An Educational Resource Exploring the Governments of the United States and India

Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is to help the student understand the similarities between the governments of the United States and India. Target population: Eighth grade American History students

TEKS Objectives: 8.3 History. The student understands the foundations of representative government in the United States Government. The student understands the American beliefs and principles reflected in the U.S. Constitution and other important historic documents Government. The student understands the dynamic nature Of the powers of the national government and state governments In a federal system Social Studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology.

TEKS objectives continued: 8.31 Social studies skills. The student communicates in Written, oral, and visual forms Geography. The student uses geographic skills and tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data Government. The student understands the process by which democratic-republican government evolved Culture. The student understands how the development of ideas has influenced institutions and societies.

Prerequisites : 1.Knowledge of the three branches of the U.S. government. 2. Computer skills-research, keyboarding, PowerPoint 3.Vocabulary knowledge Description/Goals: The students will work in groups of 3 and will locate information on India’s foundation of government and its three branches. They will describe its features and then compare its foundation and features to the U.S. government. The students will understand that both countries derived its government foundation from England, and share a lot of the same features.

Student Tasks: 1.The group of students will be given a set of questions to answer and begin their search. (questions and resources on the next slide). 2.They will become familiar with the country of India, its location, capital, and different cultures. 3.They will then become familiar with the foundation and make-up of the Indian government. 4.Once they have completed the search and questions, they will then create a PowerPoint presentation for a final evaluation of their knowledge. 5.Each group will take turns presenting their PowerPoint presentations to the class and teacher. (Guidance is done by the teacher as needed)

Questions for students to answer. (40 points) 1.What continent is India located on? 2.What is the name of India’s capital? 3.What are the main cultures found in India? 4.What country does India derive its foundation of its government from? 5.What year did India gain its independence from this country? 6.What is India’s form of government called? Define it. 7.Describe the name of the branches of government in India and describe the similarities with the United States’ three branches. ( the duties and division of powers among the three branches) 8.What is the election process for the Executive Branch and how long does he serve? Include the members of the Legislative Branch and Judicial Branch too. 9.The legal system is based on _______________________________. The legal system has separate personal law codes for ________, _________, and ________. Why do you think this is so? 10. What is the voting age in India, and who can vote?

Resources to be used: 1.Notes on U.S. government (from previous lessons) 2.Websites: These websites are given to the students to use, but if they find others that are helpful, they may use them as well. 3. PowerPoint resource.

Evaluation: 1.Questions completed- 10 questions worth 4 points each. 2. PowerPoint presentation Rubric: Correct information and format-15 points Spelling/Grammar-15 points Creativity-15 points Group effort/stayed on task-15 points

Conclusion: At the end of this lesson, the students will have a better understanding of India’s government an understanding the similarities with the United States government. Understand that both countries derive its type of government from England. They will then be able to apply this knowledge when looking at other countries with Republican forms of governments.