Topic 4: Political Symbols of Germany

Lesson Objective

The student will identify similarities and differences in the organization of German Länder and US governments.

Materials and Resources

Transparency 26 -
“The Structure of the Federal Administration”

Teacher Resource 9 - “The Structure of State Governments”

Strategies

Explain the organization of state governments in Germany to students using Transparency 26 and Teacher Resource 9. Ask students to contact the Secretary of State to obtain an organizational chart of their own state’s government. Then, have students compare each of the following in terms of powers, selection and organization:

United States	Germany
Governor	Minister President
Constitutional Officers	Ministers
County	Kreis

Based on the information available, ask students to discuss which state organization they consider to be more responsive to individual constituent needs.

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