Government · Week 8 · Institutions, Courts, and Federalism
Power in the Executive
Examining how President Kennedy and his advisers weighed options during the Cuban Missile Crisis and noticing how fear and pressure shape students' own choices.
- Students will
- Students describe the powers and duties of the president and analyze how President Kennedy and his advisers weighed options during the Cuban Missile Crisis, explaining how the Constitution limits presidential power.
- SEL skill
- Notice how fear or pressure shapes a choice and name it before deciding
- What it looks like
- Students notice how fear and pressure shape their own choices and use emotions as information for decisions.
- Content focus
- Power in the executive
- Format
- Think write pair share
Self-awareness
Self-awareness means recognizing your emotions and thoughts, including what pushes you, and understanding how they influence your choices. More self-awareness activities
What you get
A teacher guide with what to say, step by step, plus student pages and a supports page for students with diverse learning needs, including those with IEPs. Print or Project it, or assign it in Google Forms and Google Docs for Google Classroom. Your first 10 activities are free.
Standards
- 12.4.4: CA History Social Science Content Standard, Grade 12: Principles of American Democracy (standard 12.4, item 4)
- 12.7.8: CA History Social Science Content Standard, Grade 12: Principles of American Democracy (standard 12.7, item 8)
- CA HSS Analysis Skill: HI4 Understand the meaning and impact of historical events and recognize that events could have taken other directions. (Historical Interpretation)
- C3 Framework (national): D2.Civ.4.9-12 Explain how the Constitution sets up a government whose powers and limits have changed over time and are still debated.
- Literacy in history: RH.11-12.9 Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
Fits these textbook chapters
- Government Alive! Power, Politics, and You, Chapter 1: The Nature of Power, Politics, and Government
- Government Alive! Power, Politics, and You, Chapter 13: Chief Executives and Bureaucracies
- Government Alive! Power, Politics, and You, Chapter 14: The Federal Budget
- Government Alive! Power, Politics, and You, Chapter 17: Creating American Foreign Policy
- United States Government and Civics, Chapter 9: The Presidency
- United States Government and Civics, Chapter 11: Structure and Functions of the Executive Branch
- United States Government and Civics, Chapter 12: State and Local Executive Branches
- United States Government and Civics, Chapter 21: Financing Government
- United States Government and Civics, Chapter 23: Making Foreign and Defense Policy
- Magruder's American Government, Chapter 13: The Presidency
- Magruder's American Government, Chapter 14: The Presidency in Action
- Magruder's American Government, Chapter 15: Government at Work: The Bureaucracy
- Magruder's American Government, Chapter 16: Financing Government
- Magruder's American Government, Chapter 17: Foreign Policy and National Defense
Textbook names are used only to help you find activities that fit what you teach. RoseThread Connect is not affiliated with these publishers.
More self-awareness activities for Government
- Who Is a Citizen Here? Self-awarenessStudents map the communities they already belong to and name the civic identity they bring into Principles of American Democracy.
- Parties, Polls, and Persuasion Self-awarenessExamining how campaigns from every party use polls and advertising to stir emotion and practicing how to notice when a message is pulling on one's feelings.
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RoseThread Connect activities are drafted with the help of AI and shaped by educators. Students never have to share anything personal. Our five SEL skills are informed by CASEL's SEL Framework; RoseThread Learning is not affiliated with or endorsed by CASEL.