3 Branches of Government Study Guide Foldable

3 Branches of Government Study Guide Foldable Graphic Organizer

by Learning is the Game

Remembering each branch of the government, what it does, and who makes up each branch is tricky for students.   Last year I was trying to come up with a more engaging way for my students to practice this information then just studying their notes from class, so I created this activity.   

This foldable graphic organizer has three tabs, one for each branch of the government.  The inside of the foldable has the branch of the government, what that branch does, who makes up each branch and how many people their are, and information about term limits.   

The outside of the foldable has the branch of government, a picture of the corresponding building, for example The White House goes with the Executive Branch, and the name of the building.  

Whenever I can I like to make my activities hands-on.  For this activity the front is blank at first.  Students cut out the pictures and labels from a separate page and then paste them on the correct tab.  This not only gets students more interested in the project, and subsequently in the information, but it also gives me the opportunity to quickly assess how much each student knows already.   

How to Use:

I have my students keep these foldables in their desk so they can pull them out and study when they have a few extra minutes.  

I also schedule class time for students to review the information in pairs. For this one student uses the information in the foldable to create a question for the other player such as "How many senators are there in congress?" or "What is the name of the building where the Judicial Branch works?" and another student answers the question.  If they aren't sure they can use their foldable to find the answer.  

If you use interactive notebooks, just print this out at 80% and students can glue it right into their books.

My fourth and fifth graders really enjoy using this foldable and I'm sure yours will too.  Click HERE to check out a free preview of this activity.  It also includes a double sided version with no gluing required!

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