Florida Government Project

          

           I LOVE it!  The craziness of a moments thoughts coming to life in the form of the very project I imagined!  I have been working like crazy on the government project and finally got a chance to put it together and make it come alive!  Here we go!

            First, I printed everything.  When I print for the kids, there will be a few things to consider.  As you can see, I printed everything in black and white.  I will be printing the covers in color when we make them in class.  Another thing to consider is if you want the pages to be all white or if you want to add a little color.  I think I am going to add some color.  Blue and green will look great with the orange background.  I picked orange due to the fact that, well, if Florida were a color, it would be orange!  Oranges, orange juice, Tropicana-it’s what I think of when I think of Florida. So, orange it is.  One other thing to consider when printing is how many you will need for your class.  For instance, the local government foldable is one you can save copies on.  Students need 3 boxes, so the second page can be reproduced fewer times, as students would only need one box from that page.  Also, if you do any of the activities, such as the Venn diagram, cooperatively, that means fewer copies!

            Then, I cut like crazy.  I think I will have the kids do the same thing, cut out everything first.  I plan to have them place it in a zip lock with their names on it.  I also think I will collect everything each day to keep it safe.  I can see how they would be able to loose pieces in their desks if I don’t! 

Also, there’s gluing!  You will need two pieces of construction paper to glue together.  I crossed over about a ¼ of an inch.  Because I was in a hurry, I didn’t let everything dry thoroughly. 

Then I folded in one end to meet the middle of the paper.  For kids, point to the fact that this is where the crossover happens. 

Then you fold with the other end. 

This is where it gets fun. The front cover should be separated on the dotted line down the middle of the page.   Glue one side down, being sure that it is right on the edge of the opening.  Then glue the second page on, repeating the same process.  This allows the cover to look like one piece when closed, yet still allow it to open up for viewing.

Once you glue that together, you can glue together the other pieces.  Below are pictures of how to glue together the “How the Bill Becomes Law” and “What Citizens Can Do!” foldable. 

Put the glue on the tab for the “How a Bill Becomes Law” foldable.  Glue that behind the first piece of the foldable to make one long strip.  Then, when it is dry, fold the paper in a fan fashion on the dotted lines.  The tab that says glue down will hold the foldable in place. 

For the “What Citizens Can Do!” foldable, fold the “glue here” tab into the foldable.  Put glue on the tab and then connect it to the second piece.  This will allow the foldable to be one long piece.  Glue the last part to the folder.  Students can actually write on either side of the foldable. 

This is the vocabulary foldable.  Cut out the rectangle out and fold down the middle of the piece.  Once this is done, cut along the dotted lines to make the flaps that flip up.  This gets glued down on the side that is marked in the document. 

The 3 Branches of Government section is made in a similar fashion to a match book.  Cut out the rectangle boxes.  Fold the box on the line.  

This will create the catch part of the matchbox.  Then take the bottom of the rectangle and match it to the fold line UNDER the title and crease the area to make the rest of the matchbox shape.  You will glue the back of the matchbox to the folder. 

One tougher foldable to do is the “Local Government” foldable.  It is a four-corners foldable.  Cut out the squares.  Then take a corner and meet it to the middle.  Crease the fold.  Move on to each corner until all 4 are creased.  The idea was to have the dotted lines on the INSIDE so that they students had an area to write the 4 facts they need to report on in that portion of the activity.  

The Executive Branch Leaders is a multi-step activity.  First, students need to get one strip of the pictures of the leaders.  (Please note, the ? is because there is no lieutenant governor at this time.  I will update once one is appointed.)  They will cut out the pictures and glue them onto the correct title.  They also need to write the name of the leaders next to the picture.  Then they will cut out both circles.  On the second circle, they will cut out the dotted area.  Once the picture circle dries, students can use a brad to pop through the center and create a wheel.  Then they can view each picture of each leader. 

Both of the preambles are easy to create.  Cut out the boxes, fold, and glue down in the correct location. 

            One thing to also think about is how you want the kids to complete the work.  I think I will have them do each section BEFORE gluing.  I just think that it will be easier to manipulate the papers before they are glued in.  I’m actually really excited to try this out this year.  There are a number of additional resources packed inside this activity.  Below are some of them. 

There is also a lesson on primary and secondary sources and a rubric for grading! 

The Government of Florida 4th Grade Project!

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