Subject: AP US Government
Grade Level: 12th
Unit Title: Civil Liberties & Civil Rights / Timeframe Needed for Completion: 4 weeks
Grading Period: 1st nine weeks
Big Idea/Theme: Civil Liberties & Civil Rights
Understandings:
  • The Bill of Rights
  • Judicial Review & Interpretations
  • Due Process
  • Equal Protection
  • Incorporation

Curriculum Goals/Objectives:
  • 9.01: Identify substantive rights & liberties.
  • 9.02: Trace & analyze the development of civil liberties & civil rights resulting from legislative enactment.
  • 9.03: Trace the development of civil liberties & civil rights resulting from judicial interpretation:
-Freedom of speech, assembly, & expression
-Rights of the accused
-Rights of minority groups & women
  • 9.04: Apply & evaluate the impact of the 14th Amendment on the constitutional development of rights & liberties.
/ Essential Questions:
  • What basic rights are all people entitled to?
  • What is the difference between civil liberties & civil rights?
  • How have the meanings and scope of our basic 1stAmendment rights & liberties evolved? Why have these changes occurred?
  • Should there be more checks on the US Supreme Court?
  • Do those accused of crimes have too many rights or are these guarantees necessary?
  • Are there citizens/people who should not be allowed to vote? Why or why not?
  • Is it too hard to immigrate legally to the US?
  • What impact has the 14th Amendment had on the rights & liberties of all citizens?
  • Which amendment is the biggest guarantee of rights: 1st or 14th?

Essential Skills/Vocabulary:
  • Judicial Review
  • The Establishment Clause
  • The Free Exercise Clause
  • Unenumerated Rights
  • Due Process Clauses of 5th & 14th Amendments
  • Equal Protection Clause
  • Selective incorporation
  • Prior Restraint
  • Clear & Present Danger
  • Libel/Slander
  • Exclusionary Rule
  • Good Faith Exception
/ Assessment Tasks:
  • Completion of Bill of Rights Scrapbook
  • Participation in debates on the scope of the 1st Amendment rights
  • Critical thinking exercises on the rights of the accused
  • Identification of Amendments and rights through various situations and cases.
  • Reflective Response on mock Supreme Court activity
  • Free Response assignment on rights of the accused
  • Outline of immigration laws and reforms in US
  • Multiple choice & free response questions

Material Suggestions:
Textbook chapters 5 & 6, Supreme Court decisions, Critical Thinking readings & websites, legal scenarios, Woll readings, “Lifeboat Ethics” essay, We The People chapters & exercises, various charts, power point presentations, YouTube videos, and released FRQ prompts.