D2.Civ.5.6-8: Where Government Comes From, What It Does and How It Is Built
In plain English: D2.Civ.5.6-8 is the C3 Framework civics indicator for grades 6-8 that asks students to explain the origins, functions and structure of government. Students read the U.S. Constitution, a state constitution such as the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780, and another system such as the British parliamentary system to explain why governments are formed, what they do and how their power is arranged.
Explain the origins, functions, and structure of government with reference to the U.S. Constitution, state constitutions, and selected other systems of government.
C3 Framework for Social Studies (NCSS) · Dimension 2: Applying Disciplinary Concepts and Tools · Discipline: Civics · Civic and Political Institutions · Official standard
D2.Civ.5.6-8 asks students to explain three things about a government: its origins (where it came from and why), its functions (the jobs it does) and its structure (how its power is divided and arranged). The indicator names three kinds of examples: the U.S. Constitution, state constitutions, and selected other systems of government.
This lesson uses one source for each. Students read selected clauses of the U.S. Constitution (Source 1) with a short history of why it replaced the Articles of Confederation (Source 4), the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 (Source 2), and an explainer on the parliamentary system of the United Kingdom (Source 3). Two diagrams show the three structures side by side and the matching pattern of the national and state governments.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Explain why the U.S. Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation, using evidence from a source
Identify functions of government named in the U.S. Constitution and in a state constitution
Describe the structure of the national government and a state government, including the three branches and federalism
Compare the U.S. presidential and federal system with the parliamentary and unitary system of the United Kingdom
Support an explanation of a government's origins, functions or structure with a quotation and its paragraph number
Prior Knowledge Required
Students should already be comfortable with:
Citing evidence from primary and secondary sources RH.6-8.1
Basic background: the thirteen colonies declared independence from Great Britain in 1776
The idea that rules and laws have purposes D2.Civ.3.6-8
Project this invented scenario: A ship carrying 120 people is wrecked on an island far from any country. No one is coming to rescue them for at least three years.
Warm-Up Prompt
"The 120 survivors decide they need some kind of government. Write down (1) one reason they need it, (2) one job the government should do, and (3) who should get to make the rules."
Sort answers on the board into three columns and give each column its name. Origins are where a government comes from and why people create it ("we agreed to form one"). Functions are the jobs it does ("keep order," "share food fairly"). Structure is how it is built: who makes the rules, who carries them out and who settles arguments. Tell students that D2.Civ.5.6-8 asks them to explain all three for real governments: the United States, a state, and another country.
Direct Instruction15-20 minutes
Part 1: Origins. Read Source 4 aloud. Define a confederation (a league of states that keep most power for themselves) and a constitution (the basic plan and highest law of a government). Then show Article VII in Source 1, the last paragraph, and ask how the Constitution itself says it will start.
1In 1777 the Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation, the first plan of government for the United States. All thirteen states had approved it by 1781. The Articles set up a confederation: a league of states that keep most of the power for themselves. There was one national body, the Congress, and each state had one vote in it, whatever its size. There was no president to carry out the laws and no system of national courts. Congress could ask the states for money, but it could not collect taxes on its own, and many states paid little or nothing. Changing the Articles required the approval of all thirteen states.
2In 1786 and 1787, farmers in western Massachusetts, many of them deep in debt, closed courts to stop the seizure of their farms. The uprising, called Shays' Rebellion, alarmed many leaders, because Congress could not pay for troops to respond. In May 1787, delegates from twelve states met in Philadelphia. Instead of repairing the Articles, they wrote a new constitution, which they signed on September 17, 1787. It took effect after enough states approved it in 1788, and the new government began work in 1789.
SVHS (background written for this page), From the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution (Source 4: SVHS-written background). Original passage written for this page.
Part 2: Functions and structure in the U.S. Constitution. Read Source 1 with students. Explain that legislative power is the power to make laws, executive power is the power to carry them out, and judicial power is the power to decide cases about them. A federal system divides power between a national government and state governments. Use Diagram 1, middle column.
1Section 1. All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.
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2Section 8. The Congress shall have Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; [...] To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures; [...] To establish Post Offices and Post Roads; [...] To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; To raise and support Armies, [...]
