Principles of American Democracy
FALL 2018 SEMESTER: PRINCIPLES OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
Fall semester students pursue a deeper understanding of the institutions of American government. They compare systems of government in the world today and analyze the history and changing interpretations of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the current state of the legislative, executive, and judiciary branches of government. An emphasis is placed on analyzing the relationship among federal, state, and local governments, with particular attention paid to important historical documents such as the Federalist Papers. These standards represent the culmination of civic literacy as students prepare to vote, participate in community activities, and assume the responsibilities of citizenship. -California Department of Education
Week 1: Formation of Government
Around the world, people live under a variety of governments. The government of each nation has unique characteristics derived from how that nation developed. To carry out their functions, governments are organized in a variety of ways. This week focuses on the essential features of a state, the purposes of government, the relationship between democracy and free enterprise, and the functions of economic systems.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Week 2: Origins of American Government
American colonists had some strong ideas about what they wanted in a government. These ideas surface in colonial documents, and eventually became a part of the founding documents like the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. But where did they come from? This lesson looks at the Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, English Bill of Rights, Cato’s Letters and Common Sense.
Student Learning Objectives:
Week 3: Road to the Constitution
Students learn how the U.S. Constitution came to exist by looking at the tensions and differences of opinion that existed among early American states and citizens. Students learn about the Articles of Confederation, why the first “constitution” didn’t work, and how compromise led to the Constitution. In 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention decided that it was time for a change. Students learn how the American idea of government evolved from a revolutionary response to monarchy to a unified nation. Primary sources will illustrate the effort taken to reach “a more perfect union” through a close read of our founding documents. Students will dig into the preambles and introductory text of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution.
Student Learning Objectives:
Week 4: Uniting for Independence
Students learn how the American colonists grew used to governing themselves and became increasingly unhappy with British policies toward the colonies. Students follow the development of those policies to see why the colonists ultimately declared independence from Britain in order to establish their own government. Finally, students analyze the Declaration of Independence to see how it addressed the colonists' concerns. As an extension, students look at primary sources to see how the colonists' reaction to the Stamp Act was being reported in London.
Student Learning Objectives:
Weeks 5 & 6: The Constitution
This lesson gives an article-by-article overview of the structure and function of the U.S. Constitution. Students learn about the duties and powers of the three branches, the amendment process, and the role of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land.
Student Learning Objectives:
Week 7: Amending the Constitution
The nation that the Founders wanted to perfect in 1787 consisted of fewer than a million people living in 13 agricultural states along the Atlantic coast of North America. More than two centuries later, that same Constitution provides the foundation for governing an industrial and highly technological nation of more than 285 million people in 50 states spread across the continent and beyond. The priceless heritage of the Constitution has been its ability to adapt to new conditions while preserving the basic form of American government.
Student Learning Objectives:
Week 8: Federalist No. 51
Federalist No. 51 is one of 85 essays advocating for the ratification of the United States Constitution. Federalist No. 51 was written by James Madison and published on February 6, 1788 under the pseudonym Publius. In this essay, Madison informed the reader of the safeguards to maintain the separate branches of government and to protect the rights of the people. -TeachingAmericanHistory.org
Student Learning Objectives:
Week 9: Federalism
Few confrontations between the state and national governments are as dramatic as the one at the University of Alabama in 1963. Nevertheless, national and state powers have been continually redefined through conflict, compromise, and cooperation since the earliest days of the republic. How do the different levels of government cooperate?
