Systems of Government


Civics Foundations of American Government Systems of Government
Students compare different systems of government: parliamentary, federal, confederal, and unitary. They explore some of the strengths and weaknesses of each system and identify real life examples of each system. Then they draw a diagram representing one of the systems.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

1:1 Devices
Teacher Pack

The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.

Here are the teacher pack items for Systems of Government:

Preview - Scene 1
Exploros Learnign Experience Scene Navigation


Engage


Overview

In this experience, students compare different systems of government: parliamentary, federal, confederal, and unitary. They explore some of the strengths and weaknesses of each system and identify real life examples of each system. Then they draw a diagram representing one of the systems.

Objective

  • Compare parliamentary, federal, confederal, and unitary systems of government.


blue, white, and red vertical stripes

The flag of France. France has a unitary system of government.


You may be familiar with different forms of government, such as democracy, monarchy, and oligarchy. Nations also differ in their systems of government and how power is shared or not shared among various levels of government. Government systems are the rules related to how a government functions.

Two governments may have the same form of government but different systems. For example, the United States and France are both democracies, but the United States has a federal system and France has a unitary system.

Objective

  • Compare parliamentary, federal, confederal, and unitary systems of government.

The words unitary and confederal may be new to you. If you understand the prefix of each word, it will help you remember the words.


Define the prefixes of each word and list another word with the same prefix.



Sample answers:

uni = one, examples: unicycle, unicorn, uniform, unison

con = with, examples: consensus, congregation, connect, conspire


Based on your previous studies, what system of government do you think the United States has?

A) unitary
B) confederal
C) federal
D) parliamentary

When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.

End of Preview
The Complete List of Learning Experiences in Foundations of American Government Unit.
Would you like to preview the rest of this learning experience, and get access to the entire functioning Civics MS course for your classroom? Sign up using your school email address below.
Back to top