CIVICS Β· AMERICAN GOVERNMENT Β· UNIT 7
The Executive Branch Unit Plan
Everything you need for an engaging, student-driven unit on the presidency and the Executive Branch in Civics or American Government, with easy-to-follow lesson plans for every day.
Unit 7 Overview
What does the president do?
This is the seventh unit in my Civics and American Government curriculum, and students always have plenty of opinions going into it. They learn the president's powers and roles, how the cabinet and bureaucracy work, and how presidents have used (and sometimes abused) their power.
Along the way, students build a "Roller Coaster of the Presidency" project, escape from the Oval Office, promote a cabinet department, compare presidential policies since World War 2, and analyze scandals, executive orders, and impeachment cases.
You can buy every resource for this unit here, or join Students of History to immediately access every lesson online, along with every other unit in the course.
Day-by-Day Flow
How the unit runs
The unit plan guide includes lesson plans for every day, so you always know which resource to use and how. Here's how the unit moves from start to finish.
Overview of the President
A PowerPoint with guided notes covers the president's qualifications and powers. Then students start the Roller Coaster of the Presidency project, using historian surveys to chart the highs and lows of America's presidents.
Roles & Powers
Students take notes on the president's many roles with an interactive notebook organizer. Then they put that knowledge to the test in an "Escape from the Oval Office" station activity.
The Cabinet & Vice President
A PowerPoint walks through all 15 executive departments, and pairs create an ad persuading the president not to cut theirs. Students also look at the vice president's role and who the best VPs have been.
Presidential Policies
Pairs research the foreign and domestic policies of a president since World War 2, then present to the class while everyone else fills in the chart.
Scandals, Orders & Impeachment
Students rank presidential scandals by their impact, analyze well-known executive orders, and work through case studies on how impeachment has protected or undermined democracy.
Review & Assessment
A Clue-style review game, review packet, and online review games get students ready for the editable test, with an FDR performance assessment as another option.
What's Included
Over 35 resources, ready to teach
Every resource comes in both print and digital formats, plus a unit plan guide with lesson ideas for each day and links to videos and online resources.
- A complete unit guide packet students use throughout the unit
- A full set of digital notebook activities for Google Drive
- 3 PowerPoint lessons with guided notes on the presidency, the roles of the president, and the cabinet and bureaucracy
- A "Roller Coaster of the Presidency" project
- A presidential rankings activity using historian and public surveys, plus a rankings essay
- A George Washington's Farewell Address worksheet
- A roles of the president interactive notebook page and current event assignment
- An "Escape from the Oval Office" escape room activity
- Cabinet department projects and a vice president digital notebook page
- A comparing presidential policies activity and a Reagan Revolution reading
- A comparing presidential scandals activity
- An executive orders lesson and an impeachment lesson plan
- A performance assessment on FDR and the Great Depression
- A Clue-style review game, review packet, and an editable unit test
- A Thirteen Days interactive movie project and a movie guide for The Butler
Teacher Reviews
What teachers say about this unit
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βMy students love these bundles! There is a little bit of everything you could need for your classroom. ...β
Jacie M.Teacher
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βMy students had zero difficulties and enjoyed the activities provided! This resource was extremely beneficial and saved me valuable planning time! My students were engaged and provided thoughtful responses. I can't wait to use it again next semester!β
Lisa M.Teacher
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β... I used almost everything in the set, including the notes and slides, the cabinet department poster activity, and a couple of other activities. The connections to current events make it more relevant for students and help them remember the information. ...β
Hayley B.Teacher
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βThese lessons are very well organized and have great information. My students were very engaged.β
Andrea T.Teacher
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βClear notes and visuals. Good supplement to our text.β
Elizabeth M.Teacher
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βHighly recommend, excellent resource. The content is accurate, accessible, and aligned with educational standards, making it an excellent resource for middle and high school classrooms.β
Joshua L.Teacher
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This is unit 7 of 11 in my complete Civics and American Government curriculum.
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