A Renewed Mission: Education for Civic Life in a Democracy The primary purpose of a history and social science education is to prepare students to have the knowledge and skills to become thoughtful and active participants in a democratic society and a complex world. “Government of the people, by the people, for the people” is not just a historical phrase from Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address,” but an ideal that must be renewed and reinvigorated by each succeeding generation. The future of democracy depends on our students’ development of knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will enable them to embrace democracy’s potential, while recognizing its challenges and inherent dilemmas.
-Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Over the coming year we will be learning about how our government was designed and how it functions. We will learn about the reasons our founders chose a democratic republic over other forms of government to preserve our natural rights. We will learn how America has come from "All men are created equal" to what we now expect, "All people are created equal". We will learn about triumphs and tragedies, and most importantly about the rights and duties of citizens of this country.
This is a non-partisan setting where all points of view that are submitted respectfully will be heard. We will be learning how to compromise, how to appreciate differing points of view, and how to agree to disagree , while remaining respectful. Like the Beatles say, "We can work it out!"
I hope you will find the course interesting, as a variety of different teaching methods will be used, from standard lecture to class simulations. There will be many options for you to display the knowledge you will obtain. In addition to tests and quizzes, we will be producing posters, slide shows, projects and simulations to evaluate your progress in learning.
Our goal is to help you learn how to become a productive member of our town, state, nation and world.
The document below provides a more detailed overview to this course: