Help your students better understand the basics of the three branches of our government with this easy to prepare and assemble craft! This is a great supplemental activity for any primary classroom's civics unit. Enjoy!
Yep...our Government is still shut down. The ridiculousness is touching the folks in our area like never before. I have several coworkers who are already feeling the strain due to having husbands who work in government offices. If they would hurry up and get those political panties out of a wad, we would all be in much better shape. But even with the shutdowns, we are pressing right on through and have jumped into our unit on American government feet first. This is such an abstract concept for third graders and we REALLY struggle to keep things organized. No matter how many Brainpop videos and SchoolHouse Rock tunes we learn, it still just doesn't click for them. But we teach it anyway, and we are trying something new this year. We are working on a lapbook activity that I created for class and the kids are really enjoying all of the foldables and things we are adding. Want to see what I'm talking about? Below are pictures of a completed lapbook that I made to show my kids before we started. So far it is going well...But again, government is a really abstract concept. Sometimes I wonder if it is developmentally appropriate for third graders, but hey...who I am I to create a curriculum. Anyway, for this week's Snap It Up Saturday! post, I've decided to give away this little foldable pack to all of my fantastic followers! I hope it is something that you find useful and your kids find a little more fun than traditional note-taking. Click on the picture below to head over to my TPT store and Snap It Up! I've also been working on other materials for my classroom, a few clipart sets, and a couple of bundles to add to the store as well. And I still have lots of work to do! Below you will find some of my most recent additions. There might be something you can use! It has been a very busy week and I'm positive next week is going to be much the same. It's hard to believe I'm getting ready to write my first set of report cards already. The year is in motion and it is flying by. But now, I'm off to take the little girl fishing for the day. The weather here is beautiful and I'm going to take advantage of it! Have a great weekend!
I like to keep my students guessing about they'll be doing in class each day. And, one of my favorite twists is to let my students use food as a manipulative. In particular, I like to have my students use gummy bears to create scenes that represent various topics. It may seem a little odd, but my students (even my too cool for just about anything Seniors) love this change of pace. Here are some different ways I've used gummy bears in my classes. 1. Civics - As a introduction to different types of political systems, my Seniors used the gummy bears to illustrate a type of government. 2. World History - My freshman used the gummy bears to review the different types of government systems in Ancient Rome (Republic, Dictator, Triumvirate, Emperor) 3. U.S. History - My 10th graders in American 1 filmed their gummy bears acting out either Shay's Rebellion or the Whiskey Rebellion. To do these activities you'll need to buy or have parents donate gummy bears, plastic bags, and paper plates. These activities do take some prep work: - Figure out how many gummy bears each student or group will need and buy the necessary number of bags. - Put the appropriate number of gummy bears in each bag. - Give each student or group a plastic bag and a paper plate. Lastly, you'll need to decide if you will let the students each their gummy bears once the activity is completed. I give my students the option to eat them when they are done and most of them do! Want to let your students play with gummy bears? Click for a free download of my Types of Government Gummy Bear Activity that I used with my Seniors. If you enjoyed this post, you should sign up for my monthly newsletter for more great ideas, tips, and exclusive freebies! You might also like these blog posts: Read More Read More Read More
Hi Friends….Hope this blog post finds you well! We just started our unit on the Branches of Government in class this past week and my little ones are really enjoying it. I have always found that teaching this subject is somewhat difficult for my students to understand and I hadn’t found any materials that I … Branches of Government & a Freebie!!! Read More »
Perfect time to teach the 3 branches of government for kids. You'll discover books & activities you can do with your kids.
Children match clues to words like governor, citizens, and election as they complete this worksheet.
Hi Friends….Hope this blog post finds you well! We just started our unit on the Branches of Government in class this past week and my little ones are really enjoying it. I have always found that teaching this subject is somewhat difficult for my students to understand and I hadn’t found any materials that I … Branches of Government & a Freebie!!! Read More »
Designed for the digerati, Public Sans is the latest free typeface courtesy of the United States federal government.
Do kids find learning about the government boring or overwhelming? Break it into fun, manageable pieces with this Branches of U.S. Government Coloring Book.
5 key reasons to teach students to analyze differing perspectives
MLK Day snuck up on my this year big time. So I went on a hunt to find some quality resources that I could use this week. Well, I found tons and lots for free 🙂 Click on the pictures to be taken to TpT where you can download each file. Don’t forget to leave ... Read More about MLK Freebies Galore!
How to get pregnancy freebies, free baby stuff and free baby samples, a free baby box , free pregnancy packs, and free stuff from government in the UK.