SS.3.CG.3.2

This is lesson #2 in the text unit series for Abraham Lincoln: A Life of Honesty. Students will be learning about the local, state, and national levels of government. This will be done before reading the text Abraham Lincoln: A Life of Honesty to build background knowledge.

This unit will help third grade students explain why the United States Constitution is an important document that protects the rights of American citizens, the responsibilities of the United States government, and how Abraham Lincoln is an important symbol of the United States government.

Students will engage in a read aloud spread out over several lessons emphasizing vocabulary, central idea, research, expository and opinion writing, and collaboration in groups.

The teacher will facilitate vocabulary instruction, student research, determination of central ideas, student presentation, expository and opinion writing, and group collaboration to help students demonstrate why the United States Constitution is an important document.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students with recognize that government in the United States has local, state, and national levels. Students will recognize the responsibilities each level of government has in their lives by evaluating the actions of each level in relationship to each other, against the backdrop of services and needs of their community. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this integrated lesson plan, students will use their knowledge of collecting and interpreting data as they participate in a hypothetical election based on the controversy of whether or not their community should have a leash law. Students will be given background knowledge of the differences between state and local governments, and how laws are enacted, in particular, “leash laws” for dogs. The students will vote, tally the results, and use a frequency table to create a bar graph determining the range, title, and labels. Students will then interpret the election results while answering one- and two-step problems based on their bar graphs while demonstrating their knowledge of different levels of government and the importance of voting in local elections.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn that government has local, state, and national levels with their own unique structures and responsibilities. The teacher will provide brief direct instruction with a slideshow and then guide students through a worksheet activity to identify different powers and responsibilities of the local, state, and national government. 

Type: Lesson Plan