Lesson 3.3: Branches of U.S. Government


Home l Login

Lesson Visuals

The Lesson Visuals can be projected with a LCD projector or a Smartboard

Prep and Tech

Technology: LCD projector, laptop, Internet access, and student computers
Limited tech handouts: 3.3a: Branches of Government, 3.3b: Opinion Poll
Other Materials: Index cards

Handouts

Objectives

Students will learn about the three branches of U.S. government and how each one can affect the laws in our country.
Students will learn who their representatives are and decide to whom they will write their letters.

Focusing Question

Who has the power in our government?

Mini Lesson

The Three Branches of Government (15 min.)

Introduce the focusing question that guides this lesson. Connect this question to the previous lesson.
Explain to students that the Founders designed the U.S. Constitution with a system that separates powers among three different branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.
Explain that the powers of each branch are described in the first three Articles of the U.S. Constitution.
Show the text of Articles I, II, and III to students. Ask students to volunteer to read the text aloud for the class.
Discuss the powers of each branch of government. Explain to students the relationship among the three branches- the system of checks and balances.
Ask students why the Founders chose not to give one branch all the power in our government. Discuss with students why it is important to divide power amongst the different branches.
Explain to students that it is important to decide who to send their letters to. Explain that it is important to know what the function of each branch is and who the representatives of each branch are (in our local, state, and national government) in order to be sure they are writing to someone who can make a difference on the issue.
Show students the e-tutorial: What Happens to Your Letter?, located on Step 3 of the Constitution Today student website.
Explain to students that local representatives are more likely to respond to a letter than national representatives because they represent smaller groups of people.
Direct students to use computers. Tell students to go to Step Three: Conduct Research on the Constitution Today student website and select Find Your Representatives.
Ask students to explore the www.congress.org website to find out who their representatives are on each level and discuss with each other who they will write their letters to.
Tell students to write down the name and mailing address of the representative they will write their letter to.
Ask students to take the Opinion Poll on Step 3 of the Constitution Today website. Explain that students can share their opinions on the issues with other students participating in this program in the Opinion Poll. The Opinion Poll will be a useful research tool as students begin to write their letters in Step 4.

Now that you have researched the issues, you will get ready to write your letters. Today we are going to find out who your representatives are in our government and you will each decide who you will write your letters to. Before we look at who our representatives are, let’s talk about the three branches of government. This will give you a better understanding of who you should write your letters to.

The Founders of our government designed it so that no one person could have too much power, like a king. They divided the power up among three branches.

The powers of the Legislative branch are described in Article I. The powers of the Executive branch are described in Article II. The powers of the Judicial branch are described in Article III.

Let’s take a look at the original language of the Constitution, and then discuss what this means today. Would someone like to read the text on the first page of the Branches of Government handout?

Now that we have read about the three branches, what branch does the president represent?
Sample Response: The president represents the executive branch. The executive branch carries out the laws.

What branch does the Supreme Court represent?
Sample Response: The Supreme Court represents the judicial branch. The judicial branch interprets the laws.

What branch does Congress represent?
Sample Response: Congress represents the legislative branch. The legislative branch makes the laws.

Which branch of government do you think you should write your letter to?
Sample Response: I want to write my letter to a member of Congress. Congress makes the laws. I want them to make a new law against guns.

It is a good idea to write to the legislative branch. They make the laws. They also get elected to office to represent us. They count on votes to stay in office. Members of the legislative branch are the ones that respond most to letters.

Now you are going to find out which representatives can help most with your issue. Gale Brewer is a member of the City Council. Go to the Constitution Today website and select Step 3. Click on What Happens to Your Letter? Councilwoman Brewer explains what happens to letters that come in to her office. She also makes some recommendations on each issue and who you can write your letter to.

After you decide which level of government you will write to - city, state, or federal- you will find out who your representatives are. On Step 4 it says "Find Your Representative." Type in your zip code or the school zip code in the space provided. When I type in my zip code, I get a list of my representatives. Discuss your options with the members of your group. Then, choose a representative and write down his or her contact information in your notebook or on an index card.

Student Activity

What Happens to Your Letter? (25 min.)

Students should go to the Constitution Today student website in groups and view the e-tutorial What Happens to Your Letter?
Students will learn about what happens to their letters and then find out what level of government is most connected to their issue. Students should discuss with other members of their group which branch of government and which level of government might be most responsive to their letters.
Students should then find out who their representatives are and choose which one they will write to. Students should copy down the address of the representative they have chosen.
Students should take the Opinion Poll on Step 3 of the Constitution Today website. If there is no access to Internet, distribute copies of Handout 3.3b: Opinion Poll.

Lesson Summary

Who has the power in our government? (5 min.)

Revisit the focusing question.
Ask students to share who they decided to write their letters to and why.
Ask students to explain which branch and level of government this person represents.
Homework Activity: Distribute one index card to each student. Ask students to make a final decision about where they will send their letters. Ask students to write the name and address on the index card. Instruct students to write a brief explanation of why they chose this person on the back of the index card.

Assessment

Use the index card with the name and address of a representative, along with a brief explanation of why they chose this person, to assess students’ understanding of the different branches of government and their respective powers.