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Who Decides What at Each Level

A 45-minute Grade 3 lesson on which body holds which power, from Parliament down to the parish.

Who Decides What at Each Level is a free 45-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D2.Civ.1.3-5 — tell apart what officials at different levels of government can and cannot do. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.

Grade:
Grade 3 to Grade 5
Length:
45 minutes
Standard:
D2.Civ.1.3-5

Grade 3 to Grade 5 · Civics

D2.Civ.1.3-5

Distinguish the responsibilities and powers of government officials at various levels and branches of government and in different times and places.

Objective

Students will be able to say which body decides a given question and why it is not the others.

Students are successful when they can

  • Names the body that holds a power.
  • Says why a lower level could not decide it.
  • Spots a decision that belongs to a company rather than a government.

What you need

  • Cards naming Parliament, the county council, the town council and the guardians
  • Twelve decision cards from the valley in the 1840s
  • The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan

The lesson

Warm-up — one decision, four claimants

5 min
  1. Ask who decided whether the railway could be built. Take every answer offered.
  2. Note the disagreement and promise to settle it.

Teach — the ladder of powers

15 min
  1. Lay the four body cards out as a ladder.
  2. Place 'allow a railway to take land'. Only Parliament can, because land is taken from owners.
  3. Place 'repair the county roads'. The county council, funded by rates.
  4. Place 'empty the bins'. The town council. Ask why Parliament does not do it.
  5. Place 'set the toll on the canal'. Nobody on the ladder: the canal company owns the water.
  6. Name the rule: the power sits at the level that can carry it and be answerable for it.
“Who would have to answer for this if it went wrong?”

Guided practice — place the twelve

13 min
  1. Pairs place twelve decision cards on the ladder.
  2. They set aside any that belong to a company rather than a government.
  3. Pairs compare and argue two placements.

Independent practice

9 min
  1. Students complete the 'Powers at Different Levels' page.
  2. Check that the reason names answerability, not size.

Close

3 min
  1. Ask which level decides most of what affects them today.

What goes wrong, and why

Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.

Gives every important decision to Parliament.

Why: Important maps onto highest.

Fix: The bins matter every week and Parliament never sees them. Ask who is close enough to do it.

Thinks a company decision is a government one.

Why: The toll table looks official.

Fix: Ask who could be voted out over it. Nobody. That is the difference.

Assumes higher levels can overrule anything instantly.

Why: Ladders imply command.

Fix: Powers are allotted, not borrowed. Parliament changing a county's roads would need a new law.

If they are not there yet

  • Six decision cards and two body cards.
  • Give the body and ask which decision fits it.

If they finish early

  • Find a decision that two levels share, and say how they divide it.
  • Say which power has moved between levels since 1846.
  • Argue for moving one power up or down the ladder.

Exit ticket

Who decided whether the railway could cross a farmer's field, and why not the county council?

What to look for: Parliament, because taking land needs a law. Naming the company shows the ownership and authority distinction needs another run.

Printable practice for D2.Civ.1.3-5

Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.

Questions about Who Decides What at Each Level

How long does the Who Decides What at Each Level lesson take?

45 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 15 min, guided practice 13 min, independent practice 9 min, close 3 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.

Which standard does Who Decides What at Each Level teach?

D2.Civ.1.3-5 — D2.Civ.1.3-5, Civics for Grade 3 to Grade 5: “Distinguish the responsibilities and powers of government officials at various levels and branches of government and in different times and places.” In plain terms, tell apart what officials at different levels of government can and cannot do.

What do I need to teach this lesson?

Cards naming Parliament, the county council, the town council and the guardians, twelve decision cards from the valley in the 1840s and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.

What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?

Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: gives every important decision to Parliament; thinks a company decision is a government one and assumes higher levels can overrule anything instantly. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.

How do I know whether the lesson worked?

The exit ticket asks: “Who decided whether the railway could cross a farmer's field, and why not the county council?.” Parliament, because taking land needs a law. Naming the company shows the ownership and authority distinction needs another run. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.

Is there a worksheet to go with Who Decides What at Each Level?

Yes — 1 printable D2.Civ.1.3-5 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.

Is Who Decides What at Each Level free to use?

Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.

Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D2.Civ.1.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.