1. Three Branches of Government WebQuest
Samantha Hickmott
Dr. Harrison Yang
EDU 511

2. Welcome! Welcome: 4th Grade; Three Branches of Government
Description: In this WebQuest we will learn about the three branches of government and how they relate to one another
Grade Level: 3-5
Curriculum: Social Studies
Key Words: 4th grade, United States of America, Branches, Government, Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Democracy

3. Introduction
When our founding fathers were creating the structure for our government they wanted to avoid the same problems that had occurred with Great Britain’s government. Thus, they had created three branches that would interact with one another. These branches were labeled: Legislative, Executive and Judicial. To ensure that no one branch had too much power they established a system known as checks and balances which specifically assigned roles to each branch. In this WebQuest you will investigate each branch and be able to explain the various responsibilities of each.

4. Task Your task for this assignment is to:
Enhance your knowledge of the three branches of government through research using given resources.
You will be able to identify in your notes (you may use Microsoft Word or PowerPoint for notes) the three branches, their duties, responsibilities, who represents each branch, and how each branch uses checks and balances.
You will work with a partner to create a poster that represents your knowledge of one of the branches (This will be randomly assigned to you).
You and your partner will present your poster to a small group of experts of other branches
Finally, you will fill out an evaluation on what you have learned about the various branches and how they exhibit checks and balances.

5. Process
Below are the lists of required resources for you to use in your independent research for your assigned branch of government. Please use only the provided resources.
Make sure you are answering all of the essential questions that correspond with each link, in your notes.
Once you have completed your research, (reviewed all links and thoroughly answered all essential questions) you will get together with your partner to share your notes, and collaborate to create a poster that demonstrates what you’ve learned about your branch.

6. Legislative Branch LINKS
1. What is the main job of the Legislative branch? Name the various parts that make up this branch.
2. Describe in detail who the people in the Legislative branch are and what they do.
3. Tell how this branch interacts with the other branches. Give specific examples of how it demonstrates checks and balances.

7. JUDICIAL BRANCH LINKS
1. What is the main job of the Judicial branch? Name the various parts that make up this branch.
2. Describe in detail who the people in the Legislative branch are and what they do.
3. Tell how this branch interacts with the other branches. Give specific examples of how it demonstrates checks and balances.

8. EXECUTIVE BRANCH LINKS
What is the main job of the Executive branch? Name the various parts that make up this branch.
2. Describe in detail who the people in the executive branch are and what they do.
3. Tell how this branch interacts with the other branches. Give specific examples of how it demonstrates checks and balances.

9. Process (Continued)
Now that you have finished your research you and your partner with be creating a poster that reflects what you’ve learned. Your poster should include:
The name of your branch
The responsibilities of your branch (More than one!)
Important people (Who represents the branch)
How each branch uses checks and balances
Illustrations to represent the information provided
*Make sure your poster is attractive, organized and has been checked for spelling, punctuation and grammar.

10. PROCESS (CONTINUED)
Finally, you and your partner will meet with two other pairs (from each of the other branches) in a small group. In your groups:
Each pair will present their poster to the group
Each student will take notes for each presentation to help guide their response for the evaluation
For each branch you should be able to answer: What are the responsibilities? Who are the important people? How does each branch interact with one another in the checks and balances process?

11. EVALUATION 10 points 5 points 1 point 0 points Total Points: _____/40
Organization
Poster is well organized; 3 branches are clearly marked.
Poster is mostly well organized; 2 branches are clearly marked.
Poster is somewhat organized; 1 branch is clearly marked.
Poster is poorly organized; no branches are clearly marked.
Content
Accuracy
All facts presented are accurate
Almost all facts presented are accurate.
At least half the facts presented are accurate.
Less than half the facts presented are accurate.
Essential
Questions
All 3 questions were answered completely and clearly stated.
2 questions were answered completely and clearly stated.
1 question was answered completely and clearly stated.
All questions were not answered completely and clearly.
Presentation
Both members spoke about their branch, and clearly showed understanding.
Both member spoke about their branch, but only 1 showed clear understanding.
Both members spoke about their branch, but no one showed clear understanding.
Only 1 members spoke about the branches, but did not show under-standing.
Total Points:
_____/40
EVALUATION
Three Branches of Government
Webquest Rubric
For:________________
(name)

12. EVALUATION (Final)
Who are the people that represent each branch of the government and what are their responsibilities? Give as many details as you can for each one.
Executive Legistlative Judicial
2. Describe the system of checks and balances and give examples of how each branch interacts with the others.

13. Conclusion Congratulations!
You have become a responsible citizen of the United States by learning about how our government works and sharing that knowledge with your fellow Americans. You are now experts of our three branch government system, as well as its checks and balances.
Isn’t it amazing that this complex system was set up by our founding fathers and written in the Constitution hundreds of years ago?
Hooray America!

14. Teacher’s Note
This assignment allows for student engagement at various levels during the different stages of the task. They will work independently, with a partner, in a small group and then end up finishing the task with an independent evaluation. This allows for individual accountability as well as collaboration and cooperative learning as avenues to process the material.
Students begin with doing the research and taking notes individually.
They will then use their independent research to create an informational poster with a partner.
Next they will present their poster with their partner to a small group. In that small group they will also take notes on the information that others in their group will present from their posters.
Finally they will complete a summative evaluation on what they’ve learned as an individual.
I hope you enjoy being the facilitator, observer and evaluator in this learning process! I also hope your students enjoy taking on the various roles as they learn about our how our government works!

15. Resources http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/lesson_13_notes.htm
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