Meghan Hayes
Grade: 5th Grade
Subject: Social Studies
Content: U.S. Government
Day 1
Purpose: It is crucial for students to learn about the United States Government
because this organization is an important part of our nation’s growth throughout
history: past, present, and future. If students do not develop an understanding
around our nation’s federal government, then students will struggle to understand
how exactly our nation came to be and the events that followed. Students need to
understand and respect how our government is organized and run so in turn they
can become productive members of society. This lesson provides students with an
introduction to Government and U.S. Government; content that will be explained
and learned in further detail throughout the course of this U.S. Government unit.
Students will be able to express their prior knowledge about government by
completing a concept map with their tablemates during the lesson. Students will be
able to create an individual/formal concept map during the direct instruction of the
material.
Essential Questions:
 What is a government?
 What is a government’s purpose?
 What types of government are there?
Academic Language:
 Government
 Constitutional Government
 Federal Government
 Democracy
 Dictatorship
 Republican Government
 Purpose
 Safety
 Law
 Order
 Rules
 Protect
 Aid
 Economy
Skills:
 Listening


Writing to complete a graphic organizer and document notes
Orally speaking to converse with students/teacher and describe opinions
N.Y.S Social Studies Curriculum Standard: 5.7 – Over time, different political
systems have developed in the nations of the Western Hemisphere, and these
governments maintain order, provide security, and protect individual rights in
different ways.
N.Y.S. English Language Arts Standard: 5.W.1: Write an opinion piece on topics or
texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
Objectives:
Students will be able to
 Formulate educated hypotheses to answer the questions what is government
and what is a government’s purpose.
 Define the term government.
 Identify types of government.
 Describe the purpose of a government.
Pre-Assessment: Teacher and students will work together to complete a KWL
chart about U.S. Government prior to the implementation of this unit. The teacher
will use the KWL chart to establish learning objectives and goals appropriate for the
students.
Questioning:
 What is a government?
 What is a government’s purpose?
 What types of government are there?
 If no one is able to brainstorm answers to the questions, I will ask what
resources can we use in the classroom to help us find an answer?
Learning Segment/Presentation:
Set Induction:
 Working with tablemates, students will first brainstorm a response to the
question What is government? Students will share and record their answers
on individual blank concept maps; I will record student answers on the smart
board.
Procedure:
 Through direct instruction, and with the aid of a power point presentation,
students will learn about and be able to define the term government.
 Students will also identify 4 types of government (Constitutional,
Dictatorship, Republican, and Democracy). Students will record the
information displayed throughout the power point on individual United
States Government Concept Maps.
 Working with tablemates again, students will brainstorm a response to the
question What is a government’s purpose? Students will share and record
their answers on individual blank concept maps; I will record student
answers on the smart board.
 Through direct instruction, and with the aid of a power point presentation,
students will be able to identify the 5 purposes of government. Students will
record the information on Purpose Concept Map.
** ELL students will be provided with copies of the power point and can draw
pictures as a way of expressing their thoughts and feelings regarding the content.
Students with disabilities, who have difficulty writing, may provide oral
explanations to the teacher rather than documenting full sentences in their concept
maps. At risk students will be provided with fill in the blank concept maps, meaning
part of the information within the power point presentation is already included on
their concept maps. They are required to fill in missing information that is not
included. **
Closure:
 Using their newly acquired knowledge about government and its purpose,
students will write to explain What is the purpose of government?
 To end class, students will review the United States Government Vocabulary
sheet as a group.
Rationale:
This lesson relates to Jean Piaget’s Constructivist theory: children construct
meaning through hands on experiences. Students will be able to construct their
own meaning about government and its purpose by:
 Critically thinking and documenting ideas in concept maps.
 Listening to the teacher and peers converse about the content of today’s
lesson.
 Critically thinking and constructing written/verbal opinions about
government and its purpose.
Special Needs/Adjustments/Modifications:
 Copy of class notes given to every student at end of lesson, if not handed out
before (to supplement for missed written notes).
 Think/Pair/Share during class brainstorms.
 Students with IEP’s/504’s pulled to the side table to work with teacher if
necessary.
Follow Up Activities: Students will review the United States Government
Vocabulary sheet for homework and create flashcards, drawings, or document
definitions in notebook for an extra opportunity to learn the vocabulary, which is
essential to the unit.
Post Assessment: The teacher will use their written answers to the questions what
is government and what is a government’s purpose to observe whether or not
students have met the objectives of the lesson.
Materials/Resources/Technology Integration:
 Government PowerPoint
 Blank concept maps
 United States Government/Purpose Concept Map
 United States Government Vocabulary Sheet
 Pencils
 Dictionaries/Computers (if necessary to use for research)
Assessments:
 Informal assessment through dialogue
 Monitoring of response during Think/Pair/Share activities
 Formal assessment of written answers to essential questions
Meghan Hayes
Grade: 5th Grade
Subject: Social Studies
Content: U.S. Government
Day 2
Purpose: It is crucial for students to learn about the United States Government
because this organization is an important part of our nation’s growth throughout
history: past, present, and future. If students do not develop an understanding
around our nation’s federal government, then students will struggle to understand
how exactly our nation came to be and the events that followed. Students need to
understand and respect how our government is organized and run so in turn they
can become productive members of society. This lesson allows students to access
their prior knowledge about Government and U.S. Government learned the day
before. Students will be able to recall the definitions of essential vocabulary words
related to this unit during a “Bell-Ringer Vocabulary” game. Students will be able to
construct a chart to document information about the United States Government: a
democracy.
