Summary
How does our government run? In this BrainPOP movie, Tim and Moby will introduce you to the three different branches of the United States government. You’ll first find out about the legislative branch, including who its representatives are and the differences between the Senate and the House of Representative. You’ll also learn about what makes up the executive branch and about why this branch can be so powerful. And you’ll see the workings of the judicial branch, including who heads it and what its chief responsibility is. Finally, you’ll discover how the system of checks and balances helps limit the power that any one branch can exercise. Check, please!
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
A few questions to talk through after watching Branches of Government:
- What is one new thing you learned about branches of government?
- Can you explain it to a partner in your own words?
- Where might you see this in the real world?
- What is one question you still have?
Quick work-a-long
Try it:
- Write one sentence explaining branches of government.
- Draw or give one example of your own.