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 |

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|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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