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Why does the US have
three branches of
government?
Pre-Game Activities
Let’s play!
How do the players, referee, and coach work together in a
game?
Each has a separate role. Their actions balance one another’s to
keep the game moving forward and keep it fair.

Coach makes up Referee says Players carry out the

the plays and what’s legal and plays. Sometimes they
strategies. what’s not. get stopped by the
The game… of government!
How does playing sports relate to the branches of
government?
● Each branch has a separate role.
● But they work together to make and
enforce laws that work for our country.
● Their roles check and balance each
other’s power.

What are the three branches called?

Executive

Legislative

Judicial
Three branches
What historical document created the
three branch structure of our government?

The Constitution!
It’s the document that explains how the U.S.
government works. It’s the highest law of the country.

Why, you ask?

So no one person in the government could become all-powerful.
The power is spread across three different branches .
The Three Branches
Mini Lesson
Let’s start with an idea...
Let’s say YOU are an IDEA. You are not just any old idea. You are an
idea for a new law. You’re going to be making your way through the
process of actually becoming a law that everyone has to follow!

So who needs to act to make you transform from a great little

idea into a big strong law? The President? A member of
Congress? The U.S. Supreme Court?

. idea bill law

Executive Branch
● Who serves in this branch?

The President, Vice President,

Cabinet
● What happens here?

ACTIONS Key words:

press conference, approve,
1. Propose an idea for a bill veto, values
2. Hold a press conference to
generate public support
3. Review a bill from Congress: sign it
or veto it and send it back
 Legislative Branch
● Who serves in this branch?
Congress is made up of two chambers:
● the Senate (100 members), led by party
leadership
● the House of Representatives (435
members) led by the Speaker of the House
● What happens here?
Key words:
ACTIONS clause, deliberate, vote,
hearing
1. Introduce a bill
2. Hold a hearing to share facts and
opinions on a bill
3. Deliberate on a bill
4. Vote on the bill (and if it’s passed, send it to
the president’s desk to be signed)
 Judicial Branch
● Who serves in this branch?

9 Supreme Court Justices led by the

Chief Justice

● What happens here? Key words:

constitutional, deliberate,
uphold, strike, violate, rule/
ACTIONS ruling
1. Hear case (review the law’s clauses and
decide if they are constitutional)
2. Deliberate
3. Make a decision (uphold the law, revert it to
a bill, strike clauses…)
The Three Branches Fill in the chart with details.

Legislative Executive Judicial

Who serves in this branch? Who serves in this branch? Who serves in this branch?

What do they do? What do they do? What do they do?

Next...
E ngl i sh
Play in Jugar en
español

OR

Are you ready to experience the role

of all three branches of
government? Play the game!
Checking &
Balancing
Post-Game Activities
Who does what? Drag a check in the branches’ column for each statement that is true
of that branch. More than one box can be checked for each item.

Executive Legislative Judicial

✓ ✓ Includes the President

Includes the Supreme Court

✓
✓ Includes Congress

✓ Declares laws unconstitutional

✓ Vetoes or signs laws
✓
Impacts the content of a law
✓
✓ Holds hearings about a bill

✓ Writes clauses for the bill

✓
Takes a vote on the bill
✓
Separation is All About “But”
Some powers belong to the legislative branch, others to the executive, and yet others to the
judicial. Using what you learned in the game, describe how the powers for impacting and
shaping laws are divided among the three branches.

The legislative branch BUT the president can

____________
makes laws ______________
veto them
The legislative branch BUT the judicial branch can
____________
makes laws _______________
declare them unconstitutional

The president can BUT the legislative branch can

____________
veto laws _______________
override the president’s veto
The president can BUT ONLY the legislative branch can
____________ _______________
suggest a law pass it
Act it out!
Work in groups of four. You each have
a role:
1. President (Executive)
2. Speaker of the House (Legislative)
3. Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court (Judicial)
4. Bill / Law

Explain the process of how the bill becomes a law

by showing how all three branches can affect it.
Will Your Bill Pass?
Deliberating is hard. Lawmakers have to decide which
clauses to add to a bill and which to remove.
Directions: Read the bill. Choose whether you would add the clauses or not.
Explain to a partner or write an explanation for why.

Bill: Everyone needs organized healthcare at some point in their

lives. What role does the government need to play?

Clause 1: Clause 2:
All routine dental procedures will be Allow individuals and families to choose
covered by the government. how best to support their own health.
Is this constitutional?
You are a Supreme Court Justice. You are evaluating a law about civic engagement. Write if each clause
is constitutional or unconstitutional and explain why. Use the amendments on the side to help you.

Bill:
Let's find a way to increase civic engagement
opportunities in communities large and small.

Clause #1: Require all residents to host a local soldier in

their home to help the military save money. Constitutional means
__________________ that the clause does not
violate the constitution.
1st Amendment:
Clause #2: Encourage schools to teach all students Freedom of Expression
Unconstitutional means
about their rights under the Bill of Rights during social that the clause violates
studies. an amendment.
__________________

Clause #3: Allow citizens to work together to shut down

newspapers and websites that criticize the government.
__________________ 3rd Amendment:
Not House Soldiers
Discussion questions
1. How do the three branches check
each other’s power?

2. What would happen if all the

power belonged to one person?

3. If you were going to be a member

of a branch of government, which
one would you want to be a part of?
Why?
4. How is the lawmaking process
affected if the president and
Congress have different values?
Mini-Quiz
Test Your Knowledge
 executive
1) The President represents the ___________
branch.
2) The Speaker of the House represents
legislative
the ___________ branch
3) The Chief Justice represents the
judicial
___________ branch.
4) Each branch of the government has the
ability to influence what the other

✓A. Checks and balances

branches can and cannot do. This is
called...

B. Government approval
C. Executive Agenda Bonus
5) How can a bill gain support in
Congress?

✓
A. Include clauses to gain more votes
B. Hold hearings to learn about the
issue so the bill can be stronger
C. All of the above
6) How much support is needed to pass a
bill in the Legislature?

✓
A. At least 70% in one house
B. More than 50% in both houses
C. More than 50% in the Senate; less
than 50% in the House
✓A. The President can approve or veto
7) What are the options when a bill to
be signed comes before the president ?

it.
B. The President can hold a press
conference about it.
C. The President can call for a vote
on it.
8) If a bill achieves ⅔ majority support in

✓A. veto
both chambers, Congress can override the
president’s...

B. approval
C. deliberation
9) What do the Supreme Court Justices use
as their rulebook when judging laws?
The Constitution
___________
10) What happens if a clause (in a
law) is not allowed by the
Constitution?

✓
A. The Court will send it back to the
President to veto.
B. The Court will let it pass.
C. The Court will strike (remove) the
clause from the law.