

|What happens when you break a rule? |

|Who are the “citizens” of this school? |

|How do citizens provide input into the creating and enforcing these rules?   |

|Who are the leaders of the school and what role does each leader play in governing the student body? |

|  |

|Students will be asked to complete a chart with information learned through this discussion activity. |

|  |

|Stage Two:  |

|Vocabulary acquisition: After introducing the academic vocabulary to students have them do a foldable activity to ensure they have a real |

|understanding of the terms.   |

|Give students a plain white piece of paper and explain how they are to fold the paper into eight squares.  ( see resource list for |

|instructions) |

|Have students write one vocabulary word in each square. |

|Finally, have students enter a clue that will help them remember each word.  The clue could be picture, a sentence, an antonym or synonym, |

|etc. |

|  |

|Stage Three:   |

|Take students online to explore the Ben’s Guide to the Government website () |

|where they will learn about the three branches of the government.  |

|While working through the website, be sure to address the following points: |

|The legislative branch and its function, |

|The number and names of your senators and representatives, |

|The executive branch and its function, |

|The current president, vice president, governor and mayor, |

|current events relevant to the three branches of the government, |

|The judicial branch and its function, |

|The Supreme Court, |

|Current Supreme Court decisions in the news. |

|  |

|Stage Four: |

|Have each student complete the Branches of Government Chart (below) to check for understanding. |

|  |

|Stage Five:  |

|Have students create a project that demonstrates their knowledge and understanding of the three branches of government.  There are many types |

|of projects that could serve this purpose, but individual students and/or classes should be taken into consideration when making the |

|decision.  Some options for consideration might be a media presentation (PowerPoint, moviemaker, etc.), a book or an essay.  No matter what |

|the project, have students present it to the class and consider inviting parents to attend the presentations.  Develop a rubric to assess the |

|final product, making sure that the rubric addresses the CONTENT. |

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Electronic Resources

|Acquisition of Background 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. |

|Bens Guide to the US Government for Kids |The website was developed for students and is organized in programmatic |

| |levels.  Students can explore a wide range of information about the |

| |government. |

| | |

| | |

| | |

|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. |

| |This website about the US government was written for children.  It is |

| |organized by programmatic levels. |

|Congress for Kids |This site provides a wealth of information about the Congress and it is |

| |written for kids. |

|EDSITEment! Lesson Plan  |This link is to an EDSITEment Lesson, “The President’s Roles and |

|:  Understanding the President’s Job.” |

|ibilities-understanding-presidents-job | |

|Foldable Ideas |Suggestions and help on how to make various flipbooks or graphic |

| |organizers. |

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|Products, Investigations, and/or Assessments |

|Branches of Government Chart |

|Project that demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the three branches of government. |

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*Not Provided

Student Reflection:

How is our government similar to a three-legged stool?

Teacher Reflection:

The purpose of this module is for students to learn about the three branches of our government and how the branches serve as a check and balance of power.  In what ways was this goal accomplished and how could it be improved?

Branches of Government / School Government

Graphic organizer

| |School Government |Local Government |State Government |United States Government |

|Executive Branch | | | | |

|Who’s in charge? | | | | |

| | | | | |

|What are the responsibilities | | | | |

|of those in charge? | | | | |

|Legislative Branch | | | | |

|Who makes the laws/rules? | | | | |

| | | | | |

| | | | | |

|What are the responsibilities | | | | |

|of those who make the | | | | |

|laws/rules? | | | | |

|Judicial Branch | | | | |

|Who makes sure the laws/rules | | | | |

|are followed? | | | | |

| | | | | |

|What are the responsibilities | | | | |

|of those who make sure the | | | | |

|laws/rules are followed? | | | | |

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