Lauren Keenan

Midwest Governors
Day Ten
45 Mins

Introduction: Ask students if they know who the Governor of Pennsylvania is. Explain
that each state in our country has a Governor, including each of the states in the Midwest
that we have been learning about.
Objective: Students will research an assigned state and complete a worksheet with
corresponding questions and a short persuasive essay.

Standards:
PA Standard:
5.1.4.C: Explain the principles and ideals shaping local and state government.
5.3.4.C: Identify the services performed by local and state governments.
NCSS.1.6 THEME SIX
NCSS.1.6.b ...help students to explain the purpose of government and how its
powers are acquired, used, and justified;
NCSS.1.6.f ...help learners identify and describe the basic features of the
American political system, and identify representative leaders from various levels
and branches of government;
NCSS.1.5 THEME FIVE -- Individuals, Groups and Institutions:
NCSS.1.5.a ...help learners understand the concepts of role, status, and social
class and use them in describing the connections and interactions of individuals,
groups, and institutions in society;

Anticipatory Set:
Show the students a Brain POP video on Local and State Governments. Tell
students to look and listen for the jobs of the governor and information they did
not know before watching the video
Have students brainstorm what they learned from the video. The teacher will
write the ideas on butcher paper.
To connect to the previous days lesson, the teacher will say A states governor
and their government effects the lives of all people who live there. It affects the
people that live in cities as well as those who live on farms.
Since the states government makes many of the states individual laws, it affects
all the people who live and work there.

Procedure:
1. Each student will be assigned a state in the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota,
Wisconsin).
2. To demonstrate, the teacher will go to Illinois government website and find the
governors name and show the students ways to find what they will need to find
for the worksheet.
3. The teacher will also explain that the students can use the search bar on the
website if they are having trouble finding what they need.
4. Once assigned to their state, each student will get a packet with a list of the
websites for each state and a worksheet.
5. Students will go on computers and go to the website for their corresponding state.
6. After researching and getting familiar with the website for about five minutes,
students will begin filling out the worksheet.
7. Students will turn in their worksheets after completion.

Differentiation:
1. For students with ADD or ADHD: The teacher will provide them with time
throughout the activity to get up and move around the room to help them refocus.
2. For students with reading difficulties: the teacher will provide an oral form of the
assessment for the student.

Closure:
Say: One of the major figures in Midwest history that we are going to talk about
tomorrow in class, Laura Ingalls Wilder, has traveled and lived in five of the states we
researched today. Dx4rxs

Assessment:
Formative: The teacher will walk around the room observing and monitoring progress.
Summative: The teacher will collect the students worksheet and short persuasive letter
for grading.
Materials: Worksheets, computers, printer, SMART board/projector
Technology: Video in anticipatory set and computers for research.
Reflection on Planning:
I began with deciding what I wanted the students to accomplish by the end of my
lesson. After deciding this I started with the procedure and continued adding to the
procedure as I went along with the lesson and my research. I decided to split the students
up and give them each a state in the Midwest to research because I believe there are too
many for them to do them all. One thing that could improve this lesson is the addition of

more research topics. I could have the students research more government figures in
each of the states.
This lesson provides many potential benefits. One includes the students having a
good understanding of the government systems in each of the states they were assigned to
research. One concern I have for this lesson is that students are not learning about the
other governors in the states they are not researching. Overall I believe this is a very
good lesson and I believe students will learn a lot from it.

Sources:
Berson, M. Harcourt social studies. Orlando, Fl.: Harcourt School Publishers. 2007. Print.
http://www.illinois.gov
http://www.indiana.gov
http://www.iowa.gov
http://www.kansas.gov
http://www.michigan.gov
http://mn.gov
http://www.nebraska.gov
http://www.nd.gov
http://www.ohio.gov
http://sd.gov
http://www.wisconsin.gov

Teacher content notes:

I.
Illinois:
A. Governor: Pat Quinn
B. Democratic Party
C. He has been in office since January 29, 2009
II.
Indiana:
A. Governor: Mike Pence
B. Republican Party
C. January 14, 2013
III.
Iowa:
A. Governor: Terry Branstad
B. Republican Party
C. Became governor in 1978
IV.
Kansas:
A. Governor: Sam Brownback
B. Republican Party
C. Begame governor in 2011
V.
Michigan:
A. Governor: Rick Snyder
B. Republican Party
C. January 1, 2011
VI.
Minnesota:
A. Governor: mark Dayton
B. Democratic Party
C. 2011
VII. Nebraska:
A. Governor: Dave Heineman
B. Republican Party
C. January 21, 2005
VIII. North Dakota:
A. Jack Dalrymple
B. Republican Party
C. December 7, 2010
IX.
Ohio
A. John R. Kasich
B. Republican Party
C. January 10, 2011
X.
South Dakota
A. Dennis Daugaard
B. Republican Party
C. January 8, 2011
XI.
Wisconsin
A. Scott Walker
B. Republican Party

C. November 2, 2010

Illinois: http://www.illinois.gov
Indiana: http://www.indiana.gov
Iowa: http://www.iowa.gov
Kansas: http://www.kansas.gov
Michigan: http://www.michigan.gov
Minnesota: http://mn.gov
Nebraska: http://www.nebraska.gov
North Dakota: http://www.nd.gov
Ohio: http://www.ohio.gov
South Dakota: http://sd.gov
Wisconsin: http://www.wisconsin.gov

Name: _____________________________________ Date: _______________________

1. State you are researching:

____________________________________________________________________
2. Governor of this state:
____________________________________________________________________
3. What is the Governors Political Party? (Republican, Democrat, etc..)
____________________________________________________________________
4. How many years has the Governor held this office?
____________________________________________________________________
5. What is the governors most recent accomplishment?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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6. Write a letter to the governor of your state and persuade

him or her to support a new law that would benefit the
citizens of that state.
____________________________________________________________________
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