Honors Government and Issues 5256
Course Description
This semester-long course provides students with a practical understanding of the principles and procedures of
government. The course begins by establishing the origins and founding principles of American government. After a
rigorous review of the Constitution and its Amendments, students investigate the development and extension of civil
rights and liberties. Lessons also introduce influential Supreme Court decisions to demonstrate the impact and
importance of constitutional rights. The course builds on this foundation by guiding students through the function of
government today and the role of citizens in the civic process and culminates in an examination of public policy and
the roles of citizens and organizations in promoting policy approaches. Throughout the course, students examine
primary and secondary sources, including political cartoons, essays, and judicial opinions. Students also sharpen
their writing skills in shorter tasks and assignments, and practice outlining and drafting skills by writing full
informative and argumentative essays.
Course Objectives
Throughout the course, you will meet the following goals:
 Investigate the founding principles that guided the establishment of the United States government.
 Analyze the civil rights and liberties that are granted to United States citizens, and understand the influence
of constitutional amendments and Supreme Court decisions that have developed these rights.
 Understand the structures and procedures of local, state, and federal governments.
 Discover how you can participate in government by voting, running for office, meeting civic obligations, and
petitioning your representatives.
 Read complex texts at grade level.
 Increase academic and domain-specific vocabulary.
 Engage in routine writing in response to texts, concepts, and scenarios.
 Use research skills to access, interpret, and apply information from sources you have gathered.
Communication
Your teacher will communicate with you regularly through discussions, e-mail, chat, and system announcements.
Through this communication with your teacher, you will monitor your progress through the course and improve your
learning by reviewing material that was challenging for you.
You will also communicate with classmates, either via online tools or face-to-face, as you:
 Collaborate on projects
 Ask and answer questions in your peer group
 Develop speaking and listening skills
Scope and Sequence
When you log into the Virtual Classroom, you can view the entire course map, which provides a scope and sequence
of all topics you will study. Clicking a lesson’s link in the course map leads to a page listing instructional activities,
assignments, and learning objectives specific to that lesson. The units of study are summarized below.
Unit 1:
Introduction to American Government
Unit 2:
The Constitution
Unit 3:
Civil Rights and Liberties
Unit 4:
Government Institutions
Unit 5:
Civics and Participation
Unit 6:
Public Policy
Grading Policy
You will be graded on the work you do online and the work you submit electronically to your teacher. The weighting
for each category of graded activity is listed below.
Quiz
Test
Exam
Essay
Assignment
Project
5256 Gov’t & Issues Part I
25
25
5
40
5
5250 Gov’t & Issues Part II
25
25
Yes
5
40
5
Student Expectations / Course Structure
This course requires the same level of commitment from you as a traditional classroom course would. Throughout
the course, you are expected to spend approximately 5–7 hours per week online on the following activities:
 Warm Up- You will be introduced to a new lesson. This is a great opportunity to take eNotes by clicking the +
button in the top right corner of the screen. This section will include video as well as questions which you
must answer. You are able to use eNotes to answer these questions. If you do not answer correctly you will
be given a second attempt with help from the virtual teacher. I will review your answers and look for effort.
If you are consistently getting most of the questions wrong you will lose participation points which will affect
your grade. The Warm-Up will end with the lesson objectives.
 Instruction- You will be given a “Lesson Question” followed by instructional information. Once again this is a
great opportunity to take eNotes. After some instruction you will be given questions which you must
answer. You are able to use eNotes to answer these questions. If you do not answer correctly you will be
given a second attempt with help from the virtual teacher. I will review your answers and look for effort. If
you are consistently getting most of the questions wrong you will lose participation points which will affect
your grade.
 Summary- You will review the information presented in the lesson. Once again you can take eNotes in this
section. You will also revisit the lesson objectives.
 Journals, Online Content, and Homework- The Edgenuity system will initially grade your assignments. The system only
looks for key words and bases your grade on their inclusion in your answer. I REVIEW ALL JOURNALS, ONLINE
CONTENT, AND HOMEWORK PRACTICE QUESTIONS. I OFTEN TIMEs CHANGE THE GRADE THAT EDGENUITY GAVE
YOU. YOU SHOULD ALLOW 48 HOURS FOR ME TO REVIEW YOUR ANSWER ALONG WITH THE GRADE THAT WAS
GIVEN BY EDGENUITY. Please answer all parts of the question. If you do not earn a 100% on your journal entry, a
comment will be given to explain your grade. Please be sure to attempt to answer all of the short answers and do not
leave them blank. Be sure to let me know if you find a problem with the scoring or if you need something reset. ALL
SHORT ANSWERS NEED TO BE ANSWERED IN COMPLETE SENTENCES WITH A CAPITAL LETTER AND PUNCTUATION!!
 Teacher feedback- In the Assignment section you should look for feedback from me where you
missed points. This will most often be the case when you miss points on short answer questions.
You will know if there is teacher feedback by selecting
for this symbol
for the assignment in question OR by choosing
then

then
and looking for
next to an assignment.
Quizzes and Tests- HONORS CLASSES WILL NOT HAVE RETAKES AND WILL NOT HAVE ACCESS TO ENOTES FOR
QUIZZES or TESTS!!! BOTH ARE GRADED FOR ACCURACY! When you are finished with the assessment you must
click

from the lobby and looking
.
Unit Test Review- You will have a Test Review before each Unit Test. You have one chance to take the Review. You
are able to
if necessary. When you are finished you must click
accuracy and is part of your Assignment grade!
. The Review is graded for

Unit Test- You will have a test at the end of each Unit. You will have one chance to take the test.

Projects/Essays- You may come across Projects or Essay questions in “Writing Workshop” Lessons. The Essay
process will consist of a Pre-Writing, Drafting, and Revising step (along with instruction and assignments along the
way). I will be reviewing all parts of the process. You will receive an immediate grade from the Edgenuity system
after your Final Draft is entered. THIS IS NOT YOUR FINAL GRADE ON THE ASSIGNMENT. I will grade your answer
and provide my own score along with commentary. The teacher will take off points for misspelled words and
grammar mistakes. For all projects and essays, you should cite your sources within your writing and include a
works cited page at the end of your document. Honors level students should demonstrate higher level writing
skills.