Day1:
Time: Social Studies Block- 60 minutes
Lesson title: Introduction of Government
Branches and Laws
Name: MaryKate Moran
Description: Students will use iPads to
research the three branches of
government and complete a worksheet.
They will then be separated into three
groups to discuss the information they
have gathered. A new classroom law will
be introduced to the students and each
group will focus on a specific concept
about that law. They will write their ideas
down on a large piece of paper and share
them will the class.
Concepts: Power, Authority, &
Governance, Civic Ideals & Practices
Skills: Research, Collaboration,
Discussion, Writing
Vocabulary: Executive, Legislative,
Judicial, President, Vice President, Senate,
Supreme Court, Law, Veto
Day3:
Time: Social Studies Block- 60 minutes
and 30 minutes from the writing block
Lesson title: Legislative Branch Centers
Name: Hayley Campbell and Rebecca
Gumpel
Description: Students will rotate around
centers engaging in different activities to
deepen their understanding of the
legislative branch. These centers will
include a guest speaker (Pat Toomey),
study of historical Art, work on our
classroom bill, and a virtual field trip to The
Capitol. During these center students will
implement the skills of research,
collaboration, and evaluation of the
different aspects of the legislative branch
in meaningful authentic activities. Students
will work with technology in a
developmentally appropriate way to
complete a few of the learning activities
given today. VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP
Concepts:Time, Continuity, & Change,
Power, authority, and governance,
Individuals, Groups, Institution
Day2:
Time: Social Studies Block- 60 minutes
Lesson title: Legislative Branch Lesson 1
Name: Hayley Campbell
Description: Students will use online
resources in a scavenger hunt worksheet and
power point given by teacher to build
foundation knowledge of the legislative branch.
The students will work to identify the function
of the legislative branch, characterize the two
house of congress and explain how a bill
becomes a law. The students will also relate
this information to our own state, the state of
Pennsylvania.
Concepts: Power, authority, and governance,
Individuals, Groups, Institution, Civic Ideals
and Practices
Skills: Collaboration, Communication, ICT
literacy, research skills, and writing skills.
Vocabulary: legislative branch, congress,
Senate, House of Representatives,
Committee, Bill, Law, Subcommittee, Art
elements, Capitol, Political Cartoon,
Natural Resource
Day4:
Time: Social Studies Block- 60 minutes
Lesson title: Forests and WIldfire Bills
Name: Hayley Campbell
Description: Students will simulating the
process of the Legislative branch. The
students will be working with a Bill about
the prevention of Wildfires. Students will
conduct their own research and debate
their positions on the bill.
Concepts: III People, Places &
Environments, V Individuals, Groups,
Institutions VI Power, Authority, &
Governance VIII Science, Technology, &
Science Civic Ideals & Practices
Skills: Collaboration, Communication,
Listening,Critical thinking and problem
solving, Information, media and
technology skills, research skills, and
writing skills.
Skills: Collaboration, Communication,
Listening, Critical thinking and problem
solving, Information, media and
technology skills, research skills, and
writing skills.
Day5:
Time: S.S Block- 60 minutes
Lesson title: The Executive Branch & The
White House
Name: Ryan
Description: Students will be introduced
to the executive branch of government and
go on a virtual tour of The White House
with the Obama family. Field Trip
Concept: Power, Authority, &
Governance,Individuals, Groups,
Institutions
Skills: Writing, reflecting, and recalling
details
Vocabulary:
1. Virtual Reality: A 3D environment
that is computer generated.
2. Oval Office: A designated office for
the president of the united states.
The Oval Office is found in The
White House.
Day7:
Time: S.S Block- 60 minutes
Day6:
Time: S.S Block- 60 minutes
Lesson title: The Executive Branch & The
Presidents
Name: Ryan
Description: Students will research and
complete a brief biographies on their
favorite president of the US, and share
their information with the class.
BIOGRAPHY
Concept: Power, Authority, &
Governance, People:
Skills: research, present, discuss,
observe, listen, write ,interpersonal
communication, organizing.
Vocabulary:
1. Executive Branch: the branch of
government, led by the president,
that enforces the laws of the United
States. The Government of the
United States has an executive
branch
2. The President: The highest elected
or appointed officer or position
within an organization. The former
president of the United States was
President Obama.
3. Biography: A retelling of important
events in someones life. Many
famous people, like Drew
Barrymore, have biographies that
explain their accomplishments.
4. Republican: A political party of the
US government that tends to take a
more traditional approach with their
beliefs. Donald Trump is a
Republican.
5. Democrat: A political party of the
US government that tends to take a
more liberal approach with their
beliefs.
Day8:
Time: 2 hours for transportation and tour
Title: Power of Veto
Name: Ryan
Description: Students will become
congressmen and congresswomen will
decide the fate of multiple bills that have
been vetoed by the president of the USA.
MATH & Voting Day
Concept:VI Power, Authority, &
Governance, People, Groups
Skills: Interpersonal communication,
discuss, watch, pretend
Vocabulary:
1. Bill: A draft of a proposed law
presented to parliament for
discussion. The Bill of rights is the
first ten amendments of the
constitution.
2. Judicial Branch: responsible for
interpreting the laws passed by the
legislative branch. The supreme
court is part of the judicial branch
3. Veto: The power the president may
reject a bill that has been passed
by congress in order to keep it from
becoming law. President John
Tyler vetoed/rejected a bill in 1845
4. Congressmen: A member of the
house of representatives. Charlie
Dent is one of PAs congressman.
Day9:
Time: Social Studies Block- 60 minutes
Lesson title: Judicial Branch: The
Supreme Court Justices
Name: Allie Broomall
Description: This lesson focuses on the
Supreme Court Justices. Students will be
taught about the nine Supreme Court
Justices and what their role is as part of
the Judicial Branch. Students will be split
into groups and assigned a specific justice
to conduct research on. The class will be
using iPads for research and filling in a
worksheet about their justice. With the use
of their iPads, groups will then create a
Puppet Pals presentation with the
information they learned about their justice
and will present it to the class.
Concepts: Power, Authority, and
Governance
Lesson title: The Judicial Branch: All
About the Courts
Name: Allie Broomall
Description: Students will be introduced
to the function and purpose of the Judicial
Branch of government. Students will be
taking a field trip to the local courthouse,
Chester County Courthouse, in downtown
West Chester. On the field trip, students
will complete a worksheet to help them
further explore and understand the court
system.
Concepts: Power, Authority, and
Governance; Civic Ideals & Practices;
People, Places & Environments
Skills: Collaborate, Observe, Listen, Write,
Interpersonal Communication
Vocabulary: Judicial Branch, Job of the
Courts, Supreme Court, Supreme Court
Justices Courtroom, Criminal Case, Civil
Case, Jury
Day10:
Time: Social Studies Block- 60 minutes
Lesson title: Judicial Branch: Make Your
Case Court Simulation
Name: Allie Broomall
Description: Students will be learning how
a court case works its way through trial
with the use of a virtual game called Make
Your Case. Full class participation,
collaboration, and discussion in this
courtroom trial simulation will allow
students to learn about the processes and
procedures that occur throughout a court
case.
Concepts: Power, Authority, and
Governance; Civic Ideals and Principles
Skills: Interpersonal Communication,
Observe, Listen, Discuss, Watch, Pretend,
Vocabulary: Defendant, Plaintiff,
Objection, Supreme Court, Supreme Court
Skills: Collaborate, Research, Discuss,
Observe, Present, Listen, Write,
Interpersonal Communication, Organizing
Day11:
Time: Social Studies Block- 60 minutes
Lesson title: Checks and Balances
Name: Rebecca Gumpel
Description: Students will be split into 3
groups with each group representing a
different branch of the US Government.
The class will be able to experience the
process of turning a bill into a law by
having each branch vote on different bills
for the class party at the end of the
marking period.
Concepts: Time, People, Power,
Authority, Governance, Individuals, Groups
Skills: Collaborate, Observe, Understand,
Discuss, Watch
Vocabulary: Checks and Balances,
Legislative, Judicial, Executive, Veto, Bill,
Law, Branch, Supreme Court, President,
Government, House of Representatives
Justices
Day12:
Time: Social Studies Block- 60 minutes
Lesson title: Review of Government
Branches and Laws
Name: MaryKate Moran
Description: Students will fill in what they
have learned throughout the unit in the
KWL Chart that they received during the
introductory lesson. They will then
participate in a kahoot review activity
where they will answer questions on an
iPad that correspond with the kahoot quiz
displayed on the board. The review will
consist of questions from each lesson of
the branches throughout the unit. Lastly,
each student will be paired with a partner
for a Think-Pair-Share where they will
discuss the content they have reviewed.
Concepts: Power, Authority, &
Governance, Civic Ideals & Practices
Skills: Observing, Listening, Collaborating,
Writing, Reviewing
Vocabulary: Legislative, Executive,
Judicial, Law, Bill, President, Senate,
Congress, Veto, Biography