September 2013
Parents and Students,
Welcome to 8th grade and Team Awesome! I am Mr. Bell and I am looking forward to teaching your sons
and daughters all about the exhilarating worlds of Civics & Economics. Civics will be unlike the last two
years of Social Studies because we will not be studying our Nation’s past. Rather, Civics will reference
past events, but will more largely encompass the present times and our future generations. While
moving through our curriculum, we will be conversing over a plethora of topics. We will begin our year
with a look at what makes a United States citizen and the process towards citizenship. Our journey will
also take us through the election process with a brief outline of the political parties in America. For the
majority of our past exploration, we will look at the foundations of America’s constitutional government
including the documents and principles that influenced our Founding Fathers. The three branches of our
federal, state, and local governments will be covered and discussed in great detail and length and we
will delineate the limitations and powers of each branch. In addition, our educational exploration will
take us to the wonderful world of economics where we will decipher our American economy and the
global economic system with a look into the future of the global workforce.
I am humbled and excited to be a part of the shaping of your children’s minds and to have the
opportunity to aid in their growth and maturation into outstanding young women and men. I hope to
make each class both rigorous and enjoyable. On the back of this sheet, you will find an outline of the
material that will be covered this year and below you will find my contact information. I am looking
forward to working with your daughters and sons and hope to hear from and keep in contact with all of
you throughout the course of the school year. Please do not hesitate to contact me and I look forward to
a swift and prosperous school year ahead.
Warmest Regards,
David Bell
Civics/Economics Educator
Seneca Ridge Middle School
David.Bell@lcps.org
571-434-4420
Pacing
1st Semester- 2013 Topics:
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Citizenship
Electoral Process
Public Opinion and Public Policy
Significant Historical Documents
Fundamental Principles of American Government
Federalism, Separation of Powers, & Checks and Balances
Amending the US & VA Constitution
2nd Semester- 2014 Topics:
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The US & VA Lawmaking Process and the Roles & Powers of the Executive Branch
Federal and State Courts
Introduction of Economics
Circular Flow, Saving and Investing
The Federal Reserve System and Public v. Private Goods
The Global Economy, Personal Finance, & Career Opportunities