Module 14-State Government-Social Studies 4A - Course Guide

Module Overview:

In this module students will identify the roles of the three branches of state government, identify key roles of state elected officials, identify 3 key components in their state's constitution, identify divisions in state, and identify 3 similarities and 3 differences between federal, state, and local governments.

Module Materials:

Lesson #	Lesson Title	Material(s)
1	Three Branches of State Government	pen or pencil;
2	Elected State Officials	pen or pencil;
3	State Constitutions	pen or pencil;
4	Divisions in States	scissors glue construction paper pen or pencil
5	Federal, State, and Local	pen or pencil;

Module Objectives:

Lesson #	Lesson Title	Objective(s)
1	Three Branches of State Government	Identify the roles of the three branches of state government.
2	Elected State Officials	Identify key roles of state elected officials.
3	State Constitutions	Identify three key components in their state's constitution.
4	Divisions in States	Identify divisions in their state.
5	Federal, State, and Local	Identify three similarities and three differences among federal, state, and local governments.

Module Key Words:

Key Words	Vocabulary Words
state legislative branch state executive branch state judicial branch Republican Democrat candidate preamble bill of rights article division population county federal state local	state legislative branch state executive branch state judicial branch Republican Democrat Candidate preamble bill of rights article division population county federal state local

Module Assignments:

Lesson #	Lesson Title	Page #	Assignment Title
1	Three Branches of State Government	7	State Government Assignment
2	Elected State Officials	7	State Government Job Openings
2	Elected State Officials	8	Who’s Who?
3	State Constitutions	7	My State’s Constitution
4	Divisions in States	8	Where You Live
5	Federal, State, and Local	4	Who’s Who?
5	Federal, State, and Local	7	Venn Diagram

Learning Coach Notes:

None

Module Guiding Questions:

When a student starts a lesson ask them questions to check for prior knowledge and understanding and to review concepts being taught. At the end of the lesson ask the questions again to see if their answer changes.

Lesson Title	Question
Three Branches of State Government	What is the state government patterned after? How many branches of government does your state government have? What are the duties of the state government?
Elected State Officials	What does it take to be a good leader in politics?
State Constitutions	What is the US Constitution? What is a State Constitution?
Divisions in States	What is the difference between a city, a town, and a village? What is the purpose of a county? Why do states have school districts?
Federal, State, and Local	What do local taxes pay for? What do state taxes pay for? What do federal taxes pay for? Who are the officials in your local government? What do local, state, and federal governments have in common? What is different between local, state, and federal governments?

Module Video Questions:

When a student watches a video take time to ask them questions about what they watched. Suggested questions for the videos in this module are listed here. Suggestion: Have the student watch the entire video first all the way through. Then have them watch the video a second time, as they watch it pause the video and ask the questions.

Lesson Title	Video	Question
Divisions in States	Outer space to my Backyard	What is the name of the galaxy we live in? What planet do you live on? What continent do you live on? What country do you live in? What state do you live in? What city do you live in? What county do you live in?

Module Suggested Read Aloud Books:

Take time to read to your student or have them read aloud to you. Read a different book each day. While reading the book point out concepts being taught. You may purchase these books or find them at your local library. Suggested things to discuss while reading the book:

What is the main idea?
What are three things new you learned?
How does this book relate to what you are learning about?

#	Book	Author	Lexile Level
1	State Government	Karen Kenney	610L
2	Government: How Local, State, And Federal Government Works	Mark D. Friedman
3	Local Government	Vincent Alexander

Module Outing:

Take some time to apply what your student is learning to the real world. Suggested outings are below.

#	Outing
1	Take your student to a local government meeting such as a city council meeting or school board meeting.