Topic Plan
V. Executive Branch
B. Federal and State Bureaucracy
1. Federal and State Bureaucratic Organization and Powers
2. Federal and State Bureaucracies at Work
5 Days
“Big Ideas”/VSC Indicators
1.1.2 The student will evaluate how the principles of government assist or impede the functioning of government
Assessment Limits: Federal and Maryland state government: Executive powers, structure, and organization; Local government will be assessed in terms of powers and responsibilities; Selection of National and Maryland state leaders: election/appointment process
1.1.3 The student will evaluate roles and policies the government has assumed regarding public issues
(Assessment Limits for this indicator will be addressed in Unit VI)
1.2.3 The student will evaluate the impact of governmental decisions that have affected the rights of individuals and groups in American society and/or have affected maintaining order and/or safety
Assessment Limits: National government agencies actions affecting rights, order and/or safety. State actions affecting rights, order, and/or safety
4.1.3 The student will examine regulatory agencies and their social, economic, and political impact on the country, a region, or on/within a state
Assessment Limits: Regulatory agencies that respond to social issues and/or market failures: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); Other national agencies and state and local agencies can be used, but information will be provided on the item; How regulatory agencies respond to social issues/concerns, and/or market failures;
Instructional Objectives (key items in bold)
1.1.2
l. Describe the structure, powers, and authority of the executive branch on the federal, state, and local levels
1.1.3
a. Describe how executive departments and agencies enforce governmental policies that address public issues, such as the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
1.2.3
b. Explain how executive departments and regulatory agencies assist in maintaining order and protecting the safety of the nation, such as the Department of Defense (DOD), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
4.1.3
a. Describe the role of regulatory agencies in carrying out the policies of the executive on the national and state level
b. Describe the purpose, roles, and responsibilities of regulatory agencies: Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
c. Analyze how the actions of regulatory agencies address public issues, market failures and monopolies at the local, state, and/or national level
d. Examine how other government agencies, such as the Maryland Public Service Commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commissions, Securities and Exchange Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Administration fulfill the obligations of government and respond to issues in society
Focus Questions
Questions addressed in procedures 1-6:
-What is a bureaucracy? What is the overall responsibility of the federal and state executive bureaucracies?
-How are the federal and state bureaucracies organized?
-How does the nature of bureaucratic decision making affect efficiency and the nature of American public policy?
-How can the actions of regulatory agencies provide for the health, safety, and welfare of American citizens and groups?
-How can the actions of regulatory agencies affect economic markets and performance within the United States and Maryland?
-How does local, state, and national bureaucratic decision-making affect the social and economic characteristics of regions?
Questions addressed in procedures 7-12:
-How are the federal and state bureaucracies organized?
-How does the nature of bureaucratic decision making affect efficiency and the nature of American public policy?
Questions addressed in procedures 13-17:
-How can interest groups affect bureaucratic public policy?
-How can the actions of regulatory agencies provide for the health, safety, and welfare of American citizens and groups?
Questions addressed in procedures 18-23:
-What is a bureaucracy? What is the overall responsibility of the federal and state executive bureaucracies?
-How are the federal and state bureaucracies organized?
-How does the nature of bureaucratic decision making affect efficiency and the nature of American public policy?
-How can the actions of regulatory agencies provide for the health, safety, and welfare of American citizens and groups?
-How can the actions of regulatory agencies affect economic markets and performance within the United States and Maryland?
-How does local, state, and national bureaucratic decision-making affect the social and economic characteristics of regions?
*NOTE:
· All appendix items referenced in the procedures appear at the end of the document.
· All documents and activities can be easily modified for special education students. I.E. fill in some information; highlight/underline items in readings; give clues next to “chart items.” Students could use “pictures/icons” that they create—instead of only definitions/examples.
