Module 7 Lesson Plan

Module 7 Lesson Plan

Doug Preston
OTL502-1 Learning Theories and Models of Instruction
Colorado State University Global Campus
Dr. David Franklin
November 22, 2015

Module 7 Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan on Levels and Branches of American Government

The content area for the proposed lesson will be social studies. The specific class
that the lesson will be designed for is Freshmen Civics. The focus of this particular lesson
will be the three branches of government. The lesson will be to introduce the three
branches of government utilized in the different levels of United States government. In
addition to introducing the different levels of government to students, the lesson will
reinforce student understanding of the functions of each branch of government. Students
will be given a pre-assessment, as well as a post-assessment to gauge their learning on the
topic. The data will be used to measure the effectiveness of the lesson.
Lesson Plan Title: Why have Three Different Branches of Government?
Topic: The three branches of government utilized in the United States.
General Goals:
Students will be able to identify the three branches of government.
Students will be able to explain what the function of each branch is.
Colorado Social Studies Standards Addressed:
Standard: 4. Civics
Analyze origins, structure, and functions of governments and their impacts on
societies and citizens.

Module 7 Lesson Plan

Concepts and skills students master:

Purposes of and limitations on the foundations, structures and functions of
government.
Aligning Skills with Real-World Relevancy
The skills taught during this lesson will be tied to real world relevance in a few different
ways. The students have learned in previous lessons that the two ways that an individual
can be a citizen of the United States are by being native born, or by going through the
process of naturalization. The naturalization process requires individuals to pass a test
that asks basic questions about American history, government, and geography. All
students in the class will be required to take this test, and must pass with at least a 60%.
This lesson will help students with a portion of the knowledge necessary to pass the
citizenship exam.
The class has discussed the importance of citizens being able to effectively communicate
with government to make their opinions known, and to hopefully effect change. This
lesson aides in the communication portion by having students communicate individually,
as well requiring them to communicate something complex in a way that their fellow
classmates will understand.
Lastly, the lesson has a portion that asks students to be reflective with regards to how
their participation in the lesson assisted them in reaching the goals that they created as
part of the requirements for Module Three.

Module 7 Lesson Plan

Applying the Lesson to Students' Personal Goals

The journal entry portion of the engaging students every ten minutes portion of the
assignment was specifically designed to address this step. This component asks students
to be reflective of the lesson, and of their role in it as it relates to their personal goals.

Module 7 Lesson Plan

Blank Version of Pre/PostAssessment

Name_______________
Date______________
Class Period________

The United States Government Levels and Branches Pre-Assessment

1. What is the overall purpose of the United States Constitution?

2. What three words does the United States Constitution begin with?

3. ___________________ is a system of government which divides governmental

power between a central government and smaller units of government.

4. A form of government in which ultimate power is held by the citizens of a country

through their elected representatives, rather than a monarch or dictator is called a
__________________.

5. By separating the law making, law enforcing and law interpreting parts of
government, the United States Constitution sets up a system of
__________________ and ________________.

Module 7 Lesson Plan

Civics Skills and Knowledge Rubric

Colorado Academic Standard for High School Civics:
Purposes of and limitations on the foundations, structures and
functions of government .
Civics Multi-Unit Skills and Knowledge Rubric
Topic

Novice

Partially
Proficient

Proficient

Advanced

Student knows
some of the
structures of
American
government,
but does not
know any of
the
responsibilities
of the
structures.

Student knows
some of the
structures of
American
government.
The student
can also
connect some
of the
responsibilities
to the
structures they
know.

Student knows
all of the
structures of
American
government,
and can
correctly
explain
responsibilities
of each
structure.

Student knows
all structures
of American
government
and can
correctly
explain the
responsibilities
of each
structure. The
student can
also apply
knowledge of
structures and
responsibilities
to multiple
situations
presented in
class

ORIGINS OF
AMERICAN
GOVERNEMN
T

STRUCTURES
OF
AMERICAN
GOVERNMEN
T

Module 7 Lesson Plan

FUNCTIONS
OF
AMERICAN
GOVERNMEN
T
IMPORTANT
DOCUMENTS
IN
AMERICAN
GOVERNMEN
T

Procedure (Block Schedule class is 86 minutes)

1. Students will begin the class by writing a response to the writing prompt which
asks, "Why does the U.S. Constitution separate the responsibilities of government
into three different branches?"
a. Students will have approximately five minutes to answer the question to the
best of their ability.
b. Students will then discuss their responses with a classmate.
2. The instructor will write the words enforce, create, and interpret on the board.
Students will utilize dictionaries, cell phones with internet access, or laptops to find
the definitions for the three words.
a. Students will write their definitions for the three words on the white board.
b. The list created by the class will initiate a discussion about why certain
branches have specific responsibilities.
3. Responsibilities of the Three Branches Think-Pair-Share

Module 7 Lesson Plan

a. Students will be asked "How do the representatives who work in the three
branches of government aware of what their responsibilities are?"

4. Students will write their individual responses, share with a partner, and then
discuss with the rest of the class. This activity will prepare students to learn about the
specific articles in the United States Constitution which outline the responsibilities of
each branch.
5. U.S. Constitution Articles
a. Students will be places in random groups of three by the teacher. The class will
be divided so that there are at least two groups of three assigned to each of the
three articles of the U.S. Constitution that outline the responsibilities of the three
branches. Students will be given ten minutes to research the responsibilities from
the text book, or using the Chromebook laptops.
6. Students will be asked to present their findings to the rest of the class by choosing
one of the methods listed below.
a. Informational Poster
b. Skit

Module 7 Lesson Plan

c. Rap or Song
d. Written Summary

7. Muddiest Point
a. Students will be asked to write about something that they were unclear of from
the lesson and write their response on a half sheet of paper and leave it with the
teacher. This will be used to clear up misconceptions, or misunderstandings at the
beginning of the next lesson.
8. Journal Entry.
a. Students will be asked to write in their journal to revisit the goals which they
wrote for themselves. They will respond to the following question: "How did
something that you did in class today get you closer to accomplishing your
goals?" Another question will be posed that will read: "Did anything in class
today inhibit you from reaching your goals?" Students will be asked volunteer
their responses at the beginning of the next class

Module 7 Lesson Plan

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References
Boston, Carol. (2002). The concept of formative assessment. Practical Assessment,
Research & Evaluation, 8(9). Retrieved from http://PAREonline.net/
getvn.asp?v=8&n=9
Colorado Department of Education. (2009). Colorado Academic Standards for High
School Social Studies. Retrieved from https://www.cde.state.co.us/default/sites/
files/documents/cosocialstudies/socstudies_hs.pdf
Goodwin, B., & Hubbell, E. R. (2013). The 12 Touchstones of Good Teaching: A
Checklist for Staying Focused Every Day. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Lambert, K. (2012). Tools for Formative Assessment. Orange County Public Schools
Curriculum Services. Retrieved from http://www.levy.k12.fl.us/instruction/
Instructional_Tools/60formativeassessment.pdf
Yeager, David S., Henderson, Marlone D., Paunesku, David, Walton, Gregory M.,
D'Mello, Sidney, Spitzer, Brian J., & Duckworth, Angela Lee. (2014). Boring but
important: A self-transcendent purpose for learning fosters academic self-

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regulation. Retrieved from https://labs.la.utexas.edu.adrg/files/2012/12/

Purpose.pdf

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