This lesson plan was great fun and worked much better than I had anticipated. It should be used at the beginning of a unit on how the government works, or government, or the Constitution, or any related topic. I like it because it gives the teacher a clear idea of how much the kids know about our three branches of government already, and can lead to some lively discussion. It lends itself naturally to the study of the nature of our government - the checks and balances.
Students complete the test.
Have the children keep their papers, and stand up. When the students are in lines, tell them the correct answer. Do this for all 15 powers. Follow up this discussion with some pertinent case-studies. Give the students a situation of an urgent nature from actual history, and have them postulate a resolution to the crisis.