Civics in Action Curriculum Map,
Unit 1: What Does it Mean to be an American?

September 6-October 5 (full year course)

Essential Question: / What are the rights and responsibilities of a citizen? What does it mean to be an American?
Outcomes: / 1. Students will build a community among the members of their class; they will identify, explore, discuss, debate, and take positions on responsibilities and characteristics that are critical to a civil, democratic community, society, and classroom.
2. Students will understand what it means to be an American and a citizen.
General: Students will: a. understand the purpose and scope of the course; b. understand and use the structure of the textbook to build meaning; c. take notes by marking up text; d. begin to construct their Civics in Action Interactive Notebook.
Key Concepts:
Each concept is followed in parentheses with the chapter and section in the textbook Civics: Government and Economics in Action in which it appears. /
  • Demographics (1.1)
  • Diversity (1.1)
  • Exclusion Laws (1.2)
  • American Mosaic (1.2)
  • Melting Pot (1.2)
  • Discrimination (1.2)
  • Census (1.2)
/
  • Culture (1.2)
  • Immigrant (1.2)
  • The American Dream (1.3)
  • The American Ideal (1.3)
  • The Imperfect Society (1.3)
/
  • Equal
Opportunity (1.3)
  • Freedom (1.3)
  • Justice (1.3)
  • Values (1.3)
/
  • Patriotism (2.4)
  • Democracy (2.4)
  • Forms/Roles of
Government (2.4)
  • Citizen (3.1)
  • Representative (3.1)
  • The Rule of Law (3.2)
/
  • Jury of Peers (3.2)
  • Common Good (3.2)
  • Political Candidate
  • (3.2)
  • Rights, Duties, Roles,
Responsibilities of Citizens (3.2, 3.3)
Assessments/ Products: / Students will:
  • write a narrative or expository paper that makes a connection b/w one of the following characteristics and its importance in building a classroom community:respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, courage, diligence, integrity, citizenship.
  • demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts, reference particular details to support their ideas about them.
  • make daily Civics in Action Notebook entries, including daily notes, summaries, and personal responses that help them think about, visualize, and remember important content and ideas they’re studying (see this course guide).

Other Materials/ Resources/
Activities*: / Classroom Compact & Community: In Search of Character videos (Live Wire); Trust-Building/Ice Breaker Exercises (Civics in Action binder)*; Creating a Tolerant, Cooperative Classroom (from History Alive! Engaging All Learners in the Diverse Classroom)
Choices In Little Rock: Part I, Identity

*Teachers should select the combination of activities that will work best for them in helping students meet the outcomes and complete the assessments.

Civics in Action Curriculum Map,
Unit 2: Vote!

October 9-November 6 (full-year course)

Essential Question: / How does my vote matter in a democracy?
Outcomes: / 1. Students will distinguish between the various political party views and beliefs along the political spectrum.
2. Students will describe the internal and external influences on the decision making process of an informed voter.
3. Students will evaluate the importance of a citizen’s vote.
Key Concepts: Each concept is followed in parentheses with the chapter and section in the textbook Civics: Government and Economics in Action in which it appears. /
  • Political Party (22.1)
  • Platform (22.1)
  • Democrat (22.2)
  • Republican (22.2)
  • Third party (22.2)
  • Independent voter (22.2)
/
  • Liberal (22.2)
  • Moderate (22.2)
  • Conservative (22.2)
/
  • Congressional District (8.1)
  • Interest Groups (8.1)
/
  • General election (23.1)
  • Registration (23.1)
  • Propaganda (23.2)
  • Bias (23.2)
  • Campaign (23.3)
  • Electors (23.3)

Assessments/ Products: / Students will:
  • successfully complete a compare/contrast essay or oral presentation on two individuals’ or groups’ positions, actions, and motivations regarding a selected issue, and include his/her/their own position or a compromise position that might be suitable to both individuals or groups
  • successfully complete discussions and debates using the protocols and rubrics found in the course guide; teacher/student selected topic; see the topics available in the Prentice Hall materials (below)
  • make daily Civics in Action Notebook entries
  • demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts, reference particular details to support their ideas about them.

