Week 1 Aug 21
Teaching days 5
The student understands how constitutional government, as developed in America and expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution, has been influenced by ideas, people, and historical documents.
(A) Explain major political ideas in history, including the laws of nature and nature’s God, unalienable rights, divine right of kings, social contract theory, and the rights of resistance to illegitimate government;
(B) Identify major intellectual, philosophical, political, and religious traditions that informed the American founding, including Judeo-Christian (especially biblical law), English common law and constitutionalism, Enlightenment, and republicanism, as they address issues of liberty, rights, and responsibilities of individuals;
Text book C1 S1-3
M S-1, T S-2, W S-3, T Review, F C1 Test
Weeks 2-3 Aug 28
Teaching days 9
The student understands how constitutional government, as developed in America and expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution, has been influenced by ideas, people, and historical documents.
(C) Identify the individuals whose principles of laws and government institutions informed the American founding documents, including those of Moses, William Blackstone, John Locke, and Charles de Montesquieu;
(D) Identify the contributions of the political philosophies of the Founding Fathers, including John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Jay, George Mason, Roger Sherman, and James Wilson, on the development of the U.S. government;
(E) Examine debates and compromises that impacted the creation of the founding documents; and
(F) Identify significant individuals in the field of government and politics, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Ronald Reagan
TB C2S1-4
Students are to choose one person, topic, concept, or document and submit a 1-2 page essay summarizing the importance of their choice on the creation of the United States Government.
M Test, T C2 S1, W C2 S2, T C2 S-3 , F- Work time for essay assignment
T, C2 Test W-F Topic essay
Week 4 Sept 11
Teaching days 4
9/11 Remembrance , Flight 93
M no school, T Flight 93, W Flight 93, T Flight 93, F 911 discussion, Turn in essay
Week 5 Sept 18
Teaching days 5
United States Constitution
(7) Government. The student understands the American beliefs and principles reflected in the U.S. Constitution and why these are significant.
(8) Government. The student understands the structure and functions of the government created by the U.S. Constitution.
(A) Explain the importance of a written constitution;
(B) Evaluate how the federal government serves the purposes set forth in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution;
(C) Analyze how the Federalist Papers such as Number 10, Number 39, and Number 51 explain the principles of the American constitutional system of government;
(D) Evaluate constitutional provisions for limiting the role of government, including republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual rights;
(E) Describe the constitutionally prescribed procedures by which the U.S. Constitution can be changed and analyze the role of the amendment process in a constitutional government;
(F) Identify how the American beliefs and principles reflected in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution contribute to both a national identity and federal identity and are embodied in the United States today; and
(G) Examine the reasons the Founding Fathers protected religious freedom in America and guaranteed its free exercise by saying that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” and compare and contrast this to the phrase, “separation of church and state.”
M S-3 Art of Conf., T Discussion over early American Government concepts, W A More Perfect Union, T A More Perfect Union, F United States Constitution,
Week 6 Sept 25
Teaching days 5
(8) Government. The student understands the structure and functions of the government created by the U.S. Constitution.
A) Analyze the structure and functions of the legislative branch of government, including the bicameral structure of Congress, the role of committees, and the procedure for enacting laws;
(B) Analyze the structure and functions of the executive branch of government, including the constitutional powers of the president, the growth of presidential power, and the role of the Cabinet and executive departments;
(C) Analyze the structure and functions of the judicial branch of government, including the federal court system, types of jurisdiction, and judicial review;
(D) Identify the purpose of selected independent executive agencies, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and regulatory commissions, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Federal Communications Commission (FCC);
(E) Explain how certain provisions of the U.S. Constitution provide for checks and balances among the three branches of government;
(F) Analyze selected issues raised by judicial activism and judicial restraint;
(G) Explain the major responsibilities of the federal government for domestic and foreign policy such as national defense; and
(H) Compare the structures, functions, and processes of national, state, and local governments in the U.S. federal system
TB C3 S1-3
M S 1 and 2, T S-3, W S-4, T C-3 review, F C-3 Constitution Outline
Week 7 Oct 2
Teaching days 5
(9) Government. The student understands the concept of federalism
Explain why the Founding Fathers created a distinctly new form of federalism and adopted a federal system of government instead of a unitary system;
Categorize government powers as national, state, or shared;
Analyze historical and contemporary conflicts over the respective roles of national and state governments; and
Understand the limits on the national and state governments in the U.S. federal system of government.
TB C4 S1-4
M Discuss relationship of Federalism and the concept of separation of powers, T S-1, W S-2, T S-3, F S-4
C4 Test
Week 8 Oct 9
Teaching days 5
Economics. The student understands the roles played by local, state, and national governments in both the public and private sectors of the U.S. free enterprise system. The student is expected to
Economics. The student understands the relationship between U.S. government policies and the economy
(A) explain how government fiscal, monetary, and regulatory policies influence the economy at the local, state, and national levels;
(B) identify the sources of revenue and expenditures of the U. S. government and analyze their impact on the U.S. economy;
(C) compare the role of government in the U.S. free enterprise system and other economic systems; and
(D) understand how government taxation and regulation can serve as restrictions to private enterprise.
A) examine how the U.S. government uses economic resources in foreign policy; and
(B) understand the roles of the executive and legislative branches in setting international trade and fiscal policies.
Text book chapter 20
M Test chapter 4 T-f Taxing and spending
Discussion over the current budgeting process, national debt, deficit, and taxing this will be a wide-ranging discussion including taxes and spending at all levels of government.
Week 9 Oct 16
Teaching days 5
The student will understand the role, function, and organization of political parties
analyze the functions of political parties and their role in the electoral process at local, state, and national levels;
explain the two-party system and evaluate the role of third parties in the United States; and
Identify opportunities for citizens to participate in political party activities at local, state, and national levels
Text book. U.S. Constitution, Guest Speakers representing political parties and movements