Student Learning Objectives:
Week 10: Quarter 1 Finals Week
Week 11: The Legislative Branch
Students learn what Congress is, what the Constitution says about the legislative branch, and how a bill becomes law. They analyze some actual language from the Constitution, compare the House and the Senate, and simulate the lawmaking process by reconciling two versions of the same fictional bill. -iCivics.org
Student Learning Objectives:
Week 12: Participating in Government - 2018 Midterm Elections
Students will learn about the midterm election, its role as a referendum on the presidency, and how a shift in party control impacts the legislative and executive branches. Lesson also covers horse race journalism – common during election season – and the limitations of this type of coverage. Students will apply their candidate evaluation skills with an election season activity. -iCivics.org
Student Learning Objectives:
Week 13: Participating in Government - The Mass Media
Five major factors influence voter decisions: (1) personal background of the voter; (2) degree of voter loyalty to one of the political parties; (3) issues of the campaign; (4) voters’ image of the candidates; and (5) propaganda. In this lesson, students examine the seven forms of propaganda found in advertising and politics. Students discover the persuasive methods behind the messaging seen every day, and gain skills to effectively identify and counter them. A classroom gallery walk challenges students to detect the propaganda techniques at work and evaluate their effectiveness.
Student Learning Objectives:
Week 14: Thanksgiving Break, No School
Week 15: Election Season Recap
This week serves as a summary on content covered through chapters on the "Legislative Branch" and "The Mass Media". Students review the basics of the legislative branch, the role of midterm elections and their impact on the legislative and executive branches, the major factors which influence voter decisions, and the seven forms of propaganda found in advertising and politics.
Student Learning Objectives:
Weeks 16 & 17: The Executive Branch
Starting a brand new nation was a tough job for America’s first presidents – and it didn’t help that many Americans were wary of the new central government. This week, students learn about some of the decisions and actions the first presidential administrations took to make sure the United States would be strong enough to last. -iCivics.org
Student Learning Objectives:
Weeks 17 & 18: The Judicial Branch
Students learn the basics of our judicial system, including the functions of the trial court, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court. Students learn how a case moves up through these levels and discover that these courts exist on both the state and federal levels. Students take a look at the role of fair and impartial courts in American life and learn how judges are selected and held accountable. -iCivics.org
Student Learning Objectives:
Weeks 19 & 20: Winter Break, School Closed
Week 21: Citizenship and Equal Justice
Students get the basics of U.S. citizenship. As a foundation for studying the rights and responsibilities of citizens, they’ll learn what it means to be a citizen and how people become U.S. citizens. Students learn how citizens can influence the government. They measure the impact of their “citizen power” and learn how to target the right government official with their concerns. Students learn how responsible citizenship makes everyone’s rights more meaningful and effective.
Student Learning Objectives:
Week 22: Quarter 2 Finals Week
Around the world, people live under a variety of governments. The government of each nation has unique characteristics derived from how that nation developed. To carry out their functions, governments are organized in a variety of ways. This week focuses on the essential features of a state, the purposes of government, the relationship between democracy and free enterprise, and the functions of economic systems.
Student Learning Outcomes:
- Students will identify the essential features of a state and describe the theories about the origin of government.
- Students will cite similarities and differences between unitary and federal governments.
- Students will summarize the relationship between democracy and free enterprise.
- Students will analyze the ways the U.S. has modified its free enterprise system.
Week 2: Origins of American Government
American colonists had some strong ideas about what they wanted in a government. These ideas surface in colonial documents, and eventually became a part of the founding documents like the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. But where did they come from? This lesson looks at the Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, English Bill of Rights, Cato’s Letters and Common Sense.
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will explain why colonists expected representative government.
- Students will trace the importance of the following documents on the colonists’ views of government: Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, Mayflower Compact, Cato’s Letters, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense.
Week 3: Road to the Constitution
Students learn how the U.S. Constitution came to exist by looking at the tensions and differences of opinion that existed among early American states and citizens. Students learn about the Articles of Confederation, why the first “constitution” didn’t work, and how compromise led to the Constitution. In 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention decided that it was time for a change. Students learn how the American idea of government evolved from a revolutionary response to monarchy to a unified nation. Primary sources will illustrate the effort taken to reach “a more perfect union” through a close read of our founding documents. Students will dig into the preambles and introductory text of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the United States Constitution.
