1. Government H.S.A. Workshop #3
The Executive Branch
Missy LaCroix
Annie Caldwell

2. Introductions Name School How long have you been teaching?
What do you hope to get out of this session?

3. Outcomes
TWBAT review the correlation between the Core Learning Goals and the Executive Branch Unit.
TWBAT explore and apply instructional strategies to enhance teaching of the executive branch.

4. Agenda Welcome and Introductions
Core Learning Goals and The Executive Branch Unit
Student-Centered Teaching Strategies for the Executive Branch:
President Bingo
Unit 3 Vocabulary
Qualifications of the President Motivational Activity
Roles of the President Gallery Walk
Political Spectrum Activity
Role of the Media in Presidential Elections (The Living Room Candidate)
Electoral College Socratic Seminar
Win the White House Online Simulation
Cabinet Activity
Powers of the President
Executive Orders Activity
Session Debrief and Evaluation

5. Core Learning Goals and the Executive Branch Unit

6. Indicators and Assessment Limits
Look at the sample HSA questions:
Identify the Core Learning Goal and Indicator
Identify the Specific Assessment limit
Discuss the following with your group:
How is the executive branch assessed on the HSA
How can you use this information
to guide your teaching

7. Executive Branch Planning
Use the core learning goals and voluntary state curriculum to guide your planning
With your group identify strategies that you currently use and brainstorm how you can improve them to be more student-centered.

8. Executive Branch Teaching Suggestions
Student-Centered and Engaging Activities for Teaching Unit 3 Content

9. President People BINGO
For each statement find someone that knows the answer and have them sign your square.

10. Unit 3 Vocabulary

11. Warm Up Look at the pictures above and answer the following questions:
Drake – 28 yrs. old
Biebs – 20 yrs. Old
Torrey Smith – 25 yrs. old
George Clooney – 53 yrs. old
Betty White – 92 yrs. old
Ms. C – 31 yrs. old
Arnold Schwartzenager – 67 yrs. old
Taylor Swift – 24 yrs. old
Beyonce – 33 yrs. Old
*Only people that are qualified to be president are George Clooney and Betty White
Look at the pictures above and answer the following questions:
Are any of the people on the board qualified to be President of the United States? Explain.

12. Roles of the President Gallery Walk
Students can use the differentiated handout from the curriculum on the Roles of the President to help them complete the gallery walk with the posters provided to make the activity more engaging for students.

13. Political Spectrum Activity
Use the gallery walk posters to complete the political spectrum quiz.
Write the following on your post-it note and place it on our class spectrum:
Your initials
How many BLUES
How many REDS

14. Creating Our Class Political Spectrum
Take a sticky note and place your initials on it as well as how many BLUES and REDS you circled from the gallery walk posters.
Come up to the front board and place your post-it note on the spectrum in the area that you fall.
J.S.
5 Blue, 5 Red

15. What topic(s) did you feel the strongest about from our discussion?
5 Blue, 5 Red
6 Blue, 4 Red
4 Blue, 6 Red
7 Blue, 3 Red
3 Blue, 7 Red
8 Blue, 2 Red
2 Blue, 8 Red ?
1 Blue, 9 Red
9 Blue,, 1 Red
0 Blue, 10 Red
10 Blue,, 0 Red
What topic(s) did you feel the strongest about from our discussion?
What conclusions can you draw about our class by looking at this political spectrum?

16. Polarized?? Democrat Republican Independent Right Wing Left Wing
Moderate/Centrist
Democrat
Republican
Independent
Liberal
Conservative
Polarized??
Radical
Reactionary

17. Summary Questions
What are the major differences between liberals and conservatives?
What are the major differences between radicals and reactionaries?
Describe what it means to be “moderate”.

18. Political Spectrum Practice
Directions: Below is a list of quotes. Match the quote with the correct political spectrum vocabulary word.
Word Bank: Conservative, Liberal, Moderate, Radical, Reactionary
1. “The death penalty is wrong, hypocritical and immoral.  If the government does not want it’s citizens to kill people, then they should not kill themselves. Imprisonment is the appropriate punishment for murder.”
Liberal

19. Political Spectrum Practice
2. “The Second Amendment gives citizens the right to keep and bear arms.  Individuals have the right to defend themselves.  There are too many gun control laws – additional laws will not lower gun crime rates.  What is needed is enforcement of current laws.  Gun control laws do not prevent criminals from obtaining guns.  More guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens mean less crime.”
Conservative

20. Political Spectrum Practice
3. “I do not fit perfectly into either of the two major political parties. I am liberal on many social issues but I like smaller government and believe that we should be decreasing our government spending as a country in order to lower our national debt. I was very torn on who to vote for in the past election.”
Moderate

21. Political Spectrum Practice
4. “In order for our government to function appropriately and provide for the needs of its citizens we need to overthrow our current government and start over. If we want change, we need to make it happen by whatever means necessary.”
Radical

22. Political Spectrum Practice
5. “We need to go back to a society where women stay at home, and raise their children. The American family unit is suffering while women are ignoring their families and going to work every day. A women’s place is in the home caring for the family.”
Reactionary

23. Where Do I Stand?! Directions:
Write a letter to a family member explaining if you are going to register to vote as a republican, democrat or an independent. Use the “Democrat vs. Republican,” worksheet to support your letter. Stand behind your choice by including the following in your letter:
Identify if you are a Democrat, Republican, or an Independent and explain why.
Identify 3 topics from our discussion that helped you determine which political party you would most likely belong to and which of these was the most important.
Apply these topics to your life by explaining how these topics impact you or are important to you.

