Lesson Plan

Elementary Education Program
Department of Teacher Education & Learning Sciences
Lesson Plan
Name: Emma Wilson and Emily Barrett

Grade: 5th
Topic/Concept: US Government
Materials/Resources:
 Poster paper
 Colored pencils or markers,
 TV or Smart Board display for showing the video
 Flocabulary video
 Devices for students to play Kahoot

Teaching Behavior Focus:
Our main teaching behavior focus is promoting collaboration. We will foster student engagement
through discussion by talking with them and asking good questions as they design their poster.
We will also utilize cooperative learning by having students work together on the Kahoot quiz at
the end of the lesson. As teachers we will also use positive verbal reinforcement throughout the
lesson to support students in their learning while also keeping them engaged during the task.

Learning Objectives (measurable):
Students will be able to understand the federal, state, and local governments and how they work
together in unison for our country.
Students will also be able to identify the term “checks and balances” and what it means in regard
to our country.
Students will also be able to engage in discussion about the importance of each branch of
government.

Standards:
5.C&G.1 Understand the development, structure and function of government in the United
States.
5.C&G.1.2 Summarize the organizational structures and powers of the United States government
(legislative, judicial and executive branches of government).

Assessment Plan (How will you know that your students met the objective?):
We will be using a Kahoot as a formative assessment after the lesson to determine if students
understood the content or not. It will help us as teachers recognize if our students are meeting the
learning objective and the standards.

New Vocabulary:
Executive Branch: The branch of the government that is in charge of making sure the laws of
the US are carried out. This branch is headed by the President of the US and his cabinet
members.
Judicial Branch: The branch of the government that interprets what the laws mean. This branch
includes the Supreme Court and all other federal courts.
Legislative Branch: The branch of the government that is in charge of making laws. It includes
Congress, specifically the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Checks and Balances: The ability of each branch of the government to respond to the actions of
another branch.
Federal Government: The system of government that separates power between the 3 branches
of government.
State Government: A subdivision of the federal government run by the individual states.
Local Government: The administration of a particular town or district within a county.
President: The elected head of the US executive branch. The president’s main duties are to
make sure that laws are being executed within the country.,
Senate: One of the two houses in the legislative branch. Made up of 2 elected officials from each
state.
House of Representatives: One of the two houses in the legislative branch. Made up of elected
officials based on the population of each state.
Mayor: The elected head of a city, town, or municipality.
Governor: The elected head of a State in the US.
City Council: The legislative body that governs a city.

Lesson Development (hook/engage/launch, step by step in real time, include questions you
will ask in real time, closure/revisiting learning objectives):

I Do: Introducing the Topic and Getting Background Information (~10 minutes)
Questions to Gain Background Knowledge:

 What do you think the government is?
 Have any of you ever interacted with the government?
 Why do you think is it important?
 What do you think our country would look like without it?
Let’s brainstorm some background information that we might know about the government.
“Today, we are going to be talking about the three branches of government and why they are
important! Our country relies on order, and the government keeps order. Let’s watch this video
to give us a good idea about what we will be learning today!”
Flocabulary Video Introducing The 3 Branches of Government:

https://www.flocabulary.com/unit/3-branches-of-government/
Question after the Video:

“Could someone tell me one new thing they learned from the video about the government that
they did not know before? Turn and talk to your elbow partner and talk about what you are
interested in learning about this topic today.”
“Now, let’s go into our activity for the day!”
We Do: Activity (~20-30 minutes)

“Everyone grab a sheet of poster paper and colored pencils or markers. We are going to draw a
graphic organizer in a creative way to help us remember the 3 branches of government!”
“When I say the term ‘3 branches’ what is the first thing that comes to your mind?” Kids could
answer branches means trees
“I want us to draw a tree together and our tree is going to have 3 branches, just like the 3
branches of government.”
 Points to Talk about when Drawing the Graphic Organizer

o Drawing the base of the trunk- The base of the trunk is the people because the
people are the base of the government, with no people there is no government and
no branches.
o First Branch- The Judicial Branch
 Main Points- The judicial branch is the judge and decides if laws are equal
or constitutional. What does it mean when we want laws to be
constitutional? They relate to the constitution and the rules following that.
o Second Branch- Executive Branch
 Main Points- Executive branch enforces the laws. Many different kinds of
people work together to enforce them.
 Mention the Federal, State, and Local Governments
 Who is the head of our entire country? The President. He enforces laws for
the USA. Then, we look at the 50 states. Each state has its own head of the
state who enforces laws called a Governor. Going even smaller, within our
own city we have someone who enforces laws called a Mayor. Do you
know the name of the president? What about the governor of our state?
Does anyone know the name of our mayor?
o Third Branch- Legislative Branch
 Main Points- The Legislative Branch makes the laws. The legislative
branch has two groups of people within it to help make them. One group is
the Senate, and one is the House of Representatives. Both of these groups
represent individual states. We also have a city council that helps the
mayor by making laws for our cities.
o Checks and Balances
 What do you think it means when I say checks and balances? Have you
heard those terms before? Do not overthink it: each branch checks on each
other and makes sure that everyone has balanced power. If one branch is
too heavy, the whole tree will break! If the tree breaks, what do you think
could happen?
 Take some time and color your tree and make it look really good! You could possibly be
showing these to other people.
You Do: Kahoot Assessment and Closure (~20-30 minutes)

“Now that we have watched a video and talked together about the three branches we are going to
play a game! Please get into groups of 3 and choose a team name!”
Questions for the Kahoot:

1. What are the 3 Branches of the US Government?
a. Mayor, President, Judge
b. Executive, Legislative, Judicial
c. Courts, Departments, Offices
d. State, Federal, and Local
2. What are the 3 levels of Government?
a. Federal, State, Local
b. Federal, State, County
c. Large, Medium, Small

d. Senate, House of Representatives, Oval Office
3. Who elects government officials?
a. The President
b. The Governor
c. The People
d. The Children
4. What is the most powerful branch in the government?
a. The Executive
b. The Judicial
c. The Legislative
d. None, because of Checks and Balances
5. What does each branch of the Government do?
a. Create constitutions, punish lawbreakers, fight racism
b. Help people, jail people, follow people
c. Make laws, enforce law, ensure laws are fair
d. They do nothing and are unhelpful
“Before we wrap up today, stand up and find someone in the room that you haven’t talked to
today. Use the 3-2-1 discussion to talk about the lesson today. Tell them 3 things you learned, 2
things you wonder about, and 1 question that you have.”
Lesson Conclusion:
“Great job today, everyone! You all did a really amazing job about learning about the 3 branches
of government. The trees you made look wonderful and we can’t wait to display them for others
to see. There is definitely a lot that goes on in each branch of the government, but each part is
essential to make sure that our country runs smoothly with fairness and justice.”

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Elementary Education Program

Department of Teacher Education & Learning Sciences

Name: Emma Wilson and Emily Barrett

Local Government: The administration of a particular town or district within a county.

Mayor: The elected head of a city, town, or municipality.

Governor: The elected head of a State in the US.

City Council: The legislative body that governs a city.

Questions to Gain Background Knowledge:

Flocabulary Video Introducing The 3 Branches of Government:

Question after the Video:

We Do: Activity (~20-30 minutes)

 Points to Talk about when Drawing the Graphic Organizer

You Do: Kahoot Assessment and Closure (~20-30 minutes)

Questions for the Kahoot:

c. Large, Medium, Small

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