Start a New Country Lesson 3 - 12th Grade Government



Government Hierarchy

Anticipatory Set (15 min)
The instructor will write a question on the board that states “Is it important to have State governments?  Why?”  The instructor will tell the students to take 2 minutes and think about their answer(s).  The instructor will ask the students to provide answers and the instructor will write them on the board.

Direct Instruction (10 min)
The instructor will briefly discuss the role of federal, state and local governments.  The instructor will ask the students to answer the following:

  •  Which type of government is best for the following: (Explain why)

o   Building infrastructure
o   Education
o   Healthcare
o   Maintaining infrastructure
o   Poverty and disadvantaged
o   Defense
o   Emergency services
o   Environmental protection

Modeling (5 min)
The instructor will provide an answer for one of the government issues.

Guided Practice (20 min)
Working independently, the students will answer the question for each issue and determine which government type works best.

Checks for Understanding (20 min)
The instructor will poll the class and write the answers on the board to which government type is best for each issue.

Independent Study (80 min)
The students/groups will establish a government hierarchy and determine which type of government will be responsible for each issue their new country will face.  The government must address each issue posed by the teacher and may add other areas if deemed necessary.  Each student/group must explain why each issue is handled by the specific hierarchy they chose.

Checks for Understanding (30 min)
The instructor will review the completed government hierarchy of each country and provide individual feedback to the students/groups to make any possible changes or additions.

To support teachers across the country, I've created history lesson plans for secondary schools.  From 6th grade to 12th grade, les...