Introduction: The US Constitution and the Legislative/Executive Branch

1. Introduction to the
Constitution and the
Legislative/Executive Branch
Unit Topic: The Three Branches of Government
Class: 12th Grade Government
Ms. Lopez

2. Lecture Objectives CA Content Standards
12.4 Students analyze the unique roles and responsibilities of the
three branches of government as established by the U.S.
Constitution.
1. Discuss Article I of the Constitution as it relates to the legislative branch,
including eligibility for office and lengths of terms of representatives and
senators; election to office; the roles of the House and Senate in
impeachment proceedings; the role of the vice president; the enumerated
legislative powers; and the process by which a bill becomes a law.
4. Discuss Article II of the Constitution as it relates to the executive
branch, including eligibility for office and length of term, election to and
removal from office, the oath of office, and the enumerated executive
powers.
1. Students will be able to describe the
Legislative and Executive Branch and evaluate
the significance that these branches have in our
Democracy.
2. Students will be able to compare and contrast
the House of Representatives with the Senate.

3. Lesson Introduction:
In your breakout groups I want you to discuss the following question:
- By looking at the image below, why do you think that the U.S. Government
was divided into three branches? What could be some pros and cons?
When you are done discussing, you will share your responses with the class.
Executive
Branch
Judicial
Branch
Legislative Branch

4. Why Three Branches of Government?
- To ensure a separation of powers, the United States government is
made up of three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. To
ensure the government is effective and citizens rights are protected,
each branch has its own powers and responsibilities, including working
with other branches (checks and balances).
- Articles I, II, and II of the United States Constitution state the roles and
responsibilities of each branch.
This lecture presents a brief introduction to the first two branches:
Legislative and Executive.
Executive
Branch
Judicial
Branch
Legislative Branch

5. Article I of the U.S. Constitution:
The Legislative Branch(Makes the Laws)
• The Legislative Branch is made up of two chambers. Together, they are known as a
bicameral (two) legislature. Both chambers are responsible for making the laws of our
country.
• The House of Representatives and the Senate are known as Congress.
Congress
House of
Representatives
435 members (based
on population)
One Rep- 600,000
Elected every two
years
Senate
100 members
2 from each state
Elected every 6
years

6. Article I: The Legislative Branch
House of Representatives:
-Chosen by the people.
-Proportional Representation: States with
bigger populations, have more
representatives, while states with smaller
populations have less representatives.
-Representation is based on U.S. Census
(every 10 years)
- Must be at least 25 years of age; a citizen
of the United States for at least 7 years
prior to being elected; and a resident of
the state he/she is chosen to represent
U.S. Census 2010

7. Article I: The Legislative Branch
Senate:
-Each state gets 2 senators, regardless of
population
-They must be at least 30 years old
-They must have been citizens of the
United States for the past nine years or
longer
-They must be residents of the states
they seek to represent at the time of their
elections
- Serve staggered terms
53 Republicans
45 Democrats
2 Independents
U.S. Election 2018

8. Now you try…Table Activity #1
- Now that you have learned about the Legislative Branch, we will do an activity on
your Google Doc (this is different than your Guided Notes) where you will find
out who your local House of Representatives is and who are the two Senators of
California. Do not forget to research their political party affiliation!
When you are done researching discuss the following questions with your
tablemates:
Who is your local representative for your district?
What is the TOTAL number of representatives for your state?
Who are the two senators of California?
By analyzing the political parties (are they Democrat? Republican?) of your
local representative and our two senators, what can you infer about our state?

9. CALIFORNIA
Kamala Harris
CA Senator since 2017
Democratic Party
Dianne Feinstein
CA Senator since 1992
Democratic Party
Lou Correa
Represents the 46th
District
House of Rep since 2017
Democratic Party

10. Article II of the U.S. Constitution:
The Executive Branch (Enforces the Laws)
• The Executive Branch is led by President (the head).
• Responsibilities are to enforce the laws (or carry out the laws) of our
country. If Congress passes a law, the President can sign it or veto it!
45th President Donald
Trump
Who makes up the Executive Branch?
• The president, who is the commander in chief of the armed
forces and head of state
• Vice president and the Cabinet
• The State Department, Defense Department and 13 other
executive departments
• Various other federal agencies, commissions and committees.

11. Article II: The Executive Branch cont…
The President
- A president candidate must be a natural born citizen of the United
States
- A resident for 14 years within the United States
- 35 years of age or older
Presidents can serve a limit of two terms (4 years per term).

12. Article II: The Executive Branch cont…
Let’s watch the following short video to understand the Executive
Branch. I will be pausing along the way to clarify some sections and
to give you some time to fill out your guided notes.
YouTube link click here

13. Now you try….Table Activity #2
Analyze the Political Cartoon as a group and
answer the following questions on the same
Doc as the first activity (this is different than
your Guided Notes.
• Describe what you see and make a list of
the objects or people you see in the cartoon.
• What people and objects are shown?
• What, if any, words do you see?
• What can you infer from this Political
Cartoon?
• Pretend that this is a bill that the
Democrats wanted to pass, and it was
signed by both the House and the Senate,
do you think that President Donald Trump
would sign it? Base your answer by
assessing your prior knowledge.

14. TIME TO REFLECT! 
In your groups, discuss the following questions and write the answers on
your Google Doc:
Are there any recommendations that you would give to the Framers of our
Constitution? If there aren’t any, why not?
Do you find it fair that Senators get chosen every 6 years, but House of
Representatives get chosen every 2? What are the pros and cons?

15. BEFORE YOU GO Activity….
On an index card, answer the following. You can answer in bullet
point format!
• Identify the two branches of government that we talked about
today.
• What are the roles for each branch?
• What do you need clarification on?