Type of Online Class This lesson will be for an asynchronous class.
Learning Objective GOVT.5 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the federal system described in the Constitution of the United States by a) explaining the relationship of the state governments to the national government; b) describing the extent to which power is shared; c) identifying the powers denied state and national governments; Content
d) examining the ongoing debate that focuses on the
balance of power between state and national governments. Online Activity The teacher will provide a short video lecture online about the powers that both the state and national government have that the students will watch. The online lecture will also contain information that explains the relationships between the state and national governments as well as a description of the extent to which the powers are shared and denied. Before the students begin the simulation, they must complete the online discussion board that consists of two questions. The required questions would be: 1. Name some of the powers that the federal and state government has. 2. Name some differences between the state and federal governments. The students must answer the questions as well as reply to two other classmates posts online. Once the students have listened to the short lecture and complete the online Pedagogy
discussion board for the pre-simulation questions, the
students will then be asked to participate in a simulation that focuses on the balance of power between the state and national governments using Power Play. To access the simulation, students will go to iCivics.com. The teacher will assign the simulation to the students so they can access it without making an account. The simulation does have to be completed in one sitting otherwise it will start over. Then each student must choose a side whether it be state or federal. The students should attempt the simulation twice, choosing either state or federal, to learn the arguments for either side so they can increase their overall understanding.
In Power Play, the students will find that the government
powers are represented by different statues. The students will argue for three powers in each round. During each round, the students can see a statue’s description by clicking the “I” button on the statue. To complete the simulation, the students coach a team of ‘players’ who will make different arguments about each power. The students must read the arguments that the players have made and then decide on which player will act on his or her argument. To apply a player’s argument to a power, the students will click on the statue. Depending on the argument, the player will try to pull the statue toward your end zone. If the student chooses a player that made an irrelevant argument, the statue will not move. If the student chooses a player that made an argument that could be used for a different power, the player will fall and leave the field. If the student chooses a player that made an argument that supports the other side, the statue will slide towards the opposing end zone.
For example, if the student chooses state for the first
simulation, in the first round they would argue for three issues. The issues would be Money and Measures, Local Governments and Elections, and Courts and Laws. The students would preview the arguments for each player. One player’s argument could be “Federal courts would swallow up the power of state courts until only federal courts remain.” The student would click on that player and then pull the Courts and Laws statue. Each time a player is chosen, the player is cycled out so that a new player comes in as well as a new argument. In the second round, the three issues could be Citizenship, Safety and Schools, and Taxation. The player’s argument could be “Immigrants can add to the cost of services, so states should decide their own immigration rules.” The student would choose the immigration rule and pull the statue. The third round’s issues could be International Relations and Defense, Unlisted Powers, and Highways. The student could choose a player whose argument was “States should be free to decide what kind of international policies they think work best” for the International Relations and Defense issue. The player would then pull that statue towards the states side.
The student can preview the arguments by hovering over
the players. They can hit the “Select” button in order to use the player or click on “Swap Player” to bring a different player in that has a different argument. As the students go through the simulation, they will go through a variety of arguments for all three issues on the field. Each time a player is introduced, a new argument is introduced. Once the students complete the simulation, they will be given a certificate that they will need to upload on the post- simulation discussion board.
When students are finished with the simulation, they should
be able to provide arguments on the balance of power between the state and federal government. The students should also distinguish what the state and federal governments power have in common or are different.
The students will be required to complete a post-simulation
discussion board that answers the following two questions. 1. What was the objective of this simulation? 2. In this simulation, you had to choose either the state or federal government power. Do you think that the state and national government will always have an imbalance when it comes to power? The students are required to answer the questions as well as respond to two other classmate’s posts. The students will also be required to upload the certificate that they received so the teacher will be able to give credit for completing the simulation. Technology “Power Play” simulation on the iCivics website. https://www.icivics.org/games/power-play Technology