DIRECT INSTRUCTION LESSON PLAN GUIDE AND TEMPLATE

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Name: Jordan Boone

Lesson #:

Lesson Title: Branches of State Government

Grade Level/Subject:

4th/ Social Studies

NCES/CCSS Standard and

Objective (1)
Behavioral Objective (2)

Objective Rationale (1)

Prerequisite Knowledge and

Skills (1)
Key Terms and Vocabulary
(1)

Focus/Review (prepares
students for the lesson) (2)

Topic: Government

4.C&G.1 Understand the development, structure and function of

North Carolina's government.
4.C&G.1.2 Compare the roles and responsibilities of state elected leaders.
After learning about the branches of NC government, students will write a
speech as they are running for public office that persuades their
constituents to vote for them and includes at least three duties.
Students are learning about the different parts of government which is
important because citizens need to be apart of the decision making
process in decisions that effect them and people around them.
basic understanding of purpose of government
understand there are different branches
Legislative
Executive
Judicial
appeal
Content and Strategies
Instructional
Strategies
Students will work in groups of four to review the three
Active
branches of the government. The teacher will give each
participation,
group six cards. Three of the cards will say executive,
Cooperative
legislative, or judicial, and the other three cards will say the learning
role. Students will work together to complete this matching
review activity.
Executive Branch-carries out the laws
Judicial Branch-evaluates the laws
Legislative Branch-makes the laws
The teacher will walk around as students are working. After
all the groups are finished, discuss as a class. Have students
write down each set in their Social Studies notebooks, that
way they will have them as a reminder throughout the
lesson.

Objective as stated for

students (helps students set
their own goals for the lesson)
(1)
Teacher Input (provides the
content to students in a
teacher-directed manner) (3)

I will be able to understand the different levels and responsibilities of

government in North Carolina, by examining major government
authorities at the state level.
Teacher will ask: can someone read the objective? Say
during our review activity, how many branches of
government were there? (3) Explain that just like in the
Revised for spring, 2012

Whole group
instruction,
questioning

Guided Practice (scaffolded

practice with the content;
helps students make sense of
the content provided in
Teacher Input) (3)
Independent Practice
(application activities to help
students use and demonstrate
what they have learned) (2)
Closure (provides a wrap-up
for the lesson) (1)
Evaluation (How will you
assess students learning so
that you can determine if they
met the objective of the
lesson?) (2)

Plans for Individual

Differences (differentiations
needed for students) (1)

federal (national) government there are three branches

strategies
of government at the state level. Ask: what the three
branches are? Where do we look to find the powers and
duties of each branch of government? (constitution)
Read pages 6-7 of State Government book, and have
them take notes on roles and responsibilities, while
reading. As a class come up with the different
responsibilities of the branches, and fill out anchor
chart.
Have students create a three-flap foldable on the
Small group
branches of government to help remember the different instruction,
responsibilities of NC state government. Have them use grouping
information from chart and from notes. Allow them to
students
talk with the people at their table to get more ideas.
Have students imagine that they are running for office in their state. They
will have to list at least three duties of the office they are running for, and
write a speech to persuade voters to elect them.
Students are given the opportunity to share their speeches.
Formative:
Questions to check for understanding throughout the lesson ( focus and
review, teacher input, guided practice)
Summative:
The speeches will be evaluated according to the following rubricScore 4
Clearly describes three duties of public office
Shows excellent persuasive skills
Has no/very few errors
Score 3
Describes three duties of public office
Shows good persuasive skills
Has few errors
Score 2
Describes less than three duties of public office
Shows fair persuasive skills
Has some errors
Score 1
Fails to describe the duties of public office
Shows little or no persuasive skills
Has many errors
ELL Students- give students index cards with executive branch,
legislative branch and judicial branch on one side and a
corresponding picture on the other side like a gavel, a billHave
students hold up cards as teacher talks about each one. This will
also be beneficial to visual and kinesthetic learners.
Extension Activity-Have students research, and find the names of
North Carolinas members of congress, the governor, and district
members of General Assembly.
Revised for spring, 2012

Materials used in the lesson;

Resources used in developing
the lesson (1)
21st Century Skills (must be
in three lessons)

Global Awareness (must be in

two lessons)
Culturally Responsive
Teaching (must be in three
lessons)

Extra Support- compare the levels of government, allow students

to work in pairs to find similarities and differences between the
different branches.
Art Activity-Have students design a seal for the classroom, using
North Carolinas state seal as a guide.
NC State Government book
Anchor chart paper

Learning and Innovations Skills

Creativity and innovation
Think creatively (independent practice- writing a speech about
running for office)
Work creatively with others (guided practice- working together on
foldable)
Civic literacy (throughout lesson)
Participating effectively in civic life through knowing how to stay
informed and understanding governmental processes
Exercising the rights and obligations of citizenship at local, state,
national and global levels
Understanding the local and global implications of civic decisions
Our government system was adopted from other parts of the world
(modeled after British government).
Not everyone always had the opportunities to vote or be apart of public
office. (African Americans, women, and other minorities)

Revised for spring, 2012