Key Products:
1. Exxon Valdez Appendix 3 – 1.1.2l, 1.1.3a, 4.1.3.d
2. BCR Bureaucrats as Policymakers – 1.1.2l, 1.1.3a, 1.2.3b
3. Directory of State and Local Government Services – 1.1.2l, 1.1.3a, 1.2.3b, 4.1.3.c, 4.1.3.d
4. Bureaucracy writing – 1.1.2l
5. The Jungle writing – 1.1.2l, 4.1.3.d
6. Regulatory Agencies Worksheet Appendix 8 – 1.1.3a, 1.2.3b, 4.1.3.a, 4.1.3.b, 4.1.3.c, 4.1.3.d
7. Regulatory Agency Headlines Appendix 9 – 1.1.3a, 1.2.3b, 4.1.3.a, 4.1.3.b, 4.1.3.c, 4.1.3.d
8. BCR 2002 #51 Government Testing of Medicines – 1.1.3a, 1.2.3b, 4.1.3.a, 4.1.3.b, 4.1.3.c
9. Who Would You Turn To? Appendix 10 – 1.1.3a, 1.2.3b, 4.1.3.a, 4.1.3.b, 4.1.3.c
10. Newspaper Pattern Appendix 11 – 1.1.2l, 1.1.3a, 1.2.3b, 4.1.3.a, 4.1.3.b, 4.1.3.c, 4.1.3.d
Procedures:
Procedures 1-6 require items in Appendix 1, Appendix 2 and Appendix 3.
1. Motivation: Begin the topic by having students interpret the following quote:
· Government departments are like icebergs.
John F. Kennedy, 1962
2. Mini-Lesson: Inform students that government agencies and departments have been around for a very long time and are rarely removed (NOTE: the establishment dates of the cabinet departments can be found in Appendix 2). Although, departments have been created or changed in order to meet the demands of the nation such as the Department of Homeland Security that was created after the events of September 11, 2001. The people that work for these agencies and departments are called bureaucrats and civil servants.
Have students define bureaucracy and brainstorm a list of agencies and organizations that make up the bureaucracy. A definition and sample list is included in Appendix 1. Be sure that students make the distinction between federal and state agencies.
3. Guided Practice: Remind students that the President’s cabinet secretaries are appointed bureaucrats that advise the president on a variety of issues so that policies can be created. Have students review the cabinet departments (Appendix 2). Cut out the cabinet department name and descriptions found in Appendix 2. Place these in envelopes and have pairs of students match up each department with its description. An alternate lesson can be found at http://www.col-ed.org/cur/sst/sst234.txt
4. Independent Practice: Have students complete the “Exxon Valdez” Worksheet found in Appendix 3. Have students act as members of the listed departments and agencies in order to propose recommendations for handling the Exxon Valdez situation. When students have made their own recommendations, share with students the answer key of actual events.
5. Assessment: Have students complete the following Brief Constructed Response:
Even though they are part of the executive branch, bureaucrats are often allowed to actually help determine public policy.
· Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the above statement.
· Should the bureaucracy be able to determine policies affecting the entire nation? Explain.
· Include details and examples to support your answer.
6. Extension activity: Have students conduct research to create a directory of state and local government services that are available to citizens in the community. Students are to write proposals for how local government agencies might be able to deal with specific local issues and problems.
Procedures 7-12 require items from Appendix 4 and Appendix 5.
7. Motivation: Pose the following question to students: Does the president of McDonald’s hire all McDonald’s employees around the world? Discuss student responses. Be sure to address reasons why he/she could not feasibly do all the hiring. Ask students why the President does not appoint all members of the federal bureaucracy, but only the heads of the agencies. Answer: there are too many positions available.
- As of 2000, there were 2.8 million federal employees, including political appointees and the military, making the federal government the single largest employer in the country (American Government, Holt, page 180).
8. Mini-Lesson: Have students brainstorm methods the federal government could use for employing citizens in the bureaucracy. Answer: appointments, spoils system, civil service system. IF a Democrat wins the 2008 presidential election, what impact would that have on the make up of the current executive bureaucracy? Remind students that it has been run by a Republican president for the last 8 years. Have students read the guide notes found in Appendix 4.
9. Guided Practice: Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the spoils and civil service systems by having students brainstorm ideas to complete the chart at the bottom of Appendix 4. Refer students to Remy pages 284-289 for further content.
