A Balancing Act
Our Three Branches Government
Why does it still work?
A WebQuest for 5th graders created by Elizabeth Ouellette
| Task | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion | References | Teacher Resources |
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.
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 Kidspiration or Inspiration for this activity. Your team will also design an informative brochure on the three branches of government. To do your part as an active American citizen, you will help educate the entire Riverdale community about the roles of the three branches of the Federal government by distributing your brochures during our spring open house.
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.
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.
5. Create a diagram using Kidspiration or Inspiration. Be sure to use the picture view format in these programs. 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 may use the symbol palette on Kidspiration or Microsoft’s insert clipart option to add pictures to your diagram. You might need to check out the following sites for more information on the idea of checks and balances.
Fact
Monster Checks and Balances
Constitution:
Checks and Balances
Separation
of Power and a System of Checks and Balances
6. Save your work in your class folder. Be sure to give your Kidspiration diagram a name plus add your group number. Remember to save your work as you go along.
7. Now it’s time to show everyone what you know by publishing an informational brochure! Click on the folder
to see an
example of an informational brochure. You
will use Microsoft Publisher 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. You may want to include a section on your state’s
Senators and Representatives.
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 Kidspiration/Inspiration diagram (20 points), and your brochure(24 points). The Kidspiration/Inspiration 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. (Kidspiration rubric, Brochure rubric)
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.
Books
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.
Computer Software
Kidspiration. Inspiration Software, Inc. Computer Software. Portland, Oregon: 2000.
Video
The Three Branches of Government. Producers Andrew Schlessinger & Tracey Mitchell. Videotape. Wynnewood, PA: Schlessinger Media, 2002.
Web
Sites
Absolute Web Graphics Archive. 18 November 2003. <http://grsites.com/webgraphics/>
SmartEDU, Inc. Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks Database. 1 December 2003. <http://www.smartedu.net/mcf/default.htm>
Soo-Hyoung. Soo-Hyoung's Library Clipart. 20 November 2003. <http://user.chollian.net/~sadrain1/clipart/>
Tokarczyk, Shayni. Teacher Files.com. 20 November 2003. <http://www.teacherfiles.com/clip_art.htm>
Credits
A special thank you to Simone Carpenter and Lauren Totino from Mrs. Nichols 5th grade class for allowing me to use their brochure as example of a student project that resulted in an informational brochure.
This unit was developed for fifth graders. It meets the following Massachusetts Curriculum Standards in the history and social science frameworks:
Strand:
Concepts and Skills
Grade Span: 5
Standard: Civics and Government
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)
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
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)
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
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)
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
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)
Technology
note: The students
should have access to the programs Kidspiration/Inspiration and Microsoft Publisher.
It is assumed that students will have had lessons on how to use these
programs.