Other Materials/ Resources/ Activities*: / Prentice Hall Election Kit: Election 2004; Civics Alive: Kids Voting
Discussions/Debates/Simulations: Campaign Contributions, National Conventions, Campaign Finance Reform, Law and the Real World (p. 617), Issues in the Law, (Poll Taxes and Voting Rights)

* Teachers should select the combination of activities that will work best for them in helping students meet the outcomes and complete the assessments.

Civics in Action Curriculum Map,
Unit 3: The Constitution

November 7-January 11 (full-year course)

Essential Question: / How are shared powers essential to a constitutional democracy?
Outcomes: / 1. Students will understand how the Constitution is the foundation of American constitutional democracy.
2. Students will differentiate between the roles, responsibilities, and functions of the three branches of the federal government.
3. Students will analyze the principles of a limited government.
Key Concepts: Each concept is followed in parentheses with the chapter and section in the textbook Civics: Government and Economics in Action in which it appears. /
  • Direct Democracy (4.2)
  • Republic (4.2)
  • Natural Rights (4.2)
  • Separation of Powers (4.2)
  • Preamble: The Goals of Our Constitution (5.3)
  • 3 Branches of
Government (5.3) /
  • Amendments (5.3)
  • Supremacy of the Constitution (5.3)
  • Federalism (5.3, 11.1,
12.3 optional)
  • Checks & Balances (5.3)
  • Impeach (5.3)
  • States’ Rights (6.2)
/
  • Congress (8.2)
  • Veto (8.3)
  • How a bill becomes law (general understanding of relationship b/w the legislative and executive branches)
(8.3) /
  • Presidential Powers (9.3)
  • Executive
Departments (9.2)
  • Cabinet (9.2)
/
  • Federal Courts (10.1)
  • State Courts (10.1)
  • Jurisdiction (10.1)
  • Appeal (10.1)
  • Precedent (10.1)
  • Supreme Court (10.3)
  • Judicial Review (10.3)
  • Judicial Activism vs. Restraint (10.3)

Assessments/ Products: / Students will:
  • complete a multi-media presentation on a topic related to the roles, responsibilities, and functions of the federal government or one of its branches.
  • successfully complete discussions and debates using the protocols and rubrics found in the course guide; teacher/student selected topic; see the topics available in the Prentice Hall materials.
  • make daily Civics in Action Notebook entries.
  • demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts, reference particular details to support their ideas about them.

Other Materials/ Resources/ Activities*: / Constitutional Study Guide (pp. 38-42, 54-58), Interpreting Political Cartoons (pp. 7-8), We the People (Constitutional Rights Foundation)
Discussions/Debates/Simulations: Government Regulation of the Internet, Term Limits for Justices, Law and the Real World (p. 268), Simulations & Debates, Issues in the Law, (Legal Issues and the Internet)

*Teachers should select the combination of activities that will work best for them in helping students meet the outcomes and complete the assessments.

Civics in Action Curriculum Map,
Unit 4: The Bill of Rights and Beyond
January 14-February 15 (full-year course)
Essential Question: / When should the Constitution be changed?
Outcomes: / 1. Students will increase understanding of how the Constitution and the Bill of Rights adapt with the ongoing development of constitutional democracy in America.
2. Students will identify, take a position on, and respond to issues that are important to them and the implementation of constitutional democracy in America.
3. Students will identify positions, actions, and motivations of people or groups with differing points of view on the same issue and justify their own position on the issue.
Key Concepts: Each concept is followed in parentheses with the chapter and section in the textbook Civics: Government and Economics in Action in which it appears. /
  • Bill of Rights (6)
  • Amendment Process (6.1)
  • rights with limits (6.3)
/
  • The Constitution as an enduring, adapting document (7.1-2)
/
  • Suffrage (7.1)
  • Equal Protection (7.2)
  • Segregation (7.2)
  • Affirmative Action (7.2)

Assessments/ Products: / Students will:
  • complete a persuasive letter to a political figure expressing a position on a current events issue discussed and debated during the month; or
  • write an essay about one of the issues identified as important to the ongoing development of constitutional democracy and defend their own point of view.
  • make daily Civics in Action Notebook entries.
  • demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts, reference particular details to support their ideas about them.

