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The Big Idea Activity

Why do communities need governments?

Role-Play a Government Official

  California Standard 3.4 Students understand the role of rules and laws in our daily lives and the basic structure of the U.S. government.

Student working on the Activity

Additional Links

Students may wish to perform a search to find out who their mayor is and learn more about departments of their local government.

Information at a California state agency level


Susan B. Anthony

  California Standard 3.4.6 Describe the lives of American heroes who took risks to secure our freedoms (e.g., Anne Hutchinson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr.).

Susan B. Anthony

Teaching Tips

Tell students that today's League of Women Voters has its historical roots in the women's suffrage movement. Carrie Chapman Catt founded the organization in 1920.

Additional Links

These links provide information about the women's suffrage movement, as well as the Susan B. Anthony dollar.

The Susan B. Anthony Dollar


Washington D.C.

  California Standard 3.4.3 Know the histories of important local and national landmarks, symbols, and essential documents that create a sense of community among citizens and exemplify cherished ideals (e.g., the U.S. flag, the bald eagle, [MORE]

White House

Teaching Tips

Tell students that the nation's capital was not always Washington, D.C. During the birth of our government, the capital was located in Pennsylvania.

Additional Links

Washington, D.C.
Important Washington, DC Sites

District of Columbia Resource Page