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Middle School Middle School Civics

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Suggested Prerequisites

N/A

Description

Learning about civics gives students the skills and knowledge necessary to be active citizens who have a positive impact on their communities. In this course, students discover the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the United States. They learn about the structure of the government and how it works at the local, state, and federal levels. This course examines elections, the lawmaking process, and how citizens can impact public policy. Students also discover ways the United States interacts with countries around the world. Geography and economics support the learning of civics in this course. Engaging in this study prepares students to be informed citizens who are ready to participate in the American democracy!

Module One: Citizenship

-Locating states and capitals on maps

-Territories, protectorates and landmarks

-Culture and regions of America

-Political, social, and economic impacts on culture

-Interpreting maps and data

-How citizenship and ecology are connected

-Citizenship and residency

-The naturalization process

-Obligations and responsibilities of citizens


Module Two: Foundations

-Ideas of the Enlightenment

-Important documents in early America

-The Declaration of Independence

-The United States Constitution

-The three branches of government

-Check and balances and separation of powers

-Viewpoints of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists

-The Bill of Rights

-Amending the Constitution


Module Three: Sharing Power

-Federalism as established by the U.S. Constitution

-Executive authority at local, state, and national levels

-The rule of law

-Processes of the legislative branch

-The law-making process

-State and federal court systems

-Jury trials

-Local government and activism

Module Four: Active Citizens

-Impact of constitutional rights

-Concept of “judicial review”

-Landmark Supreme Court cases

-Constitutional principles and individual rights 

-Freedom of expression

-Monitoring and influencing government

-Political candidates and public opinion

-The election process


Module Five: Going Global

-Organizational structures of government systems

-Standards of living

-Single resource versus diversified economies

-Foreign and domestic policies

-Currency exchange and trade

-International affairs


Module Six: American Money

-Basic economic concepts

-Competition and entrepreneurship

-Banking in the United States

-Borrowing and lending

-Taxes and making a budget