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3Section 1. The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, [...]
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4Section 1. The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. [...]
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5Section 4. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence.
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6This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.
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7The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same.
The Federal Convention, Philadelphia, Constitution of the United States (1787): Article I, Sections 1 and 8; Article II, Section 1; Article III, Section 1; Article IV, Section 4; Article VI; Article VII (Source 1, selected clauses) (1787). Public domain (published 1787). Source text.
Origins: why the Articles were replaced
Use Source 4. Name two problems with the Articles of Confederation that help explain why a new constitution was written in 1787.
Result: Congress "could not collect taxes on its own," so it depended on states that "paid little or nothing," and it "could not pay for troops" when Shays' Rebellion broke out. A third problem: any change needed "the approval of all thirteen states," so fixing the Articles was close to impossible.
Functions: reading Article I, Section 8
Paragraph 2 of Source 1 lists powers of Congress. Group them by the job they do for the country.
Result: Model one group and let students finish: the power to "lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises" and to "pay the Debts" both serve one function, raising and managing money. A government needs money before it can do any of its other jobs. Each power in the paragraph is a function: a job the national government is given. Students sort the rest in Activity 1.
Structure: three branches in three articles
Which paragraphs of Source 1 set up the three branches, and what does each one get?
Result: Paragraph 1 (Article I) gives "All legislative Powers herein granted" to a Congress of two houses. Paragraph 3 (Article II) gives "The executive Power" to a President. Paragraph 4 (Article III) gives "The judicial Power" to "one supreme Court" and lower courts. The Constitution puts each kind of power in its own article and its own branch.
Teacher note. Source 1 keeps the spelling and capital letters of 1787 ("Defence," "Post Roads"). Tell students the capitals were a writing habit of the time, not a sign of importance. A republican form of government means a government in which the people choose representatives to make decisions; it has nothing to do with today's Republican Party.
Guided Practice15 minutes
A selected other system. Pairs read Source 3, written for this page, about the government of the United Kingdom. Define parliamentary system (a system in which the leaders who carry out the laws are chosen from, and answer to, the lawmaking body) and unitary system (a system in which the national government holds final power over every region). Add one clause of the U.S. Constitution that is not printed here: Article I, Section 6 says that no person holding a federal office may be a member of either house of Congress while in office.
1The United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) has a parliamentary system. Its national lawmaking body, Parliament, meets in London and has two houses. Members of the House of Commons are elected by voters in local districts called constituencies. Most members of the House of Lords are appointed, not elected. The Lords can delay most bills for about a year, but they usually cannot block them for good.
2After an election, the monarch asks the person who can win the support of a majority in the House of Commons, usually the leader of the largest party, to become prime minister and form a government. The prime minister chooses the cabinet, the ministers who run the government departments, and almost all of them are members of Parliament. So the people who carry out the laws also sit in the body that makes them. If the House of Commons votes that it has no confidence in the government, the prime minister must resign or ask for a new election.
3The monarch is the head of state but, by long custom, acts on the advice of the ministers. The United Kingdom has no single written constitution. Its rules come from acts of Parliament, court decisions and long-standing customs called conventions. It is a unitary system: Parliament can make law on any subject for the whole country. By 1999, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all had their own elected bodies, but Parliament created them by ordinary acts and, as a matter of law, keeps the power to change them.
SVHS (explainer written for this page), How the United Kingdom Is Governed (Source 3: SVHS-written explainer). Original passage written for this page.
Origins. Prompt: Source 3 says the United Kingdom has no single written constitution. How is that different from the way the U.S. and Massachusetts governments began? Teacher note: both of those began with one written document drafted and approved by conventions (Source 1, paragraph 7, and the context note for Source 2); the British system built up its rules over centuries.
Structure: making and carrying out laws. Prompt: in the United Kingdom, who carries out the laws, and where do they sit? Teacher note: the prime minister and cabinet, and "almost all of them are members of Parliament" (paragraph 2). In the United States the President is chosen separately from Congress.
Structure: answering to the lawmakers. Prompt: what happens if the House of Commons loses confidence in the government? Teacher note: the prime minister "must resign or ask for a new election" (paragraph 2). A U.S. President serves a fixed four-year term (Source 1, paragraph 3) and can be removed only by impeachment and conviction.
