All About Rules, Laws, and Bills

Words to Know:

government- a group of people who make decisions for a country or nation

freedom- the power to act, speak, or think as you want without getting in trouble

 judge- a person who decides if someone is guilty in a court

responsibility- something you should do 

law- a rule that tells you how to behave

consequence- a punishment for breaking a rule or law

Congress- a group of people from each of the 50 states who help write laws

bill- an idea that the people in Congress want to become a law

citizen- a person who lives in a country or city

President- the person that is elected as the head of the United States 

Main Ideas

The government makes laws to keep people safe and helps people get along. 


People must follow the laws.


There are consequences for people who break laws. 


Nations and groups of people work together to try to solve problems.  


Nations interact in five ways:

helping each other

sharing their culture

making peace treaties

talking about problems

using military force

Lesson Outline:

Day 1. Go over vocabulary and partner students up to practice matching vocab cards together. 

Day 2.  Review vocabulary. Have students come up with a new law or classroom rule to persuade the president (teacher). 

Day 3. Journal Entry on how is our responsibility as a citizen to know and obey laws, and how laws should be enforced. Complete cut and paste on "how to become a law". 

 Day 4. Open discussion on appropriate punishments for breaking the laws/ classroom rules.