What You Will Learn in Civics This Year

Unit 1: Citizenship

    • You will learn about the naturalization process and what it means to be a citizen.
    • You will learn the obligations and responsibilities of citizenship.
    • You will examine real-life scenarios and issues that require being an active citizen.

Unit 2: Forms and Systems of Governments

    • You will compare and contrast different forms and systems of government around the world.

Unit 3: Influences on the Foundations of American Government

    • You will learn about the ideas and documents that helped our Founding Fathers create a plan for government.
    • You will learn about the concept of federalism and how the U.S. Constitution limits the powers of government through the separation of powers and checks and balances.
    • You will learn that nobody is above the law, and how this belief impacts our legal system today.

Unit 4: Road to the Declaration

    • You will learn the events and disagreements between the 13 colonies and Great Britain that led up to the writing of the Declaration of Independence.

Unit 5: America’s Beginnings

    • You will examine how our Founding Fathers designed our first government.
    • You will analyze the weaknesses of the first government plan, along with key events and arguments that led to the writing of the U.S. Constitution.
    • You will learn about the goals for government set forth by the U.S. Constitution.
    • You learn about the Supremacy Clause listed in the Constitution as well as what it took to ratify the Constitution and make it the governing law of the nation.
    • You will learn about the Founding Father’s arguments over ratifying the U.S. Constitution, or not through the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-federalists

Unit 6: The Bill of Rights

    • You will learn about the different ways in which the United States Constitution can be amended as outlined in the United States Constitution
    • You will learn about the rights you have as a citizen, as set forth by the U.S. Constitution.
    • You will how the Constitution limits and safeguards individual rights
    • You will analyze the meaning and impact of “landmark” Supreme Court cases and how the courts upheld and safeguarded Constitutional Rights

Unit 7: The Branches of Government

    • You will learn about the structure and jobs assigned to the Legislative branch as outlined by Article I of the U.S. Constitution.
    • You will learn how bills become laws at the federal (national) level of government.
    • You will learn about the structure and jobs assigned to the Executive branch as outlined by Article II of the U.S. Constitution.
    • You will learn about what the electoral college and the role it plays in presidential elections
    • You will learn about the Presidential Succession Act and the 25th Amendment
    • You will learn about the structure and jobs assigned to the Judicial branch as outlined by Article III of the U.S. Constitution.
    • You will learn about the levels, jobs and powers of courts at the local, state, and federal level
    • You will analyze the meaning and impact of “landmark” Supreme Court cases and how the courts upheld and safeguarded Constitutional Rights

Unit 8: State and Local Government

    • You will learn how bills become laws at the state and local levels of government.
    • You will compare Florida’s state constitution with the U.S. Constitution.
    • You will understand the relationship and divisions of power between federal, state, and local governments.
    • You will learn how amendment can be ratified in the Florida Constitution as outlined in the Florida Constitution.
    • You will also compare the Florida and U.S. Constitutions and discover the similarities and differences in each.

Unit 9: Sources and Types of Law

    • You will practice the trial process, along with the role of a jury.
    • You will compare different types and sources of law and who they apply to.

Unit 10: Voting Rights

    • You will learn how the government passed laws to allow different groups the right to vote over the course of a century and how other groups tried to stop them from voting
    • You will learn about other amendments that have been passed throughout the years to complete your list of amendments.
    • You will analyze the meaning and impact of “landmark” Supreme Court cases and how the courts upheld and safeguarded Constitutional Rights

Unit 11: Influences on Government

    • You will analyze media and political communication methods, and their impact on monitoring and influencing our government.
    • You will learn about different ideas behind America’s political parties.
    • You will practice a mock election to learn about the voting process, and its impact on your community.

Unit 12: Foreign Policy

    • You will compare different ideas about U.S. domestic and foreign policy.
    • You will see how our government and citizens work with other countries.
    • You will learn how the U.S. deals with conflicts in or with other countries.

Unit 13: EOC Review

    • You will have multiple worksheets which will review various levels of EOC style test questions and puzzles related to vocabulary that you have learned this year.
    • You will also have a year end project that will correspond to those worksheets and possibly displayed in a Civics fair at the end of the year (more information to come)