Direct Instruction Lesson Plan Template

Grade/subject: 3 grade, social studies

rd
focus:
government
Standard: 3.C&G.1.3 Understand the three branches of government, with an
emphasis on local government.
Lesson objective: students will independently complete a diagram of the three
branches of government.
21 century skills: use systems thinking, collaborate with others
st

Academic language: executive, legislative, judicial, government, congress, senate,

house of representatives, president, vice president, cabinet, supreme court
Prior knowledge: students must have a basic knowledge of the three branches of
government.

Name: Brittney Beaulieu Central Focus/Big

Idea of the
Lesson:
The power of the
Grade Level/Subject: 3 grade social studies
rd
government in the
US is separated
into three
branches
Essential Standard/Common Core Objective:
Date taught:
3.C&G.1.3 Understand the three branches of government,
3/21/17
with an emphasis on local government.
Daily Lesson Objective:
Students will be able to identify the roles of the three branches of government.
21 Century Skills: (Go to this link for more info about these
st
Academic
skills: Language
http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/P21_Framework_Def Demand
nitions.pdf) (Language
Use systems thinking, collaborate with others Function and
Vocabulary):

Language
function: Identify

Vocabulary:
Executive, judicial,
legislative,
congress, senate,
house of
representatives,
president, vice
president, cabinet,
supreme court

Syntax: Labeling
the diagram
 Discourse: Inquiry
turn and talk
Prior Knowledge:
Students should be familiar with the three branches of government

Activity Description of Activities and Setting Tim

e
The teacher will review with the students what the
government does (makes laws) and its importance.
1. Focus and 5
Start with an inquiry turn and talk:
Review mins
What are the branches of government?
Why do we have three branches?
2. Statement of Students will identify the three branches of government
Objective through a diagram.
for Student
Today we are going to learn about the United States
government which is broken up into three branches
which are the executive, legislative, and judicial
2
3. Teacher Input branches. These three branches work together to make,
mins
carry out, and evaluate laws. Have the names of the
branches already written/typed out on a PPT slide or on
the whiteboard
Give the students each a blank piece of paper and
markers. On your own paper draw a tree with three
large branches and tell the students to do the same.
Each of our branches is going to represent a branch of
our government

So what are the three names we should give each of

4. Guided our branches? 7
Practice mins
Write the names on top of each branch. Then provide
students which each function of the government and
have them write it under the name, makes laws, carry
out laws, evaluates laws. Make this an inquiry
discussion. One branch makes the law, which one
would that be?

Give students leaves with the following words on

them - president, vice president, cabinet, congress,
senate, house of representatives, supreme court. Have
students work in partners to try to fgure out which
5. Independent 10
branch each leaf should go under. When they have
Practice mins
placed the leaves under each section, bring the group
back together to discuss and review their answers.
Once their leaves are in the correct spaces, have them
glue them down.
6. Assessment Formative assessment: Branch diagram - labeled and created
Methods of correctly
all
objectives/skills:
The three branches of government work together and
not one branch is more important than the other! Exit 2
7. Closure
Ticket: Now on your exit ticket, list one branch of min
government and one job that branch has.
All student met the objective by successfully completing the tree
8. Assessment diagram correctly, then providing me with a sticky note of one branch
Results of
and one job.
all
objectives/skills:
Tree diagram 15 points
Sticky note 5 points
Targeted Students Student/Small Group
Modifcations/Accommodations: Modifcations/Accommodations:
English Language Learners: Use pictures For advanced students, you can tell
of the buildings (i.e., White House, them to think of the different parts of
Supreme Court, and US Capitol Building) each branch instead of giving them
to help identify the branches leaves.

Struggling reader: Teacher or another For struggling students, giving a little

student will read aloud each of the label background information for each group
leaves. could help them better understand
where to place them.

Materials/Technology:
Blank paper, markers, scissors, leaves

References: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/101964379039644669/

Reflection on lesson:
I felt that overall the students did well with this lesson. They stayed engaged and
there were a lot of hands-on opportunities. They enjoyed being able to
incorporate art into the lesson. Some additional strengths were that I taught the
lesson as a small group so I was able to give the students the attention that they
needed and answer questions quickly, although I feel that this lesson would have
been successful if taught as a whole group as well. I think this lesson would have
worked best at the end of a unit because the students had a lot of questions
about which each job entailed. So if they had learned about the specifc jobs of
the cabinet, supreme court, etc. earlier that week, then they would have been
able to complete the assignment more independently.
From teaching this lesson I learned that although students may fnd a particular
topic to be boring, it is important to make it come to life though activities and
lessons that will interest and engage them. I also learned that although the
students learned about the three branches of government earlier in the year, I
probably should have reviewed a brief synopsis about what each job does to help
them better understand how they contribute to that branch of government. So to
teach it differently next time, I would take a week to teach them about each
branch and what each job does then use this lesson as a review/wrap up lesson.