The Three Branches of Government

Introduction

                                               

   Three Branches of U. S. Government

Our Founding Fathers fought the Revolutionary War to gain freedom from England and the rule of the British king. They wanted to create a government that divided power.  Upon realizing that the Articles of Confederation had created a weak government, the Founding Fathers worked tirelessly to create the U.S. Constitution. Under this government, three branches of government were established.  These branches were designed so that no one branch could have a majority of power.  This system is known as checks and balances.  

Task


For this assignment, you will complete a series of tasks to help you learn about the three branches of government.  You will begin by completing a bellringer activity that is designed to determine your prior knowledge on the three branches. Don't worry if you don't know all of the answers.  Then you will watch a rap song video on YouTube.  Have fun singing along! Next, you will design a poster that describes what you have learned about the three branches of government.  You must include on your poster the "who" and "what" for each branch of government. This will be graded by a rubric so be creative and make sure your information is accurate.  Lastly, you will take The Three Branches Quiz and check your answers with the answer key.  This quiz is located inside the blue folder at your center. Click on the Process tab to begin your learning experience. 

Have Fun Learning!

 

 

 

Process

Task #1 (Bellringer)

Go to http://www.congressforkids.net/wordspy/wspy_Constitution_threebranches.htm

and take the quiz.  This is a bellringer activity designed to determine your prior knowledge on the three branches of government. Don't worry if you don't know all of the answers.  Check your answers for accuracy by clicking on the Check Quiz tab.  

Task #2

Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt5K4ZK0ILY and watch the video all the way through on the first viewing.  Then, watch the video again and complete the Guided Notes handout. This handout is located inside the red folder at your table.    

Task #3

Design a poster where you explain what you have learned about the three branches of government.  Begin by drawing a tree with three branches and label each branch with the three branches of government.  Then, answer the following questions: Who is the head of each of the three branches of government?   What are the duties and responsiblities of each branch of government?  This will be graded by a rubric.  Creativity is important, but accuracy of information will be assessed in greater detail.  

Task #4

Take the Three Branches of Government Quiz.  It is located inside the blue folder located at your center.  Complete the quiz first and then grade your answers with the answer key. No cheating! This quiz can be used as a study guide for the test.  

Evaluation

Rubric for Three Branches of Government Poster

CATEGORY

4

3

2

1

Content - Accuracy

All of my facts are accurate on the poster are accurate. 

1-2 of my facts are inaccurate. 

3-4 of my facts are inaccurate. 

More than 5 of the facts on my poster are inaccurate. 

Labels

I correctly labeled all parts of my poster and explained the “who” and “what” for each branch of government. 

I incorrectly labeled 1-2 parts of my poster.

I incorrectly labeled 3-4 parts of my poster. 

I incorrectly labeled 5 or more parts of my poster. 

Attractiveness

The poster is exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness.

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

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

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

Use of Class Time

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

Used time well during each class period. Usually focused on getting the project done and never distracted others.

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

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


Congratulations!  You have finished this webquest.  From this activity, you should have learned that the government of the United States is divided into the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches.  The Founding Fathers did not want one branch to have too much power, therefore, they divided the roles and responsibilities among these branches.  This is known as a system of checks and balances. The President is the head of the Executive Branch. The Legislative Branch makes the laws.  They also have the power set taxes and declare war. The Judicial Branch carries out the law.  The highest court in the U.S. is the Supreme Court.  

 

Credits
Teacher Page

This webquest was created by Amy Farmer. It is my hope that you had fun learning about the three branches of government. My favorite part of the activity was the video with the rap song.  I hope that you enjoyed this as well. I will be grading your poster and returning it to you as soon as possible.  The quiz will also be graded and returned to you so that you can use it as a study guide.