Summary
The purpose of this lesson is to begin the process of helping students visualize the government of the United States as an integral part of everyday existence. Through inquiry-based learning, students will analyze levels of government and identify divisions of power while applying this knowledge to their daily lives. This lesson is intended to help students realize how relevant the study of government is to them and that voting is only the beginning of their interaction with their country's government.
Essential Question(s)
Do the actions of the government affect me?
Snapshot
Engage
Students will brainstorm a list of activities in which they participate that they think government does not impact.
Explore
Students will identify the three levels of government and apply that knowledge to their everyday activities.
Explain
Students will identify and describe the following concepts: division of power, separation of power, limited power, and concurrent power. Students will write editorials requesting either more government control or less government control over some aspect of their lives.
Extend
Students will consider the consequences when the three branches of government are in disagreement with each other and will explore the limits, or checks and balances, of their powers.
Evaluate
Students will present and defend their editorial before a panel of their peers.
Materials
Student Handout 1 Government Regulations
Student Handout 2 Fundamental Concepts of Power
Teacher Copy Fundamental Concepts of Power
Class copies of Huffington Post article "Defiant Oklahoma Governor Says Ten Commandments Monument Will Stay On State Capitol Grounds" located at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/07/oklahoma-ten-commandments_n_7747278.html
Rubric Editorial Paper
Engage
Ask students to write down or list as many activities as they can think of in which the government plays no role. Encourage students to think about some of the activities in and out of school that they might do in a day. Allow approximately 3 to 5 minutes. There is to be no sharing at this time. Each student should have his or her own list.
Once they each have their own lists, have students get into groups of three. In their groups, students should work together to create a master list of all of their ideas. Allow approximately 7 to 10 minutes to do this.
Explore
Remind students that there are three major levels of government and that each has the power to pass and enact laws. Write the following list on a handout, poster, or on the board. This will help students with the rest of the lesson.
Federal: Laws passed by the federal government through Congress have to be obeyed by all citizens. The Constitution specifies what types of laws Congress can enact and what responsibilities belong to state government.
State: Laws passed by the state government, often through legislature or assembly, apply only to the residents of that state or those visiting that state. These laws cannot contradict established federal laws.
Local: Laws often called "ordinances" and passed by a local city or county government have to be obeyed by the local residents or those visiting the local area.
Distribute "Student Handout 1 Government Regulations" to the groups. Point out that there are blank slots at the end of the handout. Inform students that these open slots are for them to add items from their group-developed lists that might not be on the handout. Ask groups to add at least two things from their group list to the handout.
Allow students to work in their groups to discuss each item on the handout. In the far right column, groups should list if they think the activity to the left is regulated by federal, state, or local governments. Inform students it could be a combination of the three. Give groups approximately 7 to 10 minutes to complete.
After groups have completed their handouts, have students go back to their desks and share answers with one another as a class to ensure all students have an understanding of the material and fill in any gaps in knowledge. To help facilitate this, you could place the words "Federal," "State," and "Local" on the board in three separate columns and have students randomly to come up to share where they would place the government regulations or policies from the handout.
Explain
Distribute "Student Handout 2 Fundamental Concepts of Power" to the students. Explain that this chart will help them understand where all levels of government receive their powers to regulate our lives. Allow students to use the Internet to fill out the chart. A list of Internet resources are provided at the end of this lesson. If the Internet is not available, students can use their textbooks. The powers (and directions) for this activity listed in the left-hand column. This handout can be done in small groups or as individuals.
Once the handout has been completed, discuss it as a class. A few guiding questions could be: Why are powers separated among the different levels of government? Why have certain powers or regulations been established? Why have certain powers been limited?
Students will write an editorial on one of the following topics. You can also ask students for suggested topics to add to the list to ensure it includes current issues that are relevant to your class. Students should either formulate a stance that there should be more government control or less government control on the issue they have chosen.
Students must pass an eighth-grade reading test before they can get their driver's licenses.
State or local government can censor books and magazines to determine what students can read.
There are restrictions on movies, video games, and music (e.g., rating systems, parental controls, profanity, being able to sell to minors).
Requiring nutritional information on menus at restaurants.
Restrictions on only allowing nutritious snacks in school vending machines.
Requirements on the minimum number of credits needed to graduate high school.
Mandated school start and end times (and/or dates) and regulations on the number of days students must attend school to pass.
Extend
Each branch of government, at the state and federal levels, has a series of checks and balances so no one part of government can have greater power over another (limited power). The judicial branch is designed to interpret the constitutional law, whether it is the federal Constitution or a state constitution. Citizens can also appeal laws at any level through the judicial process. As an extension of this lesson, you may wish to share the following news article where the branches of government are in disagreement.
Pass out the Huffington Post article: Defiant Oklahoma Governor Says Ten Commandments Monument Will Stay On State Capitol Grounds. Number students in the class one, two, or three. The handout is three pages long when printed, so all of the students who are numbered one should read the first page, students who are numbered two should read the second page, and students who are numbered three should read the third page. As they read their sections, ask each student to underline what the main ideas of the sections is and circle any information that supports that main idea.
Ask students to move into groups of three with each number represented. Ask students to discuss what they read in their sections with one another. After they have had ample time to understand one another's thoughts on the article, have groups discuss the following questions: What is the main controversy in this article? How has each branch of government addressed the problem--the judicial branch (state supreme court), the executive branch (Gov. Mary Fallin), and the legislative branch (the Oklahoma state legislature)?
Who is right? How does this affect me? On separate sheets of paper, write a different solution mentioned in the article and post these solutions in different parts of the room (feel free to add and remove solutions):
Executive: Refuse to follow the court's ruling
Executive: Create an executive order that allows the monument to stay
Judicial: Remove the monument because it violates the state constitution
Legislative: Bring the decision of the monument to a vote of the people
Legislative: Remove the separation of Church and State from the constitution through an amendment
Legislative: Impeach the judges who ruled against the monument staying
Ask students to move to the paper solution that they believe is the best solution in this situation. Ask them to discuss their decision with other students who share their choice and explain their rationale for choosing it. Ask them also to discuss how their choice might affect them and other Oklahoma citizens in the long-term. A spokesperson will share a summary of the group discussion with the class.
Evaluate
Students will present and defend the position they each took in their editorials before a group of their peers. Students should prepare a speech, a PowerPoint or Prezi, or a poster to share their editorial with the class. The time limit for the presentations is ultimately up to the teacher, but suggested time is 2-4 minutes per presentation.
Resources
Fang, Marina. (2015, July 7). Defiant Oklahoma governor says Ten Commandments monument will stay on state capitol grounds. The Huffington Post. Copyright 2015, TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. and HPMG News. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/07/oklahoma-ten-commandments_n_7747278.html
Bill of Rights: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html
Oklahoma State Legislature. (2016). Bill information for HJR 1062. Retrieved from: http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=HJR1062&Session=1600
Oklahoma State Legislature. (2006, January). Oklahoma statutes. Retrieved from: http://www.oklegislature.gov/osstatuestitle.html
PBS Kids. (2012). For Parents & Teachers Resources and information about "The Democracy Project"...[website]. The Democracy Project. Copyright 2015, Independent Television Service (ITVS). Retrieved from: http://pbskids.org/democracy/parents-and-teachers/
U.S. Constitution: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
The City of Oklahoma City. (n.d.). Municipal Code. Retrieved from: http://www.okc.gov/code/