Beginnings of American Democracy
Federalists and Human Nature
Students will explain how the Founding Fathers' realistic view of human nature led directly to the establishment of a Constitutional system that limited the power of the governors and the governed as articulated in the Federalist Papers.
Acceptable Evidence: They will show that in their notes section of their Government Notebook they have completed the necessary notes, filling in the gaps and have defined the vocabulary using their own words and drawing their own pictures.
Acceptable Evidence: Students will be answering questions throughout the lesson that address all three levels of Costa's questioning.
America: The Democracy?
Students will identify how Democracy was implemented and how it compares to other forms of government. They will judge whether Alexis De Tocqueville's opinion on the matter of American Democracy was valid.
Acceptable Evidence: Students will be forming groups at the end of the lesson to determine whether they believe that Alexis De Tocqueville was right or wrong and they will be forming arguments after being shown a controversial political cartoon.
Acceptable Evidence: Students will be creating a foldable in which they compare and contrast different forms of government both ancient and contemporary.
They will be compelting the foldable showcasing their understanding of the subject.
The students, as a class, will be participating in the whole class reading. They will be called upon to make an input on what they think the headings and subheadings add to the text.
Teacher will be facilitating a reading exercise in which she and the students will be pre-reading titles, headings, and subheading trying to anticipate the main topics of the paragraphs and major sections.
The Bill of Rights
Students will identify the components of the Bill of Rights and will explore how they limit both state and federal domination.
Acceptable Evidence: "Get Out of Class Ticket" Students will be completing a small index card and will be compelled to answer the question "What amendment is most important to you at a personal level?"
Acceptable Evidence: Students will complete a KWL chart with two components. One component will be for vocabulary, the other will be for general knowledge of the Bill of Rights.
The students will report their experience in playing the "Do I Have a Right?" game on iCivics.org.
The students will complete the KWL chart.
The teacher will be conducting an interactive lesson and will act as facilitator
Social/Cultural Context
Students will evaluate how the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence maintain a concern for the Public and Individual rights.
Acceptable Evidence: Students will participate in a fishbowl discussion in which there will be value judgment terms. They will have to answer questions in which they agree or disagree in various degrees and will provide their reasoning.
Acceptable Evidence: The students will be doing a pre-reading exercise on the Decleration of Independence and the Bill of Rights for which they will complete a graphic organizer and will be adding a quickwrite entry to state in writing their findings from the graphic organizer.
Subtopic
The Federalist Papers
Students will describe the different aspects of government through careful analysis of primary sources like Federalist Papers number 10, 51, and 78.
Acceptable Evidence: Students will be analyzing primary sources using the SCCC method in order to facilitate their Mini-Q. In other words, they will be writing a DBQ using the Federalist Papers studied.
Acceptable Evidence: The students will complete guided notes on each of the Federalist papers using the SCCC method of primary source analysis.
The students will gather their analysis and information in order to write a DBQ .
The students will be using the SCCC method and a mini reading of the Federalist papers.
The teacher will provide the students with the necessary primary sources. She will instruct them on the SCCC method of analysis and will demonstrate by going through at least one passage with them.
Philosophers and Political Thinkers
Students will identify the major philosophies and philosophers who influenced the Constitution and will analyze how those influences were applied.
Acceptable Evidence: Students will get their first exposure to Alexis De Tocqueville by doing a quickwrite answering whether they agree with him that "The surface of American Society is covered with a layer of Democratic Paint, but from time to time one can see the old aristocratic colours breaking through."
Acceptable Evidence: After students have viewed and listened to the teacher lecture, they will have completed guided notes, answered three critical questions, and key vocabulary.
Students will be engaging with the opinion of Alexis De Tocqueville who will be revisited later in the unit. They will answer through a quickwrite.
The students will be vigorously taking notes and participating at crucial points designed by the nature of the lecture.
The teacher will be giving a lecture and will include the three levels of Costa's questioning.
