Lesson Idea Name:3 Branches of Government 

Grade Level/Content Area: 3rd grade/ Social Studies 

 Link to Padlet: https://padlet.com/ashleyowens765/the-3-branches-of-government-
8d19x1euyh0g6wod

Content Standard Addressed:  SS3CG1.c: State the main responsibility of each branch:
executive (enforcing laws), legislative (making laws), judicial (determining if laws are fair) 
 

ISTE Technology Standard Addressed:   What would you like students to know
ISTE Student Standard: 1.1a Empowered and be able to do by the end of this
Learner: Students articulate and set personal lesson: By the end of the lesson, students
learning goals, develop strategies leveraging should be able to define each of the three
technology to achieve them and reflect on the branches of government listed above and be
learning process itself to improve learning able to explain them in their own words to
outcomes.  their fellow classmates. 
 
ISTE Teacher Standard: 2.6. A Facilitator
Standard: Foster a culture where students
take ownership of their learning goals and
outcomes in both independent and group
settings. 
 

What is the student learning goal(s) for this lesson idea?  

I can explain the main responsibility of each branch of government. 
I can create a PowerPoint to explain the 3 branches of government. 

 
Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s): 
 
X  Remembering     X  Understanding     X  Applying X  Analyzing 
XEvaluating X Creating
 

How do you plan to implement this lesson and integrate the technology? Check all
that apply: 
 
X Teacher-led: There is no student voice and choice in the activities. Students are
guided by teacher direction and expectations. Learning activities are assigned to
the student and mostly practice based. 
    
☐ Student-Led: Students are given voice and choice in the activities. They may
select the topic of learning and/or determine the tool they will use to meet the
learning goal. The teacher facilitates the learning as the students direct their own
learning processes. 
 
☐ Problem-based and/or Publishable: Students are solving problems and
completing projects to demonstrate their learning. Additionally, the projects can
be shared outside of the classroom. (Note: This objective could be reached by
displaying the project on the school’s morning newscast, posting the project to the
classroom blog, presenting it to another class, or publishing via an outside
source.) 
 

Lesson idea implementation: Students will begin the lesson with a crash course
video that highlights the 3 branches of government. After watching the video, they will
use Padlet to respond to the discussion question of “what is one thing you learned
from this video? What did you like about the video?” Students will be able to see other
students responses (they’re all anonymous) After discussing and communicating,
students will create a web/map drawing about how these 3 branches are connected.
They can draw it on the computer or draw it on paper. After completing the web,
students will partner up and share what they created. They will be asked to post one
sticky note about something they like about their partners drawing. After collaborating
and communicating through Padlet, students will be taken to the Kahoot link where
they will participate in the game. Students will do the Kahoot individually and use their
real name so that the teacher is able to see where the students are. As we go through
the standards, students will be able to describe the branches of the governments
through the Brain-pop as well as the padlet, while we the teachers, survey the class
understanding from the results and discussion going on. We will keep the students
engaged through the lesson by asking higher order thinking questions like: Can you
describe one of the branches to the class? What can be inferred about how our
government works together? Providing real-world tasks comes in the form of crash
course videos, as well as CNN Student 10 facts that are given from daily news in the
real world. The lesson will be concluded by each student creating one summary slide
on powerpoint about what they learned and what they want to know moving forward. 

Managing student learning: Students will use Padlet to shift from passive to active
learning. After watching the video, students have the chance to communicate and
discuss what they learned from the video. The sticky note feature on Padlet allows
them to see other responses and discuss them. 

To allow for time-on-task and shift from passive to active learning, students will use
the laptops found in the laptop cart. The link to Padlet will be found in their canvas.
The Padlet will also be displayed on the Smart Board. As a class, we will watch the
BrainPop video. Individually, they will answer the discussion questions and create
their map on their computer. After they post their discussion, I will ask for volunteers
to share what they said. After they create their web, I will randomly select a few from
the wall and ask them to explain. If they don’t feel comfortable sharing, they can
volunteer someone else to share. They will engage in the game on individual
computers but can collaborate with their peers. They will design the PowerPoint on
their computer individually. I will be walking around to monitor their technology use
and remind them to stay on task. They will be reminded of the learning goal for the
class period. 
 

Web 2.0 Tools for Collaboration and Communication: Using the three tools of
padlet, Brain-pop, and Powerpoint, we believe that the students will have a variety of
opportunities to engage and represent their own learning abilities that fit their own
needs. Not only is the framework a better fit for students, but it completely supports
the theory behind UDL because it’s creating a student-led classroom, allowing
students to pace and learn the same standard at their own pace using technology. 

Reflective Practice: 
We believe that after designing each element described above, students will be able
to experience this standard in a way so differently than the traditional social studies
book because it’s all the same content that needs to be learned, but in smaller
digestible pieces. Since we have a variety of activities and assessments that go along
with this lesson, students have multiple ways of learning the same content, but at their
own speed, and learning ability. We look forward to implementing the padlet feature
inside the classroom, because its giving the student the structure they need for the
session for the day, all while not being overwhelming.