6th Grace Accelerated United States History Civics Primer
A teacher’s guide to civics inclusion
CE.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of personal character traits that facilitate thoughtful and effective participation in civic life by practicing: a) trustworthiness and honesty; b) courtesy and respect for the rights of others; c) responsibility, accountability, and self-reliance; d) respect for the law; e) patriotism; f) decision-making; g) service to the school and/or local community. Essential Understandings/Questions •
Thoughtful and effective participation in civic life depends upon the exercise of good citizenship.
•
How do individuals demonstrate thoughtful and effective participation in civic life?
• •
How do good citizens behave? What qualities are needed to be a good citizen of your community (family, school, local, state, national)
Essential Knowledge Personal traits of good citizens • Trustworthiness and honesty • Courtesy and respect for the rights of others • Responsibility, accountability, and self-reliance • Respect for the law • Patriotism • Participant in the school and/or local community • Informed voter Effective participation in civic life can include: • Formulating questions • Analyzing information from a variety of sources • Expressing a position • Devising and implementing a plan Practicing thoughtful decision-making in personal, financial and civic matters (e.g. voting and civic issues) Time Spent: The first week of school. This content is not tested on the SOLs.
Though this is not tested on the SOLs, this material is a good way to get students invested in their class and school. These attributes coincide with the school rules and should be discussed in that context. The best way to teach this is via case studies, current events, and real world examples. Furthermore, it’s best to have students create these scenarios and role-play them in class. Possible examples: • Not cheating on homework • Not having cell phones in movie theaters • Working to earn a living • Not littering, speeding • Saying the Pledge of Allegiance • Obeying rules in school, studying • Community Service Learning (Students can be taught about the Middle School CSL program. Each school has a CSL Coordinator where students can earn yearly awards for the number of hours they volunteer to their community).
CE.2 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of American constitutional government by b) explaining the significance of the charters of the Virginia Company of London. Essential Understandings and Questions American constitutional government is founded on concepts articulated in earlier documents, including the charters of the Virginia Company of London How does the Constitution of the United States of America reflect previous documents, including the charters of the Virginia Company of London? What do you consider before making decisions? Essential Knowledge Influence of earlier documents on the Constitution of the United States of America • The charters of the Virginia Company of London guaranteed the rights of Englishmen to the colonists. Time Spent: This concludes the 2 – 3 week lesson on Exploration and Settlement with SOLs USI.4a and USI.5a. It should only take one day to teach this part. The purpose of this is to show the document(s) the Colonists used when settling the Colonies in the 17th century. This particular SOL will be taught again as it also covers important documents up through the Articles of Confederation. It might be good for students to see what was considered “Virginia” in the early 1600s since most of them probably won’t realize that just about everything was considered Virginia when the settlers first arrived. You can read through the first charter, though it’s in Old English and is difficult to understand. Students might be interested in the number of references to Christianity and God. Resources: Virginia Company: http://www.preservationvirginia.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=22 Charters and Maps: http://www.virginiaplaces.org/boundaries/charters.html The First Charter: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/va01.asp
CE.2 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of American constitutional government by a) explaining the fundamental principles of consent of the governed, limited government, rule of law, democracy, and representative government; Essential Understandings/Questions • Fundamental political principles define and shape American constitutional government. • What are the fundamental political principles that have shaped government in the United States? • How does the structure of the government in the United States compare to the government in your classroom? Essential Knowledge Fundamental political principles • Consent of the governed - People are the source of any and all governmental power. • Limited government - Government is not all-powerful and may do only those things people have given it the power to do. • Rule of law - The government and those who govern are bound by the law. • Democracy - In a democratic system of government the people rule. • Representative government - In a representative system of government people elect public officeholders to make laws and conduct government on their behalf. Time Spent: This concludes the 2 – 3 week study of the American Revolution. This section should only take 1 or 2 days. This section describes some of the values fought for in the American Revolution and found in the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution. A good activity would be for student to read the Declaration of Independence and find these principles in the document. They can also read speeches from Patrick Henry, Ben Franklin, or Thomas Jefferson. You can also use your classroom as an example of these principles. For example: • What if the class as a whole decided the classroom rules instead of the teacher just posting them (Monarchy or Dictatorship) • Point out that the teacher only has authority in the classroom. Teachers cannot punish students at home, give household chores, establish television rules, etc… • Establish a set of punishments, even for the teacher, if rules are broken • Have the students vote on the class rules • Have students elect classroom leaders each marking period
Teachers can also search for, or have students search for, current day examples of these principles. For example: • Consent of the Governed: There are always recent elections that students can learn about as an example of this idea. Also, voting done by Congress or the General Assembly. Students can study public opinion polls. • Limited Government: Recent Supreme Court decisions, laws that didn’t pass, students can list freedoms they have they cannot be taken away (speech, religion) • Rule of Law: There are always examples of politicians or celebrities, who are on trial, or other elected officials. • Democracy: Protests, voting, editorial pages by citizens • Representative Government: voting Resources:
CE.2 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of American constitutional government by b) explaining the significance of the charters of the Virginia Company of London, the Virginia Declaration of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and the Constitution of the United States, including the Bill of Rights; c) identifying the purposes for the Constitution of the United States as stated in its Preamble. Essential Understandings/Questions •
American constitutional government is founded on concepts articulated in earlier documents, including the charters of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.