Essential Questions:
 What is a government?
 What is a government’s purpose?
 What types of government are there?
 Please describe the type of government do we have.
 Who can state what a democracy is?
Academic Language:
 Government
 Federal Government
 Democracy
 Equality
 Rights
 Justice
 Citizen
 Common good
 Power
 Representatives
 President
 Vice president
 House of Representatives
 Senate
 Beliefs/Values
 Freedom
Skills:
 Listening
 Writing to complete a graphic organizer and document notes
 Orally speaking to converse with students/teacher and describe opinions
N.Y.S Social Studies Curriculum Standard: 5.7 – Over time, different political
systems have developed in the nations of the Western Hemisphere, and these
governments maintain order, provide security, and protect individual rights in
different ways.
N.Y.S. English Language Arts Standard: 5.W.10: Write routinely over extended
time frames and shorter time frames for a range of discipline-specific tasks,
purposes, and audiences.
N.Y.S. English Language Arts Standard: 5.W.1: Write an opinion piece on topics or
texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
Instructional Outcomes:
Students will be able to
 Identify key vocabulary terms related to the United States Government.
 Define our United States Government.
 List important leaders in government.
 Describe the beliefs and values that are part of the United States
Government.
Questioning:
 What is a government?
 What is a government’s purpose?
 What types of government are there?
 Please describe the type of government do we have.
 Who can state what a democracy is?
 If no one is able to brainstorm answers to the questions, I will ask what
resources can we use in the classroom to help us find an answer?
Learning Segment/Presentation:
Set Induction:
 To activate prior knowledge, students will play “Ball Toss”- a vocabulary
review game in which they define key terms related to United States
Government.
Procedure:
 Through direct instruction, and with the aid of a power point presentation,
students will be able to define the type of government the United States has.
 Students will record the information on a United States Government Graphic
Organizer.
 Working with tablemates, students will brainstorm a response to the
question Who are some representatives in our federal government? Students
will share and record their answers on their graphic organizers; I will record
student answers on the smart board.
 Through direct instruction, and with the aid of a power point presentation,
students will be able to identify and describe the important values and
beliefs that define our federal government. Students will record the
information on their graphic organizers.
** ELL students will be provided with copies of the power point and can draw
pictures as a way of expressing their thoughts and feelings regarding the content.
Students with disabilities, who have difficulty writing, may provide oral
explanations to the teacher rather than documenting full sentences when answering
the closure question. At risk students will be provided with fill in the blank graphic
organizers, meaning part of the information within the power point presentation is
already included on their graphic organizer. They are required to fill in missing
information that is not included. **
Closure:
 Using their newly acquired knowledge about our federal government and its
purpose, students will answer a thinking further question. They will write to
explain Which belief and/or value of our federal government is the most
important? Why?
Rationale:
This lesson relates to Jean Piaget’s Constructivist theory: children construct
meaning through hands on experiences. Students will be able to construct their
own meaning about the U.S. Government and its purpose by:
 Critically thinking and documenting ideas in graphic organizers.
 Listening to the teacher and peers converse about the content of today’s
lesson.
 Critically thinking and constructing written/verbal opinions about the beliefs
and values of our federal government.
Special Needs/Adjustments/Modifications:
 Graphic organizers given to every student (to aid in organizing the
information into written notes).
 Think/Pair/Share during class brainstorms.
 Vocabulary game to access prior knowledge before start of the lesson.
 Students with IEP’s/504’s pulled to the side table with teacher if necessary.
Follow Up Activities: Students will finish the thinking further question if not
completed in class. Students will also read the Times For Kids article Closed for
Business, required for the following day’s lesson.
Materials/Resources/Technology Integration:
 United States Government PowerPoint


United States Government Graphic Organizer
United States Government Vocabulary Sheet
Post Assessment: The teacher will use their written answers to the question Which
belief and/or value of our federal government is the most important? Why? to observe
whether or not students have met the objectives of the lesson.
Assessments:
 Informal assessment through dialogue
 Informal assessment through Vocabulary Game
 Monitoring of response during Think/Pair/Share activities
 Formal assessment through written response to Thinking Further question
Meghan Hayes
Grade: 5th Grade
Subject: Social Studies
Content: U.S. Government
Day 3 (Lesson demonstrated in class)
Purpose: It is crucial for students to learn about the United States Government
because this organization is an important part of our nation’s growth throughout
history: past, present, and future. If students do not develop an understanding
around our nation’s federal government, then students will struggle to understand
how exactly our nation came to be and the events that followed. Students need to
understand and respect how our government is organized and run so in turn they
can become productive members of society. This lesson allows students to access
their prior knowledge about Government and U.S. Government learned the day
before. Students will be able to recall the definitions of essential vocabulary words
related to this unit. Students will be able to identify the who, what, where, when,
why, and how of the “Closed for Business” Time for Kids article as they analyze the
text during a close read of the article.
