Checks and BalancesHigh School Social Studies

Insight 360™ is eInstruction’s classroom instruction system that allows you to interact with your students as they learn, quickly gaining insight into student understanding during class so you can adjust instruction in real-time during a single class session.Use this content, designed specifically for use with Insight 360™, to interact with your class. This content includes brief instructional material and two types of activities: Constructed Response Activity for students to complete as an individual or a group assignment. Send each Constructed Response Activity to the Insight 360 iPad Student App.Assessment Item with CueTag™ for students to respond to via student response devices. Receive instant real-time feedback and longitudinal reports.

Teacher Notes

The United States has three branches of government. Each branch has its own set of powers and is kept in check by the other two branches. No one branch has more power than the other two.

The three branches of government are:•Executive Branch – President •Legislative Branch – Congress •Judicial Branch – Supreme Court

Branches of Government

PowersExecutive Branch - President•Carries out laws•Vetoes bills Congress passes•Creates a budget•Makes treaties with other nations •Appoints judges in the Judicial Branch for a life term

Judicial Branch – Supreme Court •Interprets laws •Decides whether laws made by Congress or orders by the President violate the Constitution

PowersLegislative Branch – Congress•Can override a President's veto of a bill by 2/3 majority vote •Makes laws •Confirms presidential appointments for judges and justices •Can impeach (fire) the President for misconduct •Approves the President’s budget and treaties•Can remove judges from office for misconduct

Fill in the chart.

Fill in the chart.

What power completes the table regarding checks and balances among the three branches of the federal government?

a.can use military action to prevent votesb.appoints judgesc.can have judges’ terms limitedd.can transfer executive powers to states

Checks and Balances in the Federal Government

Check on Executive Branch

Check on Legislative Branch

Check on Judicial Branch

Executive Branch -- can veto bills ?

Legislative Branch

can impeach the president -- can impeach

federal judge

Judicial Branch

can declare executiveactions unconstitutional

can declare laws unconstitutional --

For information about Insight 360™, visit http://www.einstruction.com. For additional content samples, click here.