Structure: two upper houses. Prompt: the House of Lords and the U.S. Senate are both upper houses. Using paragraph 1, name one way the Lords differ from the Senate. Teacher note: most members of the Lords are "appointed, not elected," and they "can delay most bills for about a year" but usually cannot block them; U.S. senators have been elected by voters since the Seventeenth Amendment (1913), and no bill becomes law without the Senate's vote.
Close by reviewing the right-hand column of Diagram 1 together. Ask: which system puts the most power in one body, and which one spreads power the most? Students should give a reason for each answer.
Independent Practice15 minutes
A state constitution. Each student reads Source 2, from the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780. Context note: John Adams wrote the first draft. A convention elected by the towns revised it, the town meetings voted on it in the spring of 1780, and it took effect that October. It is still in force today, with many amendments, and is often described as the oldest written constitution still in use in the world. Glossary: "body politic" (the people of a state, joined together as one community), "covenants" (makes a solemn promise), "equitable" (fair), "impartial" (not taking sides), "negative" (a veto, a power to stop a bill), "magistrate" (an official who carries out the laws).
1The end of the institution, maintenance, and administration of government, is to secure the existence of the body politic, to protect it, and to furnish the individuals who compose it with the power of enjoying in safety and tranquillity their natural rights, and the blessings of life: and whenever these great objects are not obtained, the people have a right to alter the government, and to take measures necessary for their safety, prosperity, and happiness.
2The body politic is formed by a voluntary association of individuals: it is a social compact, by which the whole people covenants with each citizen, and each citizen with the whole people, that all shall be governed by certain laws for the common good. It is the duty of the people, therefore, in framing a constitution of government, to provide for an equitable mode of making laws, as well as for an impartial interpretation and a faithful execution of them; that every man may, at all times, find his security in them.
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3XXX. In the government of this commonwealth, the legislative department shall never exercise the executive and judicial powers, or either of them: the executive shall never exercise the legislative and judicial powers, or either of them: the judicial shall never exercise the legislative and executive powers, or either of them: to the end it may be a government of laws and not of men.
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4Article I. The department of legislation shall be formed by two branches, a Senate and House of Representatives; each of which shall have a negative on the other.
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5Article I. There shall be a supreme executive magistrate, who shall be styled — The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and whose title shall be — His Excellency.
The Massachusetts constitutional convention of 1779-1780 (first draft by John Adams), A Constitution or Form of Government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1780): the first two paragraphs of the Preamble; Part the First, Article XXX; Part the Second, Chapter I, Section I, Article I (first paragraph); Chapter II, Section I, Article I (Source 2) (1780; this edition 1918). Public domain (published 1918). Source text.
Students write three labeled sentences, Origins, Functions and Structure, each with a short quotation and its paragraph number, then compare Source 2 with Source 1 using Diagram 2. Collect the sentences. Quiz questions 4-7 and 15-17 use Source 2.
Closure10 minutes
Exit ticket: (1) Name one way the Massachusetts and U.S. constitutions are built alike and give the paragraph that shows it. (2) Name one way the British system is built differently from both.
Teacher note on the sources: Sources 1 and 2 are quoted exactly as printed, with their old spellings. The third paragraph of the Massachusetts Preamble, left out here, thanks "the great Legislator of the universe"; if students read the full text, treat that line as a historical fact about how the framers wrote, not as a claim the class needs to judge. In 1780, "every man" and "each citizen" did not include everyone: women could not vote, and the right to vote depended on owning property. Sources 3 and 4 were written for this page. Keep the discussion on how governments are built; this lesson does not ask students which system is better.
Differentiation Strategies
For Struggling Students
Give a copy of Source 1 with the three branch names highlighted in three colors, and have students color-code each paragraph
Provide sentence frames: "The origin of this government is ___, as shown by ___ (paragraph __)."
