S+Ford,+Brody

**Office:** Room 223 **Office Phone:** 207- xxx-xxxx **Office Hours:** T & Th 12:00- 1:30, F 1:30- 3:00 ** E-mail: ** brody.ford@maine.edu
 * Teacher:** Mr. Ford

=Summary of Unit= In this unit, students will understand that there are different purposes of constitutional government at the state and federal level, that there are other forms of government in the world, and that there are certain roles that citizens have in their community, state, country, and world. The 16 day unit will be comprised of six lessons with a summative assessment to wrap it all up. In the first lesson, students will explain the different purposes of state and federal government by using a Persuasion Map to prepare for a debate in the form of a podcast. This podcast will be the end of the unit summative assessment as it will touch upon forms of government as well as civic roles (ie. jury duty). In the second lesson, students will prepare for a Voicethread critique on the power of state and local government by approaching the issue from a historical perspective. This historical perspective includes students being assigned Supreme Court cases to briefly research to understand how the Constitution relates to policy issues. In the third lesson, students understand other forms of government in the world by first researching, then simulating a U.N. game where countries have competing interests. In the fourth lesson, students will be able to consider why regimes in other countries came to power by sifting through opinions of government leaders and country citizens to find accurate facts. In the fifth lesson, students will reflect on the roles they've had in their community in adolescence and consider what their citizen roles will be when they are adults. In the final lesson, students will go out into the community to do hands-on exploration of citizen roles. They will then model these roles by simulating them in a classroom community.

=Establish Goals= Maine Learning Results: Social Studies - B. Civics and Government B1: Knowledge, Concepts, Themes, and Patterns of Civics/Government Grades 6-8 Students understand the basic ideals, purposes, principles, structures, and processes of constitutional government in Maine and the United States as well as examples of other forms of government in the world.

=Students will understand that= • there are different purposes of constitutional government at the state and federal level. • there are other forms of government in the world. • there are certain roles citizens have in their community, state, country, and world.

=Essential Questions= • How is lawmaking different at the state and federal levels? • Why are other governments different in structure than the United States government? • How are the functions of government reliant on the political and civil activity of citizens?

=Students will know= • **Vocabulary:** Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, Senate, House of Representatives, Supreme Court, Income Tax, Property Tax, Consumptive Tax, jury duty • **Key Factual Information:** Electoral college, Socialism, forms of economies, types of taxes, what level of government collects different types of taxes, legislative process, importance of the strength of armed forces, other Democratic countries • **Important Events & People:** Kim Jong Il, Barack Obama, Fidel Castro, Hu Jintao, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

=Students will be able to= • test the different purposes of constitutional government at the state and federal levels on current issues. • critique the powers of government at the state and federal levels. • compare governments in the world with the United States government. • consider why other governments are different in structure than the United States government. • reflect on the roles you've had as a citizen of your community, state, country, and world. • describe the roles citizens have at the local, state, and federal level.

**Performance Task Overview** In your state, riots have broken out over the latest popular policy issue. Some rioters believe the federal government should not overstep its bounds and that "states rights" ensure the right of the state to deal with policy issues. Others believe that the federal government must act now to prevent riots from happening in other states. It's up to you to settle the issue once and for all! You will travel to Washington D.C. to argue state v. federal power on this policy issue in front of the Supreme Court. You must convince a jury that your argument has the substantial evidence to win. The prize is lucrative. By winning your case, you will be given the opportunity to facilitate a discussion group with many powerful figures including the president, the governor of their home state, state representatives, and senators. Talk about power! You will present your work in the form of a podcast to analyze your arguments upon completion. Good luck, and don't let the Supreme Court justices intimidate you.

=Expectations=


 * Absent/Late Policy:** Because this class is a fast-paced, interactive class, attendance is a must. Remember, we are constantly revising and providing feedback to others. If you are not there, you can not participate in the feedback process, which will effect your participation. This will be brought up in the formative assessment where you and I will sit down and form a plan for active participation. However, we all have extenuating circumstances come up in our lives that force us to miss a prior obligation. If one of these circumstances comes up during my class, it is vital to communicate with me. My email, phone, and office hours are listed at the top of this syllabus. Don't be afraid to contact me, I don't bite! **Telling me about the circumstance shows responsibility as it allows me to manage the classroom and alter possible instruction plans.** If there is work due the day that you will be absent, email it to me. If your extenuating circumstances do not allow you to email your work to me, don't just blow me off. Contact me to discuss your circumstances and we will formulate an efficient action plan together to get the work in. Remember, I am here to help you!


