Introduction
Have you ever wondered why our government works the way it does?
Has someone ever mentioned the "checks and balances" of our government and you had no idea what they were talking about?
The United States government was born when the Founders at the Constitutional Convention changed history by creating a brand new goverment. When asked what type of government was made, Founder Ben Franklin replied, "A republic, if you can keep it." Over 200 years later, the Constitution is still the law of the land. How exactly does the Constitution set the roles for each branch of government?
In this webquest, you will discover what the responsibilities of each branch of government are, who the national and state representatives are for your area, and how the Founders were able to create a system of "checks and balances" to ensure we kept a republic.
Task
Your task will be to answer the following questions:
- What are the responsibilities of each branch of government?
- Who heads each branch of government
- What are the qualifications for each branch?
- What check does each branch have on the other 2 branches?
You will receive a handout in class that will be far more detailed than the general questions above.
Process
In order to successfully complete this web quest, you must be able to effectively navigate the websites to answer the questions. You may not Google each question, but instead use the websites provided to find the answers to the questions.
Once you have answered all of the questions, you will create a visual of the 3 Branches of Government. You may work in groups of 2-4 to complete your poster with the understanding that each person will participate and you will receive a group grade.
You will also come up with a quiz to give to another group on the 3 Branches. The minimum number of questions on your quiz will be 10 with the maximum being 20. Your group will “grade” the quiz so keep this in mind if you decide to give all essay questions.
Finally, you will take a test on all of the material.
Evaluation
Your grade will be calculated for each portion of the task.
Research questions will be based on the following criteria:
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Student worked independently on answering questions without disrupting others.
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Student only used approved websites and did not “Google” each question.
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Student was able to independently navigate each website without needing help with each question.
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Student finished research in a timely manner and stayed focused on the task.
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Posters will be evaluated on the following criteria:
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Poster includes all 3 branches of government
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3 responsibilities of each branch
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Who currently holds each position
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2 checks EACH branch as on the other 2 branches
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Colorful
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Neat
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Pictures (hand drawn, magazine, or printed)
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Group cooperation
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Questions will be graded on the following criteria:
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Minimum # of questions
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Questions were about the 3 Branches project
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Questions were neat or easily read
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Each person in the group helped to generate questions
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Each person in group helped to grade questions
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Conclusion
Congratulations! I hope you understand more about how our country works. You will study for a major test that will cover all of the topics covered on this web quest.
Credits
You will use the following sites to answer the questions on your handout. If you are caught using other sites, it will deduct your grade.
Click here to find out the responsibilities of the House of Representatives and to find your representative:
http://www.house.gov/content/learn/branches_of_government/
Click here to find the 2 Senators from WV
Click here for all information on ALL 3 branches. Use the links below the pictures to navigate each branch.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0774837.html
Click here for information about the justices on the Supreme Court
http://www.supremecourt.gov/about/about.aspx
Click here to find fun facts about the Supreme Court
http://www.supremecourt.gov/faq_justices.aspx#top
Click here to find out the Executive Offices
https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet
Click here for Ben’s Guide to Government
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/9-12/nation/index.html?titleID=55
Click here for Checks and Balances
http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_cnb.html