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Home : 2002 : May : 20

Government
By Kathy

Having taught third grade for a number of years, I can tell you that most students will not "get it" by reading the textbook and answering questions. At this age, they need to see it, do it, experience it.

Some ideas:

Take
a field trip to the local city council so students can see things firsthand. It made so much more sense to my students after that--when they could actually sit in the chairs of the council members.
Make a community out of legos. You can make "laws" for your community deciding how much space each building can take, where they can be placed, etc. "Zoning" can become real to

students when there are space constraints.

Have a mock election at school for a group of "representatives" who will make some "laws" that govern the classroom. (I have never actually tried this with third graders--but I have read Class President by Johanna Hurwitz with them and it has some neat ideas.)

The more "hands-on" activities you can do, the easier they will get the concept.