Education Standards
2. The State We're In: Washington (3-5 Edition) Teacher Guide - Chapter 6
3. Teacher Guide - Chapter 6 - Launch
4. Teacher Guide - Chapter 6 - Focused Notes
5. Teacher Guide - Chapter 6 - Focused Inquiry
The State We're In: Washington (Grade 3-5 Edition)
The State We're In: Washington - Teacher Guide Chapter 6 - Local Governments
Overview
Local governments are the smallest and closest governments to us. They are usually the first place we turn when we need help.
This is the teacher guide companion to The State We're In: Washington (Grade 3-5 Edition) Chapter 6. The resource is designed to engage students with a launch activity, focused notes, and a focused inquiry.
Introduction
In this lesson, students will be able to answer the question, How do local governments provide for their people?
In the focused inquiry students will build an understanding of the services that local (county) government provides to support the community and how the community, in turn, supports local (county) government.
Small is Beautiful: Local Governments
General Overview
Enduring Understanding
How do local governments provide for their people?
Supporting Questions
Students consider these questions - finding and using evidence to support the Enduring Understanding.
- Where can I find out what services a local (county) government provides?
- What does the local (county) government provide?
Learning Targets
Students will be able to…
- C2.3.2 Identify the basic function of government and laws in the community or city.
- C2.3.1 Describe the basic organization of government in the community or city.
- C2.3.3 Explain the reasons for rules in the home or in school, and compare rules and laws in the local community
- SSS4.5.3 Use evidence to develop claims in response to compelling questions.
Key Vocabulary
A list of key Tier 2 vocabulary words is included here for your students. Teach these using whatever strategy you find works best for your students. Encourage students to incorporate these vocabulary words as they work through the components of the chapter guide and intentionally use them as appropriate in their final products.
- County: WA State is divided up into counties that support its citizens at the ‘local’ level (p. 91)
- Local Government: smallest and closest governments to us (p. 91)
- Social & Health Services: Services the government provides to people that support their well-being. For example, mental health care, treatment for addiction, victims of violence, help for elderly people, help for children whose families can’t take care of them, support classes, health care costs (p. 92)
- School Districts: school board members are elected and are responsible for the budgets & policies of local schools’ pages 93-94
- Special Purpose Districts: These are departments of local government that are created to meet the needs of the people living in a specific area. Special purpose districts might include water, sewer, fire, cemetery, ports, parks, mosquito control, irrigation, and libraries (p. 95)
- Counties have elected officials: People are elected to county government positions to help run the business of each county. Here are some elected positions: assessor, treasurer, auditor, sheriff, coroner, clerk, prosecuting attorney, and judges’ pages (pgs. 103-105)
- Property taxes: citizens pay taxes on businesses, land and/or homes they own to the county that are used for schools, transportation, water, etc. (p. 98)
Task 1: Launch
Hooking students into the content of the chapter.
Distribute the Student handout: Launch to students.
- Guide students in answering the prompts on the handout individually and in partners.
- There is no “correct” answer. Encourage the students to explain their thinking with each other
Task 2: Focused Notes
Activating student thinking about the content of the entire chapter.
Distribute the Student handout: Focused Notes to students.
- As students read, they will record their understanding, thinking, and questions about the content using the handout. This can be done individually or collaboratively in pairs or small groups.
Task 3: Focused Inquiry
A focused inquiry is a one-to-two-day lesson that will have students engaging in the C3 Framework’s Inquiry Arc. The link below includes both teacher and student documents.
Compelling Question
How does the local (county) government affect my quality of life?
Attribution and License
Attribution
This Teacher’s Guide for The State We’re In: Washington - Chapter 6 was developed by Leslie Heffernan, Central Valley School District and Mary Schuldheisz, School Administrator, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church & School.
The downloadable digital version of The State We're In: Washington (Grades 3-5 Edition) by Jill Severn for the League of Women Voters of Washington Education Fund is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Print copies of The State We’re In: Washington, may be purchased from the League of Women Voters of Washington website.
License
Except where otherwise noted, Teacher’s Guide - Chapter 6: The State We’re In: Washington, copyright Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, is available under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All logos and trademarks are property of their respective owners. Sections used under fair use doctrine (17 U.S.C. § 107) are marked.