PLECK lesson 11 · suggested week 3, day
Three branches, distinct functions
Objective. Explain and apply three branches, distinct functions to a fictional original and changed record.
This is class practice, not legal advice. Do not file a real form, contact a court, or enter a real person’s legal information. A typed answer or paper is enough. Optional audio or video is a private file up to 4 MB.
About undefined minutes. The due date is chosen by a parent.
Materials: Paper or a text editor, Pencil or pen, Optional printer, Optional private recorder;equivalent text/in-person alternative always available, Supplied source cards;internet optional.
The federal Constitution allocates governmental powers and imposes limits. Article I concerns Congress, Article II the executive, and Article III the federal judiciary. Federalism concerns relations between federal and state governments; separation of powers concerns functions within a government. Read constitutional language together with amendments and interpretation: some original provisions were superseded, and historical text is not a complete account of current law. A constitutional issue cannot be resolved merely by identifying a disliked policy. Ask which institution acted, where its authority comes from and what limitation may apply. Today’s focus — Three branches, distinct functions Legislatures make statutes, executives administer and enforce law, and courts decide cases within their authority. Checks and balances require interactions without making the branches identical. Identify the function before evaluating whether an action is authorized. Reasoning practice: Write the legal condition on one line and the supplied fact on the next. Explain the link instead of merely copying both. A different result requires a changed fact, rule or justified interpretation—not a stronger opinion. Assignment record: Congress passes a model federal statute; an agency administers it; a court interprets it in a case. Method: First identify the actor and issue. Read the supplied principle as a limited model or overview, not a universal rule. Mark agreed facts, allegations and unknowns. Link a fact to each relevant condition. Consider a different interpretation and state a conditional conclusion when authority or facts are incomplete. Your reasons matter more than choosing a side. Use only the fictional record; no real case, private document or external contact is needed. Safety: Legal education only, not individualized legal advice. All disputes and records are fictional classroom simulations. Do not file, pay, contact police/courts/parties, visit a courthouse, investigate a real person, or disclose private family/case information. Use supplied facts; personal disclosure is never required. Written or private in-person alternatives replace every recording activity.
US foundations with Texas examples;federal procedure/evidence illustrations are not instructions for Texas filings. Supplied classroom rules are not invented statutes. Educational exercise only. This is not legal advice, a filing, or a result for a real person.
Worked example
A model legislature creates a program, an executive office administers it, and a court interprets it in a dispute. Assign each action to its function: legislation, execution and adjudication. The court’s important interpretation is not passage of the original bill. Interaction does not merge the institutions into one branch.
Three branches, distinct functions — reasoning record
- 1. Fact discipline — Three branches, distinct functions: From this record, quote or accurately paraphrase two legally significant details. Label each as a supplied/stipulated fact, an allegation or a missing fact as appropriate; explain why the distinction matters. Record: Congress passes a model federal statute; an agency administers it; a court interprets it in a case.
- 2. Principle check: Restate the distinction taught in Three branches, distinct functions in your own words. Identify one limit that prevents treating it as a universal rule. Use the principle printed above, not an unsupported internet summary.
- 3. Apply the original record: Congress passes a model federal statute; an agency administers it; a court interprets it in a case. Question: Map the three functions without saying a court enacted the statute. Give a reasoned answer with a specific fact-to-rule link.
- 4. Counterfactual: Begin with the original record above, then change only this fact: The agency claims it can disregard a binding court order simply because it prefers its policy. Explain how the analysis changes and what remains unresolved.
- 5. Source card exercise: For Three branches, distinct functions, use the complete supplied offline card below. Record its jurisdiction/type and exact URL. Explain what it can contribute, and one reason it cannot by itself guarantee a real person’s outcome. No browsing or separate registry lookup is required. Supplied offline source card Title: National Archives: Constitution transcript Exact URL: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript Jurisdiction/scope: US federal primary historical text Source type: official-primary-constitutional-text Verified: 2026-11-07 (America/Chicago CST; dated reading, not an ongoing guarantee) Reading purpose and limits: Read with subsequent amendments, not as an unchanged 1787 statement. Outside browsing is supplemental. Use this printed metadata and the lesson’s original principle to complete the exercise offline.
- 6. Neutral explanation: In 80–120 words, or a 60–90 second private explanation with an equivalent script/in-person option, answer the original Three branches, distinct functions issue for a new reader. Include the governing distinction, two supplied details, and the most important uncertainty or limit. Do not add an accusation or recommend real action.
Acceptance checks
- Respond to each numbered task with the required chart,calculation,explanation or script.
- For case-application tasks,connect the supplied principle to specific fictional facts and mark unknowns. For principle-only or source-card tasks,follow their stated scope;no extra case application is required.
- Keep personal information out of submissions and never send,file,pay or contact anyone for the exercise.
- Text,paper and private oral alternatives are evaluated for the same reasoning;no automatic passing policy is assigned.
A student may explain aloud to a parent. Submit typed numbered responses; or handwritten photo; or a printed page scanned as image/PDF; or a parent-paper completion log with the actual paper retained. Optional private audio/video may replace written explanation if each numbered task is identified. Each image/PDF/audio/video file must be at most 4 MiB and pass the app’s type/signature checks; use short clips or an equally detailed written script instead of a large file. An HTTPS reference may be stored as text only: it is not opened or evaluated automatically. Do not submit ZIP/code files or private records.
If this is still shaky. Read aloud or break the principle into conditions. A parent may scribe the learner’s reasoning. Retry the guided task before revising the original. Optional guided retry for Three branches, distinct functions: Congress passes a model federal statute; an agency administers it; a court interprets it in a case. Read this principle: Legislatures make statutes, executives administer and enforce law, and courts decide cases within their authority. Checks and balances require interactions without making the branches identical. Identify the function before evaluating whether an action is authorized. Make two boxes:one supplied fact and one legal condition. Draw an arrow explaining their connection. State one thing the record does not establish.
Optional extra. Extend the reasoning,not the real-world risk;all added records remain clearly fictional. Optional transfer challenge for Three branches, distinct functions: Original: Congress passes a model federal statute; an agency administers it; a court interprets it in a case. Changed fact: The agency claims it can disregard a binding court order simply because it prefers its policy. Write a two-column before/after analysis. Identify exactly what changed and what legal question remains. Suggest one fictional additional record that could clarify a genuinely missing fact,or explain why no additional fact is needed under a stipulated model. Do not create a real record,contact anyone or invent authority.
Turn in a typed answer, a JPEG, PNG, or WebP photo, a PDF scan, or an MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, or WebM file up to 4 MB. A parent can log paper. One https address is stored as text and is not opened or run. Zip and code files are refused.
- National Archives: Constitution transcript
Jurisdiction/scope: US federal primary historical text Source type: official-primary-constitutional-text Verified: 2026-11-07 Reading purpose: Read with subsequent amendments, not as an unchanged 1787 statement. Supplied offline source card Title: National Archives: Constitution transcript Exact URL: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript Jurisdiction/scope: US federal primary historical text Source type: official-primary-constitutional-text Verified: 2026-11-07 (America/Chicago CST; dated reading, not an ongoing guarantee) Reading purpose and limits: Read with subsequent amendments, not as an unchanged 1787 statement. Outside browsing is supplemental. Use this printed metadata and the lesson’s original principle to complete the exercise offline. The complete card metadata,purpose and limits are printed here and in every workbook. No external page is needed to complete a source-card exercise.
· Opening this link does not submit the lesson. - National Archives: Bill of Rights
Jurisdiction/scope: US federal primary constitutional text Source type: official-primary-constitutional-text Verified: 2026-11-07 Reading purpose: First ten amendments; ratified 1791. Scope and later interpretation matter. Supplied offline source card Title: National Archives: Bill of Rights Exact URL: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights-transcript Jurisdiction/scope: US federal primary constitutional text Source type: official-primary-constitutional-text Verified: 2026-11-07 (America/Chicago CST; dated reading, not an ongoing guarantee) Reading purpose and limits: First ten amendments; ratified 1791. Scope and later interpretation matter. Outside browsing is supplemental. Use this printed metadata and the lesson’s original principle to complete the exercise offline. The complete card metadata,purpose and limits are printed here and in every workbook. No external page is needed to complete a source-card exercise.
· Opening this link does not submit the lesson. - National Archives: Amendments11–27
Jurisdiction/scope: US federal primary constitutional text Source type: official-primary-constitutional-text Verified: 2026-11-07 Reading purpose: Includes 14th Amendment due process/equal protection and later amendments superseding earlier provisions. Supplied offline source card Title: National Archives: Amendments 11–27 Exact URL: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/amendments-11-27 Jurisdiction/scope: US federal primary constitutional text Source type: official-primary-constitutional-text Verified: 2026-11-07 (America/Chicago CST; dated reading, not an ongoing guarantee) Reading purpose and limits: Includes 14th Amendment due process/equal protection and later amendments superseding earlier provisions. Outside browsing is supplemental. Use this printed metadata and the lesson’s original principle to complete the exercise offline. The complete card metadata,purpose and limits are printed here and in every workbook. No external page is needed to complete a source-card exercise.
· Opening this link does not submit the lesson. - US Courts: Court role and structure
Jurisdiction/scope: US federal judiciary official overview Source type: official-government-explanatory-overview Verified: 2026-11-07 Reading purpose: District courts determine facts/apply law; appellate courts review legal application; federal and state systems differ. Supplied offline source card Title: US Courts: Court role and structure Exact URL: https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/court-role-and-structure Jurisdiction/scope: US federal judiciary official overview Source type: official-government-explanatory-overview Verified: 2026-11-07 (America/Chicago CST; dated reading, not an ongoing guarantee) Reading purpose and limits: District courts determine facts/apply law; appellate courts review legal application; federal and state systems differ. Outside browsing is supplemental. Use this printed metadata and the lesson’s original principle to complete the exercise offline. The complete card metadata,purpose and limits are printed here and in every workbook. No external page is needed to complete a source-card exercise.
· Opening this link does not submit the lesson.
This is a preview. A parent assigns the lesson and chooses the due date after the student is enrolled. The answer key is not on this page.