Lesson Plan

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Title

Understanding the Purpose of Provincial Government

Audience

Grades 4 to 7

Objective

Summarize the purposes of provincial government:

• to familiarize students with vocabulary relating to government;
• to familiarize students with the three branches of government, and;
• to familiarize students with roles and responsibilities of provincial government.

Activities and Method

Day 1

1. Mixed bag of objects: does this or doesn’t this reflect what government is? Choose objects that may reflect “government”. Items may include provincial newspaper clippings, pizza with a missing piece, money, coat of arms, pictures, mace, postcard, schools, hospitals, etc.
2. Use prepared cards to construct an interactive T-Chart with students of the information below. Students classify and sort information presented on the cards. This can be displayed on chart paper, pocket chart, or on the board.
3. Students can also be assigned a particular person and must do an interactive web search of the Legislative Assembly website (www.leg.bc.ca) to research the role and responsibility of their assigned member. Examples could include: Lieutenant-Governor, Premier, Speaker of the House, Leader of the Opposition, Minister, MLA, Clerk of the House, Sergeant-at-Arms, Whip, or Page.

Day 2

1. Teacher may want to give a brief descriptive overview of the differences between provincial and federal governments.
2. There are three Branches of the Provincial Government. What is its purpose? Divide class into three groups. Information on all three branches is set out in the classroom. (e.g., books, video clips, and words cut out on paper.) Give students time to research and discuss. Students will then share their ideas and thinking with the class about the main functions of each branch of government. (Looking for discrete characteristics of each branch).
3. Each of the three branches of government has a designated placemat that is divided in to three parts representing different functions of each branch. Each group of students will have a chance to fill out one section of each placemat. Each group can be assigned a different colour to record their ideas. Once the discussion is over, students can circle the recorded ideas that are congruent with the functions of the appropriate branch. Examples of each branch functions are:
   • Legislative: Make laws, approve finances and scrutinize government
   • Executive: Administer and implement policy and programs
   • Judicial: Interpret the law, resolve disputes, defend constitution and charter of rights and freedoms

Materials and Resources

Discover Your Legislature CD
Forsey, Eugene. How Canadians Govern Themselves

Evaluation of Activity

1. Recall activity
   Write “government” in the centre of a recipe card.
   On the back: ask the students to write two things learned, and one thing not sure about. Same thing can be done for each branch of government
2. Role play
   Give students a particular situation. They need to decide which branch of government would be responsible for solving the problem. Is their role play realistic?
3. Venn diagram
   Compare the three braches of government. How are they the same/different?
4. Pictures of artefacts shown on an overhead.
   Students must identify to which branch of government they belong.
5. Cut and paste activity.
   Which people are most associated which each branch of government?

Submitted By

Jan Blake, School District #69 (Parksville-Qualicum)
Mary Campone, School District #73 (Kamloops-Thompson)
Sukhy Dhillon, School District #37 (Delta)
Denise Stephenson, School District #81 (Fort Nelson)
Andrea Superstein, Ecole Francaise Internationale de Vancouver

NOTE: The ideas and opinions expressed in this classroom activity belong to their authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The Public Education and Outreach office only edits for clarity.