Read Source 2 aloud once and stop after each paragraph to restate it in plain words together
For Advanced Students
Read the full Massachusetts Preamble and Article XXX, then find the matching ideas in your own state's constitution
Research one more system, such as Switzerland's federal council, and add a fourth column to Diagram 1
Write a paragraph explaining why the British system can work without one written constitution, and one risk of that
Assessment Guidance
What to Look For
Strong answers name origins, functions and structure separately and support each with a quotation and paragraph number. Students should describe the British system accurately, as a different design, not a wrong one. Watch for three mix-ups: treating "federal" as meaning only the national government; thinking the Massachusetts constitution came from the U.S. Constitution, when it is seven years older; and assuming every country elects its leader in a separate election.
02
Classroom Activities
3 Activities
1
Function Card Sort
15 minPairs
Pairs get 12 cards, each describing something a government does. For each card they decide (a) which function it serves, using four labels: defend, keep order and justice, provide services and raise money, and (b) whether the U.S. Constitution gives the job to the national government, using Source 1 as evidence.
The 12 Function Cards
Printing quarters and dimes
Delivering a letter from Ohio to Texas
Collecting a tax on goods brought into the country
Paying soldiers in the army
A judge hearing a case about a federal law
Deciding whether the country goes to war
Setting how long a yard or a pound is
Paying back money the country borrowed
Running a town's public library
Issuing driver's licenses
Setting up public schools in a state
A state police officer directing traffic on a state highway
Answer Key for the Teacher
National, named in Source 1: 1 ("coin Money," provide services), 2 ("Post Offices and Post Roads," provide services), 3 ("Duties, Imposts," raise money), 4 ("raise and support Armies," defend), 5 ("The judicial Power," keep order and justice), 6 ("declare War," defend), 7 ("Weights and Measures," provide services), 8 ("pay the Debts," raise money: paying debts is what the taxes are for).
Not given to the national government in Source 1: 9-12 are done by state and local governments, under state constitutions and laws: 9, 10 and 11 provide services, and 12 keeps order. Point out that Source 1 has no clause about schools, libraries or licenses.
Discussion Questions
Which card was hardest to place, and what evidence settled it?
Cards 9-12 are not in Source 1. What does that suggest about the jobs the states kept?
Modification for English Learners
Add a small picture to each card (a coin, an envelope, a school) and give the four function labels in both English and the student's home language.
2
Write a Charter for the Island
20 minGroups of 4
Groups return to the warm-up shipwreck (an invented scenario) and write a five-article charter for the island's 120 survivors, then present it in two minutes.
The Five Articles
Origins: how the people agree to the charter (a vote, everyone signs, a two-thirds majority) and why they need a government. Borrow an idea from Source 2, paragraph 2.
Functions: three jobs the government must do, each tied to a function from Activity 1.
Structure, lawmaking: who makes the rules and how they are chosen.
Structure, leadership: choose a presidential design (leader elected separately, Source 1) or a parliamentary design (leader chosen by the lawmakers, Source 3), and give one reason.
Structure, judging: who settles arguments, and whether that person may also make rules (compare Source 2, Article XXX).
Discussion Questions
Which group's charter divides power the most? Which concentrates it the most?
What would each group's charter do if the leader broke the rules?
Modification for a Shorter Class
Assign each group only Articles 1 and 4, and have the class vote on which leadership design to adopt after the presentations.
3
Three-System Jigsaw
15 minGroups of 3
Each group member becomes the expert on one system: the Articles of Confederation (Source 4), the U.S. Constitution (Source 1) or the United Kingdom (Source 3). Experts fill in their row of a comparison grid, then teach it to the group.
The Comparison Grid (five columns)
Where did this plan come from?
Who makes the laws?
Who carries out the laws, and how are they chosen?
Who decides cases?
Who holds more power, the national government or the states or regions?
Answer Key for the Teacher
Articles: approved by the Continental Congress in 1777 and by all thirteen states by 1781; a one-house Congress, one vote per state; no president; no national courts; the states hold most power.
U.S. Constitution: written in Philadelphia in 1787 and ratified by state conventions; Congress of two houses; a President with a four-year term; one Supreme Court and lower courts; power shared, with federal law supreme (Article VI).
United Kingdom: no single written constitution (Source 3, paragraph 3); Parliament of two houses; a prime minister and cabinet drawn from Parliament; courts; Parliament holds final power (unitary).
Discussion Questions
Diagram 1 shows the Articles in one column and the Constitution in the next. Which grid column changed the most between them?
