Civics Unit Study

Civics is the study of how people govern themselves and what it means to be a citizen. Children learn who makes the rules in their town, their state, and their country, how those leaders are chosen, and why the United States Constitution still guides the nation more than two centuries after it was signed in Philadelphia in 1787.

This Civics Unit Study covers the three branches of government, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, voting and elections, and the jobs of local leaders. You can do nearly all of it for free with library books, the founding documents online, a few homemade games, and a trip to a city council meeting or your state capitol.

Learning Objectives

• Explain what a government does and why communities need rules and leaders.
• Name the three branches of the United States government and describe the job of each one.
• Read the Preamble to the Constitution and put its goals into your own words.
• Learn what the Bill of Rights protects and why the Constitution can be amended.
• Understand how a bill becomes a law and how checks and balances keep any one branch from taking over.
• Describe how citizens vote, how elections work, and other ways people take part in their community.
• Find out who represents your family in your town, your state, and Congress.

Timeline

Add these dates to a timeline of American government:

• 1776: The Declaration of Independence is adopted on July 4.
• 1781: The Articles of Confederation become the first plan of government for the new nation.
• 1787: Delegates meet in Philadelphia all summer and sign the Constitution on September 17.
• 1788: New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to ratify, which puts the Constitution into effect.
• 1789: George Washington takes office as the first president, and the first Congress meets in New York City.
• 1791: The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, are ratified.
• 1803: In Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court rules that it can strike down laws that go against the Constitution.
• 1870: The 15th Amendment says a citizen cannot be kept from voting because of race.
• 1920: The 19th Amendment gives women the right to vote.
• 1965: The Voting Rights Act is signed to protect the right to vote.
• 1971: The 26th Amendment lowers the voting age to 18.
• 2004: Congress names September 17 Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.

Vocabulary

citizen	citizenship	government
democracy	republic	constitution
Preamble	amendment	Bill of Rights
legislative	executive	judicial
Congress	Senate	House of Representatives
bill	law	veto
checks and balances	federal	justice
election	candidate	ballot

• WordWeb: Free downloadable dictionary software.
• Dictionary.com: Online definitions and pronunciation.

Book Resources

• The United States Constitution: The full text, free on Project Gutenberg. Older students can read one article a day.
• The United States Bill of Rights: The first ten amendments, free on Project Gutenberg.
• Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz: A funny, true account of the hot summer of 1787 in Philadelphia.
• Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? by Jean Fritz: A short biography of the man with the famous signature.
• A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution by Betsy and Giulio Maestro: A picture book history for elementary ages.
• We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution by David Catrow: Silly drawings that help young children understand each phrase.
• House Mouse, Senate Mouse by Peter W. Barnes and Cheryl Shaw Barnes: Mice in the Capitol show how a bill becomes a law.
• Woodrow for President by Peter W. Barnes and Cheryl Shaw Barnes: A mouse runs for office, from the local level all the way to the White House.
• Duck for President by Doreen Cronin: A farm duck learns that running things is harder than it looks.
• Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio: A class election that explains the Electoral College in a way children can follow.
• If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution by Elizabeth Levy: Questions and answers about the Constitutional Convention.
• What Is the Constitution? by Patricia Brennan Demuth: A chapter book from the Who HQ series for ages 8 to 12.
• The Story of the Constitution by Marilyn Prolman: A short Cornerstones of Freedom book for upper elementary readers.

Poetry and Music

• Learn “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee” and “America the Beautiful,” and talk about what the words say about freedom and the land.
• Read “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus, the poem on the base of the Statue of Liberty, and discuss why it matters to people who come to the United States to become citizens.
• Memorize the Preamble. Many families learn it by singing along with the Schoolhouse Rock song listed under Videos.
• Write a short poem or song about a right in the Bill of Rights, such as freedom of speech or the right to a fair trial.

Videos

• Schoolhouse Rock! America Rock: Short cartoon songs, including “I’m Just a Bill,” “The Preamble,” and “Three-Ring Government.”
• Liberty’s Kids: An animated series about young reporters during the American Revolution. The last episodes cover the Constitutional Convention.
• A More Perfect Union (1989): A drama about the Constitutional Convention told from James Madison’s point of view, best for older students.

After watching “I’m Just a Bill,” draw the steps a bill takes on its way to becoming a law and compare your drawing to what happens in Congress today.

Activities

• Family Constitution: Write a short constitution for your home with a preamble, a list of rights, and rules for how decisions get made. Have everyone sign it.
• Branches of Government Tree: Draw or build a tree with three large branches labeled legislative, executive, and judicial. Add leaves with the people and jobs that belong to each branch.
• Preamble Paraphrase: Copy the Preamble one phrase at a time and write what each phrase means in plain words.
• Family Election: Choose something to decide, like the weekend outing or a dinner menu. Let candidates give a short speech, make a ballot box, and count the votes.
• Fairy Tale Mock Trial: Put Goldilocks on trial for breaking into the three bears’ house. Assign a judge, lawyers, witnesses, and a jury.
• Follow a Bill: Pick a bill in your state legislature or in Congress and check on its progress each week of the unit.
• Write to a Leader: Look up your representatives and send a letter about an issue you care about. Many will write back.
• Supreme Court Research: Older students can choose one justice, past or present, and write a short report about that justice’s life and an important case.
• Civics Test Practice: Use the questions from the citizenship test listed under Information Web Resources and see how many your family can answer.

