Elementary Article

The Great Seal of the State of New Jersey

Lesson Creator: Amanda Mattricks, Sharon Elementary School, Robbinsville, and the NJ Center for Civic Education, Rutgers University, Piscataway

Grade Level: Elementary

Timeframe: Two 30-minute periods

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

• identify the role of the Governor
• determine the qualifications for Governor of New Jersey
• compare and contrast power and authority

NJ Core Content Social Studies Standards:

• 6.1.5.CivicsPI.3: Explain how the United States functions as a representative democracy and describe the roles of elected representatives and how they interact with citizens at local, state, and national levels.
• 6.1.5.CivicsPI.5: Explain how government functions at the local, county, and state level.
• 6.1.5.CivicsPD.1: Describe the roles of elected representatives and explain how individuals at local, state, and national levels can interact with them.
• 6.1.5.CivicsPD.4: Compare the qualifications of candidates running for local, state, or national public office with the responsibilities of the position.

Common Core ELA Standards

• W.4.1 and W.5.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
• W.4.2 and W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
• W.4.7 and W.5.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
• W.4.9 and W.5.9 Draw evidence from…informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
• SL.4.4 and SL.5.4 Report on a topic…in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

Materials:

• Handout 1: List of vocabulary terms
• Handout 2: New Jersey Constitution, Article V
• Handout 3: Powers of the Governor Chart
• Handout 4: Who can be Governor of New Jersey?
• The full New Jersey Constitution is available on-line at https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/constitution.

Introduction/Anticipatory Set:

ASK STUDENTS: Who is currently the governor of New Jersey? Have students go to the New Jersey governor website https://www.nj.gov/governor/ to find out!

ASK STUDENTS: What does the governor’s job entail?
The Governor is the chief executive officer for the state, similar to the President of the United States.
His job is to see that the laws are carried out.

Vocabulary

Use Handout I to review the meaning of the following vocabulary words:

Activity One: Where does the Governor Get his/her Power?

What is the difference between power and authority?

Power is the ability to make someone do or not do something. Authority is the power along with the right to use power to influence or control the behavior of others.

• When a neighborhood bully forces a child to leave the playground, he has the power to do so. He does not have the right to do this.
• When a parent requires his or her child to go to bed, the parent has the power and the right to tell his or her children to do certain things.
• The Governor has the authority to exercise power for the benefit of the citizens of New Jersey. The Governor’s authority is granted in the State Constitution.

What are some sources of authority? How do people and institutions get authority? How do they acquire the right to tell other people what to do? Sources of authority come from four main sources:

• Custom: Custom is a long-established practice of doing things. People in a group accept this method of doing something. Example: When your mother or father tells you to help with the chores, their authority comes from customs. People have long agreed that parents have the authority to assign chores to their children.
• Rules and laws: Some authority comes from rules and laws. Rules and laws tell some people, such as government officials, what they can and what they cannot do. Example: The law gives teachers and principles the right to keep a safe and orderly school. The law, therefore, gives teachers the authority to tell students to stop talking while taking a test.
• Morality: A person’s sense of morality is his or her belief about right and wrong. A person’s sense of morality often influences or controls how he behaves in situations. A person may feel guilty if they act against their sense of morality. Example: Sally decides that she will not tease Billy because it could hurt his feelings.
• Consent: Some authority arises when people choose others to have authority over them. They agree, or consent, to give that person the right to tell them what to do in certain situations. Example: Marika’s classroom elected her the team leader for a game. The children agreed to give Marika the right to tell them what to do during the game. After the game was over, Marika no longer had this authority. Example: The people of New Jersey elect the Governor every four years. The citizens of the United States elect a President every four years. When their terms are completed, the President and Governor no longer have the authority they had while in office.

As the head of the New Jersey government, the Governor has the authority to carry out the laws in New Jersey. The main source for the governor’s authority is the New Jersey State Constitution. Specifically, Article V of the New Jersey Constitution lists the powers of the Governor. Complete the chart on Handout 2. Answer the five questions on Handout 2 by explaining the powers that the Governor holds from the specific grants of authority in the New Jersey Constitution. A completed chart is below.

The Governor’s Powers and the Sources of his Authority

Closure for activity one: Have students share their answers from Handout 2. Conclude the lesson by noting that the New Jersey Governor, because of his broad appointment authority and veto power, is one of the most powerful governors in the country.

Activity Two: Who Can be Governor of New Jersey?

Can anyone serve as Governor of New Jersey? What does the New Jersey Constitution require? Handout 3 includes relevant provisions from the New Jersey State Constitution regarding who is eligible to run for the office of Governor of the State. The Governor must be at least thirty years old, a citizen of the United States for at least 20 years and a resident of New Jersey for at least seven years.

Handout 4 has four possible candidates for Governor of New Jersey. Which of these individuals is eligible to run for Governor? Consider the relevant provisions of the New Jersey State Constitution in Handout 3 to determine which of the individuals described in Handout 3 (Frankie Jonas, Bruce Springsteen, former NJ Governor Thomas Kean and current U.S. Senator from New Jersey Cory Booker) would be eligible to run for Governor of New Jersey.

Can Frankie Jonas run for Governor of New Jersey?
No, he is not over 30 years old and, although he was born in New Jersey, he has not been a resident of the state for the past seven years. He lives in Los Angeles.

Can Bruce Springsteen run for Governor of New Jersey?
Yes. He is over 30 years old and has a residence in Colts Neck, New Jersey. However, Springsteen travels a lot and is not always at his home in NJ. People who own more than one home can only be domiciled for tax, voting and office holding purposes in one place where they intend to make a permanent home, which has been defined for tax purposes as where someone spends more than half of their time (more than 183 days a year). Springsteen is domiciled in New Jersey,

Can former Governor Thomas Kean run for Governor of New Jersey again in 2016?
Yes, he is over 30 years old and has resided in New Jersey for the past seven years. According to the New Jersey Constitution, Article V, Section I, Paragraph 5, he may run again four years after the end of his second successive term. He may run again since it has been more than four years since he left office in 1990.

