Standards Grade:12 th 1st Quarter Gov. 1 ( Skills) Gov. 2 (Political Philosophies) Gov. 3 (Concepts of Democracy) Gov. 4 (U.S. Constitution) Gov. 5 (Federalism) Gov. 6 (Elections) Gov. 7 (Powers of the National Government) Gov. 9 (Public Policy) Subject:U.S. Government 2nd Quarter Govt.1 ( Skills) Govt.6 (Elections) Govt.7 (Powers of the National Government) Govt.9 (Public Policy) Govt.17 (Character Traits of Civic Life) Govt.18 (Characteristics of Civic Life) Content Constitutional Underpinnings of Government (1) Foundations of Government: Democratic elements borrowed from Athens and Rome Ideas incorporated from the Magna Carta, The English Petition of Rights, and the English Bill or Rights Fundamental principles developed by Hobbes, Locke, and Montesquieu Natural rights philosophy in the Declaration of Independence Concepts of democracy that define citizenship Problems created by the Articles of Confederation Debates over the ratification of the U.S. Constitution (2) U.S. Constitution: Purposes of government defined in the Preamble Fundamental principles of the Constitution Structure of Articles I-III Outline of articles IV-VII System of checks and balances Federalism and the sharing of national and state powers and informal amendment processes Rights and freedoms granted by the Bill or Rights Political Behavior (continued) Election process Campaigning and funding Voter turnout Suffrage requirements and qualifications Formulation and measuring public opinion Media coverage and opinion polls Interest groups and lobbying Institutions of Government: The Legislative Branch Structure of the House and Senate Congressional elections Congressional qualifications and compensation Representation and seat apportionment Districting and gerrymandering Organization of the House and Senate and presiding officers of both houses Congressional powers Bill proposals and legislation House and Senate procedures and rules Dev. 03/2008 1
Political Behavior Political parties and platforms Minor and third parties Political spectrum and political ideologies Conservative and liberal belief structures Nominating process Skills Analyze primary sources Identify problems and prioritize solutions Interpret diagrams, tables, charts, graphs, and data Analyze political cartoons, advertisements, pictures, and media coverage Evaluate information for accuracy and separate fact from opinion Analyze primary and secondary source documents Interpret diagrams, tables, charts, graphs, and data Assessment Unit tests: Foundations of government, U.S. Constitution, and political behavior Student projects: Foundations of government, U.S. Constitution, and political behavior Unit tests: Elections and the Legislative branch Student projects: Elections and the Legislative branch Dev. 03/2008 2
Related Literature Excerpts from John Locke s Treatise on Government Selections from the Magna Carta Declaration of Independence The U.S. Constitution and Constitutional Amendments Magruder s American Government Textbook (Chapters 1-4) American Government AP Textbook (Chapters 1-4) Primary examples of congressional bills and laws Primary examples of political ideologies, interest groups, polls, voting statistics, etc. Magruder s American Government Textbook (Chapters 5-12) American Government AP Textbook (Chapters 5-11) Dev. 03/2008 3
Grade:Error! Not a valid link. Subject: Error! Not a valid link. Standards Content 3rd Quarter Govt.1 ( Skills) Govt.7 (Powers of the National Government) Govt.10 (Federal Judiciary) Govt.11 (Civil Liberties and Civil Rights) Govt.17 (Character Traits of Civic Life) Govt.18 (Characteristics of Civic Life) Institutions of Government: The Executive Branch Presidential responsibilities including Chief of State, Chief Executive, Chief Diplomat, Commander in Chief, and Chief Legislature Presidential power including appointments, treaties, executive orders, military matters, and clemency powers Presidential elections and the Electoral College Office of Vice President and succession Federal Bureaucracy and Cabinet Institutions of Government: The Judicial Branch National Judiciary and types of jurisdiction Operations of the U.S. court system and the appeals process Composition of the Supreme Court Steps in deciding cases Landmark Supreme Court cases w/ emphasis on: o Due process o Civil liberties and civil liberties o Limitations of rights o Equal protections o Right to privacy o Rights of the accused 4 th Quarter Govt.1 ( Skills) Govt.8 (State and Local Government) Govt.9 (Public Policy) Govt.12 (Role of the U.S. in a Changing World) Govt.13 (Comparative Governments) Govt.14 (Comparative Economic Systems) Govt.15 (U.S. Market Economy) Public Policy Nature of public policy Creation of public policy Impact of the three branches of government on public policy Impact of the bureaucracy on public policy Comparative politics and economies Comparative politics and economies of Britain, Japan, China, Mexico, and Russia to that of the United States Comparisons of constitutions, branches of government, elections, and policies Description of free market economies compared to other economies Virginia State Government Charters of the Virginia Company Constitution of Virginia compared to the U.S. Constitution Virginia Declaration of Rights Branches of government in Virginia Local government in Virginia Virginia and the global economy Dev. 03/2008 4
Grade:Error! Not a valid link. Subject: Error! Not a valid link. Skills Assessment Related Literature Analyze political cartoons, advertisements, pictures, and media coverage Demonstrate reasoned judgment and recognize cause and effect Analyze primary and secondary source documents Formulate questions and test conclusions Unit tests: The Legislative branch and Executive branch Student projects: The Legislative branch and Executive branch Written opinions of Supreme Court decisions Excerpts from key Presidential speeches and addresses Magruder s American Government Textbook (Chapters 13-15, 18-21) American Government AP Textbook (Chapters 12-14) Make comparisons Evaluate information for accuracy and separate fact from opinion Analyze primary and secondary source documents Interpret diagrams, tables, charts, graphs, and data Unit tests: Public policy, comparative politics, and Virginia state government Student projects: Public policy, comparative politics, and Virginia state government The Virginia Constitution The Virginia Declaration of Rights Magruder s American Government Textbook (Chapters 22-25) American Government AP Textbook (Chapters 15-21) Dev. 03/2008 5
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