Which two systems are closer to each other: the Articles and the United Kingdom, or the Constitution and the United Kingdom? Defend your answer.
03
Diagrams & Visual Aids
2 diagrams
Diagram 1: Three Ways to Build a Government
Three structures compared. Left: under the Articles of Confederation (1781-1789) a one-house Congress was the whole national government, and the states kept most power. Middle: the U.S. Constitution separates three branches and shares power with the states. Right: in the United Kingdom's parliamentary system, the prime minister and cabinet sit inside Parliament, and Parliament holds final power over Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Diagram 2: The U.S. and Massachusetts Constitutions Side by Side
The national government and the Massachusetts state government follow the same pattern: a legislature, a chief executive and courts. Article VI makes federal law supreme over conflicting state law; Article IV, Section 4 guarantees each state a republican form of government. The Massachusetts Constitution (1780) is seven years older than the U.S. Constitution (1787).
04
Homework Assignment
~30 min
D2.Civ.5.6-8 Homework: Origins, Functions and Structure
Directions: Use Sources 1-4 in the lesson plan. Give a quotation with its source and paragraph number for every claim you make about a source. Answer in complete sentences.
Part 1: Origins and Functions (Problems 1-3)
Put these events in order and explain in 3-4 sentences how each one led to the next: the delegates sign a new constitution; Shays' Rebellion; all thirteen states approve the Articles of Confederation; the new national government begins work. Use Source 4.
Source 2, paragraph 1, says what "the end" (the purpose) of government is. Restate it in your own words, then name one power in Source 1, paragraph 2, that helps a government do that job, and explain how.
For each of these jobs, decide whether Source 1 gives it to the national government. If it does, quote the words; if it does not, say which level of government probably does it. Then name the function it serves: (a) paying the country's debts; (b) protecting a state from invasion; (c) setting the value of foreign coins used in the United States; (d) keeping a state's public parks open.
Part 2: Structure and Other Systems (Problems 4-6)
Draw a chart of the Massachusetts government from Source 2: the two branches of the legislature, the chief executive and the judicial department. Label each box with the words from Source 2 that create it, and add the rule in Article XXX as a caption.
Make a Venn diagram comparing the U.S. system (Source 1) with the United Kingdom's system (Source 3). Put at least three facts in each outer part and two in the middle, each with a paragraph number.
Write a paragraph of 5-7 sentences answering: "Why do the U.S. and Massachusetts constitutions both divide power among three departments, when the British system does not separate them in the same way?" Use at least one quotation from Source 2 and one from Source 3.
Rubric
Criterion
Full Credit (2 pts)
Partial Credit (1 pt)
No Credit (0 pts)
Origins
Explains where each government came from and why, in the right order
Names events or causes without linking them
Missing or inaccurate
Functions
Names functions and ties each to the clause that creates it
Names functions without evidence
Missing or confused with structure
Structure
Describes branches, federal and unitary systems accurately
One error in a chart or comparison
Two or more errors
Evidence
Exact quotations with source and paragraph numbers
Loose quotations or missing numbers
No quotations
05
Quiz: 20 Questions
Interactive, with answers
Instructions
Questions 1-3, 12 and 13 use Source 1 (the U.S. Constitution) in Direct Instruction, and Question 11 uses Source 4 printed just before it. Questions 4-7 and 15-17 use Source 2 (Massachusetts, 1780) in Independent Practice. Questions 8-10 use Source 3 (the United Kingdom) in Guided Practice. Questions 14 and 18-20 use more than one source. Your score updates as you answer, and Reset quiz clears everything.
Multiple choice: pick an option to check it. Short answer: write your answer, then reveal the model answer.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 20 · Multiple Choice
According to Source 1, paragraph 7 (Article VII), what was needed for the Constitution to be established?
Answer: B
Article VII says "The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient." Choice A describes the rule for changing the Articles of Confederation (Source 4), which is part of why the framers avoided it. Choice C confuses ratification with how Congress proposes amendments. Choice D describes no step in Source 1; there was no national popular vote.
Question 2 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Source 1, paragraph 1, gives Congress "All legislative Powers herein granted." What do the words "herein granted" suggest about Congress's power?
