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Lesson

Healthy Tension through Checks and Balances

Guiding question

How do the three branches of government interact to create a system of checks and balances?

Grade
6–8
Published
Aug 16, 2025
The White House with the Washington Monument and the Tidal Basin in the background on a clear day.
Explore case studies of branches asserting their constitutional authority to check one another.

Founding Principles

Checks and Balances, Separation of Powers

Guiding Questions 

  • How do the three branches of government interact to create a system of checks and balances? 
  • How does this system ensure the effective functioning of representative government?    

Objectives 

  • Students will explore case studies of each branch asserting its constitutional powers to check another branch. 
  • Students will understand how a system of checks and balances helps uphold a representative government. 

Materials

Student Resources:

Lesson Components

ActivityHealthy Tension through Checks and Balances Middle School Graphic Organizer

A student handout to accompany the case study essays.

EssayChecks and Balances Middle School Case Study Essays

Three case studies that showcase government branches asserting their constitutional authority to check another.

Lesson plan

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Standards

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