Government and civics

Units

1. 1

   What government is and why it exists

   3 lessons

   1. Why we need governmentExplain why people form governments and name what a government provides: order, safety and services.
   2. Social contract and natural rightsExplain how Hobbes and Locke each described the social contract and why Locke's idea of consent of the governed shaped the Declaration of Independence.
   3. Functions of governmentName the main functions of government and use clear questions to judge whether a government is performing them well.
2. 2

   Forms of government around the world

   3 lessons

   1. Democracies and republicsDefine direct democracy, representative democracy and republic, and give a real example of each.
   2. Monarchy, oligarchy and dictatorshipDefine monarchy, oligarchy and dictatorship, tell absolute from constitutional monarchy, and describe how rulers keep power.
   3. Unitary, federal and confederal systemsCompare unitary, federal and confederal systems by where the power lies, and place the United States as a federal system that replaced a confederation.
3. 3

   Constitutions and the rule of law

   3 lessons

   1. What a constitution doesExplain that a constitution sets up a government, gives it powers, limits them and protects rights, and that it can be written down and changed by a set process.
   2. The U.S. Constitution: principlesExplain popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances and federalism, with an example of each.
   3. The rule of lawExplain the rule of law, due process and equal protection, and show where the Constitution and history placed them.
4. 4

   Legislatures, executives and courts

   3 lessons

   1. CongressDescribe the House and Senate, follow how a bill becomes a law, and list the main powers the Constitution gives Congress.
   2. The presidencyDescribe the president's powers and roles, the Cabinet and the executive agencies, and the limits on the president.
   3. The courtsDescribe the three levels of the federal courts, explain judicial review, and tell how Marbury v. Madison created it.
5. 5

   Rights, freedoms and responsibilities

   3 lessons

   1. The Bill of RightsExplain the First Amendment freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition, and the protections the amendments give people accused of a crime.
   2. Landmark cases on rightsExplain what Tinker, Gideon, Miranda and Brown decided and how courts balance rights with limits.
   3. Responsibilities of citizensSeparate legal duties from civic responsibilities and describe the duties of obeying laws, paying taxes, serving on a jury and respecting the rights of others.
6. 6

   Elections, parties and voting

   3 lessons

   1. How elections workDescribe who may vote and how a voter registers, how primaries and the general election choose a president, and how the Electoral College turns state votes into a winner.
   2. Political partiesExplain what parties do, why the United States has two major parties, and what third parties add and why they rarely win.
   3. Campaigns and votingExplain how campaigns are paid for and limited, how advertising and media have changed campaigns, and why voter turnout matters and what affects it.
7. 7

   Media, public opinion and civic life

   3 lessons

   1. Public opinion and pollsExplain how people form political opinions, how a poll uses a sample to measure opinion, and how sampling and wording can bias a result.
   2. The role of the mediaDescribe the media's watchdog role with real examples, explain bias and how to judge a source, and recognize how misinformation spreads.
   3. Interest groupsDefine interest groups and name their types, describe the ways they lobby and influence government, and weigh the benefits and risks of their influence.
8. 8

   Local and national government

   3 lessons

   1. State governmentsDescribe the powers the Constitution leaves to the states and the structure of state government, with its governor, legislature and courts, and how states pay for what they do.
   2. Local governmentsDescribe counties, cities and school districts, how city governments are organized, and the services local governments provide and pay for.
   3. Federalism in practiceExplain how national, state and local governments share responsibilities, how Washington influences states through grants and mandates, and how conflicts are settled under the Supremacy Clause.
9. 9

   International organizations and cooperation

   3 lessons

   1. Nations and foreign policyExplain sovereignty and diplomacy, describe how the president and Congress share foreign policy powers, and show how treaties are made and what tools a nation uses abroad.
   2. The United Nations and other organizationsDescribe what the UN, NATO and the WTO are, how each is organized and what each does, and why nations join them.
   3. Global issues and cooperationDescribe human rights, trade, security and environmental issues that nations cannot solve alone, name the agreements and organizations that address them and weigh why cooperation is hard.
10. 10

    Taking civic action

    3 lessons

    1. Ways to take civic actionDescribe the main ways citizens take part in public life, including voting, volunteering, petitioning and peaceful protest, and choose a way that fits a goal.
    2. Identifying a problem and a planDefine a community problem in one clear sentence, research it with evidence from several sources, and turn it into an action plan with goals, steps, people and a way to measure success.
    3. Taking a position and communicating itState a clear claim backed by evidence and reasoning, write a letter to an official in a clear structure, and speak briefly and persuasively at a public meeting.