Grade 4 Spring — US National Geography and Westward Expansion (1803–1890): Whose Land, Whose Story, Whose Future?
History · CIV G4 (D2.Civ.1-6.3-5; CA HSS 4.5 federal; TEKS 4.16; NYS 5.6 G5 entry) hist.g4.s.civ.federal_government_three_branches

Identify the federal government's three branches (continuing from G4-Fall state branches); explain Treaty Clause and the federal-treaty role

Identify the federal government's three branches: Executive (President + Vice President + Cabinet + Executive Branch agencies); Legislative (Congress — Senate + House of Representatives + child's own state's US Senators and US Representative by name); Judicial (Supreme Court + federal courts). Explain the Treaty Clause (Article II Section 2 of US Constitution — President negotiates, Senate ratifies by 2/3 vote). Connect to unit content: the Indian Removal Act 1830 passed Congress and was signed by President Jackson; the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 1848 was negotiated by Executive and ratified by Senate; Cherokee Nation v. Georgia 1831 + Worcester v. Georgia 1832 were Supreme Court rulings. Vocabulary: branch, Executive, Legislative, Judicial, ratify, Treaty Clause, Senator, Representative.

Mastery threshold
80%
Min instances
10
Typical minutes
50
Spaced intervals (days)
1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60
Common misconceptions
  • Confusing federal three branches with state three branches (G4-Fall) — they are PARALLEL structures
  • Treating the Supreme Court as having final say on enforcement (the Jackson administration violated Cherokee Nation v. Georgia + Worcester v. Georgia rulings — naming this matters)
  • Forgetting the 2/3 Senate ratification requirement for treaties
  • Naming the President but not own Senators/Representative

Exercise pool (3)