Tennessee County Government

Tennessee has 95 counties created by the Tennessee General Assembly. In this lesson, students will explore statistics and additional information regarding their individual counties utilizing the Tennessee Blue Book as a primary resource.

Weblink address (URL): 
Tennessee County Government
Home Page- source

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 

In the course of the lesson, students will…

  • Describe the typical Tennessee county, its governmental structure, and functions.
  • Explain the process of how Tennessee counties were formed.
  • Contrast the major forms of county government.
  • Compare and contrast how county government is different from state and federal government.
  • Explain how each individual county makes a difference in a citizen’s everyday life.
Essential and guiding questions: 
  • How local should government be?
  • What are the similarities and differences between local governments?
  • How do county governments serve the needs of residents and other Americans?
  • What services do county governments provide? 

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Applying
Extension suggestions: 

As a class, invite a local county official to come to class and interview them regarding their respective county office.
Prepare a field trip to the local county government complex and assign students to “intern” or “job shadow” local government officials for part of a school day. Assign an essay to be completed after the experience, describing the positive aspects and challenges of the county official’s role in county government. This activity will require coordination and cooperation of local county government officials.
Option for extension: Invite state legislators or local elected officials to come speak to the classroom about their role in government.

Helpful Hints

Materials Needed:

  • Copy of graphic organizer for each student (attached)
  • PowerPoint presentation (click here to download)
  • Tennessee Blue Book (PDFs provided)
    • pgs. 674 - 684, Origins of Tennessee County Names
    • pgs. 754 - 755, County Data
  • Access to county private acts: County Technical Assistance Service – CTAS; County Private Acts (Private acts can also be found on the Tennessee Secretary of State’s website.)
  • Access to county official information: County Technical Assistance Service – CTAS; County Official Information