Local and State Governments
Background Information & Activities
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| © 1999-2010 BrainPOP. All rights reserved. |
Review with your children that a government is a group that sets laws and runs a community. Discuss the role of student body governments and how students elect their peers to help lead and improve the school. Explain that a local government is the body that leads a specific community, such as a town or city. A state government is the body that leads a state. Your children should understand that laws may differ between communities and states. Each state has it’s own constitution, however state constitutions can not conflict with the national constitution. Local and state governments not only set laws, they also provide services. Help your children to understand that the government affects everyone’s lives and it is important to be involved in their community’s government.
The mayor is the elected leader of a local government. Some communities also have city councils, which are elected officials that work with the mayor to set laws and run the community. Communities are grouped into counties and many counties also have their own government that runs the county. The multiple levels of government may include elected positions, like a county sheriff or district attorney, and ensure the safety of community members and manage the day-to-day functioning of the entire community. The local government runs the school system, ensures that its communities have clean running water, organizes emergency services, sets laws to keep its members safe, and much more. Review different responsibilities the local government has in your community.
The state government runs the entire state. The governor is the elected leader of a state government. Each state also elects a senator and representatives to represent their state in Congress and the national government. You may wish to extend the topic by viewing BrainPOP’s movie on the branches of government. We also recommend watching the President movie together as an extension of the lesson. Some positions in the state government are elected, while others are appointed, or chosen, by the governor to help him or her run the state government. Appointees help manage the state’s education and health systems, protect the state’s environment, build and maintain roads that connect communities across the state, and much more.
Explain to children that when people vote, they learn about concerns and issues in their communities and vote for the person they think will represent their views and do the best job. Elected officials represent the people and their goal is to address the needs of their constituents. Encourage your children to be involved with their school and local government and think about improvements that can be made in their communities.
Local and State Governments Teacher Activities – Click Here!
Local and State Governments Family Activities – Click Here!
Local and State Governments Teacher Activities
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| © 1999-2010 BrainPOP. All rights reserved. |
Dear Mayor
Encourage your students to be active members of their communities. Brainstorm ideas that can help improve the entire community. Ideas can include a new park or community center, a new public library, programs to help the homeless and underserved neighborhoods, activities for the young or elderly, etc. Then start a letter-writing campaign in your class, grade, or school to your mayor. This will also provide an opportunity to teach how to write a business letter.
Elections
Encourage your children to vote in their school elections. If the school does not have a student government for the lower grades, consider electing a class president each week to give multiple children a chance to be an elected leader. Remind students that they should think about concerns in their school or classroom and vote for the person who they think will do the best job and represent their views. If possible, organize a debate among candidates and to discuss the issues. You may also want to hold an election for a class leader who can act as a liaison between students and yourself. This can help address your students’ concerns and encourage them to become active community members.
Local and State Governments Family Activities
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| © 1999-2010 BrainPOP. All rights reserved. |
Local Government
Together with your child, find out who leads your local government. Who is the mayor? What experience does he or she have? Learn about the backgrounds of your community leaders and encourage your child to communicate his or her concerns about the community. What can be improved in the community? How? Attend a meeting sponsored by the local government, such as a town hall meeting or a session of the city council. Encourage your child to be active and voice his or her concerns to government leaders.
State of the State
Visit your state’s website with your child. Find out about services your state offers and public programs that are relevant to children. Remind your child that the state government has many responsibilities. They run state parks and beaches; protect state land, water, plants, and animals; organize and manage state school systems; run state hospitals; organize programs that help homeless and people in need, etc. Who helps run the state government? Look for governor appointees on the state website to give your child an understanding of the vast number of people who are involved in running and leading the state.