Day One: The President (2.

5hrs)
Objectives
 Define the roles and responsibilities of the President
 Evaluate and recommend qualifications to be a U.S. President

Instructor Resources
 Eligibility overhead
 Duties of a President discussion handout
 The Presidency video https://youtu.be/K4BF-0LCznQ

Student Materials
 Duties of a President discussion handout
 Executive Branch article
 Executive Branch Vocab handout and Quizlet.com https://quizlet.com/_1y5wc9
 Powers of the Presidency worksheet
 Eligibility for U.S. President worksheet
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Instructions
Unit 3: Executive Branch Spring 2016
1) Warm Up Begin the unit on the executive branch by having students recall what they know about the executive
branch. Hand out the Job Duties discussion handout and have them evaluate the duties the president performs and have
them rank them. Discuss as a class. Have students explain their ranking.

2) The Executive Branch Begin the instruction showing the video. Have students summarize what they learned
(encourage active notetaking) and fill in important points from the video Handout the Executive Branch article. Focus of
the day’s lesson will be on the first two pages of the article. Utilize reading strategies best suited for class. Then, have
students complete the Powers of the Presidency worksheet. Review when finished.
A) Optional Executive Branch Vocab list handout activity
3) Eligibility Tell students that there are five people interested in being President of the United States and that their job
is to determine whether or not they meet the basic requirements. Project the Eligibility overhead handout on the screen
or document camera and have students discuss whether they think each person is eligible.
Discuss the choices students make then have them recall the requirements to be a U.S. president.
 At least 35 years of age
 Born in the United States
 Resident of the U.S. for at least 14 years
Open the topic further by discussing various jobs and the long list of requirements that are needed to be hired: skills,
education, and experience. Ask students whether they feel the requirements to be president should be changed or
amended. Hand out the Eligibility for U.S. President worksheet. Have students work independently. Create 3 groups to
discuss one of the three questions from the worksheet. Have them present their collective answer and address class
questions. At the end, allow students to revise their answers to their worksheet (may need to give them a new one).
Ask students where they go to find jobs, discuss and hand out the President Job Ad handout. Have students create their
own classified ad in the Employment section of a newspaper (or website).
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 Day Two: Departments (2.5hrs)
Objectives
 Demonstrate understanding of the purpose and function of the various departments of the federal
government
 Identify departments involved in current events/issues

Instructor Resources
 AllGov.com http://www.allgov.com/departments

Student Materials
 Federal Government Departments worksheet
 AllGov.com http://www.allgov.com/departments
 Whose Job is it worksheet
 computers
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Instructions
1) Federal Government Departments This lesson is related to the last two pages of the Executive Branch
article. Open the lesson with sharing with class that the executive branch is the largest branch because it is
responsible for carrying out and enforcing thousands of laws, but the president is not alone, he/she has a lot
Unit 3:Departments
of help. ExecutivewithinBranch Spring
the executive branch are responsible for carrying out laws under their 2016
specific
domain. Offer one department and explain who they are and the laws they enforce or explain their
purpose/mission.
Hand out the Federal Government Department worksheet – three pages. Split the class into three groups.
Each group will be in charge of completing the one page. They will need to research the Departments on their
page – allgov.com. When the groups have completed their page, have them present their information to the
rest of the class and allow the rest of the class to write down what they learn on their worksheets until all
groups have presented and all pages of the worksheet are filled in.

2) Whose Job is it? This is an opportunity to for the class to apply their understanding of the departments by
applying departments to real life issues. Hand out the Whose Job Is It worksheet and have them work in
pairs/groups/independently then review as a class. If time is available, you can have them come up with their
own current event and have the class guess the overseeing department (some issues have more than one
department could be involved). Students could use the AllGov.com website to brainstorm.

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 Day 3: Foreign Policy (2.5hrs)
Objectives
 Evaluate and define U.S. foreign policy aims
 Apply foreign policy aims to current issues of national interest
 Make recommendations to the President on foreign policy

Instructor Resources
 Take a Position Instructor handout
 Foreign Policy Aims handout
 Case Study handout

