Young scholars react to a series of statements about the Supreme Court, then read a news article about the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts. For this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion...

Kids who take the Regents Exam really need to know a lot of information. This is a wonderful exam review tool that includes 26 pages of questions, charts, and suggested readings to help upper graders pass the test. It focuses on all...

Focusing on the judicial branch of government, the fourth lesson in this series explores the structure of the US courts system. Beginning with an engaging activity based on the short story The Lady or the Tiger, learners go on to examine...

Young historians climb through the three branches of the US government in the third activity of this five-part series. While reading the first three Articles of the Constitution in small groups, children write facts on paper leaves that...

Which branch of government carries and enforces laws in the United States? What two governing bodies make up Congress? Using this simple graphic organizer, your young historians will organize the flow of responsibilities afforded to the...

A fun and interesting teacher describes the three branches of the US government. His lecture style and ability to explain with good examples could be a really big help to older students needing a tutorial or extra support in...

Learners use the worksheet as they view the film Inside Straight: the Third Branch. Multiple case studies and the history of the judicial branch of the US government are included via hyperlink and act as the topics of discussion...

After introducing the three branches of US government, test the class' understanding of government powers. They are asked a series of questions regarding a federal act and then, answer which branch has the power of decision making....

Learners examine the US Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Supreme Court cases in order to broaden their understanding of the US Judicial System. They research a variety of textual and Internet resources to create a tri-fold brochure,...

Although just a quick review of general information learned about the Constitution and U.S. government, this presentation could be used as a fun activity before the beginning of a class lesson, or as an independent experience. The...

This is an unusual video, but it contains some helpful tools that could be useful for teaching elementary aged children the basics of the US government. There is no narration to accompany this clip, but the slide show at the beginning is...

In this U.S. Constitution worksheet, students complete a graphic organizer that requires them to list responsibilities of members of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

In this social studies activity, students investigate the job of Sandra Day O'Connor in the judicial branch of the U.S. government. Students answer 25 questions, completing sentences with words from the word bank. This page is mainly...

This straightforward fill-in-the-blank activity could be used for a variety of purposes. Young historians are given 10 sentences about the branches of government; they fill in the blanks with terminology that is related to the United...

Reinforce terminology that goes along with the branches of government with this crossword puzzle. There are 17 clues provided. Learners fill in the crossword puzzle with the appropriate answers regarding the legislative, executive, and...

After reading a short text on the branches of government in the United States, future voters answer 8 fill-in-the-blank questions, as well as 11 true or false questions. This activity would be a great homework assignment or silent...

Students explore ancient Egyptian culture and government. In this social studies lesson plan, students compare the legal system from ancient Egypt to our current American legal system. Links are included for web searching Egypt and the...

Though outdated (the presentation names members of the Bush Administration as current political leaders), these slides could be useful to an industrious teacher who is willing to update the information in the Executive, Judicial, and...

Jeopardy games are great ways for students to review concepts in an interesting way. This Game covers the Amendments, 3 Branches of US Government, and miscellaneous terms related to American independence and law.  

Learners explore the three branches of government. In this government and U.S. history lesson, students listen to a story about a boy who attempts to sponsor a bill to ban cartoons. Learners interview three teachers who each represent...

Students research the responsibilities of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. In this U.S. government lesson, students research the jobs of those in each branch and present their finding to their classmates.

Students analyze the judiciary system.  In this government lesson, students participate in a class discussion on methods to prevent unfairness in the Judicial courts.

Students write about working in one branch of government.  For this branches of government lesson, students read about the three levels of government using various websites and then work in groups to discuss, illustrate and write about...

Students examine the role of Supreme Court justices. In this judicial branch lesson, students consider the civil rights and civil liberties as they investigate Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940) and West Virginia State Board...