Curryed Away: Carrying Curry Education Away and Into the Classroom

Lesson: Introduction: Three Branches (Lesson 1). Context: 8th Grade Advanced Civics and Economics class at Henley Middle School. Students come from suburban and rural areas, about half have a parent(s) that works for UVA. Advanced students have an on- or above-grade level reading ability, 95% have Internet access outside of school.
Unit: Structure and Functions of US Government.

The backbone of Civics, what is government and what does it do, is a partial review of what students learned in sixth-grade US History. The lesson is built on this idea and thus attempts to tap into students’ prior knowledge while expanding their critical-thinking and metacognitive skills. Using techniques from the concept development model, students build on their knowledge through group interaction. The students are hooked by the sociability of the activity, as well as the drive to reach each level of thinking. Educator Doug Lemov describes this as “Look Forward,” or creating anticipation for what is coming next to keep students interested and on pace (p. 231, 2001). Working in groups also encourages friendly competition, which motivates students to put in their best effort. Lastly, the lesson taps into the goals of Honors students by the teacher’s framing of the culminating reflection. The reflection is described as a practice of a good student, especially a student interested in the AP track in high school.
The United States and Virginia governments are structured to have distinct and independent branches. Articles I, II and III of the US Constitution describe the structure and function of the legislative, executive and judicial branches respectively. Articles IV, V and VI of the Virginia Constitution describe the same with Article III outlining that “departments shall be separate and distinct, so that none exercise the powers properly belonging to the others, nor any person exercise the power of more than one of them at the same time” (law.justia.com). Both governments break the governing process into creating laws (legislate), carrying out laws (execute) and interpreting laws (judge). This separation of powers allows the government to protect and ensure one of America’s greatest strengths – diversity. As Thomas Jefferson wrote in his 1825 Declaration and Protest of Virginia about the organization of government, “[they] have completely secured the first object of human association, the full improvement of their condition, and reserved to themselves all the faculties of multiplying their own blessings” (Thomas Jefferson on Politics and Government).