Idaho Social Studies 9-12.GOV.45
The Standard
Explain the organization and powers of state and local government as described in the Constitution of the State of Idaho by analyzing legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
Idaho Content Standards: K-12 Social Studies · Function And Structure of the U.S. Political System
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use Idaho's constitution to identify what the Legislature, executive officers, and state courts do. They explain how counties and cities make local decisions within limits set by the state.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Given a state law or city rule, students can name who makes it, who carries it out, and which courts can review a challenge. They can point to a constitutional section that supports their answer.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think the governor passes laws or that judges enforce them. Some assume a city can make rules that conflict with state law, or that local government has the same powers as the state.
How to Assess It
- Ask: “The Legislature passes a school law, and someone challenges it under Idaho's constitution. Who made the law, who carries it out, and who decides the challenge?”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs short excerpts from Articles III, IV, V, and XII; have them sort action cards under the section that gives the authority.
Ask students to write two sentences responding to: “Can a city rule conflict with an Idaho state law?”
Play a branch match game: read scenarios aloud, and have teams name the responsible state branch or local government and explain why.
Bring a city council agenda about park hours; have students identify the proposed local action and check it against state limits.
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Related Standards
- 4.SS.4.4
Identify the three branches of state government and explain the major responsibilities of each.
- 2.SS.4.2
Recognize that Idaho has a constitution, which is the basis for our state’s laws, and that there are consequences for breaking those laws.
- 3.SS.4.3
Identify and explain the basic functions of local and state governments.
- 9-12.GOV.47
Understand the structure, powers, and lawmaking process of local government (county, city, special district) by analyzing the relationships between state and lo...
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