10. Independent Practice: Have students read the edited article in Appendix 5. Discuss the tension that exists between politically appointed bureaucrats and regular civil servants, as well as the tendency of presidents to control the bureaucracy. If needed, guided reading questions have been included.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A2474-2004Nov21?language=printer
11. Assessment: Have students respond to the following writing prompt—
Do you view the political appointees to the bureaucracy as a boost or a drag on the effectiveness of the various agencies? Explain your answer.
12. Extension activity: Have students interview a civil servant in the community. Students should prepare a list of interview questions for the teacher to review prior to conducting the interview. Sample questions may include: How does your position serve the interests of the citizens in our community? How does your job assist the functioning of government? What advantages and disadvantages are there in your work? Were you appointed to your position? If not, how would you feel if you were not hired on the basis of merit as if the spoils system were in place?
Procedures 13-17 require items from Appendix 6.
13. Motivation: Pose the following question to students: What would society be like if there were no rules and regulations?
14. Mini-Lesson: Initial thoughts on the motivation will likely center on individual action and situations. Prompt students to consider what businesses would do if they had total autonomy. Discuss the need for oversight of business actions, referring to the historical examples of mining conditions, child labor, sweatshops, etc.
15. Group Practice: Post as a transparency (or handout) and group read the students the excerpt from Upton Sinclair’s book The Jungle (Appendix 6). Ask students why this was allowed to happen in the past and why it is unacceptable now. Answer: Regulatory agencies were created as a result of these types of conditions and now monitor businesses to ensure product safety. Have students create a “T” chart. Using the excerpt from The Jungle, direct them to identify as many violations/problems as they can in one column. In the second column, have them note possible solutions.
16. Independent Practice: Again using the excerpt and now their “T”chart, have students write a first person, eyewitness account news report of something they saw during a visit to the plant in the story.
17. Assessment: Have students respond to the following prompt:
Absolute power corrupts absolutely
-Lord Action
How might Lord Acton’s idea of power corrupting be evident in Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle?
Procedures 18-23 require items from Appendix 7, Appendix 8, Appendix 9, and Appendix 10.
18. Motivation: Have students define regulatory agencies. Regulatory agencies are independent agencies that have the power to establish and enforce regulations.
19. Mini-Lesson: Write the following agency acronyms on the board: EPA, FDA, FAA, FTC, and FCC. Ask students to correctly identify each organization and brainstorm ideas for what each agency is responsible for regulating.
20. Group Practice: Divide the students into pairs and distribute “Regulatory Agencies at a Glance” (Appendix 7) to each pair. Have each student take turns reading the information tidbits about each agency. Pass out the “Regulatory Agencies Worksheet” (Appendix 8). Instruct students to use the information to complete the worksheet.
21. Independent Practice: Have students match the regulatory agency that would most likely be involved in the actions described in newspaper headlines (Appendix 9).
22. Assessment: Have students complete the following Brief Constructed Response from the 2002 HSA Public Release Item #51:
The federal government requires medicines to be tested extensively before they can be used by the general public.
o How does this requirement affect drug manufacturers and consumers?
o Explain whether you agree or disagree with his policy.
o Include details and examples to support your answer.
23. Homework: Have students complete “Who Would You Turn To?” (Appendix 10) to reinforce learning about the federal regulatory agencies.
24. Topic Plan Assessment: As a culminating assignment, have students write an editorial with the headline “Federal Bureaucracy Named New Branch of Government” using the newspaper pattern found in Appendix 11. Students should explain how the bureaucracy could be considered its own “branch of government” using the information learned throughout this topic plan. Have students create a picture that represents their editorial and include this in the box of the newspaper pattern.
Suggestions for reteaching
Reteaching is built directly into the unit, but if your students need supplementary learning material, look to the textbook resource kit provided by Remy.
When teaching the BCR, teacher can also have students highlight different parts in different colors—this should allow them to visually see what good BCRs have.
Resources
Democracy in Action, pp. 274 – 283
Holt’s American Government, pp. 176-181
http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/All_Agencies/index.shtml
http://www.msa.md.gov/msa/mdmanual/25ind/html/00list.html
http://www.ci.baltimore.md.us/government/