Three+Branches+of+Government

=The Three Branches of Government = by Elizabeth Ouellette Edited by Mrs. Wagner

=**Introduction**= It is often said that the young Americans of today know very little about their own form of government as compared to what students know in other countries of the world. Your task today is to prove them wrong. In this WebQuest, you will learn about the three branches of the United States government: the executive, the legislative and the judicial. You will also discover how the system of checks and balances works. In 1783 the American Revolution ended but the struggle to build a new nation had just begun. After years of living under British rule, most Americans did not trust a strong central government. They wanted the majority of the power in the hands of the people in the individual 13 states. The states were granted this power under the Articles of Confederation which was adopted in 1781. This document created major problems after the war. The newly independent people thought of themselves only as citizens of the state in which they lived. Conflicts began to develop between the states that could not be resolved. Leaders in the 13 states such as Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin realized that our government under the Articles of Confederation was not working. They believed a stronger central government was needed. In 1787 a Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia to create a new plan of government. After much debate and compromise, the delegates agreed to set up a federal system of government with three separate branches. This system of government is outlined in the Constitution of the United States. The framers of the U.S. Constitution wanted to form a union that clearly assigned power to three branches but at the same time guaranteed that the power held by any one branch could be checked by another. The ideas set up in the U.S. Constitution have survived for over 200 years.

=Task= As researcher, you will draw conclusions on why our form of government has survived for so many years. Your job will be for you and a partner to thoroughly investigate the role of **one** of the three branches of government and become the experts on that branch. You will combine your expertise with a larger team of six to create a graphic organizer showing the responsibilities of each branch. You will use Webbing Tool for this activity. This cannot be saved. You must print it before the end of class. Your team will also design an informative brochure on the three branches of government.

=Process= 1. The class will be divided into three teams with six students on each team. The teams will decide which two members on their team will represent which branch of government. 2. So that you and the members of your team will have some background information for your quest of knowledge about the three branches of government, you are to view the movie //The Three Branches of Government// by Schlessinger Video Productions. 3. Using the web sites listed in the table below, record the information you obtain regarding your assigned branch of the federal government on your [|chart]. Each person is responsible for collecting data and recording it on their chart.

|| Legislative Branch || Judicial Branch || 4. With the help of your entire team, create a cross-word puzzle using the vocabulary words you learned from your research on the three branches of the U.S. government. Don't forget to use the "key words" you listed in your government chart. You will use [|Puzzlemaker] to complete this assignment. You will be able to distribute your crossword puzzle to the entire class. Your classmates can use the crossword puzzle as review assignment.
 * Executive Branch
 * [|White House for Kids] || [|Congress for Kids House of Representative] || [|The Judicial Branch Truman Presidential Museum & Library] ||
 * [|PBS Kids Democracy Project President for a Day] || [|Congress for Kids Senate] || [|Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids The Supreme Court] ||
 * [|Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids The President] || [|The Senate Truman Presidential Museum and Library] || [|Fact Monster Article III of the Constitution] ||
 * [|Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids The President's Cabinet] || [|Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids The U.S. Congress] || [|Department of Justice] ||
 * [|What a President Can Do and Cannot Do] || [|Kids in the House] || [|Scholastic: Role of the Supreme Court] ||
 * [|The Executive Branch Truman Presidential Museum and Library] || [|The House of Representatives Truman Presidential Museum and Library] || [|Scholastic: The Court and Constitutional Interpretation] ||
 * [|The American President] || [|The United States Capitol: an overview of the building] || [|Photographs of the Supreme Court] ||

5. Create a diagram using the Webbing Tool. Your entire team will work on the diagram. This diagram should show how the three branches of government connect and flow to one another. Be sure the experts on each of the branches contributes their ideas to the diagram. You made want to check out the sites below for a final check of information. [|Fact Monster Checks and Balances] [|Constitution: Checks and Balances] [|Separation of Power and a System of Checks and Balances] 6. You must print your webbing. It cannot be saved so you should have an idea of what you want to put on the web and start it at the beginning of class. 7. Now it’s time to show everyone what you know by publishing an informational brochure! You will use Microsoft Word in the computer lab to create your brochure. Be sure to use graphics, key vocabulary words, and any interesting facts that you discovered in your research about the three branches of the United States Government. Be creative in your design layout but be sure to use landscape view.

