Name ___________________________________________________ Block ________ Teacher _________________
Unit Objectives
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Who makes up the Executive Branch
Powers of the President
The many different roles of the President
President and Policymaking
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Executive Branch Vocabulary
Unscramble each of the clue words.
Copy the letters in the numbered cells to other cells with the same number.
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Executive Branch Vocabulary
Directions:
1. Write the word next to the definition below.
2. In the right hand column draw a picture for each word.
Ambassador
Cabinet
Electoral College
Execute
Executive Order
Federal Bureaucracy
Foreign Policy
State of the Union Address
Political Appointee
Treaty
Regulatory Group
 Administer
To carry out; to perform a duty
Person appointed to a federal position by the
president
A group of people named by each state to select
the president and vice-president
An official representative of a country’s
government
All of the different agencies and employees of the
executive branch
Rule or command that has the force of law
Nation’s overall plan for dealing with other nations
Formal agreement between the governments of two
or more countries
Group of advisors to the president
A government appointed group that makes sure the
purpose of a law(s) are carried out properly
A yearly speech delivered in January by the
president of the US to Congress, giving the
administration's view of the state of the nation and
plans for legislation
To manage
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EXECUTIVE BRANCH READING
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read each section.
Highlight key terms.
Circle words you do not understand. Look the words up in a dictionary!
In the large margin on the right, write down the main idea of each paragraph.
Roles and Powers of the President
The Executive Branch is headed by the President who is the Chief Executive Officer
of the nation. The Constitution gives the President certain powers within the national government.
These powers are: 1- executing the laws of the land; 2- preparing the annual budget for
congressional action; 3- appointing cabinet officers, ambassadors, and federal judges;
and 4- administering the federal bureaucracy.
The President has many different roles. The President can exercise power as the Chief of State
or the ceremonial head of government. The President can exercise power as the Chief Executive,
or the head of the executive branch of the national government. He is the Chief Legislator who
proposes a legislative agenda to the Congress. The President as the Commander-in-Chief is
head of the nation’s armed forces. The President can exercise power as the Chief Diplomat over
American foreign policy. He is the Chief of Party, or leader of the political party that controls the
executive branch. Finally, the President represents all the American people as Chief Citizen.
1. Why does the president have so many roles and duties?
Checks and Balances of the Executive Branch
There are four ways the president and the executive branch checks Congress. The president
proposes, or offers legislation for Congress to consider, the president prepares an annual budget
which he submits for their approval, the president can call, or convene, a special session of
Congress to address certain issues and finally, the president checks Congress when the president
vetoes, or rejects legislation that Congress has passed.
The President also checks the judicial branch, or the courts. This check occurs when the president
nominates, or recommends judges and justices to federal courts.
2. List the ways the Executive Branch can “check” the Legislative Branch.
3. List the ways the Executive Branch can “check” the Judicial Branch.
The President and Policymaking
At the national level the executive branch plays a key role in the policymaking process.
However, although the power of the Presidency is broad in both domestic and foreign affairs,
there are limits on what the President can and cannot do.
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There are four ways that the executive branch can influence policymaking. The President has
the power to 1- propose legislation in an annual speech to Congress called the State of the
Union Address. The President can 2- appeal directly to the people on issues of interest to
the President and 3- approve or veto legislation. Finally, the President has the power to
4- appoint officials who carry out the laws of the land.
Who helps the president do his job? The executive branch consists of the federal bureaucracy
Which is all of the cabinet departments, agencies, and regulatory groups that interpret
and execute laws for the president. Since the Constitution was ratified back in 1788,
presidential power has grown.
4. What are the ways the President can influence policymaking?
5. Who helps the President to carry out the laws of the land?
The Electoral College
Let’s say you are a registered voter in the state of Virginia. When you cast your ballot in a
presidential election, your individual vote becomes a part of the popular vote. The popular
vote does not directly elect the president, however. Instead you are actually voting for a
group of people called electors.