Other Materials/ Resources/ Activities: / Constitutional Study Guide (pp. 43-51; 59-75), Interpreting Political Cartoons (p. 9)
Discussions/Debates/Simulations: English-The Nation’s Official Language?; Affirmative Action, Goss v. Lopez (Due Process): Constitutional Study Guide, Santa Fe v. Doe (First Amendment Rights): the Death Penalty, Hazelwood School District (Freedom of Press): Constitutional Study Guide, New Jersey v. TLO (Search & Seizure): Constitutional Study Guide; Law and the Real World (p. 169)
It’s Yours: The Bill of Rights; The Constitution and Bill of Rights; We the People (Constitutional Rights Foundation)

*Teachers should select the combination of activities that will work best for them in helping students meet the outcomes and complete the assessments.

Civics in Action Curriculum Map,
Unit 5: Choices In Little Rock

February 25 –April 18 (full-year course)

Essential Question: / How do the choices people make, individually and collectively, shape a society?
Outcomes: /
  1. Students will increase their understanding of the fundamental underpinnings of American constitutional democracy including the roles, responsibilities, and functions of the three branches of the federal government.
  2. Students will identify, take a position on, and respond to issues of importance to them regarding the structure, operations, and conduct of the federal government.
  3. Students will examine the role of the individual in society.

Key Concepts: Each concept is followed in parentheses with the
Part and Lesson in the Choices curriculum in which it appears. /
  • identity (1.1)
  • stereotype (1.2)
  • prejudice (1.3)
  • discrimination (1.3)
  • race (1.4)
  • the only race is the human race (1.4)
  • race as social invention (1.4)
  • racism (1.4)
/
  • segregation (2.1)
  • Plessy v. Ferguson: “separate but equal” (2.2)
  • Brown v. Board of Education: desegregation “with all deliberate speed” (2.4)
  • precedent (2.4)
  • integration (2.4)
/
  • bystander (3.1)
  • perpetrator (3.1)
  • ally (3.1)
  • victim (3.1)
  • federalism (Faubus v. Eisenhower) (3.2)
  • supremacy of the Constitution: “the highest law of the land” (3.2)
  • mob rule (3.2)
  • Executive Order (3.2)
/
  • “a nation in which laws, not men, are supreme” (3.2)
  • power of the press/ role of the media (3.3)
  • nonviolence (3.4)
  • responsibility of a “good citizen” in a democracy (3.5)
/
  • “product of my day and time” (3.5)
  • moderate (3.5)
  • legacy (5)
  • “self-segregation” (5)
  • “All men are created equal”
  • the power and consequences of choice

Assessments/ Products: / Students will:
  • Complete a “legacy project” from the Choices in Little Rock curriculum
  • successfully conduct discussions, debates, and the array of activities included in the Choices in Little Rock curriculum
  • make daily Civics in Action Notebook entries
  • demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts;reference particular details to support their ideas about them.

Other Materials/ Resources/
Activities*: / Teachers must complete training through Facing History and Ourselves in order to receive materials described in the Choices curriculum. See Civics Course Guide for History PD schedule.
FHAO Library Videos: Eye of the Storm; The Road to Brown, Section 2: “Plessy & the Era of Jim Crow”; The Second American Revolution; Eyes on the Prize : “Fighting Back”
Internet: and
Civics in Action Curriculum Map, Unit 6:
The American Legal System

April 28-May 16 (full-year course)

Essential Question: / Does the American Legal System effectively balance the responsibility of protecting both society and the rights of the accused?
Outcomes: /
  1. Develop an understanding of the American Legal System.
  2. Students will identify, take a position on, and respond to issues important to the American legal system.

