Social Studies Year-at-a-Glance Unit Planner 2014-15
Course: US Government
Grade Level: 12th/Seniors
5 Topics of Social Studies
Unit One: Constitution
EQ: Why is the Constitution
essential for ensuring the
basic rights of all citizens?
Unit Two: Branches of
Government
EQ: What are the numerous influences on the
American government?
How does each influence
its roles and responsibilities to the mass population?
Unit Three: Supreme Court
EQ: What are the roles and
responsibilities of the Supreme Court as it relates to
the three branches of government theory?
Unit Four: Civil Rights
EQ: What are the rights and
responsibilities of citizens in
our democracy in regards to
civil rights?
Unit Five: US Foreign Policy
EQ: What is the role of
United States hegemony
within the global empire?
Does the US Constitution
impede on individual rights?
How does the separation
of the three branches
serve the needs of the
mass population?
How does Supreme Court
decisions effect the mass
population.
How has the Constitution
impacted individual civil
rights?
How has the US’s interests
in other nations effected
our GDP?
What guaranties does the
Bill of Rights give to its citizens?
What impact does the individual citizen have on the
three branches of government?
Explain the impact of recent
Supreme Court rulings as
related to individual rights
and responsibilities?
What responsibilities do individual citizens play in regards to civil rights and liberties?
How has US hegemony impacted current and future
generations of Americans?
How does the Constitution
protect citizens’ beliefs,
ideas, and diversity?
Explain how elected leaders address the multiple
beliefs, ideas and diversity
of the populace?
What Supreme Court decisions have directly effected
the beliefs, ideas and diversity of multiple regions,
peoples, and cultures?
How do the Bill of Rights
and other legislation protect individual/cultures beliefs, ideas, and diversity?
How has the US foreign
policy affected the American ideology since 9/11?
Compare and contrast controversial laws over time?
What Supreme Court rulings have directly impacted
societies continuity and
change?
What role has the Bill of
Rights and other legislation
played in ensuring and/or
impacting societies experience over time?
How has US foreign policy
changed since its formation as a nation?
Choices Have Consequences
Individuals Have Rights
and Responsibilities
Societies are Shaped
by beliefs, ideas, and
diversity
Societies Experience
Continuity and Change
Over Time
Explain how the Constitution is a living document.
Social Studies Year-at-a-Glance Unit Planner 2014-15
Course: US Government
Grade Level: 12th/Seniors
Relationships Among
People, Places, and Environments are Dynamic
Essential Questions
Drive the Focus of the
Unit of Study
How does the Constitution
differentiate among people,
places, and environments?
Explain and compare and
contrast Blue versus Red
states.
Essential Question:
Why is the Constitution essential for ensuring the
basic rights of all citizens?
Essential Question:
What are the numerous influences on the American
government? How does
each influence its roles and
responsibilities to the mass
population?
Advances in Student
Knowledge?
Primary Source analysis and
evaluation of foundational
constitutional documents.
Literacy Within Social
Studies
Anchor Text:
Textbook,U.S. Constitution,
Federalist Papers 39Antifederalist Papers (Brutus)Mcculloch vs. Maryland
Increased Complexity:
The text material utilized
for this unit depicts on advanced vocabulary. This
will be done through the
analysis of complicated,
early American primary
sources. Students will learn
ideas and concepts of the
Advances in Student
Knowledge?
Primary source analysis
and evaluation of the impact of media and political
parties on modern society.
Anchor Text:
Textbook, U.S. Constitution,
Textbook, Citizens United,
Democratic Party Platform,
Republican Party Platform,
Federalist 10, Washington’s Farewell Address
Increased Complexity:
The text material utilized
for this unit depicts an advanced vocabulary. This
will be done through the
How was the Supreme
Court rulings either improved or eroded relationships among people, places,
and environments?
Essential Question:
What are the roles and responsibilities of the Supreme Court as it relates to
the three branches of government theory?
Advances in Student
Knowledge?
