Social Studies 7 NAME ________________

Unit 5: Government PER _____ DATE ______

DIRECTIONS: Follow the steps listed below and see Ms. Valente with questions.

1. Collect 6 current news articles about our national government at work today (NOT editorial/opinion pieces or or general encyclopedic information "googled" from the Internet.) You may use local newspapers, news magazines (such as Time or Newsweek), or you may locate them online from major news websites (such as CNN.com or MSNBC.com) and then print them. There are links to these sites on my website.   Each article MUST contain the SOURCE or where it came from.

   2 of the articles must be about the legislative branch, 2 must be about the executive branch, and 2 must be about the judicial branch (see back.) Be sure they discuss national government issues, not state or local. If you are in doubt, show them to Ms. Valente for approval before moving ahead with the assignment. (Articles which are brief will work best; avoid articles which are very long.)

    

2. Attach your articles to 6 separate sheets of unlined paper by stapling or lightly gluing them.

    

3. On the back of each page, include the following information from the article:

   - branch of federal government involved (legislative, executive, or judicial)

   - members of the branch discussed in the article (President, VP, Senate or House members, cabinet advisors, Supreme Court justices, etc.)

   - brief summary of what the article is about (minimum 3-5 sentences in your own words.)

    

4. Use two sheets of colored construction paper (provided by Ms. Valente) as front and back covers (no plastic covers) and put all your pages together as a booklet. The cover must contain (in ink):
   • your name
   • date due ________
   • title ("Government at Work" or something similar)
   • some drawing or clip-art which applies to the topic

    

    

    

    

    

    

   LEGISLATIVE BRANCH:

   MAKES THE LAWS: Congress made up of House of Representatives and Senate

    

   EXECUTIVE BRANCH:

   CARRIES OUT THE LAWS: President, Vice President and Advisors (Cabinet)

    

   JUDICIAL BRANCH:

   INTERPRETS (ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT) THE LAWS TO MAKE SURE THEY AGREE WITH THE CONSTITUTION AND ARE CARRIED OUT FAIRLY: United States Supreme Court and other lower federal courts

    

    

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