Abstract
Newspapers in the United States are often organized into sections dealing with national, state, and local issues. In this lesson students will use the differenct sections of newspapers to identify and categorize some of the functions of the various levels of government in the United States.

Targeted Audience: Grades 6-8

Time to Complete: 40-50 minutes.

Benchmark Addressed: Civics 1 [Government]

• Students will analyze the different functions of federal, state, and local governments in the United States…

Prior Knowledge
Students should understand that the American system of government is federal in nature meaning that power is divided and distributed among different levels of government - federal, state, and local. They also need to understand that, for purposes of this lesson and Civics benchmark 1, "local" government refers to any government below the level of the state (e.g. county, city, town).

Materials Needed

• One newspaper for every 3 students in class.
  
• Copies of Handout 1 for each student.
  
• Transparency 1 (see below) and copies of the transparency for each student.

Procedures

1. Create 3 columns on the chalkboard. Write the words "federal," "state," and "local" at the top of each column.

Remind students that the Constitution organized government in the United States to prevent tyranny or the abuse of power. One strategy used to achieve this goal was to divide and distribute the powers of government up into different levels so that it would be very difficult for one person or group to acquire too much power. Under the federal system, power in the United States is divided among the federal, state, and local governments. Although the federal system creates a very beneficial "check" in our system of checks and balances, the federal system also creates considerable confusion regarding the functions of the different levels. This lesson is designed to help students gain some understanding of different functions of each level.

2. Divide the class up into groups of 3 students. Pass out a copies of a newspaper and Handout 1 to each student. Give the 3 students in each group the following responsibilities: Student A is the Federal researcher, Student B is the State researcher, and Student C is the Local researcher. Each student is to go through the newspaper to find articles that explain what each of the various levels of government do. Each researcher is also responsible for filling in his or her section of Handout 1. Explain to students that newspapers are usually divided into sections dealing with national, state, and local issues. Tell them to begin with these sections then span out. Allow approximately 20 minutes for the research.

3. After 20 minutes or so, ask the students in each group to share the information that they uncovered with the other members of their group so that each student can fill in the remaining two columns of Handout 1.

4. Whole Group Summary: Invite volunteers to share some of the activities or functions uncovered for each level of government and fill in the chart that you created on the chalkboard. Ask students to complete their charts by filling in any functions that they did not uncover in their groups.

5. Project Transparency 1 on the overhead screen. Tell students that the information on the screen contains a list of the more distinguishable functions of each branch of government. Pass out copies of Transparency 1 to each student. Ask the students to circle the functions that they were able to glean from the newspaper. (see Extensions)

6. Ask the students to turn to the section of the newspaper that contains letters to the editor. Have the class read the first letter and note the name of the person who wrote it (e.g. Mary Jones). Ask the students which level of government, if any, the writer of the letter (e.g. Mary Jones) should go to regarding the issue that she has raised. Write "Mary Jones" name on the board under the appropriate level of government. Repeat this process for several of the letters to the editor.

Debriefing Questions

1. Explain the nature of the "federal system" that is incorporated into our system of government.
2. Explain why power is divided among different levels of government in the United States.
3. What are some of the functions of the federal, state, and local governments in the United States?
4. Why is it important for a citizen to know the functions of each of the three levels of government?

Extensions

• Create a bulletin board or chart that categorizes the three levels of government and features articles, photographs, or cartoons that illustrate the functions of each level.
  
• For the next few evenings' homework or for extra credit, ask the students look through future editions of the newspaper to try to find articles, photographs, or cartoons that highlight the functions of government that they were not able to find articles about in today's class.

Handout

Transparency