• iCivics Games: Free online games where students run a campaign, argue a case, or pass a law.
• Which Branch?: Call out a job, like “signs bills into law” or “decides if a law follows the Constitution,” and have players point to a sign for the right branch.
• Rights Charades: Act out one of the rights in the Bill of Rights while the others guess which amendment it is.
• Bill to Law Board Game: On a file folder, draw a path from “Idea” through committee, a House vote, a Senate vote, and the president’s desk to “Law.” Add spaces like “Vetoed! Go back to Congress.” Players roll a die and answer a question card to move ahead.

Three Branches Rummy Card Game

Make 30 cards, 10 for each branch of government. Legislative cards could include Congress, Senate, House of Representatives, Speaker of the House, 100 senators, and makes laws. Executive cards could include President, Vice President, Cabinet, White House, Commander in Chief, and signs or vetoes bills. Judicial cards could include Supreme Court, Chief Justice, nine justices, federal courts, and decides if laws follow the Constitution. Add two Checks and Balances cards to use as wild cards. Deal seven cards to each player. On your turn, draw a card and discard one. The first player to hold two sets of three cards from the same branch lays them down, names each branch, and wins the round.

The same cards can be used as question cards for the Bill to Law board game.

GeoSafari Card Ideas

• Three Branches: Match jobs and leaders to the legislative, executive, or judicial branch.
• Bill of Rights: Match each of the first ten amendments to the right it protects.
• Founding Documents: Match the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights to their dates.
• States and Capitals: Locate each state capital on a map of the United States.
• Civics Vocabulary: Match each vocabulary word to its definition.

Recipes

The Constitution was signed in Philadelphia, a city known for its soft pretzels. Make a batch to share while you read the Preamble together on Constitution Day.

Gluten-Free Soft Pretzels

• 1 1/4 cups warm water
• 1 packet (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3 1/2 cups gluten-free 1-to-1 flour blend (one that already has xanthan gum in it)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons oil or melted butter
• For the bath: 6 cups water and 1/4 cup baking soda
• Coarse salt for the tops

Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes until foamy. In a large bowl, whisk the flour blend, baking powder, and salt. Add the yeast water and oil and stir until a soft, sticky dough forms. Gluten-free dough doesn’t need kneading. Divide it into 8 pieces. With oiled hands, roll each piece into a rope on a sheet of parchment paper and twist it into a pretzel shape. If a rope cracks, just press it back together. Let the pretzels rise for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 425°F and bring the water and baking soda to a simmer. Using a slotted spatula, gently lower each pretzel into the water for 20 seconds, then lift it out and set it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt and bake for 15 to 18 minutes until golden brown. They are best eaten warm the same day.

If the dough is too crumbly to twist, roll it into pretzel sticks or cut it into bites instead.

Field Trips

• Attend a city council, township board, or school board meeting. Most are open to the public, and the agenda is usually posted online ahead of time.
• Visit your county courthouse. Ask the clerk whether court is in session and which hearings visitors can sit in on.
• Tour your state capitol. Michigan families can schedule a free Michigan State Capitol field trip in Lansing.
• Bring children along when you vote and let them see how the ballot and voting machines work.
• If you travel east, see where the Constitution was signed at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia.
• Invite a local official, such as your mayor, a township trustee, or a police officer, to talk with your homeschool group about their work and how they got the job.

Art and Craft Ideas

• Shoebox Ballot Box: Cover an old shoebox or cereal box with paper, cut a slot in the lid, and decorate it for your family election.
• Liberty Bell: Turn a paper or plastic cup upside down, paint or color it, and add a crack with a marker. Thread string through the bottom and hang a button or bead inside for the clapper.
• Three Branches Poster: Fold a large sheet of paper or the inside of a cereal box into three panels, one for each branch, and fill each panel with drawings and facts.
• Campaign Poster: Design a poster and a button from cardboard and a safety pin for a pretend candidate or for your family election.
• Feather Quill: Use a feather or a rolled paper quill to copy the first line of the Preamble in your best handwriting.

Information Web Resources

• Ben’s Guide to the U.S. Government: Free lessons from the U.S. Government Publishing Office, sorted by age, on the branches, elections, and how laws are made.
• Interactive Constitution (National Constitution Center): Read each part of the Constitution with short explanations.
• Civics Questions and Answers (USCIS): The questions people study to become U.S. citizens, with audio.

Worksheets

Lapbook Ideas

• Three Branches Tri-Fold: A flap for each branch with its leaders and jobs underneath.
• Preamble Strip: A long fold-out strip with each phrase of the Preamble and its meaning.
• Bill of Rights Pocket: Ten small cards, one for each amendment.
• How a Bill Becomes a Law Flow Chart: A step book that opens one step at a time.
• Founding Documents Timeline: The main dates from the timeline above.
• My Leaders: A mini-book with the names of your mayor, governor, state legislators, members of Congress, and the president.
• Voting Mini-Book: Who can vote, how to register, and what happens on Election Day.
• Vocabulary Matchbook: Each vocabulary word outside and its definition inside.

Evaluation Ideas

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