BRAIN-TARGETED TEACHING
LEARNING UNIT
Name: Tabitha Bathras
Dates (Allocated Time): 2 weeks
Unit Topic:/Title: Government-the basics
Grade Level: 4th
Content Standard(s):
1. Political Science
a. Describe responsibilities associated with the 5 basic rights and
explain why these responsibilities are important
b. Identify various sources of information that are available to citizens
to make political decisions
c. Describe the rule of law and explain how it impacts individuals and
groups
d. Outline the structure and function of the MD General Assembly and
the roles of state senators and delegates
e. Describe the role of MD’s state judiciary system
2. Social Studies Skills & Processes
a. Engage in civic participation and public discourse
Learning Unit Overview:
This unit on government was born out of my colleagues and my desire to delve
a little deeper into the content due to the lack of depth within the written curriculum. It
is my hope that this overview of the federal and state branches of government will
provide my students the strong base that they need to complete a future research
project on Maryland’s counties.
Brain Target #1
Emotional Connection:
1. Students have the opportunity to earn “seagull feather” tickets for being on task and
following rules and directions within the classroom. These tickets can be redeemed for lunch
with the teacher in the school courtyard.
2. Introduce the purpose for having a democracy-to protect an individual’s basic rights.
Students will create a class, brainstorming, circle map to list what they believe to be basic
rights. Then, students will watch a PowerPoint that defines the 5 basic rights. They will then
group the rights on the circle map under the basic right categories by circling them in 5
different colors. Finally, the students will be broken into 5 groups to create and perform a
tableau on one of the 5 basic rights. Other groups will have to guess the basic right being
performed and describe the portion of tableau that leads them to their belief.
3. Music will be incorporated into the legislative lesson by watching School House Rock’s “I’m
just a bill.”
4. For the final presentation of their government branch, students will have the opportunity to
dress in business attire. Extra ties and blouses will be provided by the teacher for students to
borrow for their presentation.
The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model © Mariale M. Hardiman
Brain Target #2
Physical Environment:
1. Desks are grouped for collaboration between students.
2. Open spaces are provided throughout the room for students to act out tableau and other
activities.
3. The three government buildings most commonly associated with the three branches of
power are prominently displayed throughout the room. The images of the buildings create 3
separate areas within the room.
4. A bulletin board is dedicated to the three “roles” of government. Novelty is visualized
through paper-towel rolls, which the definitive roles of each branch of government hang from.
Brain Target #3
Concept Map / Advanced Organizer
(feel free to use an online tool):
The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model © Mariale M. Hardiman
Learning Goals:
The student will demonstrate prior knowledge of the structure of federal government by
manipulating vocabulary words on a skeleton tree map.
The student will evaluate their understanding of the structure of federal government by
reading the text and adjusting the tree map as necessary.
Introductory “Big Picture” Activity/Assessment of Prior Knowledge
1. Small groups will be given a skeleton tree map and vocabulary words relating to the federal
branches of government. The groups will then manipulate the words on the thinking map to
demonstrate knowledge, if any, of the structure of the federal government.
2. Through observation the teacher will formatively assess prior knowledge of the structure of
federal government.
3. Groups will be directed to use the Scott Foresman-Regions text book, pg. 50-51, to evaluate
their tree map and make adjustments to accurately display the structure of the federal
government.
4. Students will be shown the organization of the “Maryland State Government” tree map and
prompted to make comparisons between the federal and state levels.
5. The federal and state level tree maps will be combined into a larger tree map. The students
will be asked why levels of government are necessary. Discussion will be guided to develop
the thinking points in the frame of reference.
The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model © Mariale M. Hardiman
Brain Target #4
Activities for Teaching Mastery of Declarative/Procedural Knowledge
Learning Goals:
The student will define the role of the executive branch of government on the federal and state
level by discussing presidential powers.
Activities:
1. Students will view a PowerPoint on the executive branch to gain background knowledge.
2. Students will review the four presidential powers by appropriately applying them to eight
different scenarios.
3. Refer back to the combined tree map to compare the federal role of the president to the
state role of the governor within the executive branch.