Primary source analysis and
evaluation of constitutional
documents.
Anchor Text:
Textbook, U.S. Constitution,
Federalist 78, Anti-federalist 78, Marbury v. Madison,
Brutus XIV,
Increased Complexity:
The text material utilized
for this unit depicts on advanced vocabulary. This
will be done through the
analysis of complicated,
constitution and SCOTUS
documents.
How has Civil Rights legislation affected the relationship of people, places, and
environments of the US?
Essential Question:
What are the rights and responsibilities of citizens in
our democracy in regards to
civil rights?
Advances in Student
Knowledge?
Primary Source analysis and
evaluation of key speeches,
letters, video, audio, and
other important documents
to the civil rights movement.
How has the US foreign
policy impacted the stability of foreign countries?
Essential Question:
What is the role of United
States hegemony within
the global empire?
Advances in Student
Knowledge?
Primary source analysis
and evaluation of modern
constitutional interpretation.
Anchor Text:
Textbook, US Constitution,
United States Supreme
Court Website
Anchor Text:
Textbook, The Bush Record, How the Feds Guide
Monetary Policy
Increased Complexity:
Instead of recognizing the
decision of a case, students
will also look at the rationale of the Supreme
Court in arriving at their decision.
Increased Complexity:
The text material utilized
for this unit depicts on advanced vocabulary. This
will be done through analysis of court decisions,
treaties, executive agreements, and other international documents.
Social Studies Year-at-a-Glance Unit Planner 2014-15
Course: US Government
Grade Level: 12th/Seniors
principles and foundations
of the U.S. Government by
examining and analyzing
primary and secondary
texts to include online
webquest re-search.
Writing Assignments:
Why is the Constitution essential for ensuring the
basic rights of all citizens?
analysis of primary source
documents.
Students will learn ideas
and concepts of the major
influences on the U.S. Government by examining and
analyzing the role of bureaucracy and capitalistic
influences using online
webquest research.
Writing Assignments:
What are the numerous influences on the American
government? How does
each influence its roles and
responsibilities to the mass
population?
Students will learn the primary role(s) and functions
of the three branch system
and its uniqueness in the
American political structure. The students will use
evidence of both primary
and secondary sources to
analyze and summarize.
Writing Assignments:
What are the roles and responsibilities of the Supreme Court as it relates to
the three branches of government theory?
Students will use evidence
to show how their Constitutionally defined civil rights
have evolved through acts
of Congress and SC rulings.
Writing Assignments:
What are the rights and responsibilities of citizens in
our democracy in regards to
civil rights?
Students will learn ideas
and concepts of domestic
and foreign policy by reviewing primary source
documents along with
completing webquestbased inquiries
Writing Assignments:
What is the role of United
States hegemony within
the global empire?
Social Studies Year at a Glance Unit Planner
Unit #1:
Principles
and Foundations of
U.S. Government
EQ:
Why is the
Constitution essential for ensuring the
basic rights
of all citizens?
Anchor Text (common text for
use by all students, justified
for text complexity)
Textbook U.S. ConstitutionFederalist Papers 39Antifederalist Papers (Brutus)Mcculloch
vs. Maryland
Text Complexity Rationale
Text complexity will introduce legal style of writing
from both 200 years ago to
present. WICOR strategies
will introduce new vocabulary. WICOR strategies will
show students how cases
build upon each other to give
consistency to our laws.
Close read strategies will be
used in examining new materials.
Related Texts
Literary Texts

Informational Texts
 Federalist Papers
 Antifederalist Papers
 Comparison ideas: Federalist vs.
Antifederalist (worksheet)
 Separate of powers and checks and
balances (worksheet)
 Devil in Devolution article (John D.
Donahue, November 30, 2002)
Nonprint Texts (e.g., Media, Website,
Video, Film, Music, Art, Graphics)
 Constitutional webquest (packet)
 Federalism webquest (packet)
How Unit Builds Student Knowledge & RealWorld/Career/Academy Connections
Students will learn ideas and concepts of the
principles and foundations of the U.S. Government by examining and analyzing primary and
secondary texts to include online webquest research.