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will describe how the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation led to the writing of the Constitution
- Students will compare the Virginia plan with the New Jersey plan
- Students will compare the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution
- Students will identify cause/effect relationships in the development of America’s government
- Students will describe the compromises highlighted in the process of creating the Constitution
Week 4: Uniting for Independence
Students learn how the American colonists grew used to governing themselves and became increasingly unhappy with British policies toward the colonies. Students follow the development of those policies to see why the colonists ultimately declared independence from Britain in order to establish their own government. Finally, students analyze the Declaration of Independence to see how it addressed the colonists' concerns. As an extension, students look at primary sources to see how the colonists' reaction to the Stamp Act was being reported in London.
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will describe how English policies and responses to colonial concerns led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
- Students will analyze the ideas and complaints set forth in the Declaration of Independence.
- Students will evaluate the impact of the Stamp Act, Declaratory Act, Townshend Revenue Act, Quartering Act, & Intolerable Acts.
- Students will outline the Declaration of Independence and its parts.
- Students will evaluate the colonists’ reaction to the Stamp Act using primary sources.
Weeks 5 & 6: The Constitution
This lesson gives an article-by-article overview of the structure and function of the U.S. Constitution. Students learn about the duties and powers of the three branches, the amendment process, and the role of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land.
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students explain the structure, function, and powers of the U.S. government as established in the Constitution.
- Students describe the constitutional amendment process.
- Students identify the roles of the three branches of government.
- Students interpret the intentions of the Preamble of the Constitution.
Week 7: Amending the Constitution
The nation that the Founders wanted to perfect in 1787 consisted of fewer than a million people living in 13 agricultural states along the Atlantic coast of North America. More than two centuries later, that same Constitution provides the foundation for governing an industrial and highly technological nation of more than 285 million people in 50 states spread across the continent and beyond. The priceless heritage of the Constitution has been its ability to adapt to new conditions while preserving the basic form of American government.
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will describe the constitutional amendment process.
- Students will describe the circumstances and debate that led to the Bill of Rights
- Students will compare and contrast the positions of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists as to the Bill of Rights.
- Students will identify the rights granted by the Bill of Rights and key later amendments.
- Students will predict what might happen if key rights were missing from the Constitution.
Week 8: Federalist No. 51
Federalist No. 51 is one of 85 essays advocating for the ratification of the United States Constitution. Federalist No. 51 was written by James Madison and published on February 6, 1788 under the pseudonym Publius. In this essay, Madison informed the reader of the safeguards to maintain the separate branches of government and to protect the rights of the people. -TeachingAmericanHistory.org
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will be able to explain how Madison, in Federalist 51, advocates for having a) separate branches of government, b) legislative checks and balances in the same level of government, c) a compound republic or a division of powers between the general government and state governments and (d) a multiplicity of interests and sects in society.
Week 9: Federalism
Few confrontations between the state and national governments are as dramatic as the one at the University of Alabama in 1963. Nevertheless, national and state powers have been continually redefined through conflict, compromise, and cooperation since the earliest days of the republic. How do the different levels of government cooperate?
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will describe the differences between the expressed powers and the implied powers
- Students will evaluate how the overall power of the national government compares to that of the states
- Students will understand in what ways federalism provides constitutional safeguards for the people.
Week 10: Quarter 1 Finals Week
Week 11: The Legislative Branch
Students learn what Congress is, what the Constitution says about the legislative branch, and how a bill becomes law. They analyze some actual language from the Constitution, compare the House and the Senate, and simulate the lawmaking process by reconciling two versions of the same fictional bill. -iCivics.org
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will explain the structure and powers of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government.
- Students will identify the legislative branch’s role in the system of checks and balances/separation of powers.
- Students will describe the legislative process in the U.S. Congress.
- Students will analyze a primary source (excerpts of Article I).
Week 12: Participating in Government - 2018 Midterm Elections
Students will learn about the midterm election, its role as a referendum on the presidency, and how a shift in party control impacts the legislative and executive branches. Lesson also covers horse race journalism – common during election season – and the limitations of this type of coverage. Students will apply their candidate evaluation skills with an election season activity. -iCivics.org
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will define midterm elections
- Students will describe the impact midterm elections have on the executive and legislative branch
- Students will identify horse race journalism
- Students will explain how horse race journalism can affect the public
- Students will select the issues and qualities they care about, then research candidates running for the office of their choice.
- Students will determine how the candidates rate, as they learn about the campaigns.
Week 13: Participating in Government - The Mass Media
Five major factors influence voter decisions: (1) personal background of the voter; (2) degree of voter loyalty to one of the political parties; (3) issues of the campaign; (4) voters’ image of the candidates; and (5) propaganda. In this lesson, students examine the seven forms of propaganda found in advertising and politics. Students discover the persuasive methods behind the messaging seen every day, and gain skills to effectively identify and counter them. A classroom gallery walk challenges students to detect the propaganda techniques at work and evaluate their effectiveness.
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will determine what outside influences affect how a person votes
- Students will differentiate among forms of persuasive media
- Students will identify forms of propaganda in use
- Students will identify bias, propaganda, and symbolism in media
Week 14: Thanksgiving Break, No School
Week 15: Election Season Recap
This week serves as a summary on content covered through chapters on the "Legislative Branch" and "The Mass Media". Students review the basics of the legislative branch, the role of midterm elections and their impact on the legislative and executive branches, the major factors which influence voter decisions, and the seven forms of propaganda found in advertising and politics.
Student Learning Objectives:
- Explain the structure and powers of the legislative branch of the U.S. federal government.
- Identify the legislative branch’s role in the system of checks and balances/separation of powers.
- Describe the impact midterm elections have on the executive and legislative branch.
- Determine what outside influences affect how a person votes.
Weeks 16 & 17: The Executive Branch
Starting a brand new nation was a tough job for America’s first presidents – and it didn’t help that many Americans were wary of the new central government. This week, students learn about some of the decisions and actions the first presidential administrations took to make sure the United States would be strong enough to last. -iCivics.org
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will explain how actions of early U.S. presidential administrations established a strong federal government.
- Students will identify actions that helped stabilize the early nation’s finances.
- Students will identify actions that helped strengthen the early nation’s military.
- Students will describe ways in which the early changes in leadership were peaceful transitions of power.
- Students will understand both the importance of the central government to the early nation and the tension it created.
- Students will identify powers of the executive branch described in Article II of the U.S. Constitution
- Students will identify key departments in the executive branch
- Students will recall the length of a president’s term and the number of terms to which a president may be elected
- Students will understand presidential succession and identify the officeholders next in line to become president
Weeks 17 & 18: The Judicial Branch
Students learn the basics of our judicial system, including the functions of the trial court, the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court. Students learn how a case moves up through these levels and discover that these courts exist on both the state and federal levels. Students take a look at the role of fair and impartial courts in American life and learn how judges are selected and held accountable. -iCivics.org
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will explain how the judicial branch is different from the executive and legislative branches.
- Students will describe how federal and state judges are selected and held accountable.
- Students will describe the challenge of remaining fair and impartial as a judge.
- Students will identify the basic levels and functions of the judicial branch.
- Students will compare the three levels of the court system.
- Students will demonstrate the progress of a case as it moves through the judicial system.
Weeks 19 & 20: Winter Break, School Closed
Week 21: Citizenship and Equal Justice
Students get the basics of U.S. citizenship. As a foundation for studying the rights and responsibilities of citizens, they’ll learn what it means to be a citizen and how people become U.S. citizens. Students learn how citizens can influence the government. They measure the impact of their “citizen power” and learn how to target the right government official with their concerns. Students learn how responsible citizenship makes everyone’s rights more meaningful and effective.
Student Learning Objectives:
- Students will identify the citizen’s role in each branch of government.
- Students will compare the impact of citizens on the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court.
- Students will describe the roles of the 3 branches.
- Students will define citizenship on five levels (home, school, city, state, nation).
- Students will describe key rights and responsibilities of citizens.
- Students will recognize conflict between rights and responsibilities.
Week 22: Quarter 2 Finals Week