Content and Key Objectives /

Concepts/Themes

/

Classroom Activities

/ Assessments / Suggested Resources
  1. Philosophical Foundations and Comparative Perspectives
  2. What are the purposes and principles of government, politics and the law?
a. Reasons for governments
b. Origins of government
1) Hammurabi
2) Classical Civilization
3) Enlightenment
4) British ideas on Gov’t
(i.e. Magna Carta)
5)American Democracy
(i.e. Declaration of
Independence) / Civics - 5.1 / Discussion/Debate:
Create a classroom government
Vocabulary:
Defining key terms (i.e. Legitimacy)
Reading Comprehension:
Excerpts from Locke’s Two Treatises of Government, and Rousseau’s The Social Contract / Project:
Collaborative: Creating a set of classroom rules
Quiz:
Vocabulary -Terms
Exam:
Chapter 1 (text) /

Texts:

Government in America

Civics Today: Citizenship, Economics, & You
Primary Sources:

Hammurabi’s Code of Law:


Magna Carta:

English Bill of Rights:

Dec. of Ind.:

Greene CSD – Social Studies Curriculum

Grade Level: 12Unit Title: P.I.G. - Purposes and Principles of Government

Greene CSD – Social Studies Curriculum

Grade Level: 12Unit Title: P.I.G. - Citizenship

Content and Key Objectives /

Concepts/Themes

/

Classroom Activities

/ Assessments / Suggested Resources
  1. Citizenship in Comparative Perspective
  2. What are the roles and rights of citizenship?
a. 14th Amendment
  1. Citizenship by birth
  2. Dual citizenship
  3. How does someone become a citizen of the United States?
a. Naturalization
b. Collective naturalization
c. Losing citizenship
d. Rules for aliens / 5.3 / Discussion:
What does citizenship mean?
Test:
Citizenship Test

Research:
History of immigration laws / Exam:
Chapter 2
Quiz:
Vocabulary
Written Paper:
History of immigration /

Government in America

Civics Today: Citizenship, Economics, & You

U.S. Constitution

Library of Congress:

Citizenship Test:

Greene CSD – Social Studies Curriculum

Grade Level: 12Unit Title: P.I.G. –Citizenship, Participation & ElectoralProcess

Content and Key Objectives /

Concepts/Themes

/

Classroom Activities

/ Assessments / Suggested Resources
  1. Citizenship, Participation and the Electoral Process
  2. Does your vote count?
a. Electoral College
  1. How does the political party system enable choice and opportunity for participation?
a. History of political parties
b. Political Spectrum
c.
  1. How do you prepare yourself to vote?
a. Voter Registration
b. Voting at the Polls
  1. Why would someone seek public office?
a. participatory democracy
  1. How do campaigns and elections enable choice and opportunities for participation?
a. media effects
  1. campaign finance
  2. special interest groups
  3. How do you become a more effective media consumer?
/ 5.3 / Map Skills:
State’s Electoral Votes
Graphic Organizer:
Voter Behavior
Election Process
Activity:
Create your own Third Party / Exam:
Chapter 3
Quiz:
Vocab
Project:
3rd Party Debate
Paper:
What do YOU want from a political party / Internet Resources:
Online 3rd Party Discritpions:



Government in America
History of 3rd Parties in America

Grade Level: 12Unit Title: P.I.G. –Legal Obligations

Content and Key Objectives /

Concepts/Themes

/

Classroom Activities

/ Assessments / Suggested Resources
  1. Legal Obligations
  2. Why are males ages 18 to 26 expected to register with Selective Service?
  3. What are the civic implications of taxation?
  4. How should you respond to a call for jury duty?
  5. What is the importance of the jury in a democratic system?
/ 5.1 / Deciding your political Party- Registering to Vote
Discussion- Classroom visit from the local judge to discuss what happens during jury duty
Class Trip- Visiting the local court house
Classroom Activity:
Mock trial on past court cases
Debate:
On the need for selective service in the U.S. / Exam:
Chapter 4
Quiz:
Vocabulary
Written observations from the class trip to the court house / Text:
Local citizens involved in Law enforcement
Civics Today: Citizenship, Economics, & You
Voter registration forms
Example of a selective service form

Greene CSD – Social Studies Curriculum

Greene CSD – Social Studies Curriculum

Content and Key Objectives /

Concepts/Themes

/

Classroom Activities

/ Assessments / Suggested Resources
  1. Public Policy and Political Participation
  2. How do you find and evaluate information on public issues of interest?
  3. What government(s) should respond to a particular public policy issue?
  4. How does the public policy process work?
  5. How does the public policy process reflect the purposes, values, and principles of American democracy?
  6. How do citizens become more involved in working on a public uses or for a political organization?
/ 5.3 / Group Project:
Creating public policy in the classroom by deciding what issues the gov’t should help fund
Group Project:
Polling future voters on what issues matter to them / Exam:
Chapter 5
Quiz:
Vocabulary
Essay:
What changes could be made in the government or regular people to help society / Text:
Civics Today: Citizenship, Economics, & You


Grade Level: 12Unit Title: P.I.G. –Public Policy and Political Participation

Greene CSD – Social Studies Curriculum

Grade Level: 12Unit Title: P.I.G. –Legal Rights and Responsibilities

Content and Key Objectives /

Concepts/Themes

/

Classroom Activities

/ Assessments / Suggested Resources
  1. Legal Rights and Responsibilities
  2. What are the legal rights and responsibilities of the individual in civic life, the workplace, and school?
  3. How do your legal rights and responsibilities change as you move about in the international arena?
/ 5.1 / Group Activity:
Researching laws in different parts in the world
Research:
What are the different types of government in the world today
Map Skills:
Identifying important countries around the world / Exam:
Chapter 5
Map Skills Test
Quiz:
Vocabulary
Essay:
Describe a selected government in the world today and compare it to the U.S. government /

Texts:

Government in America

Civics Today: Citizenship, Economics, & You
World Maps Today


Greene CSD – Social Studies Curriculum

Grade Level: 12Unit Title: P.I.G. –Selecting a Culminating Question

Content and Key Objectives /

Concepts/Themes

/

Classroom Activities

/ Assessments / Suggested Resources
  1. Selecting a Culminating Question
  2. What type of public issue can be selected for a culminating project?
/ 5.1 / Research:
Public issues that effect the United States today
Activity:
Current Events in the news today / Essay:
Culminating project describing the selected issue and their solution /

Texts:

Government in America

Civics Today: Citizenship, Economics, & You




Issues in America Today