American Government

American Government is the second course in the social studies core course sequence.  It provides a blend of political science, government and civic studies. Students study the constitutional structure and behavioral trends in the American political system.  Students explore political ideology, the electoral process, policymaking, constitutional interpretation and the analysis of current events.  Additionally, students learn how they can build their individual civic responsibility. Students develop higher-order thinking skills while examining the American system of government to cultivate an analytical mindset. Students further strengthen their reading, writing, speaking, listening and research skills, in the context of the social studies.  Successful completion of this course fulfills the state mandated U.S. and Illinois Constitution tests.

Rationale: American Government is a required course for graduation that provides a bridge between Human Geography and United States History.  In conjunction with these other two courses, it provides a solid foundation for York students to be engaged, informed and judicious citizens.

 The EL version of the course is for nonnative speakers of English. It provides students with supporting in acquiring both content knowledge and English academic language.

 The Bilingual version of the course is for native Spanish speakers who are still building their English skills.