3 Branches of Government

You know how you have a lesson planned and think it’s going to be great? And it is? But then you realize (after the test) that something didn’t stick in their minds so maybe the lesson was worthless? Yeah, that’s me and this lesson. 🙂

In my 6th grade American History class we are SPEEDING through some of the 5th grade standards because they didn’t get to them last year. I mean SPEEDING like we are about to get pulled over by the COS (Course of Study) police and given a serious ticket!!! I felt obligated to at least introduce them to what they didn’t get to in 5th grade so they wouldn’t have this big chunk of BLANK space in their brain between Colonial times and the early 1900s. BUT-this is one lesson that should have been slowed down a little. Because I think it’s pretty important.

Anyway-our after strategy for this lesson was to draw a visual to help us remember the 3 “branches” of government. I really thought that would help it stick, but I’m thinking that some of their trees died from not enough water!

Here are the pictures of some of their visuals they drew in their history notebooks.

ok-this is the anchor chart that 2 of my girls made for our room. Ummm… I’m thinking that nobody can really see the info??? 🙂

Here’s where they bombed on the assessment-they mixed up the 3 branches of government with the 3 levels of government. Next time I will slow the lesson (s) down and maybe REPEAT them. Just trying to make it thru the 5th grade standards so we can begin OUR 6th grade standards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