CIV.14

Fox: Balance of Power

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Game Info for Teachers

COMBINED RATING

5.0 Stars

TEACHERS (2)

5.0

STUDENTS (0)

0.0

LENGTH

15 Minutes

GRADES

CAPABILITIES

Spanish Language Support

Text-to-Speech Support

Saves Progress

Description

Guide Fox through the balance of power in the U.S. government. Help Congress move proposed laws forward, use presidential powers to approve, veto, and enforce laws, and review unconstitutional laws with the courts. Along the way, see how the branches share power, check each other, and work together so no one branch becomes too powerful.

Vocabulary Words

legislative branch

executive branch

judicial branch

Congress

president

Instructions

Play through this interactive game to learn about Branch Interaction. Suitable for Grade 5, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8.

Main Concepts

The legislative, executive, and judicial branches have distinct roles in making, enforcing, and interpreting laws.

Congress creates laws, but the president can approve or veto legislation before it becomes law.

Congress can override a presidential veto, which allows the legislative branch to check executive power.

The president enforces laws through executive departments and agencies after legislation is enacted.

Federal courts interpret laws and decide whether government actions comply with the Constitution.

Judicial review allows courts to invalidate laws or executive actions that conflict with the Constitution.

The Senate interacts with the executive branch by confirming presidential appointments and ratifying treaties.

The president interacts with the judicial branch by nominating federal judges, while the Senate confirms those nominations.

Interaction among the branches is built into the constitutional system to prevent the concentration of power.

Shared powers mean that no branch acts entirely alone in major governmental decisions.

Discussion Questions

Before the Game

What are the three branches of government? Why do you think the United States has three separate branches instead of just one group making all the decisions? Why is it important that no one branch of government becomes too powerful? What do you think could happen if one branch had all the power?

After the Game

Describe one example from the game that showed how two branches worked together. What is one example of a check or balance that you learned during the game? Why is the system of checks and balances important to the U.S. government? Which branch did you think had the most power before playing the game? Has your opinion changed? Explain.

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Game Details

Difficulty

Content Integration

Lexile Level

N/A

Description

Main Concepts