Grade: 9 - 12

Content Area: Social Studies

Course Name: MPCC Civics and U.S. Government

Unit 1:

Civic Values & Principles of Democracy

Description of Course: Liberty, equality, freedom, responsibility, integrity, courage, respect, common welfare, etc...This list of buzzwords could come from your government class or from any number of speeches from an American politician of any political party. However, these “buzzwords” were not always the trite elements of a soundbite played on your favorite cable news station. Rather, these words were and are a small listing of the civic values and principles of the United States of America. Civic values are the founding principles of American democracy and many of them are expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble to the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Whatever values we as Americans may hold, civic values are the concepts that frame how we think about the principles of democracy in the United States. These democratic principles include respect for the equality of all people, protection of individual freedoms, recognition of majority rule, support for minority rights, and the application of compromise. During this unit, you will examine the impact of constitutionalism, encounter the theoretical sources of the government’s authority, discover the historical origins of American government, understand the significance of federalism, and compare the varied governmental structures of nations throughout the world with those of the United States.

Approximate Time Needed: 9-18 Days

Learning Targets

Assessments

Instructional Considerations

Instructional Approach

Resources

1.1: I can...interpret how the structure and ideals within the Constitution work to create limited government and an effective democracy.
1.2: I can...critique the significance of the articulation of popular sovereignty in the U.S. Constitution and other founding documents.

1.3: I can...investigate the historical origins of American government.

1.4: I can...express how the U.S. Constitution divides power between the federal and state governments.

1.5: I can...appraise the philosophies, structures and operations of different types of governments around the world with those of the United States.

1.6: I can...evaluate how tools such as civil disobedience, initiative and recall have influenced the American political system.

1.7: I can...determine the tensions that the government has experienced within the balancing act of individual rights versus general welfare and majority rule versus minority rights.

Formative Assessments:

1. Students will interpret how the structure and ideals within the Constitution work to create limited government and an effective democracy through a forum discussion.
2. Students will assess expressions of popular sovereignty in the Constitution and other founding documents by means of primary source analysis and historically-based fictional composition.
3. Students will synthesize a visual and textual presentation of the historical origins of American government.
4. Students will express the legal and historical impact of federalism upon the history of the United States through the creation of a federalism collage.
5. Students will construct a cogent evaluation of several systems of government from around the world based upon internet research.
6. Students will create a cause and effect diagram showing the timeline of one of four events in the history of the U.S. that influenced the American political system.
7. Students will evaluate the tensions between the government and the people in regard to the NSA, TSA, and other government security administrations through a polling research project.

Benchmark Assessment:

The students will compose a handbook upon the Principle Values of the Constitution based upon their knowledge gained from the completion of the unit.

Student Background Knowledge:

This is the first unit of the MPCC Civics and U.S. Government course. Prior to beginning this course, students must have completed all prerequisite courses as specified by their respective schools and/or school districts.

Essential Questions:

1. How do the structure and ideals in the Constitution work to create limited government and
   an effective democracy?
2. How and why is popular sovereignty articulated in the U.S. Constitution and other founding
   documents?
3. What are the historical origins of American government?
4. How has federalism both promoted and hindered freedom in the history of the United States?
5. How does the government of the United States compare to the governments of several countries around the world?
6. How does civil disobedience and other political tools influence the American political system?
7. Why have there been tensions in the government when it comes to the balancing act of individual rights versus general welfare and majority rule versus minority rights?

Academic Language:

Describe, Discuss, Summarize, Analyze, Interpret, Assemble, Determine, Investigate, Compose, Express, Appraise, Evaluate, and Synthesize.

Content Specific Language: Each lesson has a listing of content specific language

Unit 1 Lesson Plan

Cross-Content Integration:

The content of this Government & Citizenship course is readily aligned to language arts and media arts-associated courses in addition to the full spectrum of social studies courses. From text analysis and critical essay writing to the examination and analysis of political cartoons the students will be using many of the transferable skills from language arts classes. In addition, the acquisition of research and creation of historical research projects in a variety of formats comports well with any type of media arts course.

Grade 9 - 10

Reading Benchmarks: Literacy in History/Social Studies

9.12.1.1: Cite specific textual visual or physical evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date
and origin of the information.

9.12.2.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

9.12.3.3: Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.

9.12.4.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, geographic, historical, or economic aspects of history/social studies.

9.12.5.5: Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis.

9.12.7.7: Integrate quantitative or technical analysis (e.g., charts, maps,
research data) with qualitative analysis in print or digital text.

9.12.8.8 Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claims.

9.12.9.9: Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources, including texts from various cultures and Minnesota American Indian culture.

9.12.10.10: By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and
proficiently.

9.13.1.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and
technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or
descriptions.

9.13.2.2: Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text’s explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.

9.13.3.3: Follow precisely a complex multistep procedure when carrying out
experiments, designing solutions, taking measurements, or performing
technical tasks, attending to special cases (constraints) or exceptions
defined in the text.

9.13.4.4: Determine the meaning of symbols, equations, graphical representations, tabular representations, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 9–10 texts and topics.

9.13.6.6: Analyze the author’s purpose in describing phenomena, providing an
explanation, describing a procedure, or discussing/reporting an experiment in a text, defining the question the author seeks to address.

9.13.7.7: Translate quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text into visual form (e.g., a table or chart) and translate
information expressed visually or mathematically (e.g., in an equation)
into words.

9.13.9.9: Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own experiments), noting when the findings
support or contradict previous explanations or accounts.

Grade 9 - 10 Writing Benchmarks: Literacy in History/Social Studies

9.14.1.1: Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.

a. Introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying data and credible evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both
claim(s) and counterclaims in a discipline-appropriate form and in a
manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.

c. Use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text,
create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and
reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and
counterclaims.

d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the
norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from or supports the argument presented.

9.14.2.2: Write informative/explanatory texts, as they apply to each discipline
and reporting format, including the narration of historical events, of
scientific procedures/ experiments, or description of technical
processes.

a.Introduce a topic and organize ideas,concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful
to aiding comprehension.

b.Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, credible and sufficient
facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other
information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic.

c. Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections
of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among ideas
and concepts.

d. Use Precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a style appropriate to the discipline
and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.

e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).

9.14.4.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development,
organization, and style are appropriate to discipline, task, purpose,
and audience.

9.14.5.5: Use a writing process to develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, drafting, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new
approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific
purpose and audience, and appropriate to the discipline.

9.14.6.6: Use technology, including, but not limited to, the Internet, to
produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products and multi- media texts, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

9.14.7.7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self- generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize ideas from multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

9.14.8.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative data, print,
physical (e.g., artifacts, objects, images), and digital sources using
advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in
answering the research question; integrate information into the text
selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and
following a standard format for citation.

9.14.9.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

9.14.10.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Web Resources: To be found in each individual lesson

Research: To be provided within lessons

Technology Resources:

Internet access, webtools, google docs, Microsoft Word

Community Resources: Family, teachers, libraries, retirement homes.