MINIPAGE TEACHER'S GUIDE

MiniPage Teacher's Guide
MiniPage activities meet many state and national educational standards.
This week's standards: Students understand the purpose of government. (Social Studies: Power, Authority and Governance) Students identify key ideals of the United States' democratic republican form of government. (Social Studies: Civic Ideals and Practice)
Activities:
1. Find a picture of President George W. Bush in the newspaper. Paste it on a piece of paper. Now write a sentence telling something about Mr. Bush's job as president.
2. Find news stories about or photographs of U.S. senators and members of the House of Representatives. Paste the stories/photos on a large piece of paper. Under each story/photo, write the name and party of the person. Write a sentence telling why that person is in the news.
3. Find a news story about President Bush meeting with a leader from another country. Write a paragraph discussing the purpose of the meeting. Write a second paragraph explaining how the meeting illustrates one of the responsibilities of the president.
4. Who in the U.S. government: (a) can veto a law, (b) decide whether or not a law fits our Constitution, (c) override a veto, and (d) declare war against another country?
5. Collect news stories about a topic being discussed by members of Congress and White House officials. Write several paragraphs discussing the issue. Use these questions to guide your writing: What is the issue? What positions on the issue are taken by different representatives of Congress and the White House? What powers do the different branches of government have with regard to the issue? How do you think the issue will finally be resolved?