•
How does the Constitution of the United States of America reflect previous documents, including the charters of the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom?
•
What do you consider before making decisions?
Essential Knowledge Influence of earlier documents on the Constitution of the United States of America The Virginia Declaration of Rights: served as a model for the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the United States of America Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom: freedom of religious beliefs and opinions The Declaration of Independence: • stated grievances against the king of Great Britain • declared the colonies’ independence from Great Britain • affirmed “certain unalienable rights” (life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness) • established the idea that all people are equal under the law. The Articles of Confederation: • established the first form of national government for the independent states • maintained that major powers resided with individual states • created weak central government (e.g., no power to tax or enforce laws) • led to the writing of the Constitution of the United States of America.
Time Spent: This is the second set of SOLs in a 2 – 3 week lesson on the Emergence of a New Nation. This section should only take 2 - 3 days. This SOL is continued from earlier when students studied the Charters of Virginia. Now, students are looking at four other documents that are the foundation of the Constitution. Students should think of these documents like a family tree. They are the “parents” of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. They should also understand the role of Virginia, George Mason, and Thomas Jefferson. Venn Diagrams and charts are a good way to have students compare and contrast documents. Resources: Virginia Declaration of Rights: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/virginia.asp Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom: http://www.vahistorical.org/sva2003/vsrf.htm Declaration of Independence timeline: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_timeline.html Movie on the Declaration of Independence: http://www.earlyamerica.com/independence.htm Articles of Confederation: http://www.usconstitution.net/articles.html, this is probably better for teachers to read: http://www.history.com/topics/articles-of-confederation. Decent video of the Articles of Confederation after the commercial: http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/9959-shaping-the-new-nation-the-articles-ofconfederation-video.htm
CE.2 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the foundations of American constitutional government by c) identifying the purposes for the Constitution of the United States as stated in its Preamble; Essential Understandings/Questions •
The preamble of a constitution sets forth the goals and purposes to be served by the government.
•
What are the purposes identified in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America?
•
What types of jobs should government have?
Essential Knowledge The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America expresses the reasons the constitution was written. Purposes of U.S. government • To form a more perfect union • To establish justice • To ensure domestic tranquility • To provide for the common defense • To promote the general welfare • To preserve the blessings of liberty The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America begins, “We the people,” which establishes that the power of government comes from the people. Time Spent: This follows the previous Civics SOL in the Emergence of a New Nation SOL. This section should only take 1 or 2 days. Students are learning about the Constitution and how it was developed after the Articles of Confederation. Similar to the political principles of the American Revolution, these are the principles of the US Government. It is also important for students to understand that these terms had different meanings in the 1780s than today. For example, the “general welfare” clause didn’t include things like health care, education, etc, but many people feel they do today. This could create a good debate in class. Students should also know the difference between the Preamble and the purpose of the government versus the actual laws and structure of the Constitution.
Resources: Preamble Game: http://www.texaslre.org/PiratePreamble/pirates_game.html. Kind of cheesy and uses historical facts they will learn later. Interactive Preamble: http://72.32.50.200/constitution/details_explanation.php? link=003&const=00_pre_00 SchoolHouse Rock: http://www.totlol.com/watch/aNb9AoY5XXE/Schoolhouse-Rock---ThePreamble/0/ (probably blocked, used www.zamzar.com to download it). Good Lesson: http://www.lawanddemocracy.org/pdffiles/Preamble.pdf
CE.3 The student will demonstrate knowledge of citizenship and the rights, duties, and responsibilities of citizens by b) describing the First Amendment freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition, and the rights guaranteed by due process and equal protection of the laws. Essential Understandings/Questions • The Constitution of the United States of America establishes and protects the citizens’ fundamental rights and liberties. • Few rights, if any, are considered absolute. • What fundamental rights and liberties are guaranteed in the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America? • What rights should you have as a citizen of the United States? Essential Knowledge First Amendment freedoms • Religion - Government may not establish an official religion, nor endorse, or unduly interfere with the free exercise of religion. • Speech - Individuals are free to express their opinions and beliefs. • Press - The press has the right to gather and publish information, including that which criticizes the government. • Assembly - Individuals may peacefully gather. • Petition - Individuals have the right to make their views known to public officials. Fourteenth Amendment Extends the due process protection to actions of the states