Later Elementary Social StudiesOur Government

American History

SCoPE Site Lesson Plan

Title: Lesson 2 – What Kind of Government Do We Have? (SS050102)

Abstract

In this lesson students explore the characteristics of our democratic republic. They begin by working in groups to design a government for a group of people on an island. They then explore characteristics of democracy, a republic, a constitutional government, and a federal system. They re-evaluate their plans for the island government in light of what they have learned. Finally, they analyze our nation as a nation of laws and consider the responsibilities of citizens in a democratic republic.

Subject Area: Social Studies

Grade Level and Course Title: Fifth Grade/American History

Unit of Study: Our Government

Benchmarks

  • Explain the basic organization of the federal government (III.4.LE.3). GLCE.
  • Distinguish between state and national governments in the United States and describe the roles of governmental institutions at each level. (III.1.LE.1). GLCE.

Key Concepts

federalism

individual rights and liberties

Instructional Resources

Equipment/Manipulative

Overhead projector

Student Resource

Quigley, Charles N. and Ken Rodriguez. We the People. Calabasas, CA: Center for Civic Education, 2003. 22-38, 123-130.

Other

Egbo, Carol. Supplemental Materials (SS050102.doc). Teacher-made material. Waterford, MI: Oakland Schools, 2005.

Sequence of Activities

  1. Begin the lesson by reviewing the reasons people form governments. These include:
  • to protect individual rights
  • to provide safety and security
  • to provide a way to manage conflicts
  • to make, enforce, and interpret laws
  1. Write the following statement made by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902 on the board or an overhead transparency: “The government is us; we are the government, you and I.” Ask students what they think the quotation means. Discuss student responses. Explain that this lesson will help them better understand what President Roosevelt meant when he made this statement.
  1. Divide students into groups of three or four students and give each a group a copy of the group activity sheet, “Designing a Government,” located in the Supplemental Materials (SS050102.doc). Make an overhead transparency of the sheet and use it to explain the activity to students. Tell students to imagine a group of 200 people made up of about 60 families have decided to go to an island to live for two years. They want to form a government that will help them manage conflict, keep them safe, and protect their rights. Instruct students that their job is to work in their small group to design a government that they think will work for the people. Explain that they will be presenting their plan to the rest of the class. Give groups time to design their plan and their presentation. When groups are ready have them present their plans one at a time to the rest of the class. Give time for students to question and comment on the plans.
  1. When all the plans have been presented use the following discussion questions to de-brief the activity:
  • What was the hardest part of the government to design?
  • What was the easiest?
  • How were the various plans similar?
  • How were they different?
  • Were any of the plans similar to our national government? If so, in what ways?
  1. Explain that over two hundred years ago, the Founding Fathers (the people who helped establish our country) had to design a plan for our government. Like the people on the island, they wanted a government that would protect individual rights, keep them safe, and manage conflict. They also wanted the government to be based on important values and principles in which they believed. Write the terms “Popular Sovereignty” and “Limited Government” on the board or overhead transparency. Explain these two principles were very important the Founding Fathers. You may wish to draw students’ attention to the fact that “Popular Sovereignty” is considered one of the core democratic values. Use the following information to help students understand these terms:
  • Popular Sovereignty means that the power and authority of the government comes from the people.
  • Limited Government means the national government does not have absolute authority. It can only do what the people have given it the power to do. The government must also obey its own laws. It is not above the law. This was not the case in most countries when we were trying to establish our young country. Most countries of Europe had kings that ruled with absolute power. The Founders did not want that kind of a government. They created a bunch of ways to limit the power of the government.
  1. Explain to students that the values and principles the Founding Fathers believed in led them to choose a type of government known as ‘Democracy.” This is a form of government in which the people have the power to govern. Explain that there are two main types of democracy, “Direct Democracy” and “Representative Democracy.” Use the following information to help students understand these terms:
  • Direct Democracy: In this form of democracy the people all meet to make decisions and to create laws.
  • Representative Democracy: In this form of democracy the people choose representatives to make decisions for them.
  1. Ask students which type of democracy they think works best for a country. Guide them to the idea that a direct democracy only works for small groups of people so a country like ours needs representative democracy. Ask students to list about situations were a direct democracy may work.
  1. Write the term “Republic” on the board or overhead transparency. Explain that a representative democracy is known as a Republic. Ask students where they may have heard this term before. Discuss student answers. Remind them that this term is used in the Pledge of Allegiance. Make an overhead transparency of “A Republic, Overhead #1,” located in the Supplemental Materials (SS050102.doc). Use the transparency to discuss the characteristics and advantages of a republic. Explain to students that one main purpose of a republic is to promote the common good. Ask students to help define this core democratic value and record students’ responses on the board or overhead transparency.
  1. Explain to students that besides being a democracy and a republic our national and state governments are also “constitutional governments.” Write the term “Constitution” on the board or overhead transparency. Remind students that a constitution is a set or rules and laws that explain how a government is organized and how it should be run. Explain that a country can have a constitution but not be a democracy where people have the power. For example, a country could have a constitution that gives all the power to a single leader. In this case the leader would be a dictator and the country would be a dictatorship. Explain that in order to have a constitutional government like we have, there must be limits on the powers of government. Explain that a limit is a point beyond which someone or something cannot go. For example, our Constitution places limits on what the President can do. Explain that students will have a chance to learn more about limits on power in a subsequent lesson.

