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9th grade · Social Studies · Unit 5 of 10

Three Branches

Congress, the president and the courts

What your child practices

Practices the purposes, organization and powers of Congress, the president and the federal courts under Articles 1 to 3 of the Constitution, and checks and balances.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 9.1.4.2; 9.1.4.3; 9.1.4.4 · the legislative, executive and judicial branches

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Congress: representatives serve 2 years; senators (at least 30 years old) serve 6. Tax bills must start in the House.
  2. The president is commander in chief of the armed forces.
  3. Judges serve for life so they can rule fairly without worrying about re-election. Every state has 2 senators.

Example: Which chamber must start bills to raise taxes? The Constitution gives this power to the chamber closest to the people. That is the House of Representatives. Answer: the House of Representatives

Three Branches in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 5 of 10 in 9th grade Social Studies, after Foundations of Democracy and before Rights & Responsibilities.

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: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

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

    Minnesota has how many seats in the US House of Representatives?

    • 8
    • 2
    • 50
    • 100

  2. Question 2

    How many terms can a president be elected to?

    • Unlimited
    • Three
    • Two
    • One

  3. Question 3

    What is a cabinet department?

    • A state government
    • A part of Congress
    • A Supreme Court office
    • A part of the executive branch, such as the Department of Education

  4. Question 4

    Who nominates federal judges?

    • The president
    • The voters
    • The governor
    • The House

  5. Question 5

    Like every state, Minnesota elects how many US senators?

    • 8
    • 2
    • 10
    • 1

  6. Question 6

    Which article of the Constitution creates the presidency?

    • Article III
    • Article II
    • Article VI
    • Article I

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