Civics Assignments
- Instructor
- Mr. Paul Lopez
- Term
- 2019-2020
- Department
- History/Social Science
- Description
-
Course Description: Students in grade twelve 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on analyzing the relationship among federal, state, and local governments, with particular attention paid to important historical documents such as the Federalist Papers.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.
During the course students will:
- Explain the fundamental principles and moral values of American democracy
- Evaluate and take and defend positions on the scope and limits of rights and obligations
- Evaluate and take and defend positions on what the fundamental values and principles of civil society
- Analyze the unique roles and responsibilities of the three branches of government
- Summarize landmark U.S. Supreme Court interpretations of the Constitution and its amendments.
- Evaluate issues regarding campaigns for national, state, and local elective offices.
- Analyze and compare the powers and procedures of the national, state, tribal, and local governments.
- Evaluate and take and defend positions on the influence of the media on American political life.
- Analyze the origins, characteristics, and development of different political systems across time
- Formulate questions about and defend their analyses of tensions within our constitutional democracy
Files
Upcoming Assignments
No upcoming assignments.
Past Assignments
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Assignment
Short Essay:
What person do you think had the greatest impact on changing the role of Vice President? What person do you think had the greatest impact on changing the role of First Lady? Give reasons to support your point of view.
Have students continue their investigations for the Topic Inquiry.
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Assignment
United States Postal Service
Soon after the first Continental Congress met, a Postal Service was created to deliver mail within the new nation. Visit the United States Postal Service historical page.
Select a specific innovation in mail service and write a short essay explaining how it changed American life. Include several examples to strengthen your argument.
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Assignment
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Assignment
Reconsider the Essential Question for the Topic:
- 1. What should governments do? Try to remember the services of government.
- 2. Reflect on the Topic as a whole and answer the questions:
- Do governments influence the economy of a country? If so, how?
- Do governments ever misuse their authority? If so, how?
- Do the purposes of governments vary depending on the characteristics of the people and region they serve?
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Assignment
Topic 1
For this assignment, you are tasked with creating an information pamphlet that outlines the basic tenets of American Government as explored in this topic. The pamphlet is for people who have little to no experience with the history of the United States, the structure of the government and how federalism works. Consider it American Government 101 - important things one should know.
It is up to you to decide what information should be highlighted in your pamphlet. Use images to clarify your message. Do not include details that are too specific. This is an overview or summary of Topic 1 presented in pamphlet form.
You can present your pamphlet in digital form.
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Assignment
Homework:
- The Declaration of Independence begins with the following statement: "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."
Hypothesize According to the Declaration of Independence, to what rights do you think "the Laws of Nature and Nature's God" entitle people?
- In "Principles of Government" you read about the purposes of the United States government as expressed in its constitution. This government is a democracy. However, you also learned about other types of government, including dictatorships.
Hypothesize Do you think the purposes of a dictatorship would be different from the purposes of a democracy? Why or why not?