 Curriculum vocabulary research (Constitution and federalism)
 Cornell notes
 Constitutional webquest (packet)
 Top Ten Amendments
 Comparison ideas: Federalist vs. Antifederalist (worksheet)
 Separate of powers and checks and balances (worksheet)
 DBQ: How did the Constitution guard against tyranny?
 Federalism webquest (packet)
 McCulloch vs. Maryland (worksheet)
 Federalist 39 Analysis (worksheet)
Click here to enter text.
Reading
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
Writing
1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Cross-Discipline Connections
Students will be required to perform higher level
research, reading, interpretation and writing of
primary and secondary source documents.
Possible Teacher Resources Youth Leadership Initiative (google): http://208.81.226.245/Federalism video:
www.learner.org/cources/democracyinamerica/
Possible
Research
Extensions2
KS College & Career Ready
Standards (See One-Pagers)
Content Standards
Standard # 2 Individuals have
rights and responsibilities.
Standard # 3 Societies are
shaped by beliefs, ideas, and
diversity. Standard # 4 Societies experience conti-nuity and
change over time.
Final SynThe unit will aid students in understanding the financial and political impact of US influ-ence at home and abroad. Stuthesis
dents will be required to conduct primary and secondary source documents research then create a two page paper reflectWriting
ing their finds as re-lated to the essential question.
Prompt-related to EQ
2
“Research” throughout this plan refers to student-led inquiry activities; these are extension tasks that allow students to make connections with texts. These activities should
be done after students have read, written, and spoken about an individual text and demonstrated their understanding of the text. Additional reading and writing performance
tasks with the texts are expected and indicated through the possible Reading and Writing Standards.
Social Studies Year at a Glance Unit Planner
Unit # 2:
Influences
on the
American
Government
Ess. Q:
What are
the numerous influences on
the American government?
How does
each influence its
roles and
responsibilities to
the mass
population?
Anchor Text (common text for
use by all students, justified
for text complexity)
Click here to enter text.
Textbook
Citizens United
Democratic Party Platform
Republican Party Platform
Federalist 10
Washington’s Farewell Address
Text Complexity Rationale
Text complexity will introduce and continue to utilize
complex primary source readings. WICOR strategies will
introduce new vocabulary.
WICOR strategies will show
students how cases build
upon previous knowledge in
an effort to increase learning.
Close read strategies will be
used in examining new materials.
Related Texts—may add texture or context; not all students will use all of
these; set provides varieties of text
complexities for diverse students
Literary Texts

How Unit Builds Student Knowledge & RealWorld/Career/Academy Connections
Click here to enter text.
The Unit provides students’ with real-world
knowledge that will affect their ability to be a
lifetime active citizen.
Informational Texts
 Textbook
 Citizens United
 Democratic Party Platform
 Republican Party Platform
 Federalist 10
 Washington’s Farewell Address
Cross-Discipline Connections
Primary source documents to increase literacy
Campaign Funding and Expenditures and tie to
Mathematical standards
Nonprint Texts (e.g., Media, Website,
Video, Film, Music, Art, Graphics)
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Powerpoint lecture
Anneburg Foundation
Democrats.org
Constitution Project
GOP.com
The Daily Show
The Colbert Report
All the President’s Men
The unit will aid students in understanding the financial and political impact of US influence at
home and abroad. Students will be required to
conduct primary and secondary source documents research then create a two page paper reflecting their finds as re-lated to the essential
question.
Related Texts for Independent Reading:
 Textbook Chapter
Possible
Research
Extensions2
Possible Teacher Resources
Primary textbook book
Websites: Democrats.org, GOP.com, Congress.gov
Media sources: The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The President’s Men
Use for philosophical chairs, Socratic Seminars, literature circles, Inquiry Circles, etc. Not all students will read the same texts.