24. Where Do I Stand?! Assessment Rubric
Components of Effective Writing
(Based on The Six Traits for Writing)
Levels of Mastery: S.A.T. Format
Clearly
Evident
Mostly
Moderately
Somewhat
Minimal
Not
No Response 6 5 4 3 2 1
Ideas/ Content
Expository/Informative Writing:
Begins with a opening sentence that introduces the topic.
Develops the topic with three relevant, well chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, other information, and/or examples.

25. Political Party Affiliation
Where Do I Stand?!
Planning:
In the circle below, identify which political party you would most likely affiliate with. In the web below plan your letter by writing the three main topics that you feel the most strongly about that put you on a certain side of the political spectrum and a description of why you feel strongly about that topic.
___________________
Political Party Affiliation

26. Where Do I Stand?!

27. Role of the Media in Presidential Elections
Role of the media in influencing decisions of the executive branch and government policies.
Evaluate the reliability and influence of media on elections, elected officials, and public opinion.

28. Role of the Media

29. Electoral College Socratic Seminar

30. Socratic Seminar

31. What is a Socratic Seminar?
A dialogue where participants seek deeper understanding of complex ideas
Participants evaluate ideas, issues, and values in texts
Participants share different perspectives

32. The Set-up
½ of the class sits in the inner circle and participates while the other ½ of the class sits in the outer circle to observe and record the participation of their partners.
After about minutes, the roles are reversed and the discussion continues.

33. Preparing for the Socratic Seminar
Read the text carefully.
Highlight key ideas from the text.
Formulate level 1,2, and 3 questions.
Make connections between the text and your life.

34. During the Socratic Seminar (Inner Circle)
Participate. Participate. Participate.
Refer to text to support your comments or questions.
Take turns speaking instead of raising hands.
Discuss the text, not each other’s opinions.
Speak clearly.
Listen carefully.
Use Academic Language Scripts for Socratic
Seminars as needed

35. During the Socratic Seminar (Inner Circle)

36. During the Socratic Seminar (Outer Circle)
Observe your partner.
Record your observations.

37. After the Socratic Seminar
Reflect on the process.

38. Win the White House! Presidential Election Simulation
This is a online simulation game to show students the road candidates running for president must take from campaigning, to primary elections and on through the general election.

39. The Cabinet Obama's Cabinet Who makes up the Cabinet?
What is the role of the Cabinet?
Why is it important for the President to have a Cabinet?
Obama's Cabinet

40. Cabinet Activity

41. Powers of the President
What are the powers of the President?
How can the President use his powers?
What are the impacts of Presidential decisions?

42. Presidential Use of Executive Orders
Place different Executive Orders in folders and place them around the room. Have students work in groups to read and answer the following questions about each:
Why was there a need for this executive order?
Do you feel that this executive order was justified?
Have students rotate around the room until they have completed all of them.

43. Presidential Use of Executive Orders
This activity helps students to better understand how executive orders have been used by Presidents in the past.
It can be differentiated and made to be more student-centered with a few modifications.

44. Executive Orders Three Corner Debate
Students will complete the following plan sheet for the three corner debate after they have learned about different executive orders.

45. Executive Orders Three Corner Debate
Place posters around the room with the following statements:
I agree that presidents should be allowed to go beyond the Constitution and establish law through the use of executive orders if it is in the nation’s best interest.
I do not believe that presidents should be allowed to go beyond the Constitution and establish law through the use of executive orders, even if they think it is in the nation’s best interest.
I am undecided as to whether presidents should be allowed to go beyond the Constitution and establish law through the use of executive orders if they think it is in the nation’s best interest.
Have students stand next to the poster that they most agree with.
Ask students to explain their position using information that they learned in class that day about executive orders.
Students can move to different posters if they are persuaded during the debate by another sides arguments.

46. Executive Orders Assessment
Have students complete the following constructed response item as their assessment.

47. Executive Branch Teaching Ideas

48. Helpful websites for teaching Unit 3!
Unit 3 Helpful Websites
Helpful websites for teaching Unit 3!

49. Reflection, Debrief, and Evaluation

50. Reflection Questions
On the back of your agenda are your reflection questions:
What is one thing that you learned today about the state curriculum, assessment limits, and helpful websites that you will use when planning for the Executive Branch Unit?
What is one strategy that you plan on using to teach the concepts in the Executive Branch Unit?

51. Questions? Feel free to email us with any questions.
Annie Caldwell –
Missy LaCroix –

52. Evaluation
Please complete the evaluation for this session and turn it in before you leave.