<p> Shannon Hart, Victoria Carroll, Vanessa Tees, & Shanna Zimmer</p><p>School of Education</p><p>The College of New Jersey</p><p>April 28, 2014</p><p>Government Role-play</p><p>This lesson’s main focus is to review and reinforce what the students learned about the United States government over the past nine days. This lesson will provide an opportunity for students to apply what they have learned about the branches of government, how a bill becomes a law, and checks and balances. Students will have to put themselves in the shoes of a judge, president, congressman, or senator and make decisions about a bill. Not only will this be a fun and engaging way to end the unit, but it will allow students to use the knowledge they have gained in a role-play setting.</p><p>1. Grade: Mrs. Estrada’s and Mrs. Ryan’s 3rd grade classes</p><p>2. Lesson Essential Question(s): How do the three branches of government use checks and balances when deciding if a bill should become a law?</p><p>3. Standards: </p><p> 6.1.4.A.5: Distinguish the roles and responsibilities of the three branches of the national government.</p><p> CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1.B: Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).</p><p>4. Objectives:</p><p>5. Assessment:</p><p>Objectives Assessment</p><p>Students will be able to represent the role their Students will simulate the 3 branches and specific branch has in the process of making a bill go through the process of making a bill a become a law. law.</p><p>6. Materials: Schoolhouse Rock “I’m Just a Bill” video, labels for the branch groups</p><p>7. Pre-lesson assignments and/or prior knowledge: Students have already learned about the functions of the three branches of government. They have also learned the steps of how a bill becomes a law. In addition, students learned about checks and balances and how the three branches of government balance power. </p><p>8. Lesson Beginning: Students will watch the Schoolhouse Rock video on how a bill becomes a law as a review before we begin the activity. This will help to ensure that all of the students understand the steps of the process before it is their turn to replicate the process.</p><p>9. Instructional Plan: </p><p> Students will be divided into four heterogeneous groups, each of which will be assigned to a part of the government. The groups will be: the supreme court, the president, the Senate, or the House of Representatives.</p><p> After students are sitting in their groups, each group will be asked a few questions about their branch, such as what role does your branch have in the process of how a bill becomes a law?</p><p> The class will be instructed to go through the process of a bill becoming a law.</p><p> Once it is clear that students know what they will be doing, a bill will be introduced to the House or the Senate.</p><p> When a group has the bill, they will quietly discuss it and decide as a group what actions they would like to take.</p><p> Once the a group has decided what to do with the bill, it will continue in the process to the next group.</p><p> Once students have successfully passed a new law, students will go back to their seats for a whole class discussion.  The class will discuss how it felt to have power and what they thought of the checks and balances.</p><p> o Differentiation: Students will be in groups of students with varying ability. Students will be able to help each other to decide what action they should take regarding the bill. Certain students will be asked to be special helpers who translate for the students who do not speak English.</p><p> o Questions: </p><p> What are the steps that a bill must go through in order to become a law?</p><p> What power does the president have that helps check the power of the other branches?</p><p> How does the Judicial Branch participate in the process?</p><p> Why is it important to have checks and balances?</p><p> What happens if the bill does not become a law?</p><p> How does it feel to be a part of the decision making process?</p><p> How did it feel to have power?</p><p> Do you think that this is a good system for making laws?</p><p> o Classroom Management: Students will be assigned to groups in order to ensure that there will be students from both classes in each of the four groups. Students will be reminded before the activity starts to raise their hand if they have a question, answer, or something to say. If students become loud, they will be reminded to lower their volume. If necessary, the clapping method will be used to get the students’ attention and redirect them back to the activity or by saying “pencils down, eyes on me.”</p><p> o Transitions: Since there will be many students in the room, it is important to make sure that everyone will not be moving at once. When students are assigned their groups, one group will be asked to stand and gather in an area of the room at a time. Students will be given clear instructions at the start of each activity to avoid confusion.</p><p>10. Closure: The students will demonstrate the knowledge they have gained throughout the past two nine days of the unit. This lesson will incorporate aspects of each of the previous lessons including each branch, the powers of the branches, checks and balances, how a bill becomes a law, and how the Constitution dictates the law. At the end of the lesson, students will discuss how it felt to have power and to be a part of the decision making process.</p>