Content & Literacy Learning Objectives

Specific Learning Objectives: While WHAT we learn about is mightily important, HOW we learn will help you develop skills that you can take to college and into the real world. These are the skills you will be able to walk away with when you leave this classroom next June:

Course Objectives

Students will be able to:

• See themselves as participants in the democratic process and American life.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the foundational ideas of constitutional government in the United States.
• Demonstrate an understanding of key components of the United States Constitution.
• Engage in informed discussion about current events as related to civic life, politics, economics, and government.
• Participate in civic life through service and other appropriate forms of engagement or activity and reflect on that participation.
• Demonstrate the balance of power in American democratic government.
• Describe the role of economics in American society.
• Discern their own voice as a citizen amidst competing voices, institutions and historical realities.

Instructional Objectives: Center for Civic Education

• B What are the distinctive characteristics of American Society
• D What values and principles are basic to American constitutional democracy
• A what is Citizenship?
• C What are the responsibilities of Citizens?
• B How do the domestic politics and constitutional principles of the United States affect its relations with the world?
• C How has the United States influenced other nations, and how have other nations influenced American politics and society?
• E How can citizens take part in civic life?

 

Principles of American Government:

 

• 12a.3 Analyze the political theories and arguments contained in the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
• 12a.2 Explain how the US Constitution reflects the balance between individual rights and the common good. Discuss how the basic principles of democracy are expressed in the Declaration of Independence as “self-evident” truths.
• 12a.3 Describe the six principles of the American Constitution: individual rights, popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism.

Argumentative Writing Strategies Synthesize multiple sources when writing a claim Address multiple perspectives when writing an argument Address a particular audience in your writing, using appropriate tone, diction, syntax, etc. Purposefully order paragraphs to create a strong argumentative organization  Discussion Habits Come prepared for discussion with sources of evidence Cite evidence when speakin Address other participants by agreeing, disagreeing, clarifying, etc. Ask questions to generate discussion

Writing for Research 3.9.1—Create a Claim 3.9.2—Create an outline 3.9.3—Create topic sentences 3.9.8—Compose a concluding sentence 3.9.9—Revising and editing Reading Informational Texts 2.9.1—Cite textual evidence 2.9.2—Interpret Charts and Graphs 2.9.3—Identify central idea of a text 2.9.4—Identify perspective or purpose in a text 2.9.5—Identify bias