Students review the concept of federalism and identify some of the powers of federal and state governments. Then they analyze the structure of state governments and their similarities to the federal government. Next, students explore levels of local government and the services they commonly provide. Finally, they'll identify people in each branch of their own state government.
Students are introduced to the experience and its objectives, reviewing how government affects daily life at different levels. They examine images of the U.S. Capitol, the Texas State Capitol Building, and San Antonio City Hall, then respond to a word cloud prompt by listing several things they or their families do because of the government, such as services they use, places they go, or obligations they have as citizens.
Teacher MovesClarify key vocabulary (municipal, federal, federalism) and review the lesson objectives. After students submit word cloud responses, highlight examples that reflect national, state, and local government roles. Look for patterns and use them to prompt discussion about why some services or rules are handled by the national government and others by state or local governments, setting up the need to explore federalism in the next scene.
Students read The Founders and Federalism and Federal Versus State Government to learn how power is divided and shared between national and state governments under the U.S. Constitution. Using information from these resources, they complete a three-part Venn diagram graphic organizer by labeling and adding examples of delegated (enumerated) powers of the national government, reserved powers of the states, and concurrent powers shared by both.
Teacher MovesAfter students complete and share their Venn diagrams, lead a class comparison to surface common patterns. Emphasize clear examples of federal powers (such as printing money or declaring war), state powers (such as running elections or issuing licenses), and concurrent powers (such as collecting taxes or building roads). Use student responses to prompt discussion about why certain powers are national while others are left to the states, encouraging students to consider scale, fairness, and local control as they deepen their understanding of federalism.
Students examine a quotation from the Tenth Amendment and read explanatory text connecting it to federalism and reserved powers. They read State and Local Government to learn how state and local governments share and divide these powers. On a collaborative wall, they describe at least two ways state governments are similar to the federal government (such as having constitutions, three branches, checks and balances, and representative government). Next, they complete a concept map graphic organizer to record typical services provided by local governments (for example, parks, police and fire departments, public works, and public transportation). Finally, they use a second graphic organizer to identify four levels of government in their state (federal, state, county/borough/parish, and municipality/township/city/town/village/borough), using their state government website as needed.
Teacher MovesUse the wall responses to reinforce that state governments mirror the federal structure with constitutions, three branches, checks and balances, and representative institutions. As students work on the local government services concept map, you may direct them to the infographic Government: Who Takes Care of What? to clarify how responsibilities are divided among federal, state, and local governments. Support students in accurately naming and distinguishing the four levels of government in their state as they complete the final organizer.
Students apply their understanding of government structure to their own state. They go to USA.gov, select their state, and follow the link to the state’s official website. There, they explore state government pages to find at least one person serving in each branch of their state government. They complete a graphic organizer by entering their state name and listing the name and position of one official in the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
Teacher MovesExplain that this scene is an optional extension to deepen understanding. Guide students in navigating from USA.gov to their state’s official site and locating government pages. Support them in correctly identifying one official in each branch of their state government and recording both the person’s name and role in the organizer.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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