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Chapter Planner and Suggested Pacing Guide

UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN®

Enduring Understanding

  • State and local executive branches are responsible for executing and enforcing state laws and local ordinances, making state and local policy and rules, and making and enforcing state and local regulations.

Essential Questions

  • How are state and local executive branches structured?
  • What are the characteristics of effective governors and mayors?

Students will know:

  • the head of the state executive branch is the governor.
  • the roles and powers of the governor.
  • how the roles, responsibilities, and powers of the governor compare to those of the president.
  • the state executive is limited by the powers of the state legislature and judiciary as well as by the powers of the national government.
  • the roles and powers of local government executives, including mayors and city managers.
  • local governments are established by the state and come in a wide variety of forms.
  • the formal requirements for becoming governor or a local executive and how they vary.
  • the informal requirements for becoming governor, which include certain political credentials and leadership experience.
  • how governors and local executives are elected.
  • the process for removing governors through impeachment or recall.
  • the structure of state and local executive branches.
  • how state and local governments protect life and property, provide education and social services, protect health, and offer recreational and cultural programs.
  • how state governments regulate businesses.
  • how local governments use zoning to regulate land use and maintain infrastructure.

Students will be able to:

  • compare the powers and roles of the president to the powers and roles of a state governor.
  • explain the limitations on governors.
  • describe the forms of municipal government.
  • list the qualifications to become a governor and a mayor.
  • describe how state and local executives are elected.
  • define recall and impeachment.
  • debate the ability to recall officials.
  • describe the structure of state and local executive branches.
  • explain the functions of state and local executive branches.
  • analyze the arguments in Kelo v. New London.

Predictable Misunderstandings

Students may think:

  • that because the president does not have the power of the line-item veto, governors do not have it either. In fact, in all but six states, governors do have this power. It may surprise students to learn that governors hold some powers that the president does not.
  • that the executive and legislative powers are kept separate in all forms of local government. Have students research the commissioners form of government, and learn whether this form of local government is used where they live.
  • that all states have the same formal requirements for governors. Encourage students to learn the requirements for governors in their state and compare these to the requirements in several other states.

Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks:

  • Hands-On Chapter Project

Other Evidence:

  • Guided Reading Activities
  • Vocabulary Activity
  • Lesson Quizzes
  • Chapter Tests, Forms A and B

SUGGESTED PACING

½ day — Introducing the Chapter
 1 day — Lesson 1
½ day — Lesson 2
½ day — Lesson 3
½ day — Chapter Wrap-Up and Assessment

3 Days — Total

DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION

The activities presented are suitable for all levels. Modifications for student ability levels are available for many of the activities. The type of modifications available are indicated by the icons below.

DI for AL Approaching Level

DI for BL Beyond Level

DI for ELL English Language Learner

All students benefit from activities that utilize different learning styles. Activities are designated with the labels below to help you differentiate teaching by the types of learners.

Intrapersonal
Logical/Mathematical
Visual/Spatial
Verbal/Linguistic
Interpersonal
Auditory/Musical
Kinesthetic
Naturalist

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

Expand All

  • Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

    Below are the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills covered in this chapter.

    (2) History. The student understands the roles played by individuals, political parties, interest groups, and the media in the U.S. political system, past and present. The student is expected to:

    (A) give examples of the processes used by individuals, political parties, interest groups, or the media to affect public policy

     

    (5) Economics. The student understands the roles played by local, state, and national governments in both the public and private sectors of the U.S. free enterprise system. The student is expected to:

    (A) explain how government fiscal, monetary, and regulatory policies influence the economy at the local, state, and national levels

     

    (7) Government. The student understands the American beliefs and principles reflected in the U.S. Constitution and why these are significant. The student is expected to:

    (D) evaluate constitutional provisions for limiting the role of government, including republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual rights

     

    (8) Government. The student understands the structure and functions of the government created by the U.S. Constitution. The student is expected to:

    (A) analyze the structure and functions of the legislative branch of government, including the bicameral structure of Congress, the role of committees, and the procedure for enacting laws

    (C) analyze the structure and functions of the judicial branch of government, including the federal court system, types of jurisdiction, and judicial review

    (H) compare the structures, functions, and processes of national, state, and local governments in the U.S. federal system

     

    (9) Government. The student understands the concept of federalism. The student is expected to:

    (B) categorize government powers as national, state, or shared

    (D) understand the limits on the national and state governments in the U.S. federal system of government

     

    (10) Government. The student understands the processes for filling public offices in the U.S. system of government. The student is expected to:

    (A) compare different methods of filling public offices, including elected and appointed offices at the local, state, and national levels

     

    (11) Government. The student understands the role of political parties in the U.S. system of government. The student is expected to:

    (C) identify opportunities for citizens to participate in political party activities at local, state, and national levels

     

    (13) Citizenship. The student understands rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. The student is expected to:

    (C) identify the freedoms and rights guaranteed by each amendment in the Bill of Rights

    (D) analyze U.S. Supreme Court interpretations of rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution in selected cases, including Engel v. Vitale, Schenck v. United States, Texas v. Johnson, Miranda v. Arizona, Gideon v. Wainwright, Mapp v. Ohio, and Roe v. Wade

     

    (14) Citizenship. The student understands the difference between personal and civic responsibilities. The student is expected to:

    (A) explain the difference between personal and civic responsibilities

    (B) evaluate whether and/or when the obligation of citizenship requires that personal desires and interests be subordinated to the public good

    (C) understand the responsibilities, duties, and obligations of citizenship such as being well informed about civic affairs, serving in the military, voting, serving on a jury, observing the laws, paying taxes, and serving the public good

     

    (15) Citizenship. The student understands the importance of voluntary individual participation in the U.S. constitutional republic. The student is expected to:

    (A) analyze the effectiveness of various methods of participation in the political process at local, state, and national levels

    (B) analyze historical and contemporary examples of citizen movements to bring about political change or to maintain continuity

     

    (20) Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to:

    (A) analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions

    (B) create a product on a contemporary government issue or topic using critical methods of inquiry

    (C) analyze and defend a point of view on a current political issue

    (D) analyze and evaluate the validity of information, arguments, and counterarguments from primary and secondary sources for bias, propaganda, point of view, and frame of reference

    (E) evaluate government data using charts, tables, graphs, and maps

     

    (21) Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:

    (A) use social studies terminology correctly

    (C) transfer information from one medium to another, including written to visual and statistical to written or visual, using computer software as appropriate

    (D) create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information

     

    (22) Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings. The student is expected to:

    (A) use a problem-solving process to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution

    (B) use a decision-making process to identify a situation that requires a decision, gather information, identify options, predict consequences, and take action to implement a decision