Can U.S. Senator Cory Booker run for Governor of New Jersey?
He is over 30 years old, but mostly lives in Washington, D.C. However, the New Jersey Constitution, Article V, Section I, Paragraph 2 allows someone to be “absent during that time on the public business of the United States or of this State.” He qualifies for this exception as U.S. Senator. But Paragraph 3 makes it clear that no member of Congress can also serve as Governor. Senator Booker would have to vacate his U.S. Senate seat in order to run for Governor. This was done by U.S. Senator Jon Corzine, who then ran for Governor of New Jersey in November 2005, and won.

Alternative Online Quiz about the New Jersey Governor using Kahoots.

Go to http://goo.gl/yf88N3 for the link to Kahoots. Set up your game with the potential candidates for governor. All students can play the game at the same time for points and see who wins. You may want to change the candidates.

Closure for activity two: Critical thinking

Do you think that it is important that the governor be a resident of the state he or she serves? Why or why not? Do you think that there should be additional qualifications or fewer qualifications? What would you add or subtract?

Why do you think that it is necessary for someone to meet age, residency and other requirements in order to serve as Governor of the State? Do you think that it is a good idea to have age requirements for the Governor and other elected positions of authority? Why or why not?

Do you think that it is important that the governor be a resident of the state he or she serves? Why or why not? Do you think that there should be additional qualifications or fewer qualifications? What would you add or subtract?

Assessment:

• Students will be assessed throughout this exercise by their class and group participation skills.
• Students will write a short paragraph explaining what powers the Governor of New Jersey is authorized to exercise and the sources of this authority.

Extension: Student Mock Election

The governor of New Jersey is elected every four years. Have your students get in the “habit of voting” every year by participating in the annual student mock election, which in 2025 (and every four years thereafter) will include a vote for the state governor. The annual student mock election is held online the last two weeks of October before the actual election. Students may vote online or with paper ballots. Students are not identified in the voting. For additional information contact Robert O’Dell at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or go to https://civiced.rutgers.edu/nj-student-mock-election/home.

Handout 1

VOCABULARY

Governor: Elected person who heads the executive branch of state government; the Chief Executive of the state

Legislature: A body of elected members who have the authority to make laws for the state; New Jersey has a bicameral (two house) legislature made up of the General Assembly and the Senate

Eligible: Qualifies to be chosen, meets the requirements to run for an elected position

Term: Length of time a person serves in an elected position

Resident: Person who lives in a particular town or state

Veto: To refuse to approve a legislative bill (a power of the governor)

Advice and Consent: Recommendation given regarding a decision or course of action; refers to the NJ Senate’s ability to check the governor’s power by having to approve the governor’s appointments to many executive-branch jobs

Power: The ability to make someone do or not do something

Authority: The right to use power to influence or control the behavior of others

Appropriation: Legislative act that gives the authority to spend a designated amount of public funds for a specific purpose

Handout 2

Powers of the Governor

As the head of the New Jersey government, the Governor holds numerous powers listed in Article V of the New Jersey Constitution. Many of these powers mirror those held by the President on the national level. Using Article V of the New Jersey Constitution, complete the chart below by explaining the powers that the Governor holds.

Handout 3

NEW JERSEY STATE CONSTITUTION
Article V, Section I

1. The executive power shall be vested in a Governor.
2. The Governor shall be not less than thirty years of age, and shall have been for at least twenty years a citizen of the United States, and a resident of this State seven years next before his election, unless he shall have been absent during that time on the public business of the United States or of this State.
3. No member of Congress or person holding any office or position of profit, under this State or the United States, shall be Governor. If the Governor or person administering the office of Governor shall accept any other office or position, of profit, under this State or the United States, his office of Governor shall thereby be vacated. No Governor shall be elected by the Legislature to any office during the term for which he shall have been elected Governor.
4. The Governor shall be elected by the legally qualified voters of this States. The person receiving the greatest number of votes shall be the Governor…
5. The term of office of the Governor shall be four years, beginning at noon of the third Tuesday in January next following his election, and ending at noon of the third Tuesday in January four years thereafter. No person who has been elected Governor for two successive terms, including an unexpired term, shall again be eligible for that office until the third Tuesday in January of the fourth year following the expiration of his second term.

Handout 4

WHO CAN BE GOVERNOR OF NEW JERSEY?

Assignment: Consider the provisions of Section V of the New Jersey Constitution to determine whether any of the following individuals could serve as Governor in the state of New Jersey. Be prepared to explain why or why not.

Name:  Frankie Jonas
Date and place of birth: Sept. 28, 2000/Ridgewood, New Jersey
Current Residence:  Los Angeles, California
Ever held the position of New Jersey Governor?  No
Current Occupation:  Recording artist, Actor

Name:  Bruce Springsteen
Date and place of birth:  Sept. 23, 1999/Long Branch, NJ
Current residence: Colts Neck, NJ (one of many)
Ever held position of NJ governor? No
Current occupation:  Singer

Name:  Thomas H. Kean
Date and place of birth:  April 21, 1935/New York City, New York
Current Residence:  Bedminster Township, New Jersey (since 1990)
Ever held the position of New Jersey Governor?  Yes (1982–1990)
Current Occupation:  Lecturer/ Journalist

Name:  U.S. Senator Cory Booker
Date and place of birth:  April 27, 1969/Washington, D.C.
Current Residence:  Newark, New Jersey
Ever held the position of New Jersey Governor?  No
Current occupation:  U.S. Senator from New Jersey