The Roadmap is a remix of the Michigan Open Book, MC3 and pieces of the GIANTS all in one place. This lesson expands on students’ understanding of the concept of government which was introduced in grade 2. It begins with a small group activity where students explore what a community would be like without a government. After examining some of the important purposes of government, students study specific ways the Michigan state government works to fulfill these purposes.

This Roadmap is a remix of the Michigan Open Book, MC3 and GIANTS all in one place. This lesson serves as an introduction to the concept of levels of government. It begins with a review of the purposes of government. Students then explore the similarities and differences of state and local governments. Finally, they draw conclusions as to why state governments are needed.

The Roadmap is a remix of the Michigan Open Book, MC3, and GIANTS all in one place. Through a brief introduction to the concept of a republic, students learn that in our system of government, the power resides with the people. During the lesson, students identify their state representative and state senator.

The Roadmap is a remix of the Michigan Open Book, MC3 and GIANTS all in one place. In this lesson students explore how the Michigan constitution limits the power of government by separating power. Students begin by creating a graphic organizer illustrating the organization of their local government. Students then examine how power is separated among the three branches of Michigan government and construct an organizer illustrating the branches.

This is a Roadmap that is a remix of Michigan Open Book, MC3, and GIANTS all in one place. In this lesson, students first explore factors that led to increased population growth in Michigan. Students create a timeline and use maps and other resources as they learn how Michigan attained statehood. A focus is placed on the causal relationships between various events. In addition, the influence of individuals in creating history is addressed through examples such as Lewis Cass, Stevens T. Mason, and the many early settlers who came to Michigan.

This Roadmap is a full year plan that covers the geography, economics, government and history of Michigan.

This unit provides students with an overview of federalism and the tension that it creates between states and the federal government.  Students will utilize online resources, face to face assignments and class discussion.  Finally students will write an essay based on their opinion of  "Does the federal government have too much authority?"

Students will extend their civic perspective from second grade local government to state government. They begin with an examination of the purposes of government and ways in which the government of Michigan works to fulfill those purposes. By exploring the concept of representative government, students learn how the power of government resides with the people. They build upon their knowledge of local government and community by distinguishing the roles of state government from local government and explore why state governments are needed. By learning about the Michigan Constitution, students are introduced to the concept of limited government and the history of Michigan’s Constitution. An understanding of limited government is further enriched through an exploration of how the powers of government are separated among the branches in state government. Students then explore the judicial branch by examining ways courts function to resolve conflict. Finally, students consider important rights and responsibilities of citizenship including the responsibility to be informed about public issues.

This project is meant to be a flexible way for students to research Michigan with student choice and voice. Feel free to modify it to suit your students' needs.

You have learned that there are different areas of social studies. You have learned about geography. You have also learned about economics. In this chapter you will learn about civics. You will discover that civics is the study of government. It is also the study of the role people play in government. But, wait! What is government?

UMCDC 3rd Grade MiOpen Book Chapter 3 Section 2 "Why do we need local governments and a state government?" (20-21)