Georgia SS3CG1.c

Social Studies3rd GradeGovernment/Civic Understandings

The Standard

State the main responsibility of each branch: executive (enforcing laws), legislative (making laws), judicial (interprets the laws).

Georgia Standards of Excellence for Social Studies · Describe the elements of representative democracy/republic in the United States.

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students name the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. They match each branch with its job and explain how the jobs differ.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students correctly sort government actions by branch. They explain that Congress writes legislation, the president carries it out, and courts decide how it applies.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think the president writes laws or that judges arrest people who break them. They may also confuse branches with levels of government.
How to Assess It: Give students three actions: passing a school safety bill, carrying out the bill, and deciding what the bill means. Have them label each branch and explain one choice.

Lesson moves

Give groups branch label cards and action cards, then have them sort each action under the correct branch.
Ask students to write which branch should handle a disagreement about what a law means and explain why.
Play Branch Charades, where students act out a government job while classmates identify the branch.
Use a recent local or national law to trace who approved it, who carries it out, and who might interpret it.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to SS3CG1.c, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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