Lucy Knowlton
Prep Level U.S. History
Lesson Topic: Amendments & Sep. of Powers/Checks & Balances
Lesson Understanding(s):
Students will understand how the checks and balances system works, and how amendments are an important part of this system. To comprehend this, students will also understand what an amendment is and how one is made.
Rationale and Related Standard(s):
The Brunswick High School Curriculum for U.S. History and Government (Academic Unit 3: Constitution and
Voting) defines as “Essential Knowledge”: “The three branches of government have important members, powers, and responsibilities. The Bill-to-Law process, the Electoral College process of presidential elections, the checks and balances between the three branches, and the processes of voter registration and voting are all very important processes to the daily running of our government.” Furthermore, the MLR (B1.d, 9-Diploma) asks that students be able to “Describe the purpose, structures, and processes of the American political system.”
Lesson Essential Question(s):
Why is it important that the Constitution can be amended?
How does the system of checks and balances benefit both the government and the people?
Sequence of Activities (including a time frame and narrative details) :
The First part of the lesson will go over Amendments & How they are Made…
Begin with Going Over Homework “Amendments to the US Constitution Reading & Questions” for 10 minutes . This includes asking students to summarize what they learned from the reading, restating their answers and filling in any gaps, and asking for examples of some of the amendments. Make sure to ask how amendments are made!
Activity: Amendment Charades [20 minutes]
-I will put slips of paper with a number of the non-Bill-of-Rights-Amendments on them (I will choose ones that are easiest to act out.)
-Each side of the room is a team, and each team draws 5 slips of paper.
- Explain that charades is a game where each team acts out the Amendment on their slip of paper without speaking or making other noises.
-Each team will get ~10 minutes to determine how they will act out each Amendment (as many people can participate in each one as they like.)
-Teams take turns acting out an Amendment, and I will be the scorekeeper.
-The Competition aspect should hopefully take 10 or so minutes. Hints will be given to speed up the process if necessary.
-The Winning Team will have their first pick of candy (and honor of course)
For the rest of class we will be covering Checks & Balances

We will then take 5 or so minutes to watch a short video about Checks and Balances http://ed.ted.com/lessons/how-is-power-divided-in-the-united-states-government-belindastutzman
Description from Website: “Articles I-III of the United States Constitution allow for three separate branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial), along with a system of checks and balances should any branch get too powerful. Belinda Stutzman breaks down each branch and its constitutionally-entitled powers.”
Debrief Video: What did we learn that we didn’t know before? Most interesting part of the video?
For the next 10-15 minutes we will work on “The Balance of Government” worksheet. Work in pairs or alone, which ever suits best. This document, designed by my cooperating teacher, explains the checks and balances system uses scales as the metaphor.
Activity: Simulation of Checks & Balances [ 20 minutes]
-Divide class into 3 groups, each representing one branch of the government. Every student receives a hand out with the following information:

Legislative Branch (Article I): Made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate (referred to as
Congress), people who work in the legislative branch are Senators and Representatives; and they are responsible for making laws
• Executive branch (Article II): People who work there include President (head of Executive Branch), Vice
President, cabinet members, department and agency employees; responsibility is making sure that the law is carried out
• Judicial branch (Article III): People who work within this branch include Supreme Court Justices and federal judges; this branch is comprised of Supreme Court and the lower federal courts; responsibility is interpreting and explaining the law
-Go through scenarios:
-Tell students you are going to be asking each branch questions about what they can and cannot do.
-Tell students they may confer among themselves before answering then pose the following questions:
•
Legislative branch , what Article of the Constitution gave you the right to pass this law? (Article I)
• Executive Branch , let’s say you don’t like this law. What powers do you have to put Congress
“in check” and stop the law from passing? (As head of the Executive Branch, the President can veto the law)
•
Judiciary Branch
, lets say the President didn’t veto the law, yet the American Civil Liberties
Union doesn’t like the law one bit. What can they do about it that will involve you? (challenge the law in court) Let’s say the ACLU does challenge the law, what decision will you be making when it ends up in the US Supreme Court? What article of the Constitution gives you as the
Judiciary Branch the right to determine whether or not the law is constitutional or unconstitutional? (Students will probably jump to say Article III, though the Constitution does not expressly give the Supreme Court the power to decide whether laws are unconstitutional.)

•
Legislative branch
, let’s go back and assume the President vetoed your law. Let’s say you don’t like the fact that the President vetoed your law. Is there anything you can do about it, to put him or her “in check?” (they can overturn the veto by a 2/3 majority in both houses)
•
Executive Branch , what control to you have to keep the Judiciary Branch “in check?” (Justices are appointed by the President)
•
Legislative branch, what is the point of having two houses within your branch? (Congress being comprised of the Senate and the House of Representatives serves as a way for each house to ensure the other does not pass an unreasonable law)
• What about you
Judiciary Branch . What keeps you “in check?” (judges are appointed by the
President and approved by the Senate; Congress has the power to amend the Constitution) 5.
Finally, ask the entire class:
•
What system are we addressing here, in which the three branches of government keep each other ʺin check?ʺ (Ensure students understand that checks and balances is a system in which each branch of government is able to check, or restrain, the power of the others)
• Why do you think the framers of our Constitution designed our government with a separation of powers and a system of checks and balances?
• What are the positive aspects of having a separation of powers and a system of checks and balances? What are the negative aspects? Explain.
For the remainder of class, we will stay in the same groups.
Each student will make an advertisement for their branch of government, listing why they are
“great” and how they interact with the other branches.
-will be made on regular piece of 8.5”x11” paper, available in classroom
-color and creativity!
If there is enough time at the end of class, we will have an “art exhibit,” where everyone gets a chance to see what everyone else has put/drawn.
Assessment(s) of Student Learning:
Charades (can they explain the concepts?) and Advertisement (evaluating government)
Materials Needed (if applicable) :
Make sure there’s enough paper for posters.
LIST OF AMENDMENTS
11th Amendment : State sovereign immunity. States are protected from suits by citizens living in another state or foreigners that do not reside within the state borders.
12th Amendment : Modifies and clarifies the procedure for electing vice-presidents and presidents.

13th Amendment : Except as punishment for criminal offense, forbids forced-slavery and involuntary servitude.
14th Amendment : Details Equal Protection Clause, Due Process Clause, Citizenship Clause, and clauses dealing with the Confederacy and its officials.
15th Amendment : Reserves citizens the suffrage rights regardless of their race, color, or previous slave status.
16th Amendment : Reserves the U.S. government the right to tax income.
17th Amendment : Establishes popular voting as the process under which senators are elected.
18th Amendment : Denies the sale and consumption of alcohol.
19th Amendment
: Reserves women’s suffrage rights.
20th Amendment
: also known as the “lame duck amendment,” establishes date of term starts for
Congress (January 3) & the President (January 20).
21st Amendment : Details the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment. State laws over alcohol are to remain.
22nd Amendment : Limit the terms that an individual can be elected as president (at most two terms). Individuals who have served over two years of someone else’s term may not be elected more than once.
23rd Amendment : Reserves the right of citizens residing in the District of Columbia to vote for their own Electors for presidential elections.
24th Amendment : citizens cannot be denied the suffrage rights for not paying a poll tax or any other taxes.

25th Amendment : establishes the procedures for a successor of a President.
26th Amendment : Reserves the right for citizens 18 and older to vote.
27th Amendment : Denies any laws that vary the salaries of Congress members until the beginning of the next terms of office for Representatives.

Unit 3 - The Constitution and Voting
The Balance of Government - Out Government’s Seesaw
The three branches of our government, the Legislative Branch, Executive, and Judicial Branches – each have powers that make them equally powerful. They’re like three people who weigh the same taking turns on a seesaw - no matter which two are on the seesaw at opposite ends, they always stay balanced.
Using the information below, fill in the seesaws to show how each branch balances the other.
President:
Makes treaties with other nations
Carries out laws
Vetoes bills Congress passes if he thinks they are wrong
Appoints judges in the Judicial Branch for a life term
Writes the budget
Congress:
Makes laws
Can override a President's veto of a bill by 2/3 vote
Can impeach a President for misconduct
Must approve presidential appointments for judges and justices
Gives the O.K. on budget spending and treaties
Can remove judges from office for misconduct
Supreme Court:
Interprets laws
Decides if laws that Congress makes are Constitutional
Decides if decisions that the President makes are Constitutional
Makes _______________ with other countries.
Carries out _______________ .
_______________ bills he does not like.
_______________ the budget.
_______________ treaties and budget.
Makes _______________ .
Overrides President's
_______________ with
_______________ vote.
Can _______________ the President for misconduct.
______________________________
______________________________
(Which branch is this?) (Which branch is this?)

Interprets _______________.
Can prove laws to be against the
_______________.
______________________________
______________________________
(Which branch is this?)
_______________ presidential appointments for _______________.
Can _______________ judges for misconduct.
(Which branch is this?)
_______________ judges for a
_______________ term.
Can declare presidential actions
_____________.

______________________________
______________________________
(Which branch is this?) (Which branch is this?)