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Lesson

Structured Academic Controversy: The Federal Bureaucracy’s Role in the U.S. Constitutional Republic

Published
Apr 15, 2025
Black and white cityscape with a blue artistic brush stroke and the Washington Monument in the distance.
Does the federal bureaucracy wield too much power in the U.S. constitutional republic?

Objectives

  • Students will analyze primary sources from four previous presidents regarding their views on the federal bureaucracy.
  • Students will apply information from the four sources to form a consensus statement on the role of the bureaucracy in the United States government.

Materials

Resources

Teacher Resource:

Student Resources:

Lesson Components

ActivityWhat is Structured Academic Controversy?

A step-by-step guide for students participating in a Structured Academic Controversy, a method that fosters critical thinking and consensus-building through structured debate and perspective-taking.

ActivityStructured Academic Controversy Graphic Organizer

A student activity to accompany the Structured Academic Controversy on the role of the Federal Bureaucracy's Role in the U.S. Constitutional Republic.

ActivityThe Executive Branch and Major Departments in the Bureaucracy Graphic Organizer

Help students research, analyze, and evaluate the roles of major bureaucratic departments and their impact on daily life and self-governance.

ActivitySupporters of Bureaucratic Government: Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt

What is bureaucracy? Explore primary sources that show how two former presidents supported the idea of the large federal bureaucracy.

ActivitySupporters of Bureaucratic Government: Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt Scaffolded

What is bureaucracy? Scaffolded primary sources that show how two former presidents supported the idea of the large federal bureaucracy.

ActivityCritics of Bureaucratic Government: Herbert Hoover and Ronald Reagan

What is bureaucracy? Primary sources that show how two former presidents critiqued the large federal bureaucracy

ActivityCritics of Bureaucratic Government: Herbert Hoover and Ronald Reagan Scaffolded

What is bureaucracy? Scaffolded primary sources that show how two former presidents critiqued the large federal bureaucracy

Lesson plan

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Standards