Student Materials
 Foreign Policy Aims handout
 National Interest Breakdown & Foreign Policy Tools handouts
 Case Study handout
 MLA template
 “Syria – Uprising and Civil War,” New York Times
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/syria/index.html
Unit 3:“U.S.-Cuba
Executive Branch
Relations” U.S. State Department archives http://2001- Spring 2016
2009.state.gov/p/wha/rls/fs/2001/2558.htm
 “New Stanford/NYU study documents the civilian terror from Obama’s drones,” The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/sep/25/study-obama-drone-deaths
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Instructions
1) Warm Up Briefly conduct a quick think-pair-share or whole class share on the question, “When someone says
‘foreign policy’ what do you think of?” Take and record four or five responses.
Explain that the purpose of the lesson is not so much to define what foreign policy is but rather to figure out what
we want foreign policy to accomplish and some of the means we might consider using to accomplish it.
Reveal the central question: What do we want American foreign policy to accomplish in the world and what means
should we use to achieve our aims? This is a rhetorical question and does not need to be discussed, but that the
concepts presented are applicable to all nations as they work out their foreign policy commitments and choices.
In order to take on the question of the aims and means of our foreign policy, students need to make decisions on
what the aims of U.S. policy should be about. Put on the screen or document camera the Take a Position Instructor
handout and read one prompt at a time and have students indicate their agreement or disagreement. Every
student should respond to each prompt.
For the first 3-4 statements, take two quick opposing responses before moving on. As you proceed to the later
statements in the series, begin asking students to explain the series of positions they have taken. (“Juan, I noticed
you agreed with 3 and 4 and now you’ve switched to disagree on 5; is there a general view you have about the aims

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 for our foreign policy that would tie together these three positions you’ve taken?”) Prompt responding students to
try to articulate what goal they hope to achieve by the series of position they take.
As you probe for what students hope to achieve through the positions they take… On a blank flip chart headed
“Aims of foreign policy” begin recording responses that sound like general aims or goals. (“I think we have a
responsibility to promote freedom.” “We have to protect ourselves from people who hate us.” “We need to pay
more attention to our own problems and let other countries take care of themselves.” “As the richest nation on
earth we have to take the lead on dealing with human suffering in the world.” “We need to promote free markets
and democracy.”)
As you continue to take responses and read/reveal further prompts, have a student hand out prepared flip chart
identifying possible goals/roles for foreign policy. If no student responses (or very few) sound like general goals to
be recorded, suggest students use the goals/roles list to help them formulate general foreign policy goals that
reflect their sequence of positions taken. Star items students mention for tracking and students should also do so.
Let the class generate their collective list of general aims.

2) Connecting foreign Policy Aims to National Interests Using their list of general aims have students determine
what national interests guide our policies. Distribute the National Interest & Tools of Foreign Policy Breakdown
Chart handout. Focus on the National Interest Breakdown Chart part of the handout (backside of the handout
should be Foreign Policy Tools). Explain that one way to begin figuring out national interest is to break all the
various things that might be essential to the survival and wellbeing of the nation into three main categories: (1)
interests related to our security as a nation; (2) interests related to our economic health as a nation; (3) interests
related to the core values and beliefs that define our nation – our ideology. The objective here is to see how the
general aims identified in the previous step fit with various standard ideas of what national interest is or should be.
Have students review the chart to get a general idea of what is in each category. Address questions and/or
Unit 3: Executive
concerns. Divide studentsBranch
into groups and ask them to work to place each of the goals starred fromSpring 2016
the previous
handout into one of the three categories. Ask students to look at their goals and the categories of interest they
align with and have them discuss the question: Without a doubt all three categories of interests come into play in
developing national interest, but which one of the three would you advocate as the most important basis for formu-
lating foreign policy? Then conduct whole class discussion on the same topic.
Post three stations (Security, Economic, Ideological). Release students from the small groups and ask them to go
the station they most feel should be the foundation for foreign policy (no middle spaces). Take one defense of each
position represented.

3) Foreign Policy Tools & Case Study With students remaining in their groups turn students’ attention to the Tools
of Foreign Policy handout. Explain that now that various positions and ideas about national interests and the
general goals of foreign policies have been identified, the next step is to look at the tools that foreign policy makers
may use to pursue national interests.
Distribute the case study sheets with all three scenarios to every student. Introduce the three topics so everyone
has a basic understanding of each situation. Assign each group to one of the scenarios. Allow students also to select
the scenario based on their knowledge of the case. Allow each group to read their scenario and then to discuss the
questions. Ask each group to present its case and recommendations. As each group begins its turn, allow the other
students a moment to read the case or as part of the presentation the group can summarize the scenario. Inform
the presenters to remind everyone of the group’s idea of National Interest and then tell the whole group what
answers they arrived at for each discussion question.
With any time remaining (or assign as homework, or continue the next class session), allow students to choose
their own scenario to write their answers to each question. The written assignment should be in MLA format.

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 Day Four: Wrap Up (2.5hrs)
Objectives
 Demonstrate knowledge of the powers of the U.S. President and the roles and powers of various
executive departments

Instructor Resources
 Executive Branch Quiz KEY
 Jeopardy Instructions
 Jeopardy game template

Student Materials
 Executive Branch Quiz online or paper version
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Instructions
It is the last day to complete any lingering activities for this unit. Students should turn in worksheets and/or
papers.

1) Have students get with their Jeopardy team and gather their notes (worksheets). Play the game to review
for the quiz

Unit 3:the
2) Take Executive
quiz. If takenBranch
on paper, grade and have students score and turn in. Spring 2016