Grade 8 Civics

Course Overview

In this civics course, 8th graders develop critical thinking skills, a thorough understanding of the foundations and workings of the United State government, and capacities for civic action. Students continue to: develop their research skills; read and analyze primary and secondary sources; participate in interactive and collaborative work; and explore different points of view, motives and biases. Throughout the course, students study the past to better understand the present, so that they are equipped to engage in informed and authentic civic action and to create change.

Students will explore the political institutions and founding values of the United States, as expressed through grievances in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. A unit on justice in action explores additional case studies, including the Little Rock Nine, Native American Mascot Debate, Constitutional Amendments, and Supreme Court cases, and investigates forces of change, including voting, constitutional amendments, and Supreme Court decisions. The year culminates in student-led non-partisan civic action projects with a civic showcase event in the spring.

Throughout the year, students are encouraged to explore common themes such as the foundations of justice and protection of inalienable rights, fighting for justice with a focus on activist movements, and justice denied throughout history and in current events today.

Identity

Learning Targets

To establish classroom norms.
To provide an introduction to the course.
To get to know each other and build learning expectations as a class.

Essential Questions

What makes me, me? What do I choose to share with my teachers and peers?
What story do I want to tell about who I am and what matters to me?

Instructional Snapshot

Students will:

What’s in a Name from Facing History and Ourselves.
Create a campaign Poster
Complete campaign Poster Gallery Walk
Create a class Constitution/Norms

Rights & Responsibilities of a US Citizen and Resident

Learning Targets

Students will be able to differentiate between human rights and the rights guaranteed to a U.S. citizen. Students will be able to describe the rights and responsibilities of a U.S. citizen.

Essential Questions

Who are ‘We the People?’
What are the basic principles of American representative democracy?
How do citizens, civic ideals, and government institutions interact to balance the needs of individuals and the common good?
What rights do US citizens have?
What responsibilities do US citizens have?’
How do human rights differ from the rights of a citizen?
How have people historically reacted when they are defined of their rights?
How can Individuals play a crucial role in maintaining a strong democracies?
While each individual citizen is granted certain inalienable rights, what specific responsibilities are required by each individual in order to keep the democracy healthy.
How did the people excluded from ‘we the people’ make demands for justice & rights?

Instructional Snapshot

Students will:

Analyze the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Comparison of rights vs. responsibilities of a U.S. citizen
Understand the rights of a U.S. resident
Understand the pathway to citizenship
Experience the citizenship exam (not graded, but taken by students as a pretest to the year and for context when learning about citizenship)

Bill of Rights & Development of US Government

Learning Targets

Students will be able to describe how the Bill of Rights protects individual rights.
Students will be able to analyze how the Bill of Rights (BOR) has been applied to Supreme Court cases

Essential Questions

How does the government balance the common good with individual rights?
Has our definition of certain rights changed over time?
What fundamental rights are covered by the BOR?
How are students’ actions protected by the BOR?

Instructional Snapshot

Students will:

Be introduced to UDHR & Bill of Rights
Explore at least one case study of students seeking protection of their rights in school (example: Kennedy v. Bremerton)
Complete a Bill of Rights CLEAR paragraph or mini project

Foundations of Government

Learning Targets

Students will be able to describe how Enlightenment thinkers and government philosophies shaped the foundations of the United States.

Essential Questions

Why do we need government?
What makes a government legitimate?
How does the government balance the need for order and liberty?
What does consent of the governed mean?

Instructional Snapshot

Students will:

Understand early rights & early influential documents (English Bill of Rights, Magna Carta, )
Complete a government Influencers mini-project

Institutions of Government and the Constitution

Learning Targets

Students will be able to explain important similarities and differences between the powers of federal gov’t and MA [9th/10th amendments & commerce clause]
Students will understand the structure of US Constitution
Explain significance of enumerated and implied powers
Analyze the SC’s interaction with the other two branches
Students will be able to examine current SC Cases and debate or participate in mock trial activities.

Essential Questions

Why did the framers replace the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution?
What weaknesses within the AOC did the Constitution try to fix?
How did compromise play a role in creating the Constitution?
What is the significance of the Constitution today?
Who did the framers mean when they wrote “We the People”?
How does federalism calm AND complicate government in the US?
How was the Constitution framed to guard against tyranny?
Why is the Constitution considered a living document?

Instructional Snapshot

Students will explore:

The 7 Principles of the Constitution
Further Exploration of Compromises
Excerpts of Federalist Papers
Three Branches of Government
Additional Case Study of Bill of Rights and Supreme Court Cases including the 5 freedoms
Debate and mock trials and/or socratic seminar practice as part of the literacy standards

State and Local Government

Learning Targets

Students will be able to describe the separate powers of local vs. state governments.

Essential Questions

How do state and local governments impact people’s lives?
What do elected leaders actually do?
How are taxes used to support the residents of Massachusetts, Boston, & Sharon?
What does the MA Constitution really say?

Instructional Snapshot

Students will:

Compare and contrast the functions of local and state governments.
Explain structure of state governments.
Describe major components of Sharon town gov’t vs Boston. [Select Board v. Mayor/City Council; School Comm etc.]
Identify some tax-supported facilities and services
Summarize unique elements of MA Constitution inc. free school requirement, Preamble’s declaration of inalienable rights

Civic Action Project

Learning Targets

Students will be able to engage in critical thinking & problem solving skills.
To develop an action plan for civic change, students will complete the 6 stages of civic action outlined by DESE.

Essential Questions

What civic issues are present in my school, my community, and/or state & how can I work to change those issues?
How can I/we work to change those issues?
What does it mean to “succeed” in a civic engagement project?
What is systemic change?
How does the government accomplish change?

Instructional Snapshot

Students will:

Describe the importance and impact of civic action/engagement.
Conduct various forms of mini research including interviews, surveys/polls, digital and personal outreach, document analysis etc.
Apply skills in group work like cooperation, organization, dialogue to achieve consensus etc.

Media Literacy

Learning Targets

Students will be able to establish consistent reading, listening, speaking, and writing opportunities for students on issues related to Civics, Civic Action, and current events.
Students will be able to engage students with the rights and responsibilities of a free press.
Students will be able to distinguish between credible and non-credible sources (misinformation).

Essential Questions

Explain why freedom of the press was included as a right in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and in Article 16 of the Massachusetts Constitution; explain that freedom of the press means the right to express and publish views on politics and other topics without government sponsorship, oversight, control, or censorship.
Give examples of how a free press can provide competing information and views about government and politics.
Explain the different functions of news articles, editorials, editorial cartoons, and “op-ed” commentaries.
Evaluate the benefits and challenges of digital news and social media to a democratic society.
Explain methods for evaluating information and opinion in print and online media (e.g.,determining the credibility of news articles; analyzing the messages of editorials and op-ed commentaries; assessing the validity of claims and sufficiency of evidence).
Analyze the point of view and evaluate the claims of an editorial, editorial cartoon, or op-ed commentary on a public policy issue at the local, state, or national level (e.g., a mayoral or school committee decision, an action by a state legislature or Governor, a vote in Congress or an action by the President).

Instructional Snapshot

Students will:

Students will be provided with opportunities to practice with excerpts either as a full group, small group, partner or on their own at first.
Students will participate in both in class and homework assignments related to media literacy topics.
When students begin research for civic action, additional mini lessons around credibility, trustworthiness, and reliable sourcing will be reviewed.
Case studies on media literacy and/or freedom of the press may be explored.
Students may be asked to analyze op-eds and write one.

Page updated

Report abuse