Unit 3

Civic Participation and Public Policy

Essential Question: How do citizens influence government policy?


Unit 3 Inquiries

  1. What opportunities exist for an individual student to affect political and civic change?
  2. What contemporary issues do federal, state, and local governments need to address?
  3. Does the electoral system in the United States still meet our country’s needs? Why or why not?
  4. What role do third parties play in United States politics? In NYS? In NYC?
  5. Where do we find reliable information about a public policy issue or a local participation in government project?
  6. How do we become civic participants?

Each chapter reading assigned below corresponds with the lesson and an essential question. Students are expected to complete each chapter reading when assigned and will be responsible for the contents of the chapter. Dates are not included because pacing tends to vary from class to class; due dates shall be assigned in class.

Lesson 37 - Electoral Process

Take a peek into the electoral process- from party primaries to the general election. Students will learn the distinctions between the popular vote and the Electoral College, and exercise their critical reasoning skills to analyze the differences between the presidential and congressional elections. Students will also contrast the various nomination processes and learn about the role of party conventions in American politics.

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Lesson 38 - One Big Party

In this lesson, students learn what political parties are and what kind of party systems exist in the world. They then learn about the role of political parties in the United States and the influence parties have in our political system.


Lesson 39 - Candidate Evaluation

In this lesson, students evaluate hypothetical candidates by establishing and applying their own criteria for selecting public officials. Through a variety of activities, students assess candidates based on their qualifications, experience, campaign speeches and campaign materials. Students track campaign promises, explore voting records and evaluate the legitimacy of information resources. The role of the media, fundraising and opinion polls in the electoral process is also discussed.

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Lesson 40 - Public Sphere

Public sphere, public agenda, public opinion, public policy… What’s the difference? Students discover the relationships among these concepts and how they influence the issues we all discuss and care about.

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Lesson 41 - Role of Media

What is the media? What does it do? Students examine the types and roles of the media by taking on the role of newsmaker and agenda setter.

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Lesson 42 - Interest Groups

The role of interest groups in politics and government is a hot topic in the media today. This lesson uses the battle over school lunch ingredients to illustrate how interest groups and lobbying affect public policy. Take a side in the battle, create an interest group, and try to influence public policy.

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Lesson 43 - Propaganda

Examine the seven forms of propaganda found in advertising and politics. Discover the persuasive methods behind the messaging we see every day and gain skills to effectively identify and counter them. A classroom gallery walk challenges students to detect the propaganda techniques at work and evaluate their effectiveness.

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Lesson 44 - Students Engage

Students brainstorm a list of local problems and action steps that they might take to solve these problems. After analyzing the concept of problem/solution alignment, students select a problem of their own and create an action plan to solve the problem. Ultimately, students are left with a deeper understanding of action steps they can take to address problems in their communities.

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