Beyond-the-Basic Productivity Tools (BBPT)

Lesson Idea Name: The Three Branches of Government

Content Area: Social Studies
Grade Level(s): 4th Grade

Content Standard Addressed:

• SS4H5: The student will analyze the challenges faced by the new nation.
o c. Identify the three branches of the U. S. government as outlined by the Constitution, describe
what they do, how they relate to each other (checks and balances and separation of power), and
how they relate to the states.

Technology Standard Addressed:

• 3- Knowledge Constructor

Selected Technology Tool:

• Popplet

URL(s) to support the lesson (if applicable):

• Link to Popplet used as lesson material preview: Three Branches of Government Popplet Link

Bloom’s Taxonomy Level(s):

☒ Remembering ☒ Understanding ☒ Applying ☒ Analyzing ☐ Evaluating ☐ Creating

Levels of Technology Integration (LoTi Level):

☒ Level 1: Awareness ☒ Level 2: Exploration ☒ Level 3: Infusion ☒ Level 4: Integration
☐ Level 5: Expansion ☐ Level 6: Refinement

Universal Design for Learning (UDL):

• This lesson caters to needs of all students through the use of the visual and interactive software, Popplet.
Students can learn the content by creating graphic organizers to help them organize their thoughts, and
they can use visual supports, like pictures, to make connections to terms and definitions. English
Language Learners in particular benefit from the use of visual aids and graphic organizers by displaying
major concepts and content in a clear format.
Lesson idea implementation:
• The teacher will begin this lesson by giving the students an Entry Ticket to complete. The Entry Ticket will
have the following questions on it: How many branches of government does the United States have?
What are the names of each of the branches? The students will be provided with time to complete the
formative assessment. The teacher will collect the responses from the students, and the teacher will
quickly read through the student responses as the students look at a Popplet created by the teacher. The
students will read and preview the lesson’s material on the Popplet. While the students are reading the
material on the Popplet, the teacher will be able to see how many students are already familiar with the
three branches of government and the names of each branch.

• Each student will then research information and create their own Popplet about the three branches of
government. The students will identify the branches, explain what each branch does, analyze how the
branches relate to one another, and consider how the branches relate to the fifty states. The students will
be provided with an ample amount of work time to fully complete their Popplets. After all students have
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 Beyond-the-Basic Productivity Tools (BBPT)
created their Popplets, they will each be able to present their project to the class. The students will be
assessed by the completion, creativity, and accuracy of their presentation. The teacher will use a rubric to
provide students with feedback on their work.
Reflective Practice:
• This lesson and learning activity allows students to use creativity to arrange and organize facts, ideas, and
information. The lesson and activity can be extended by having the students share their Popplets with
another class learning the same content. To provide the students with multiple options to represent their
knowledge, they can choose to use additional technology tools like Timeline or Board Builder.

Spring 2018_SJB