4. Students will apply their knowledge of the executive branch through a “Bucket of Stuff”
activity. They will use random objects within a bucket to assemble a model that represents the
executive branch. They must explain their thinking to the class to validate their model.
Learning Goals:
The student will define the role of the legislative branch of government on the federal and state
level by voting to pass a bill.
Activities:
1. Students will view a PowerPoint on the legislative branch to gain background knowledge.
2. View School House Rock’s “I’m Just a Bill.”
3. The teacher will model the “Teacher Bill” to demonstrate how to identify pros and cons of a
bill based on who the bill will affect. Students will vote for the bill solely based on the pros and
cons identified. Small groups will identify the pros/cons of various bills and then present the
bills to the class. A class vote will be taken for each bill.
4. Refer back to the combined tree map to compare the federal role of Congress to the state
role of the General Assembly within the legislative branch.
Learning Goals:
The student will define the role of the judicial branch of government on the federal and state
level by debating the interpretation of school rules.
Activities:
1. Students will view a PowerPoint on the judicial branch to gain background knowledge.
2. Students will discuss the “Johnson Elementary Case.” The teacher will demonstrate how to
write an opinion about the case while keeping the “spirit” of the law in mind. Students will be
divided into three large groups to discuss and write an opinion about each scenario. Two
“talking chips” will be provided to each student to facilitate and level the discussion within the
group. The case and opinion will be presented to the class.
The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model © Mariale M. Hardiman
3. Refer back to the combined tree map to compare the federal role of the Supreme Court to
the state role of the Court of Appeals within the judicial branch.
Brain Target #5
Activities for Extension and Application of Knowledge
Learning Goals:
The student will apply their knowledge of the branches of government by creating a new
branch to fill a community need.
Activities:
1. In small groups of 4-5 students, the students will create a branch of government by creating
a poster, PowerPoint, or Smartboard presentation. During this presentation the group will be
responsible for defining the purpose of their branch and explaining why it is necessary by
describing a fictitious scenario. They will also describe their “role” within the branch and
create a visual representation of their branch by designing a building, modeled after the three
main buildings of the U.S. government. The students will also be encouraged to “Dress for
Success” on the day of the presentation.
Brain Target #6
Evaluating Learning
Formative Assessment:
1. Executive Branch- Students display their knowledge of the executive branch by creating a
model from a bucket of assorted items. They must then explain their thinking to the class to
validate their representation.
2. Legislative Branch- Teacher will observe group work and group presentations of the
pros/cons of each bill.
3. Judicial Branch- Groups will present problems and verdicts with supporting details to the
class.
Summative Assessment:
1. Brace Map Analogies- The students will be given federal-level descriptors and must create
an analogy with the matching state descriptor. Word banks will be given to students with
accommodations.
The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model © Mariale M. Hardiman
2. Create a Branch of Government- The students will be given a rubric prior to beginning the
project to help guide their ideas. This rubric will be used to grade the final presentation.
During the final presentation, student audience members will record one thing the group did
really well and one thing the group could have improved upon. The groups will then review the
critique after all projects have been presented. This critique should be taken into
consideration for the next project on Maryland’s counties.
3. Reflection Paragraph- For the end of unit assessment the students will write a RATE
paragraph. (Restate the question, Answer the question, Three details, Ending sentence) They
will answer the “big picture” question, why is our government structured as a democracy?
Materials:
Blank circle map, basic rights PowerPoint, seagull feathers, posters of the White House,
Capitol building, Supreme Court building, Scott-Foresman Regions textbook, blank tree map,
federal tree map, state tree map, combination tree map, executive branch PowerPoint,
Presidential Powers worksheet, assorted items for Bucket of Stuff, legislative branch
PowerPoint, “I’m Just a Bill” School House Rock video, “Teacher Bill”, group bills, judicial
branch PowerPoint, Johnson Elementary Case, group cases, talking chips, poster board,
PowerPoint program, SmartBoard program, project rubric, art supplies, brace map analogies
quiz, “Big Picture” question
The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model © Mariale M. Hardiman