YOUR NAME: ___________________ (first & last)
Teacher: Ms. Fiorini
Course: Civics for Boston Youth: Power, Rights and Community Change
Course Overview: Overall Class Essential Question: What should I know about the way government and society works in order for me to have power and fully participate in public life and community change?
Overall Description: We are very excited to have you participate in the second pilot year of this brand new Civics course. As you will learn over the first few weeks, this course is the result of students, teachers and community members deciding that something big was missing in the required curriculum in the Boston Public schools. Instead of just sitting back, these people got together and decided to do something about it. What is civics? The New Students Politics Curriculum Guide describes it as “exercising personal agency in the public domain.” A member of the Hyde Square Task Force explains that “it is bad that youth are not politically active because since they are not educated around civics, they just seem to complain more and more and not do anything about it. That’s one of the main reasons why we need civics, to stop the complaining and actually show youth how to get involved.” In this course, the goal is to build a community of individuals who have the background knowledge and the ability to make a difference and realize the potential of living in this country. From looking at the purpose and structure of government, to an examination of your rights as students and youth, we will build towards a focus on key historical social movements and controversial issues. The course will culminate with a focus on building real skills of civic engagement and planning a participatory action research project of your choosing. The class is ambitious in its goals, as it is designed to match the need of our neighborhoods, city and country today. Be prepared to work hard, learn a lot and have fun while doing it! It’s about history, it’s about skills, it’s about accepting challenges, it’s about attitude.
Are you ready?
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Core Course Objectives: Students will be able to: 1. Understand the purpose, structure and function of government in a civil society; 2. Understand the philosophical and historical roots of the American political system and its ideals; 3. Describe the American political party system, the major political party platforms and the function of the election system; 4. Be conversant in the vocabulary and concepts necessary for effective civic engagement and action; 5. Understand the function of the American judicial system as well as the rights and responsibilities of the individual in society; 6. Describe historical case studies and contemporary situations focusing on controversial social issues and youth civic engagement; 7. Identify core civic engagement strategies and habits; and 8. Plan a participatory action research project for community-based change.
Curriculum Term-By-Term: Term 1 focus: Power, Voice and Representation in Society Guiding Term Essential Questions: What is the purpose and structure of government in society? How do the core principles and structure of American government affect my life? Core Reference Text: Government Alive! The focus of this term is to introduce the purpose and origins of this Civics course, to build a sense of classroom community and then to begin to examine the broad themes and topics that are the foundation for the study of government and civics. How is power exercised in a society? Is there really a need for government? The course will then focus on the history and function of the American political system, from its philosophical ideals to an examination of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. It will end with an exploration of political elections (especially the ongoing mayoral and city council elections), public policies and an examination of media influence and use in politics. Core End Term Assessment: Letter to U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, or other political figure.
Term 2 focus: Learning Your Rights and the Court System Guiding Term Essential Questions: How do the Constitution and the court system project individual rights? What is the balance between individual rights and group needs in our society? Core Reference Text: We The Students. The focus of term two makes the transition from the system of government as a whole to an examination of the individual in society. What rights and responsibilities does an individual have in American society today? What laws and rights govern an individual’s behavior? How should we balance the rights of the individual with the needs of the larger society? What are youth’s rights and responsibilities in particular? In order to explore these questions, the focus will be on the judicial court system as well as on some of the most important Supreme Court cases that shape the way the individual navigates society today. Core End Term Assessment: Identification of issue of interest for PAR process. Field notes/interviews conducted Power Analysis completed.
Term 3 focus: Social Movements and Controversial Issues 2
Guiding Term Essential Questions: How do past and present case studies of controversial issues and social movements shape our society today? What are strategies and methods that citizens, especially youth, have used in order to change their society and influence government? Core Reference Text: Facing History and Ourselves & Choices Curriculum Units With the foundation of understanding the philosophy, structure and function of American government, along with the examination of the rights of the individual as defined by the judicial system, this term provides the opportunity to study case studies of core controversial social issues and historical social movements in Boston, around the nation and the world. Characteristics of these case studies include the focus on gaining group rights, identification and examination of civic action strategies as well as the identification of youth as major actors in these movements for social change. Core End Term Assessment: PAR Portfolio Pieces to be completed: Problem/Question/Hypothesis, Project proposal, strategy Map. Formal test that covers court process and Key Supreme Court Cases.
Term 4 focus: Civic Engagement and Action (PAR process) Guiding Term Essential Question: What are the greatest needs and opportunities for youth participation to change our neighborhoods and city for the better? What research, outreach and strategies are necessary to make that change happen? Core Reference Text: Tool Kit for Civic Action The course culminates in the opportunity for application and extension of everything learned in the previous three terms of study. With the participatory action research process, students will identify primary areas of need in their own communities and learn how to put together a comprehensive plan of action to address one particular need as a group. Activities will include primary and secondary research, community outreach and the effective use of civic strategies, as well as technology, to best frame an action plan. Core End Term Assessment: Successful completion of the PAR process and creation of specific, researched and detailed civic action plan. Successful ‘pitch’ presentation to community members and classmates.
Assessments: Daily class participation and completion of frequent homework assignments and larger projects/essays are necessary to be successful in this class. There will also be unique assessment methods that will make this course different, including an assessment focus on the media, using music, examining current events and expanding your vocabulary. Being prepared for class each day is also particularly important as we will be doing a fair amount of seminar-style discussions and you will be graded during them. Tests/Quizzes/Reading checks Homework Assignments Class Participation and Classwork Notebook End term project
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Supplies: You will use a class notebook for daily notes as well as the class workfolder to store completed assignments. It is recommended that you purchase a simple folder to take assignments and other materials home with you as necessary.
Classroom Procedures and Expectations: Basic academic expectations: a. Attendance and Punctuality The attendance and tardiness policy is as follows: A tardy limits credit available for your Start-Up by half. If you are tardy more than five times, you will need to stay for a 30-minute detention at my convenience. The exception is if you are more than 10 minutes late, which will result in an automatic detention. Three unexcused absences per term will result in automatic failure. b. Completing assigned work I expect all assignments to be turned in on time. If you don’t complete your work on time, it will make it extremely difficult for you to make adequate progress over the course of the term. Assignments are not meant to be busy work—they are for practice. Excellent attendance is VERY important, particularly when there is group work involved. c. About Cheating and Plagiarism The work you turn in (from classwork or homework) MUST be your own. There will be times when you will be encouraged to work with your classmates (group work is important), but I will be clear about how responsibility for the work should be shared. If you are not sure what I mean, please ask! Plagiarism means the use of another’s ideas or words without giving that other person (or source) credit. You are welcome to use others’ ideas in your work, but you have to recognize the source of those ideas. We will go over this in-depth later on in class.
Contact Information: Getting in touch with me: I really hope to get to know you all inside and out of class. Please feel free to make an appointment with me to discuss any concerns or thoughts about the course (or anything else that’s on your mind). Grab me before or after class, or even better, send me an email. Please make sure to share this information with a parent/guardian if they have any questions or concerns about your work in this class.
My Email: fiorinicivics@gmail.com My Blog: fiorinicivics.blogspot.com _________________________ (parent/guardian signature)
____________________________ (your signature)
___________________________________ (Phone Number)
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