Every American is affected by government in countless ways during their lifetime. Yet most people give little or no thought to the extent which the federal, state, and local governments impact their daily lives.

Students begin this lesson looking at ways that government serves the interests of the American people. In box 1, they will choose one area (of twelve that are shown) that they think is the most important, and underline it in the list. Choices include such things as postal services, minimum wage laws, air traffic control, highway construction, product safety laws, etc. Once they have made a selection, each class member must then give reasons for their choice (30-50 words). You can then ask for a few volunteers to read the paragraph they have written. Continue in the same way with boxes 2-4, each of which contains twelve additional ways government serves the interests of the American people. 

Next, students answer two Thought Questions to develop critical thinking skills. One of which asks them to list 12 areas government directly or indirectly affects their lives at this time.

The lesson concludes with a fun contest. Without looking at the first two activity sheets, class members try to fill in as many missing words in government services and programs as possible. The first letter of each answer is given as a clue. Correct answers are worth either 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 points. A perfect score is 100.

Easy-to-follow Teacher Instructions and answer key included.