Scoot Your Way Through Your Government Unit Plans

The United States government is a complex structure of democracy and law, but learning about it doesn’t have to be complicated. The Branches of Government Scoot Activity can help your learners discover precisely what happens when Congress, the Supreme Court, or President make decisions that impact the people they serve. With this unique resource and many other excellent educational materials from Teach Starter, teachers can bring lessons on government citizenship and civics alive! Some concepts included are:

• Which branch of government makes laws?
• What branch of government declares war?
• What branch of government vetoes bills?
• And more!

This activity is perfect for helping students study the three branches of government, who is involved, and their responsibilities.  This game includes 20 game cards, a recording sheet, and an answer key, making it perfect for individual or partner activities, small group classes, or even whole class reviews. 

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

A team of dedicated, experienced educators created this resource to support your Social Studies lessons. 

In addition to individual student work time, use this scoot game to enhance learning through social studies groups, whole class lessons, or test prep activities.

If you have a mixture of above and below-level learners, check out these suggestions for keeping students on track with the concepts: 

🆘 Support Struggling Students

Help students who need help understanding the concepts by 

• Completing the activity as a whole group or in a small group session.
• Provide students with a Branches of Government anchor chart or reference sheet to use during the activity completion.

➕ Challenge Fast Finishers

• Have students make an anchor chart or slide presentation about the different branches of government.
• Have students turn their learning into an infographic or research project.

🧑‍🏫 Group Lesson (or Other Activity)

• Complete the scoot cards together underneath a document camera and discuss the concepts during the lesson.

Plan lessons for more U.S. government topics with our President’s Day Ideas!

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the color or blackline versions of the resource.

Print on cardstock for added durability and longevity. Place all pieces in a folder or large envelope for easy access. 

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and Teach Starter Collaborator. 

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities and resources that cut down on lesson planning time:  

teaching resource Government Services Sort Provide students with practice identifying services provided by the government. teaching resource Levels of Government Worksheet - Responsibilities of Each Level Sort the duties of state, local, and national government with a free sorting worksheet. teaching resource George Washington Printable Book Read and learn about the father of our country, George Washington, with a printable reader and activity book.