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9th grade · Social Studies · Unit 4 of 9

Three Branches

Congress, the President and the courts, and how they check each other

What your child practices

The structure, powers and checks of Congress, the presidency and the federal courts, how each branch makes decisions, and Arizona's seats in Congress.

Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: HS.C4.1; HS.C3.1 · procedures for decisions in all three branches, and how the US Constitution divides and limits power

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Congress makes laws, the president carries them out, the courts interpret them. The vice president takes over if the president dies or resigns.
  2. Checks: Congress can override a veto with two-thirds of both houses, and can pass a new law or amendment if it disagrees with the Court.
  3. Senators must be at least 30. Judges serve for life. Every state has 2 senators.

Example: How can Congress override a president’s veto? A veto blocks a bill. A two-thirds vote in both houses overrides it. Answer: with a two-thirds vote in both houses

Three Branches in Arizona

In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 4 of 9 in 9th grade Social Studies, after Forms of Government and before Elections & Voting.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Arizona Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Who is the head of the judicial branch?

    • The attorney general
    • The president
    • The Speaker of the House
    • The chief justice of the United States

  2. Question 2

    How does the Supreme Court decide which cases to hear?

    • It chooses a small number of cases, often about constitutional questions
    • Congress assigns cases
    • The president picks them
    • It hears every case in the country

  3. Question 3

    How long is a president's term?

    • 2 years
    • 4 years
    • 6 years
    • 8 years

  4. Question 4

    Since the 2020 census, how many members does Arizona send to the US House?

    • 9
    • 2
    • 53

  5. Question 5

    What is an executive order?

    • A directive from the president to manage the executive branch
    • An amendment
    • A law passed by Congress
    • A court ruling

  6. Question 6

    The "power of the purse" belongs to…

    • The president
    • The states
    • Congress, which controls taxing and spending
    • The Supreme Court

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