LEHIGHTON AREA HIGH SCHOOL
COURSE SYLLABUS
Honors American Government & Civics
CONTACT INFORMATION
Mrs. Melissa Volcskai, Social Studies Teacher, Grades 10-12
610-377-6180
https://sites.google.com/site/mrsvolcskaisclassroom/
Time Available for Help
7:15-7:30 am, 1:50-2:20 pm, 2:20-3:00 pm
Course Description
“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
- John F. Kennedy
Honors American Government and Civics is designed to make you an active participant in our nation’s government process. An educated citizen will be one who participates and does not sit back and watch. This semester we will examine forms of government, basic concepts of democracy, the U.S. Constitution, Federalism and the three branches of government, Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights, political parties, voting and voter behavior, and the Presidency. The goal of this course is to provide you with the information necessary to participate in government in order to impact government policy.
Keystone/Common Core Standards to be Addressed
PA Civics & Government Standards:
5.1.12.A: Analyze the sources, purposes, functions of law, and how the rule of law protects individual rights and promotes the common good
5.1.12.B: Employ historical examples and political philosophy to evaluate the major arguments advanced for the necessity of government.
5.1.12.C: Evaluate the application of the principles and ideals in contemporary civic life.
5.1.12.D: Evaluate state and federal powers based on significant documents and other critical sources.
5.1.12.E: Analyze and assess the rights of people as written in the PA Constitution and the US Constitution.
5.1.12.F: Evaluate the role of nationalism in uniting and dividing citizens.
5.2.12.A: Evaluate an individual's civil rights, responsibilities and obligations in various contemporary governments.
5.2.12.B: Examine the causes of conflicts in society and evaluate techniques to address those conflicts.
5.2.12.C: Evaluate political leadership and public service in a republican form of government.
5.2.12.D: Evaluate and demonstrate what makes competent and responsible citizens.
5.3.12.A: Analyze the changes in power and authority among the three branches of government over time.
5.3.12.B: Compare and contrast policy-making in various contemporary world governments.
5.3.12.C: Evaluate how government agencies create, amend, and enforce regulations.
5.3.12.D: Evaluate the roles of political parties, interest groups, and mass media in politics and public policy.
5.3.12.E: Evaluate the fairness and effectiveness of the United States electoral processes, including the electoral college.
5.3.12.F: Analyze landmark United States Supreme Court interpretations of the Constitution and its Amendments.
5.3.12.G: Evaluate the impact of interest groups in developing public policy.
5.4.12.B: Evaluate the effectiveness of foreign policy tools in various current issues confronting the United States (e.g., diplomacy, economic aid, military aid, sanctions, treaties).
5.4.12.C: Evaluate the effectiveness of international organizations, both governmental and non-governmental.
5.4.12.E: Compare and contrast the politics of various interest groups and evaluate their impact on foreign policy.
PA Common Core – Reading & Writing in History & Social Studies:
CC.8.5.11-12.A. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
CC.8.5.11-12.B. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
CC.8.5.11-12.C. Evaluate various explanations for actions or eventsand determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.
CC.8.5.11-12.D. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how anauthor uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
CC.8.5.11-12.E. Analyze in detail how a complex primary source is structured, including how key sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text contribute to the whole.
CC.8.5.11-12.F. Evaluate authors’ differing points of view on the same historical event or issue by assessing the authors’ claims, reasoning, and evidence.
CC.8.5.11-12.G. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, as well as in words) in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CC.8.5.11-12.H. Evaluate an author’s premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.
CC.8.5.11-12.I. Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
CC.8.5.9-10.J. By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
CC.8.6.11-12.A. Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
CC.8.6.11-12.B. Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/ experiments, or technical processes.
CC.8.6.11-12.C. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CC.8.6.11-12.D. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience.
CC.8.6.11-12.E. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
CC.8.6.11-12.F. 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 multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.
CC.8.6.11-12.G. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the specific task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.
CC.8.6.11-12.H. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
CC.8.6.11-12.I. 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.
Objectives and Goals
Students will be able to…
-explain the roles and duties of the three branches of government in the Federalist system.
-identify different forms of government and how they work.
-analyze the role of political parties and the voting process and patterns of voter behavior.
-evaluate the significance of primary documents such as the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution in framing our national government.
