The Executive Branch: President’s Cabinet Activity for Civics & American History

This Executive Branch: President’s Cabinet Scenario Match for Civics & American History reinforces the fifteen departments of the Executive Branch with real-life scenarios, perfect practice for any lesson on Article Two of the United States Constitution! 

Students analyze letters from citizens asking for help with problems and apply their knowledge of the Executive Branch to connect each issue to a department of the President’s Cabinet best suited to help. A great research and application activity to reinforce the responsibilities of the Executive Branch! 

Available as both a printable worksheet and a Google Slides digital lesson, this resource is perfect for middle school students studying the Three Branches of Government in Civics, American Government, or American History!

✯ Compatible with the Florida State Standards for Middle School Civics:

• SS.7.CG.3.8: Explain the structure, functions and processes of the executive branch of government.

This Executive Branch: President’s Cabinet Scenario Match Activity includes:

✯ A 2-page Letters to the President’s Cabinet Scenario Match. 

• 15 letters to the President describe various realistic political issues that each connect to the powers and responsibilities of a different department in the Executive Branch. 
• Students match each letter to an Executive Branch agency and describe why they’ve chosen that agency by identifying 1-2 key responsibilities of the department. 
• A short-answer response is also included. Students will choose an issue they care about and determine which Executive Branch agency could help. 

Sample Letters to the President include:

• “My grandpa served in the army in the Vietnam War. As he’s gotten older, he’s had some health issues, like arthritis in his knees and hands. I’d like to look into what medical benefits are available to him to help pay for a doctor and medical care.” (Veterans’ Affairs will help with this problem because they offer assistance to veterans of the United States military, including medical benefits.)
• “My city has a big problem with rush hour traffic! The streets are choked with cars! We have a lot of old, unused railroad tracks, though. As mayor, I’d like to get funds to replace these tracks, so we can build a commuter train system. If enough people take the train, we can reduce car traffic and still get people where they need to go!” (The Department of Transportation will help with this problem because they deal with issues related to transportation, such as building railroad tracks.) 

Students can use the internet to research the departments of the Executive Branch as they work, or they can use personal notes from an earlier lesson. I recommend my Executive Branch Article & Review — it contains a breakdown of the responsibilities of each of the Executive Branch agencies! 

✯ A Digital Google Slides Version of the Resource is also available. The link is in the PDF! 

• The Google Slides version includes links to each of the fifteen Executive Branch departments for easy research. 
• This digital version also makes it easier to project each letter onto a big screen, if you’d like to complete the activity as a class!

This resource comes as a non-editable, printable PDF and includes a link to a digital Google Slides version. An Answer Key is included in the PDF.

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