 * Assignment Expectations:** The most important thing that I will ask of you in this class is to do the best that you can. If you are performing at the best of your ability, you will take many positive aspects out of the class. If you are looking to simply coast, this is not the class for you. When I think of "best effort", I think of correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation as well as evidence to support all of your opinions. Spell check is a great tool. Use it! If something is handwritten, a dictionary can work wonders as well. Also, make sure to always use Times New Roman size 12 font, and 1.5 spacing. When using research in a written assignment, use proper MLA citation. As this is a History class, there will be many possible theories being thrown around. What I ask of you is to add to the discussion by bringing in outside evidence to support your opinions. Thorough, well-researched opinions are not only welcomed, but expected. This is a "judge-free" zone with many ways to earn participation credit. You are strongly encouraged to actively participate in class as it will only help you on your coursework.


 * Classroom Expectations:** For everyone to learn, we need to have a comfortable classroom environment. To accomplish this, we all must respect each other. When others are speaking up in class, be respectful and supportive of their opinions even if you disagree. There's a way to disagree without being disagreeable. Be responsible in the role you play in building a positive community of learners. You will be held accountable for your actions. Uphold your duty as a cooperative learner and I will uphold my duty in assisting you on your journey.


 * Plagiarism:** Be safe. Always cite your sources! I can't stress this enough. If you simply forget to credit where your information came from, I can not bail you out. Because plagiarism is against school policy, the issue is out of my hands. When writing any assignment involving outside sources, use proper MLA citation. I will be handing out a red paper at the beginning of the year displaying the proper formats to use as well as resources to utilize if you're ever confused. Feel free to come to me for any citation questions. As I have said before, I am here to help you!

=Benchmarks: 200 pts. Total=

• **Persuasion Map:** Students will use the Persuasion Map to formulate arguments for the summative assessment podcast. Students will find a partner where one person will debate state power and the other will debate federal power. The Persuasion Map is meant to be used as an organizational tool to organize information and provide sounder, more effective arguments that have more than one bit of evidence. After their research, they will ask clarifying questions based off of the Persuasion Map. Students will be given feedback by the teacher after filling out their Persuasion Maps and will then improve on them. **(35 pts.)**

• **Voicethread:** After using the Partner method to divide into teams of four, students will explore the founding fathers' views on state and federal government. They will also do further research to come up with 5 examples of state and federal policy issues. They will make a Voicethread slideshow to critique the use of these powers. They will need to provide evidence as to why they think the way they do. After making their Voicethread slideshow on federal or state power, teams from the other side of the issue will view the presentation and leave responses on why they disagree. **(25 pts.)**

• **Springnote:** Students will first pick a country out of a hat. They will then find other countries on their continent and use Springnote to create a "continent page." These pages will provide information on common interests that the countries share. They will then form an action plan for the U.N. simulation, a game where all countries and continents come together to discuss important issues and persuade others to look favorably at their interests. **(20 pts.)**

• **PreZentit:** Students will be given testimonials of citizens in other countries speaking either in favor of or in disagreeance of the country's government and leader. There will be conflicting testimonials so students will have to research to determine which opinions are supported by facts and which are supported by lies. They will then make a PreZentit presentation where they will formulate their own opinion based off of their newly found facts. Students then have the opportunity to receive feedback where they can then revise their presentation. **(15 pts.)**

• **Smilebox:** Students will use Smilebox to make e-postcards that they will address to state and local government officials explaining the roles they've personally taken as citizens to improve their community. The governor will send the e-postcards back and say that they are unclear about the roles that a "measly" student can have. After going out into the community to document these tasks, students will have a feedback session on their letters so they can include their new information from going out into the community. **(15 pts.)**

• **Xtranormal:** After searching the FreeChild Project website for resources concerning youth's involvement in voting, students will use Xtranormal to make a PSA to get young people to vote. The PSA will be assessed based off of creativity, persuasion, and knowledge. The PSA is meant to show students the importance of youth voting, especially since many young voters don't become educated on the issues and/or don't feel like their vote matters. **(15 pts.)**

• **Summative Assessment- Podcast:** Students will work with a partner to create a podcast where they will argue federal v. state power. One partner will argue a current event from in favor of federal power while the other argues in favor of state power. They may choose any policy issue of the 2000's. Students will need to convince a jury consisting of their fellow classmates that they have the substantial evidence to win the case. Students will present their work in the form of a podcast so they can later reflect on the quality of their arguments. **(75 pts.)**

Grading Scale **A** (93 -100), **A-** (90 - 92), **B+** (87 - 89), **B** (83 - 86), **B-** (80 - 82), **C+**(77 - 79), **C** (73-76), **C-** (70 - 72), **D+**(67 - 69), **D** (63 - 66), **D-** (60 - 62), **F** (0 - 59).