Powers of the National Government

Help your third graders learn what the national government does for the whole country! In this one-page worksheet, students read a short passage about the powers of the national government, circle the three national powers from a list of six, then fill in four blanks with a word bank.

The passage explains that the national government leads the whole United States from its home in Washington, D.C. It describes the powers the Constitution gives it: printing and coining money, keeping an army and a navy to protect the country, making treaties, or agreements, with other countries, running the post office, and making laws for the whole country. It also notes that Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court share these powers. In the circle activity, the wrong choices are real jobs of state and local governments, like running public schools and fixing city sidewalks, so students practice telling the levels apart. The word bank fill-in then locks in key terms. Everything students need to answer is right on the page, so it works well for independent practice.

What's inside:

• A short passage with key words in bold
• A circle activity with 6 choices, 3 correct
• 4 fill-in-the-blank sentences with a word bank
• A visual answer key with every answer marked in red

How teachers use it:

• As a quick check after a civics lesson
• For morning work, centers, or an exit ticket
• As homework or sub plans, with no prep needed

It takes about 5 to 10 minutes and prints clearly in black and white. This worksheet is part of our Reading in Civics series for grade 3, covering government, rules and laws, voting, and citizenship. Each sheet in the series uses a different mix of activities, so the set stays fresh from the first page to the last.