CONCEPT: Foundations -
Philosophy of Government & Civic Participation

UNIT TOPIC 1:
Principles & Origins of American Government

ARC 1: Principles of Government

• Lesson Portfolio: Comparing Levels of Government

ARC 2: Origins of American Government

• New! 2012-13 Lesson: Connecting the Enlightenment to the U.S. Constitution, 1550-1789
• Lesson Portfolio: Declaration of Independence and Acts of Courage

UNIT TOPIC 2:
The Constitution & Federalism

ARC 1: The U.S. Constitution

• Lesson Portfolio: The U.S. Constitution

ARC 2: Federalism

• Lesson Portfolio: National, State, and Local Powers

 

UNIT TOPIC 3:

The Electorate & Components of Political Parties

ARC 1: Political Parties

• Lesson Portfolio: Parties, Interest Groups, and Public Policy

ARC 2: Voting in America

• Lesson Portfolio: Political Campaigns and Elections

ARC 3: Mass Media & Public Opinion

• Lesson Portfolio: Public Opinion and the Media

CONCEPT: Ethics, Values, & Belief Systems

UNIT TOPIC 4:
Celebrate Freedom Week / Constitution Day

ARC 1: The Constitution & Bill of Rights

• Lesson Portfolio: What Does Returning to Fundamental Principles Mean?

 

 

ADDITIONAL Resources

• Constitution Day / Celebrate Freedom Week directory of resources
• Preamble to the US Constitution slide.ppt

• The Roots of American Democracy Website Quiz
• NARA provides: Constitution or
  America’s Founding Fathers: Delegates to the Constitutional Convention
• The Founding Fathers web site, The Federalist Papers
• LRE Game: Constitution Relay
• LRE Game: Federalists v Anti-Federalists
• TYLA's "Vote America"
• NY Times interactive,
  Reading Between the Battle Lines of the Constitution: An Annotated Guide
  Examines opposing perspectives in the current political climate

CONCEPT: Institutions of National Government

UNIT TOPIC 1: The Legislative Branch - Congress

ARC 1: Powers of Congress

• Lesson Portfolio: Congressional Powers
  (Dirksen Congressional Center.)

ARC 2: Congress in Action

• Lesson Portfolio: Congressional Lawmaking
  (Government Alive!; TCI.)

UNIT TOPIC 2: The Executive Branch

ARC 1: The Presidency

• Lesson Portfolio: Political Campaigns and Elections (Government Alive!; TCI.)
• Lesson Portfolio: Powers Herein Granted: The President and Federal Power
  (Presidents and the Constitution, Vol. 1; Bill of Rights Institute.)

 

ARC 2: The Presidency in Action

• Lesson Portfolio: Chief Executives and Bureaucracies
  (Government Alive!; TCI.)

 

UNIT TOPIC 3: The Government at Work

ARC 1: The Bureaucracy

• Lesson Portfolio: Federal Bureaucracy - Web Explorations
  (Government in America, Pearson.)

 

ARC 2: Financing Government

• Lesson Portfolio: The Federal Budget
  (Government Alive!; TCI.)

ARC 3: Foreign Policy and National Defense

• Lesson Portfolio: Teaching with the News
  (The Choices Program.)
  

 

ADDITIONAL Resources for this Topic

 

• The House of Representatives
• The Senate
• Federal Legislative Branch
  -usa.gov
• "The Legislative Branch"
• The Congressional Timeline - search all pieces of legislation, 1933 - present. Scroll feature includes Major Events running alongside that includes major Supreme Court acts.
• Lesson Plans on Congress / Congressional Powers,
  Dirksen Congressional Center.
• Interactive Learning Modules,
  The Center on Congress at Indiana University.
• The White House.gov
• The Executive Cabinet
  - whitehouse.gov
• Federal Executive Branch
  - usa.gov
• Presidents and the Constitutions, Vol. I & II,
  Available from The Bill of Rights Institute.
• The American Presidency - Lessons for Grades 10-12;
  National Museum of American History.
• iCivics.org
• Teaching with the News
  The Choices Program.
  • Guidelines for Deliberation
  • Deliberating "Pros" and "Cons" of Policy Options

CONCEPT: Rights and Responsibilities

UNIT TOPIC 1: Judicial Branch

ARC 1: The Federal Court System

• Lesson Portfolio: Analyzing a Landmark Case:
  The Supreme Court, Title IX and Gender Equity
  (History Now)

ARC 2: The Jury System

• Program Portfolio: Pick Me! A Jury of My Peers
  (Law-Related Education program with Austin Bar Association)

 

ADDITIONAL Resources for this Topic

 

• Supreme Court of the United States

• U.S. Courts.gov

• iCivics.org
• Teacher Strategies: Conducting Case Studies
  (Landmark Cases of the Supreme Court; streetlaw.org)

 

UNIT TOPIC 2: Civil Liberties

ARC 1: First Amendment Freedoms

• Lesson Portfolio: Free Speech, Blogs, and the Traditional Press

ARC 2: Protecting Individual Rights

• Lesson Portfolio: Your Safety and Security or Your Civil Liberties -
  Which is More Important? (PBS NewsHour Educator Resources)

ARC 3: Equal Justice Under the Law

• Lesson Portfolio: Should adults have the right to carry a concealed handgun? -
  Class Debate (ProCon.org)

 

ADDITIONAL Resources for this Topic

"They Had a Dream Too: Young Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement"
(Texas Young Lawyers' Association Law-Related Education Projects)

Staging a Class Debate (ProCon.org)

 

UNIT 3: Comparative Systems

ARC 1: Political Systems

• Lesson Portfolio: Comparing Forms of Government
  (Government Alive! TCI.)
  
  

ARC 2: Economic Systems

• Lesson Portfolio: Is Capitalism good for the poor?
  (Foundation for Teaching Economics - Lesson Plans)

ADDITIONAL Resources for this Topic

• Government Types & definitions of major governmental terms
  (CIA World Factbook)
• Four Economic Systems
  (slideshare.net)

UNIT 4: Texas Government

ARC 1: State Level Governance

• Lesson Portfolio:

ARC 2: Financing State Government

• Lesson Portfolio:

ARC 2: Local Government

• Lesson Portfolio: Civic Activism - Civil Rights, Student Protest, Conservationism,
  and Preserving Austin's Identity
  (Austin Past & Present)

 

ADDITIONAL Resources for this Topic

 

• Texas State Senate;
• Texas House of Representatives;
• Office of the Governor of the State of Texas;
• Texas Government;
• Texas State Historical Association
• Texas Finances and Economic Development
  (Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts)
• The "Official Portal of Texas"
  includes information on County and City governments
• City of Austin Organizational Chart
• Travis County (http://www.co.travis.tx.us/)
• City Government (City of Austin)
• Brief History (Austin History Center)
• Austin Past & Present (AP&P curriculum);

 

CONCEPT: Foundations -
Philosophy of Government & Civic Participation

UNIT TOPIC 1:
Principles & Origins of American Government

ARC 1: Principles of Government

• Lesson Portfolio:

 

 

ADDITIONAL Resources

• Preamble to the US Constitution slide.ppt

• The Roots of American Democracy Website Quiz
• NARA provides: Constitution or
  America’s Founding Fathers: Delegates to the Constitutional Convention
• The Founding Fathers web site, The Federalist Papers
• LRE Game: Constitution Relay
• LRE Game: Federalists v Anti-Federalists
• TYLA's "Vote America"
• NY Times interactive,
  Reading Between the Battle Lines of the Constitution: An Annotated Guide
  Examines opposing perspectives in the current political climate

 

CONCEPT: Institutions of National Government

UNIT TOPIC 1: The Legislative Branch - Congress

ARC 1: Powers of Congress

• Lesson Portfolio: Congressional Powers
  (Dirksen Congressional Center.)

ARC 2: Congress in Action

• Lesson Portfolio:
  

 

ADDITIONAL Resources for this Topic

 

• The House of Representatives
• The Senate
• Federal Legislative Branch
  -usa.gov
• "The Legislative Branch"
• Lesson Plans on Congress / Congressional Powers,
  Dirksen Congressional Center.
• Interactive Learning Modules,
  The Center on Congress at Indiana University.
• The White House.gov
• The Executive Cabinet
  - whitehouse.gov
• Federal Executive Branch
  - usa.gov
• Presidents and the Constitutions, Vol. I & II,
  Available from The Bill of Rights Institute.
• The American Presidency - Lessons for Grades 10-12;
  National Museum of American History.
• iCivics.org
• Teaching with the News
  The Choices Program.
  • Guidelines for Deliberation
  • Deliberating "Pros" and "Cons" of Policy Options

 

CONCEPT: Rights and Responsibilities

UNIT TOPIC 1: Judicial Branch

ARC 1: The Federal Court System

• Lesson Portfolio:

ARC 2: The Jury System

• Lesson Portfolio:

 

ADDITIONAL Resources for this Topic

 

• Supreme Court of the United States

• U.S. Courts.gov

• iCivics.org

 

UNIT TOPIC 2: Civil Liberties

ARC 1: First Amendment Freedoms

• Lesson Portfolio: