How Governments Help Our Communities
🏛️ What is government, and why do we need it? This government lesson for kids helps third grade students understand how laws are made, why leaders are elected, and how our communities function. With clear explanations and vibrant visuals, the video connects the world of civics to real life in a way students can relate to and remember.
🗳️ Learn About Rules, Voting, and National Symbols
Students explore how the three levels of government — local, state, and national — work together to create laws and provide services. They’ll discover the meaning behind national symbols like the U.S. flag, Liberty Bell, and bald eagle, and begin to understand how documents like the Constitution and Bill of Rights shape our country.
🎥 This government lesson for kids goes beyond memorization by inviting students to think about what it means to be a responsible citizen. Through relatable examples and historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Susan B. Anthony, the video encourages fairness, empathy, and participation in their own communities.
🏆 Ideal for third grade civics, government, or social studies units, this video is designed to build understanding and pride in civic life. Teachers can use it to kick off a unit, wrap up a theme, or spark class discussions about fairness, responsibility, and our shared role in democracy.
Video length: 14:20 minutes.
Worksheets
Quiz
United States Government Crossword
The 3 Branches of Government
US Government and Communities Interactive Game
My Leaders
Draw A Scene
Universal Resources
National Standards
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“I am currently teaching government to my third graders and your video on how our government helps our communities is PERFECT!”
Topics Covered In This Video
There are 3 levels of government – local, state, and national
National government has 3 branches
Description of 3 branches
Each state also has 3 branches
Local governments have mayors and councils
People are citizens of all 3 levels
Citizens have rights and responsibilities
Classroom Ideas
Independence Day around the World
Compare/contrast celebrations such as Independence Day in the U.S., Bastille Day (France) and National Revolution Day (Cuba). Explore the similarities and differences between these celebrations.
Cloze Practice
A cloze piece has full sentences used in the virtual field trip with blanks where students can write in the information that is missing. This task requires close listening to the trip in order to complete it.
Coral reefs are the _______ type of ecosystem in the world. They’ve been around for over _____ million years.
Answers: oldest; 240
Alternatively, you could have students create 5-10 cloze statements and they could share those with the class.
A third alternative is to distribute the cloze worksheets before watching the video. Students can fill them in as they watch.
Create Quizzes
Students create a quiz based on the information presented for their peers. This can be used as a review for a test, or jigsaw class activity where students are responsible for teaching other students assigned topics.
Student Policymakers
Students will create government policies about cyberbullying and digital citizenship as if they were in Congress/Senate.
Running the Government
Visit your local city hall and/or state capital to find out more information about how
Explore Vocabulary
Identify key vocabulary terms while previewing each video. Prompt students to find the meaning of each word as they watch the video.
Art and Social Studies
Draw a scene from the video you just watched.
Visual Learning
Offer videos to struggling learners as another means of creating knowledge and accessing information.
Classroom Ideas for ALL Videos
Dozens and dozens of ideas that you can use in your classroom along with our videos!
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Grade 1 - Let's Learn About The Government
Grade 3 - A Country of Cultures
Grade 3 - I Am A Consumer
Grade 3 - Businesses At Work
Grade 2 - Our Government At Work
Video Subscriptions
When you only need one video- Unlimited viewing of 1 video
- Post-trip quiz + resources for 1 video
- Access to Closed Captioned version of 1 video
- Lowest-cost option
Teacher + Class Subscription
Teacher + Students- Unlimited access to the entire video lesson library
- All quizzes + learning resources
- Access for 1 teacher + all students
- Access to all Spanish videos + resources
- Access to all Closed Captioned videos
- Best value option for one teacher
School-wide Site License
All teachers + All students- Unlimited access to the entire video lesson library
- All quizzes + learning resources
- Access for all teachers and all students
- Access to all Spanish videos + resources
- Access to all Closed Captioned videos
- Best for school administrators supporting their teachers & students
- Up to 500 students – $450/year
- 500-1,000 students – $600/year
- 1,000+ students – $1,000/year
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