Branches of Government Educational Resources K12 Learning, United States, Social Studies Lesson Plans, Activities, Experiments, Homeschool Help

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Did you know that the United States Constitution includes 4,400 words?

It is the oldest and shortest written constitution of any major government in the world.

Did you know that Pennsylvania is misspelled on the Constitution next to the signatures ?

Yes, it's spelled Pensylvania. But even with the misspelling, the Founding Fathers were very forward-thinking.

The Constitution is a set of principles that tells how the nation is governed.

It outlines the guidelines for a strong and fair national government. To prevent the government from abusing its power, the Constitution sets up three branches of government:

branches of government info-graphic

The three branches of government were established in the United States Constitution to divide the power of government among the executive, judicial, and legislative branches.

What are the constitutional powers of the three branches of government?
Who heads each branch of government?
What are checks and balances?

Download and print the Graphic Organizer - KWL Chart from Downloadable Resources in the right-hand sidebar. Write down what you already KNOW about the branches of government and what you WANT to know.

Then, explore the resources listed below to learn more about the three branches of government. Complete the KWL chart by filling in what you LEARNED.

As you move on to the Got It? section, keep the KWL Chart handy to add any new information you discover!