Determination of Grades
All students will be able to access their grades by using PowerSchool. Grading will be comprised of tests, quizzes, projects, reading and writing assignments, classwork, and homework. All assignments will be given a point value. Homework and quizzes will be worth 10-25 points, writing assignments will be worth 20-50 points, and tests and projects will be worth 50-100 points. You will have pop writing assignments during class. If something is happening involving our government and goes along with a topic we are studying in class, I may have you read an article and respond to a question I give you by writing a paragraph or two. Each day when you enter the classroom you will complete a bell ringer worth 3 points. I will grade them each night and keep track of your points for the week on a grade sheet. At the end of the week, I will post your total bell ringer points for the week on Power School. If you are absent, you must make up the bell ringer from the previous day. Failure to do so will result in loss of points for that day. You will also be asked to complete a political article response paper at the end of each month. Each article must relate to our government, this is not just a current events assignment. You will be given a political article format paper to follow with the directions for the assignment. If you have any questions regarding your grade, please come and see me at the beginning or end of class. If you are caught cheating on any assignment you will receive a ZERO on the assignment.
Classroom Rules and Discipline
Classroom Rules:
1) Be respectful of your teacher/other students while they are talking/working.
2) Be responsible for your own actions and property.
3) All homework is due on its due date; if you miss an assignment you have then end of the school day 3:00pm to hand it in. Anything after is a ZERO.
4) Be sure to carry your handbook on you at ALL TIMES. You cannot leave the room without it. Bathroom sign-out pages must remain attached to the handbook.
5) No food or drink in class.
6) All dress code rules apply in class.
7) No cell phones in class, if you need to call home, you can do so from the office.
8) All bags, purses, etc. must be placed under your desk.
Discipline Policy:
I expect each student in my classroom to take responsibility for their actions and treat each other with the respect they would wish for themselves. If I ask you to do something, I expect it will be done immediately, without me asking you again. I will keep a discipline record for each student, whenever an action takes place that is against the classroom rules, you will get a warning and the action will be recorded on your discipline record followed by your signature. You will always be aware of what is recorded on your record. It is my wish that all of your discipline records stay blank for the semester.
1st Offense: Warning
2nd Offense: Phone call home to parent/guardian
3rd Offense: Phone call home to parent/guardian and classroom detention.
4th Offense: Discipline referral form will be filled out and sent to the office.
Topics to be Covered and Timeline for the Course
August/September
Basic concepts of democracy, forms of government, government and the state, and the six basic principles. America’s political beginnings, independence from Great Britain, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the formation of the U.S. Constitution.
October
The Constitution, changing the Constitution, Civil Liberties: First amendment freedoms, the Unalienable rights: freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly and petition, the Bill of Rights
November
Federalism, three branches of government, the national government and the fifty states, interstate relations, Congress, how a bill becomes a law, qualifications of Senators and Representatives.
December/January
Voters and voting behavior, the right to vote, voter qualifications, suffrage and civil rights, political parties, nominating process, history of political parties in the United States, minor parties, third parties, the presidency, electoral college, qualifications for president, and presidential succession.
Writing/Research Assignment Requirements
Over the course of the semester you will be completing a small research paper. Each student in the class will pick the name of a president out of a hat. Your responsibility will be to create a thesis statement (something you want to prove using your research), and research your president’s time in office. This assignment will be completed in stages, and your paper will be due sometime before the end of the semester. Combining all parts of your research paper together, it will be worth a total of 100 points. Within the next week I will be giving you your research paper guidelines, which you may share with your parents. The research paper guidelines will also be available on my website, https://sites.google.com/site/mrsvolcskaisclassroom/
Research Paper Guidelines:
10th Grade Honors - 12 paragraph research paper with two primary source interviews, five other sources, and one graphic or chart, and original research conducted either using school population or community
Students will complete a paper appropriate for their grade level, even if they are in a class of mixed grades. A timeline will be provided with specific due dates throughout the semester.
BYOD
Bring Your Own Device
Please note, BYOD is a privilege and NOT an educational right. Teachers may limit BYOD usage on a class-by-class or individual basis.
Rules & Policies for BYOD (as per Building and district administration):
1. All devices are the responsibility of the student – teachers and Lehighton School District are not liable for any damage or loss to personal devices.
2. Students connecting to the internet must use the district’s Wi-Fi connection 7:30-2:30. Failure to connect to the Wi-Fi could jeopardize usage.
3. Devices must be used for teacher-directed, educational purposes only. Teachers may limit BOYD on class by class basis.
4. Filming classes, taking pictures, and/or recording audio is not permitted, and violators could be referred to the police and prosecuted.
5. This privilege may be revoked for violations of school rules and policies on an individual basis. The classroom teacher will have a policy in place for failure to follow the established class regulations regarding BYOD.
We, student and parent/guardian, have read and understand the course syllabus. We are aware of the classroom guidelines and requirements of the course. We understand that time is available during the week for extra help and the student who signs below may be required to attend remediation sessions as assigned by the teacher.
Student Signature: ______Date: ______
Parent/Guardian Signature: ______Date: ______