Checks and Balances

Explain separation of powers, and how each branch can check another.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 34

The founders feared too much power in one place. So they divided the government into three branches. That's called separation of powers.
Each branch has its own job. The legislative branch makes laws. The executive branch carries them out. The judicial branch interprets them, which means deciding what they mean.
Each branch can also limit the others. These are the checks and balances. The president can veto a bill, which means rejecting it.
But Congress can override a veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses.
The Supreme Court can strike down a law that breaks the Constitution. And the president chooses judges, but the Senate must approve them. No branch gets the last word on everything.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Social Studies:

SS4CG3.a — Describe how the three branches of government interact with each other (checks and balances and separation of powers), and how they relate to local, state, and federal government.
IPS.12 — Information Processing Skill 12: analyze graphs and diagrams (developing in Grade 4)