=Evaluation= Each group will be given a grade. Teamwork is important to the successful completion of this unit. Your team is responsible for turning in the following items: chart on the specific branch of government that you and your partner completed (4 points), your team's crossword puzzle (2 points), your Webbing Tool diagram (20 points), and your brochure(24 points). The Webbing Tool Diagram and the brochure will be scored by using a rubric. You may print the rubrics out ahead of time to guide you through your work. ([|Webbing Tool,] [|Brochure rubric]) =Conclusion= After completing this WebQuest, you should have a better understanding of our three branches of government. You can consider yourself an informed young citizen of the United States who has a better appreciation of the democratic government established by our founding fathers. You now know how the executive, the legislative and the judicial branches come together to govern our nation and make it the wonderful country it is today.

=References= Banks, James A. et al. //United States: Adventures in Time and Place//. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2000. Giesecke, Ernestine. //Kids Guide: National Government//. Chicago: Heinemann, 2000. Kowalski, Kathiann M. //A Balancing Act: A Look at Checks and Balances//. Minneapolis: Lerner, 2004. Smith-Baranzini, Marlene. //USKids History: Book of the New American Nation//. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1995. Sobel, Syl. //How the Government Works//. Hauppauge, New York: Barron's, 1999. //Kidspiration//. Inspiration Software, Inc. Computer Software. Portland, Oregon: 2000. //The Three Branches of Government.// Producers Andrew Schlessinger & Tracey Mitchell. Videotape. Wynnewood, PA: Schlessinger Media, 2002. //Absolute Web Graphics Archive//. 18 November 2003. <[]> SmartEDU, Inc//. Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Database//. 1 December 2003. <[]> Soo-Hyoung. //Soo-Hyoung's Library Clipart//. 20 November 2003. <[|http://user.chollian.net/~sadrain1/clipart/]> Tokarczyk, Shayni. //Teacher Files.com//. 20 November 2003. <[]>
 * [[image:http://www.dedham.k12.ma.us/webquest/fall2003/eo/3_books.gif width="49" height="46"]]Books**
 * [[image:http://www.dedham.k12.ma.us/webquest/fall2003/eo/disks_clipart.gif width="33" height="31"]]Computer Software**
 * [[image:http://www.dedham.k12.ma.us/webquest/fall2003/eo/clipart_video_cassette.gif width="32" height="32"]] Video**
 * [[image:http://www.dedham.k12.ma.us/webquest/fall2003/eo/internet-world_cliart.gif width="53" height="43"]]Web Sites**

=Teacher Resources= This unit was developed for fifth graders. It meets the following Massachusetts Curriculum Standards in the history and social science frameworks: 10. Give examples of the responsibilities and powers associated with major federal and state officials (the president, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, governor, state senators, and state representatives). (C) 5.21 Identify the various leaders of the Constitutional Convention and describe the major issues they debated. a. the distribution of political power b. the rights of individuals c. the rights of states d. the Great Compromise e. slavery (H) (C) (E) 5.23 Describe the basic political principles of American democracy and explain how the Constitution and the Bill of Rights reflect and preserve these principles. a. individual rights and responsibilities b. equality c. the rule of law d. limited government e. representative democracy (C) 5.24 Identify the three branches of the United States government as outlined by the Constitution, describe their functions and relationships, and identify what features of the Constitution were unique at the time (e.g., the presidency and the independent judiciary). (H) (C)
 * Strand: ** Concepts and Skills
 * Grade Span:** 5
 * Standard:** //Civics and Government//
 * Strand: ** United States History, Geography, Economics, and Government: Early Exploration to Westward Movement
 * Grade Span:** 5
 * Standard:** //The Revolution and the Formation of a Federal Government under the Constitution, 1775-1789//
 * Strand: ** United States History, Geography, Economics, and Government: Early Exploration to Westward Movement
 * Grade Span:** 5
 * Standard:** //The Principles and Institutions of American Constitutional Government//
 * Strand: ** United States History, Geography, Economics, and Government: Early Exploration to Westward Movement
 * Grade Span:** 5
 * Standard:** //The Principles and Institutions of American Constitutional Government//