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)