Rule or Law?

Help your third graders learn how their government works, one clear page at a time! In this one-page worksheet, students sort six actions into two columns: Rule or Law. Each column is labeled with who makes it, a family or school for rules and the government for laws, and kids write each phrase from the word bank under the right heading.

The two columns have helpful picture cues, a house for rules and a stop light for laws, plus a hint at the bottom: "Ask yourself, who made this?" The six actions are ones kids meet every day, like making your bed, wearing a seat belt, and not littering in a park. It works on its own or as a quick follow-up to our Rules and Laws reading worksheet. Everything students need to answer is right on the page, so it works for independent practice.

What's inside:

• A word bank with 6 everyday actions
• Two labeled sorting columns with picture cues and write-on lines
• A hint that gives kids a strategy, not the answer
• An answer key with the completed sort

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 is one of 7 worksheets in 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.