Build the third-grade students' understanding of government by involving them in class activities that imitate local government roles. Discuss the roles of local government workers and the similarities with school or classroom roles. Hold an election for class mayor and city council. Assign or elect students to positions to help with areas such as safety, public works (cleaning), transportation (line up students for buses or monitor hall passes) and parks and recreation (raise flag and monitor play equipment).
Contact your municipality's government offices, including the mayor or town manager and city council, to discuss opportunities for students to tour their offices and talk to local government members. Plan a field trip for students to watch a city council meeting or town meeting. Arrange for the students to visit police and fire departments, municipal court and local school board. Create a list of actual or possible issues the classroom faces and hold a mock town meeting to discuss them. Use topics interesting to third-graders, such as chewing gum in class, cell phone usage during school and dress codes.
Take the students to visit your county courthouse. Discuss various roles the county government serves, such as jails, county commissioners, tags and licenses, law enforcement, property records, election officials and roads. Arrange for the students to talk to county officials about the work they perform and how their work relates to city, state and federal government.
Contact local state representatives regarding opportunities for the students to meet with them or observe state functions. Ask a local attorney who specializes in state laws to give the students a presentation on the differences between federal and state laws. Assign students to different states and have them make a list of laws that their state might need that another state would not, such as mustang or wolf control, hurricane evacuation regulations, minimum wages and beach erosion.
Divide the class into small groups. Plan an election for students to decide on a fun activity, such as a field trip, movie or recreation. Using all votes, determine the winner. Then count the votes of the students in half of the groups or only the girls or only the boys. Discuss whether the votes resulted in a different winner and the importance of voting.
Obtain local government budgets, including city, county and state if available. Create pie charts for each budget to help students understand government spending needs, suggests PBS Kids. Discuss the differences between the types of expenses and needs for city, county and state government, including areas such as safety, health, education and public works.