Essential Questions:
 What is a government?
 What is a government’s purpose?
 What types of government are there?
 Please describe the type of government do we have.
 Who can state what a democracy is?
 Can anyone recall what happened in our government last year?
 What was the government shutdown?
Academic Language:
 Government
 Federal Government
 Democracy
 Rights
 Citizen
 Budget
 Power
 Representatives
 President
 House of Representatives
 Senate
 Beliefs/Values
 Freedom
 Congress
 Shut down


Who,what,where,when,why
Summary
Skills:
 Listening
 Writing to complete a graphic organizer and create a summary
 Orally speaking to converse with students/teacher and describe opinions
N.Y.S Social Studies Curriculum Standard: 5.7 – Over time, different political
systems have developed in the nations of the Western Hemisphere, and these
governments maintain order, provide security, and protect individual rights in
different ways.
N.Y.S Language Arts Curriculum Standards: R.I.5.2- Determine two or more main
ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the
text.
N.Y.S. English Language Arts Standard: 5.W.10: Write routinely over extended
time frames and shorter time frames for a range of discipline-specific tasks,
purposes, and audiences.
N.Y.S. English Language Arts Standard: 5.W.2: Write informative/explanatory
texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
Instructional Outcomes:
Students will be able to
 Summarize the Time for Kids article, “Closed for Business”, in their own
words.
o Use four text-based details to support the main idea within their
summaries.
o Participate in a class-wide close read of the article “Closed for
Business”.
 Identify the 5 W’s of the article (who, what, where, when, why, how).
 Define the “government shutdown”.
Questioning:
 What is a government?
 What is a government’s purpose?
 What types of government are there?
 Please describe the type of government do we have.
 Who can state what a democracy is?
 Can anyone recall what happened in our government last year?
 What was the government shutdown?
 If no one is able to brainstorm answers to the questions, I will ask what
resources can we use in the classroom to help us find an answer?
Learning Segment/Presentation:
Set Induction:
 As a class, we will briefly review what we have learned so far in this unit
about the United States Government by looking over and adding to the KWL
chart we created prior to the unit of study to activate prior knowledge.
Procedure:
 Students will have read the article the night before to gain a brief knowledge
base about the event discussed in the article: the government shutdown.
Students will also be given the opportunity at this time to quickly re-read the
article.
 We will complete a close read of the text with a specific purpose; finding
information that appropriately fits each section of the 5 W’s Graphic
Organizer.
 We will close read the whole article together as a class (teacher modeling
implemented when necessary).
 Students will complete their graphic organizers during the lesson. The
teacher will guide the students as they complete their graphic organizers
with a power point presentation on the smart board.
 Students will use the information in their graphic organizers to write
individual summaries of the article.
** ELL students will be provided with copies of the power point and can draw
pictures as a way of expressing their thoughts and feelings regarding the content.
Students with disabilities, who have difficulty writing, may provide oral summaries
to the teacher rather than documenting full sentences when creating a summary
about the text. At risk students will work in pairs to complete the graphic
organizers. They will be provided with 5W graphic organizers that include the
definitions of who, what, where, when why, and how on the organizer already to aid
in completing the graphic organizer correctly. **
Closure:
 Students will share their summaries of the article with the class.
Rationale:
This lesson relates to Jean Piaget’s Constructivist theory: children construct
meaning through hands on experiences. Students will be able to construct their
own meaning about the U.S. Government shut down by:
 Critically thinking and documenting ideas in graphic organizers.
 Listening to the teacher and peers converse about the content of today’s
lesson.
 Critically thinking and constructing written summaries of the article.
 Working with a primary source: Time for Kids article Closed for Business
Special Needs/Adjustments/Modifications:
 Graphic organizers given to every student (to aid in organizing the




information into written notes).
Individual copies of Time for Kids article “Closed for Business”.
Think/Pair/Share during class close read of article.
Teacher modeling during class close read of article.
Students with IEP’s/504’s pulled to the side table with teacher.
Follow Up Activities: Students will finish their summaries if not completed in
class. Students will also watch the American Revolution BrainPOP video at home to
establish prior knowledge for the following day’s lesson.
Resources:
 Time for Kids article “Closed for Business”
 5 W’s Graphic Organizer
 U.S. Government shut down power point presentation
 BrainPOP video:
http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/americanrevolution/pre
view.weml
Post Assessment: The teacher will use their written summaries of the article to
assess whether or not students have met the objectives of the lesson.
Assessments:
 Informal assessment through dialogue
 Monitoring of responses during close read of the article
 Formal assessment through written summary
 Formal assessment through information documented in 5 W’s Graphic
Organizer