The 3 Branches of Government

In 5th grade, students are learning about the three branches of government, but more importantly, how our three branches of government work together and how their responsibilities are shared to create checks and balances. Students learned the duties of each branch, what powers they have, and how bills make their way into law. Now, students had to put their knowledge to the test; we created the branches of government simulation in our classroom! 

Students were broken into groups of three. One student served as the legislative branch, one as the executive branch, and the last as the judicial branch. As students looked through each bill, they had to keep The Constitution in mind, or for our sake, Goodrich's expectations: “Be Nice, Be Safe, Be Ready to Learn.” 

First, the legislative branch picked a classroom bill and had to come up with reasons as to why that bill should become a law. For example, students were presented with the bill; “Teachers are allowed to keep students in from recess.” The ‘legislative branch’ would then have to come up with valid reasons as to why this bill should be passed. Some students said, “To keep students safe if they didn’t bring a coat for cold weather.” Others said, “To ensure students are finishing their schoolwork.” Once there were reasons to support why the bill should be passed, it was moved on to the ‘executive branch.’ The executive branch could either sign the bill and make it a law if they agree, or they could veto the bill. If the bill was vetoed, the executive branch had to justify it, and the bill went back to the legislative branch. Lastly, the law would go to the ‘judicial branch’ and this person would decide if the law is fair or unfair based on our school expectations of “Be Nice, Be Safe, Be Ready to Learn.” If the law was unfair, it would be thrown out. 

Students had such a great time creating classroom laws and they got to see a real-world example of what our three branches of government are responsible for and how they each have a significant role in the law-making process. As we've moved forward with our unit, students have a much greater understanding of checks and balances and our three branches of government because they got to experience it in a way that is meaningful to them!