Answer: A
"Herein granted" means "given in this document," so Congress holds the powers the Constitution lists, such as those in Article I, Section 8, and not unlimited power. Choice B ignores those two words. Choice C confuses legislative power with the executive power that Article II gives the President. Choice D is contradicted by Source 1, paragraph 5, which assumes each state keeps its own government.
Question 3 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Source 1, paragraph 2, lets Congress "fix the Standard of Weights and Measures." Which function does one national standard serve best?
Answer: C
If a pound or a yard means the same amount in every state, a buyer in one state and a seller in another can trade fairly: this is a service that supports trade and daily life. Choice A describes the taxing and army powers, not measurement. Choice B is the judicial power (paragraph 4). Choice D is the opposite of one national standard.
Question 4 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Source 2, paragraph 2, says "The body politic is formed by a voluntary association of individuals: it is a social compact." What does this say about the origin of the Massachusetts government?
Answer: D
A voluntary association and a social compact mean the people chose to join and agreed with one another; the paragraph goes on to say "the whole people covenants with each citizen." Choice A describes a colonial charter from the king, which is what Massachusetts was replacing. Choice B gets the order wrong: the Massachusetts constitution (1780) is older than the U.S. Constitution (1787). Choice C is the opposite of "voluntary."
Question 5 of 20 · Multiple Choice
According to Source 2, paragraph 1, what should the people do when government fails to reach "these great objects"?
Answer: C
The paragraph says "whenever these great objects are not obtained, the people have a right to alter the government." Choice A is not in the source, and in 1780 there was no U.S. Congress under the Constitution yet. Choices B and D are not mentioned; the right named is to change the government, not to wait or leave.
Question 6 of 20 · Multiple Choice
What does Article XXX of the Massachusetts Constitution (Source 2, paragraph 3) require?
Answer: A
Article XXX says the legislative department "shall never exercise the executive and judicial powers," and says the same of the other two departments, "to the end it may be a government of laws and not of men." This is the separation of powers. Choices B and C give one department power over another, which the article forbids. Choice D puts all power in one body, which is closer to the British design in Source 3.
Question 7 of 20 · Multiple Choice
How is the Massachusetts legislature in Source 2 built like Congress in Source 1?
Answer: B
Source 2, paragraph 4, says the department of legislation "shall be formed by two branches, a Senate and House of Representatives," and Source 1, paragraph 1, says Congress "shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives." Choice A describes the one-house Congress of the Articles (Source 4), where each state, not each town, had one vote. Choice C fits the British cabinet in Parliament, not either constitution. Choice D is wrong: Massachusetts voters choose their own legislature.
Question 8 of 20 · Multiple Choice
According to Source 3, who usually becomes prime minister of the United Kingdom?
Answer: B
Source 3, paragraph 2: the monarch asks "the person who can win the support of a majority in the House of Commons, usually the leader of the largest party." Choice A describes the U.S. design, where the President is chosen separately from Congress. Choice C confuses the appointed House of Lords with the elected Commons. Choice D mixes up the courts with the executive.
Question 9 of 20 · Multiple Choice
According to Source 3, paragraph 3, how were the elected bodies of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland created?
Answer: C
Source 3 says "Parliament created them by ordinary acts." Choice A contradicts the source, which says the United Kingdom "has no single written constitution." Choice B invents treaties the source does not mention. Choice D ignores that the monarch "acts on the advice of the ministers."
Question 10 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Which statement about the United Kingdom's constitution is supported by Source 3?
Answer: D
Source 3 says the United Kingdom "has no single written constitution" and that "Its rules come from acts of Parliament, court decisions and long-standing customs called conventions." Choices A and C both describe a single written document, which the source denies. Choice B gets history backwards: the British system is older than the United States.
Question 11 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Source 4 says that under the Articles "each state had one vote" in Congress, "whatever its size." Which states were most likely to want that rule changed at the convention of 1787?
Answer: A
With one vote per state, a state with many people had no more say than a state with few, so large states had the most reason to want votes based on population. At the convention, this dispute ended in a compromise: the House is based on population and each state has an equal vote in the Senate. Choice B reverses the logic: small states gained from equal votes. Choices C and D are not about the voting rule.
Question 12 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Suppose a state passed a law closing every post office that Congress had set up within the state. Using Source 1, paragraphs 2 and 6, which law must a state judge follow?
Answer: B
Paragraph 2 gives Congress the power "To establish Post Offices and Post Roads," and paragraph 6 makes federal laws made under the Constitution "the supreme Law of the Land" and binds "the Judges in every State." Choice A is the reverse of Article VI. Choice C gives a judicial question to the executive. Choice D borrows the Articles' unanimity rule from Source 4, which the Constitution replaced.
Question 13 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Riots break out in a state while its legislature cannot meet, and the governor asks the national government for help. Which part of Source 1 allows the United States to respond?
Answer: D
Article IV, Section 4 says the United States shall protect each state "on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence." The governor is the state's executive. Choice A only sets up Congress. Choice B is about ratification. Choice C makes federal law supreme but says nothing about sending help.
Question 14 of 20 · Multiple Choice
Using Sources 1 and 3, which of these is normal in the United Kingdom but not allowed in the United States?
Answer: D
In the United Kingdom the cabinet ministers who run the departments are "almost all" members of Parliament (Source 3, paragraph 2). In the United States, Article I, Section 6 (described in Guided Practice) bars anyone holding a federal office from serving in Congress at the same time. Choice A is true of both: Congress and Parliament each have two houses. Choice C is true of both. Choice B is also true of both: voters elect Congress and the House of Commons.
Question 15 of 20 · Short Answer
The Massachusetts Constitution (1780) and the U.S. Constitution (1787) began in similar ways. Explain one way their origins were alike, using the context note for Source 2 and Source 1, paragraph 7.
Model answer: Both were written by a special convention and then approved by the people or their representatives, not simply announced by a ruler. The Massachusetts constitution was revised by a convention elected by the towns and voted on in town meetings in 1780; the U.S. Constitution took effect after "the Ratification of the Conventions of nine States" (Source 1, paragraph 7). Rubric: 2 points for a correct similarity supported by both sources; 1 point for a similarity with one source; 0 otherwise.
Question 16 of 20 · Short Answer
Name two functions of government that Source 2, paragraph 2, says the people must provide for in framing a constitution.
Source 2 says the people must provide "for an equitable mode of making laws, as well as for an impartial interpretation and a faithful execution of them." So: making laws fairly, interpreting (judging) them without taking sides, and carrying them out faithfully. Any two earn full credit. Rubric: 1 point for each function correctly named from the paragraph.
Question 17 of 20 · Short Answer
In your own words, explain what Article XXX means by "a government of laws and not of men."
Model answer: The people in charge must follow the laws like everyone else, and no single official or group can rule by personal will. Keeping lawmaking, carrying out the laws and judging in separate hands means no one person can make a rule, enforce it and judge their own case. Rubric: 2 points for linking the phrase to separation of powers or limits on officials; 1 point for a vague paraphrase; 0 otherwise.
Question 18 of 20 · Short Answer
Source 3 says a prime minister must resign or ask for a new election if the House of Commons loses confidence in the government. Source 1, paragraph 3, gives the President a fixed "Term of four Years." Give one advantage of each design.
Model answer: The British design lets the lawmakers replace a government that has lost their support quickly, without waiting years (Source 3, paragraph 2). The American fixed term gives the President time to carry out plans and keeps the executive from depending on Congress's approval month to month (Source 1, paragraph 3). Either design can be defended; this question scores accuracy, not a preference. Rubric: 1 point for each accurate advantage tied to its source.
Question 19 of 20 · Short Answer
Source 3 says the British Parliament could, as a matter of law, change the powers of Scotland's parliament. Could the U.S. Congress abolish the Massachusetts legislature and govern the state directly? Explain using Source 1, paragraph 5.
Model answer: No. Article IV, Section 4 says "The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government," so each state keeps its own elected government under the Constitution. This is the difference between a federal system, where the states' governments are protected, and a unitary system like the United Kingdom's. Rubric: 2 points for the correct answer with the clause and the federal/unitary contrast; 1 point for the answer with only one of these.
Question 20 of 20 · Short Answer
Choose one of the four governments in this lesson (the Articles, the U.S. Constitution, Massachusetts or the United Kingdom). In 3-4 sentences, explain its origin, one function and its structure, with evidence for each.
