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Lesson Plan
The Executive Branch

Foreign Policy

9-12
Multiple sessions
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Learning Objectives

  • Define foreign policy
  • Identify the roles the executive and legislative branches play in foreign policy
  • Explain how federal agencies assist the president in carrying out foreign policy
  • Identify examples of conflicts between the executive and legislative branches regarding foreign policy
  • Describe how the executive’s foreign policy powers have expanded since 9/11
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Overview

Many pieces play a part in carrying out our nation’s foreign policy—and they don’t always get along. In this lesson, students learn what foreign policy is, discover the agencies who execute it, and examine how the legislative and executive branches sometimes clash. The lesson includes a case study that focuses on the Vietnam War and a spotlight activity that asks students to make the tough choices involved in a foreign policy decision. 

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