The slate or list of electors from each state is chosen by the political parties before a presidential
election. The number of electors from each state is based on a state’s Congressional
representation. Virginia has thirteen electors because it has two Senators and eleven
Representatives in Congress. (2 Senators + 11 Representatives = 13 electors)
After all of the popular votes are counted in a state, the candidate who receives the most popular
votes “wins” the state since most states have a winner-take-all system. This means that the
electors who represent the party of the winning candidate meet to cast all of the state’s electoral
votes for that candidate. In Virginia, this would mean that all 13 electoral votes would go to the c
candidate who won the popular vote in Virginia.
Every ten years the government takes a census to determine the population of each state. The
population of a state determines the number of representatives each state can have in Congress.
It also determines the number of electoral votes it will have in the next presidential election.
6- Draw a flow map of the Electoral College Process
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TITLE:
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
Powers of the
President
DATE:
The president is the chief executive officer of the United States.
He/she has the power to:
1. _______________________________________________
2. Prepare an __________________________ for _______________
to approve (check and balance)
3. Appoints _______________________, _________________, and
______________________ to help carry out the laws (Congress
checks this power by confirming or denying the appointments)
4. ________________ the _________________________
5. Call _________ into special session when needed (check and balance)
Seven Roles of the
president
Decorate each hat to
represent the role
The president exercises power by doing each of the following roles (almost
all of them daily!)
1. _____________________________________________
 Head of the Executive branch and enforces the laws
 Issues ______________________ when action is needed
immediately
2. _____________________________________________
 Ceremonial head of the government
 Symbol of our nation
 Meets and visits leaders of other countries
3. _____________________________________________
 Approves or ______________ laws
 Proposes laws for the legislative agenda of Congress
 Makes an annual speech called ____________________
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4. _____________________________________________
 Architect (creator) of _______________________
 Focuses on keeping our country safe from harm
 Appoints _______________ to represent our country in
other nations
 Makes ___________________ with other nations
5. _____________________________________________
 Head of the armed forces
 Used the armed forces to back up _________________
decisions
6. ______________________________________________
 Seen as the leader of his/her political party
 After all, it is the president and leads the nation!
7. ______________________________________________
 Represents all the people
 Concerned about the economic prosperity of the U.S.
The president
needs help!
Who helps the president on a daily basis to interpret and carry out the
laws of the land?
1. __________________________________________________
 group of advisors closest to the president.
 provide the president with detailed information so he can make
informed decisions
2. _________________________________________________
 Departments
 Agencies
 ________________________________
Things about the
president to
remember
 The president has broad powers in dealing with domestic and foreign affairs.
 But still, the Constitution does place a limit on what the president can and
cannot do.
 The power of the presidency has grown over the years since the Constitution
was ratified in 1787.
CONCLUSION
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Essential Question:
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Summary :
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National Executive Branch Study Guide
 Be able to define and use each of the vocabulary words
 Name and be able to recognize examples of the powers and checks
and balances of the president/executive branch
1. Executes the laws of the land
2. Prepares the annual budget for congressional action
3. Appoints cabinet officers, ambassadors and federal judges
for Congress to approve
4. Administers the federal bureaucracy
5. Call Congress into special session
6. Approve and veto legislation
7. Proposes legislation to Congress
 Identify the 3 qualifications for president
 Name the length of term, number of terms allowed, term limit
amendment of a president
 Identify the presidential line of succession
 Describe the organization and the duties of the executive branch
 Article II of the Constitution outlines the Executive Branch
 Name and be able to recognize examples of the 7 roles (hats) of the
president
Vice President
President
Chief Diplomatarchitect (creates)
of American
foreign policy
Cabinet
Agencies and
regulatory groups of
the federal
bureaucracy
Commander-inchief- head of the
nation’s armed
forces
 Describe the ways the president can influence policymaking
 Propose legislation in an annual speech to Congress called
the State of the Union Address
 Appeal directly to the people for support
 Approve or veto legislation
 Appoint officials who carry out the laws (political
appointees)
Chief Citizenrepresentative of
all the people
Chief of Partyleader of the
party that
controls the
executive branch
Chief Legislatorproposes the
legislative agenda
 Power of the president has grown since the Constitution was
ratified
 Describe how the Electoral college process is used to select the
president and vice president
Chief of Stateceremonial head
of the
government
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Chief Executivehead of the
executive branch
of government
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