Model answer (Massachusetts): The government began as "a social compact" in which the people agreed to be "governed by certain laws for the common good" (Source 2, paragraph 2). One function is to protect the people's "natural rights" so they can enjoy them "in safety" (paragraph 1). Its structure has a two-branch legislature, "a Senate and House of Representatives" (paragraph 4), a governor (paragraph 5), and a judicial department kept separate by Article XXX (paragraph 3). Rubric: 1 point each for origin, function and structure with evidence; 1 point for accurate use of terms.
0 of 20 answered · 0 correct
06
Frequently Asked Questions
10 Questions
What does D2.Civ.5.6-8 mean?
D2.Civ.5.6-8 asks middle school students to explain where governments come from, what they do and how they are built. The full text is "Explain the origins, functions, and structure of government with reference to the U.S. Constitution, state constitutions, and selected other systems of government." It sits in Dimension 2 of the C3 Framework, under Civic and Political Institutions.
What is the difference between origins, functions and structure?
Origins are where a government came from and why people formed it; functions are the jobs it does; structure is how its power is divided. For example, the U.S. Constitution's origin includes the failure of the Articles of Confederation, one function is defense, and its structure includes three branches and a federal division of power with the states.
Why does D2.Civ.5.6-8 include state constitutions?
Because state governments do many of the jobs students see every day, such as schools, licenses and highways, under their own constitutions. Several state constitutions are older than the U.S. Constitution, and many of their ideas, such as two-house legislatures and separation of powers, were already in use when the framers met in 1787. Teachers can swap in their own state's constitution for the Massachusetts source.
Which other systems of government should a D2.Civ.5.6-8 lesson compare?
The indicator does not name them, so teachers choose. A parliamentary system such as the United Kingdom's works well because its design differs from the U.S. design in clear, teachable ways. A confederation, such as the Articles of Confederation, shows a third way to divide power between a central government and its parts.
Do students have to memorize the Constitution for this standard?
No. They need to read key clauses and explain what they show about origins, functions and structure. Being able to point to Article I for Congress, Article II for the President and Article III for the courts is more useful than reciting the text.
Is the Massachusetts Constitution really older than the U.S. Constitution?
Yes. It took effect in 1780, seven years before the U.S. Constitution was written in 1787, and it is still in force with many amendments. It is often described as the oldest written constitution still in use in the world. John Adams wrote its first draft.
How is D2.Civ.5.6-8 different from D2.Civ.5.9-12?
They share a number but not a skill. The grades 6-8 indicator asks students to explain how governments began, what they do and how they are built. The grades 9-12 indicator asks students to evaluate how effectively citizens and institutions address social and political problems. A student who can explain structure in grades 6-8 is ready to judge how well that structure works in high school.
How does D2.Civ.5.6-8 connect to D2.Civ.4.6-8?
They work together. D2.Civ.5.6-8 explains why the three branches exist and how they fit into the federal system; D2.Civ.4.6-8 looks closely at the powers and limits of each branch, such as vetoes and judicial review. Many teachers teach structure first and powers and limits next.
Does comparing the U.S. and British systems mean telling students which is better?
No. The goal is to explain how each system is built and how it works. Both are long-standing democracies with different designs. Students may discuss trade-offs, such as speed of decision-making against the spreading of power, but the lesson scores their accuracy and evidence, not a preference.
How can I assess D2.Civ.5.6-8 beyond a multiple-choice quiz?
Use a short written explanation in which students label origins, functions and structure and support each with a quotation, as in the homework paragraph and the exit ticket. A government chart drawn from a constitution, or a comparison grid of two systems, also shows whether students understand structure rather than just the vocabulary.
07
Related Standards
6 standards
These standards connect to D2.Civ.5.6-8: prerequisites to review first, parallel standards at the same level, and next steps that build on it.
Before this lesson
RH.6-8.1Prerequisite
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources
Standard text: National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards: Guidance for Enhancing the Rigor of K-12 Civics, Economics, Geography, and History (Silver Spring, MD: NCSS, 2013). NCSS was not involved in the production of this lesson and does not endorse it.