10.In a whole class discussion, ask students: “Do the people of the United States give all the power to the federal government? If not, who else gets power?” Discuss student responses. Through the discussion guide students to the idea that the people also give power to state governments. Ask students to think back to what they learned in fourth grade about Michigan government and powers that the state government has. Discuss some of these powers such as: controlling trade within the state, making motor vehicle and traffic laws, making laws regulating marriage and divorce, creating public schools, etc. Explain that when people delegate power to both the national government and state governments it is called a “Federal System” of government. Tell students that they will have a chance to learn more about this type of system in a subsequent lesson.

11.Use the “Assessment Chart” located in the Supplemental Materials (SS050102.doc) to individually assess students at this point. Have students write down what they remember about each concept. After a few minutes, have students share their responses with a partner. Then discuss students’ responses as a whole class.

12.Make an overhead transparency of “Our Government, Overhead #2” located in the Supplemental Materials (SS050102.doc). Use the transparency to review what has been covered so far in this lesson with the whole class. Note that the following pages from We the People can be used to supplement this lesson: 22-28, 29-38, 123-130. (The We the People materials can be obtained from the Michigan Center for Civic Education at 248.209.2325).

13.Write the following quote on the board or overhead transparency: “We are a nation of laws, not men.” Ask students what this statement means. Discuss students’ responses and guide them to the idea that a democratic republic is highly dependent on a system of fair laws. Ask students why they think this is true. Discuss student responses. Remind students that our Constitution describes how our laws are made, enforced, and interpreted. Use an overhead transparency of “Functions of Laws,” located in the Supplemental Materials (SS050102.doc.) to discuss how laws support a democratic republic.

14.Write the statement from Step 2 on the board or an overhead again: “The government is us; we are the government, you and I.” Ask students to reflect again on the quote in light of what they have learned in this lesson.

15.Explain to students that if people are the government then they must have some important responsibilities as citizens. Ask students to pair up and make a list of what they think are some of these responsibilities. Give students time to work together and then have pairs share their lists with the whole class. Combine the ideas into a class list. Possible answers include the following:

  • Citizens have the responsibility to know how their government is organized so they can communicate with the person or persons in charge of the issues that concern them.
  • Citizens have the responsibility to communicate with leaders about issues that concern them.
  • Citizens have the responsibility to make good choices when they elect representatives to govern.
  • Citizens have the responsibility to be informed about public issues.
  • Citizens have the responsibility to know the laws so they can obey them.
  • Citizens have the responsibility to respect the property of others.
  • Citizens have the responsibility to serve on a jury.
  • Citizens have the responsibility to take an active part in elections.

16.Ask students to look again at the governments they designed for the island in Step 3. Ask them to re-evaluate their plans now in light of what they have learned in this lesson. Use the following questions to guide them in this process:

  • Which of the plans would have created a democracy?
  • Which of the plans would have created a republic?
  • Did any of the plans include a Constitution?
  • Did any of the plans have limits on government? If so, what kinds of limits?
  • Did any of the plans resemble a federal system? If not, why do you think this is true?
  • How did the plans handle the making and enforcing of laws?

17.As a culminating activity have students create a poster describing our government. Encourage them to describe their ideas in illustrations and words.

Assessment

The Assessment Chart from Step 11 could be used as an assessment as well as the posters created in Step 17. Students could write an evaluation of the government they created in the lesson using the following criteria from the lesson: republic, democracy, popular sovereignty, limited government, and constitutional government. Students could also write a short essay describing our government.

Application Beyond School

Students could look for newspaper articles that relate to limits on government, citizen responsibilities, our federal system or other concepts covered in lesson. Students could also survey family members asking them to describe the kind of government we have.

Connections

Arts

When students design posters depicting our government, they use shape and color to convey meaning.

English Language Arts

When students share and discuss answers, they practice elements of the speaker’s craft.

August 1, 2005SCoPE SS050102 Page 1 of 5