Key Concepts: Each concept is followed in parentheses with the chapter and section in the textbook Civics: Government and Economics in Action in which it appears. /
  • Civil Law (19.1-3)
  • Criminal Law (19.3)
  • The types and causes of crime (19.3, 20.1-2)
  • Juvenile Justice System (20.3)

Assessments/ Products: / Students will:
  • conduct a formal debate (see debate protocol in this course guide) on an issue related to adolescents and the law
  • make daily Civics in Action Notebook entries
  • demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts;reference particular details to support their ideas about them.

Other Materials/ Resources/ Activities*: / Discussions/Debates/Simulations: Trying Juveniles as Adults; Simulations & Debates, Issues in the Law, (DNA Databases), Unit 7: Mock Trial

* Teachers should select the combination of activities that will work best for them in helping students meet the outcomes and complete the assessments.

Civics in Action Curriculum Map, Unit 7:
The U.S. and the World

May 19-June 20 (full-year course)

Essential Question: /

Has US foreign policy met its goal of promoting world peace?

Outcomes: /
  1. Develop an understanding of the relationship of the United States to other nations and world affairs.
2. Students will identify, take a position on, and respond to issues of importance to them regarding U.S. international affairs.
Key Concepts: Each concept is followed in parentheses with the chapter and section in the textbook Civics: Government and Economics in Action in which it appears. /
  • Foreign Policy (24.1)
  • World Peace (24.1)
  • World Trade (24.1)
  • Human Rights (24.1)
  • World Democracy(24.1)
/
  • Diplomacy (24.1)
  • Foreign Aid (24.1)
  • Sanctions (24.1)
  • Intelligence(24.1)
  • National Security (24.2)

Assessments/ Products: / Students will:
  • write a persuasive essay regarding a current events issue of importance to U.S. international affairs
  • make daily Civics in Action Notebook entries
  • understand the key concepts; reference particular details to support their ideas about them.
  • successfully complete the BPS citywide Civics in Action end-of-course assessment

Other Materials/ Resources/ Activities*: / Discussions/Debates/Simulations: Planning Board Simulation, Social Services for Illegal Immigrants, Promoting Democracy and Human Rights Overseas, National Security Council Simulation, Nation-Building Efforts Debate; Simulations & Debates, Issues in the Law, (International Justice)

* Teachers should select the combination of activities that will work best for them in helping students meet the outcomes and complete the assessments.

Civics in Action Curriculum Map:
Civic Action Project

Implement throughout the course

Essential Question: /

What is my responsibility as a member of my community?

Outcomes: / 1. Students will identify and conduct research on a school or community need or problem.
2. Students will plan a civic action project to respond to the need or problem in some constructive manner.
3. Students will bring their civic action project to conclusion for public presentation.
4. Students will recognize and demonstrate how they fulfilled their roles and responsibilities as members of a community.
Key Concepts:
Assessments/ Products: / Students will:
  • Complete one large or two smaller civic action projects which respond to a community need or problem.
  • Reflect on their experience through a portfolio and/or public presentation.

Other Materials/ Resources/
Activities*: /
  1. Simulations and Debates (Teacher Resource, Civics: Government and Economics in Action, Prentice Hall)*
  2. Active Citizen Projects (Teacher Resource, Civics: Government and Economics in Action, Prentice Hall)*
  3. Debate, Letter-Writing and other protocols and rubrics in the BPS Civics In Action Course Guide
  4. World-Wide Web: “google” any local, national, or international issue for extensive background materials
  5. The Kid’s Guide to Social Action, Barbara A. Lewis (see more information below)*
  6. We the People…Project Citizen (Center for Civic Education)
7. Violence in the Schools (Center for Civic Education)
8. City Youth: Education and Community Action (Constitutional Rights Foundation)
* All of these resources include links to many other resources related to particular Civic Action Projects.