Unpacked Content
Knowledge
Students know:
- Powers and limitations of the presidency from both the Constitution as well as informal sources, including tradition and media influence.
- Supporting offices and positions in the Executive Branch that aid the president in achieving policy goals.
- Process by which the president is elected including how amendments to the Constitution have changed or limited the process.
Skills
Students are able to:
- Classify presidential powers as either constitutional, informal, or symbolic.
- Appraise the value of positions in the President's Cabinet using criteria such as organizational operations and budget appropriated by Congress.
- Assess the degree to which positions in the Executive Office of the President hold influence over presidential decision-making.
- Estimate the extent to which informal presidential powers impact policy-making outcomes.
Understanding
Students understand that:
- The role and powers of the president are shaped by constitutional provisions as well as the input of other offices and positions, including members of the executive branch, the media, and citizen expectations.
Vocabulary
- checks and balances
- head of state
- head of party
- informal powers
- symbolic power
- President's Cabinet
- Executive Office of the President
- 25th Amendment
- Electoral College