Reading primary sources, vocabulary, Cornell Notes, guided note taking, webquest/Internet research
KS College & Career Ready
Standards (See One-Pagers)
Reading
Click here to enter text.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
Writing
Click here to enter text.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
Content Standards
Standard # 2 Individuals have
rights and responsibili-ties.
Standard # 3 Societies are
shaped by be-liefs, ide-as, and
diversity. Standard # 4 Societies experience conti-nuity and
change over time.
Final SynThe unit will aid students in understanding the financial and political impact of US influence at home and abroad. Students
thesis
will be required to conduct primary and secondary source documents research then create a two page paper reflecting
Writing
their finds as related to the essential question.
Prompt-related to EQ
2
“Research” throughout this plan refers to student-led inquiry activities; these are extension tasks that allow students to make connections with texts. These activities should
be done after students have read, written, and spoken about an individual text and demonstrated their understanding of the text. Additional reading and writing performance
tasks with the texts are expected and indicated through the possible Reading and Writing Standards.
Social Studies Year at a Glance Unit Planner
Unit # 3
Ess. Q.:
What are
the roles
and responsibilities of the
Supreme
Court as it
relates to
the three
branches
of government theory.
Anchor Text (common text for
use by all students, justified
for text complexity)
Click here to enter text.
Text Complexity Rationale
Text complexity will introduce legal style of writing
from both 200 years ago to
present. WICOR strategies
will introduce new vocabulary. WICOR strategies will
show students how cases
build upon each other to give
consistency to our laws.
Close read strategies will be
used in examining new materials.
Related Texts—may add texture or context; not all students will use all of
these; set provides varieties of text
complexities for diverse students
Literary Texts
 Judicial philosophy
 Oral argument transcripts
Informational Texts
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Federalist Papers
Antifederalist Papers
Comparison ideas: Federalist
vs. Antifederalist (worksheet)
Separate of powers and checks
and balances (worksheet)
4th Amendment DBQ
Marbury v. Madison
Safford v Redding
Nonprint Texts (e.g., Media, Website,
Video, Film, Music, Art, Graphics)

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
Marbury v Madison Video &
video guide
Anneberg foundation videos
Bill of Rights Institute Videos
Related Texts for Independent Reading:
 Judicial activism article
 “All about the Supreme Court”,
article
 New York Times
 Washington Post
How Unit Builds Student Knowledge & RealWorld/Career/Academy Connections
Students will learn ideas and concepts and inner
workings of the principles and foundations of the
U.S. Government by examining and analyzing primary and secondary texts to include online
webquest research. They will examine Supreme
Court cases, various acts of Congress, and the US
Constitution review cases by the Supreme Court
as it relates to presidential actions.
Cross-Discipline Connections
DBQ reflection essay utilizing MLA format, analysis of statistics from decided Supreme Court
cases.
KS College & Career Ready
Standards (See One-Pagers)
Reading
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
Writing
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
Content Standards
Standard # 2 Individuals have
rights and responsibili-ties.
Standard # 3 Societies are
shaped by be-liefs, ideas, and
diversity. Standard # 5 Relationships among people,
places, ide-as, and environments are dynamic.
Possible Teacher Resources 4th Amendment DBQ, Anneberg Foundation
Possible
Research
Extensions2
Use for philosophical chairs, Socratic Seminars, literature circles, Inquiry Circles, etc. Not all students will read the same texts.
•
Curriculum vocabulary research (Constitution and federalism)•
Cornell notes• Constitutional webquest
(packet)•
Top Ten Amendments • Comparison ideas: Federalist vs. Antifederalist (worksheet)•
Separate
of powers and checks and balances (worksheet)• DBQ: How did the Constitution guard against tyranny?•
Federalism webquest (packet)• McCulloch vs. Maryland (worksheet)•
Federalist 39 Analysis (worksheet)
The unit will aid students in understanding the financial and political impact of US influence at home and abroad. Students
will be required to conduct primary and secondary source documents research then create a two page paper reflecting
their finds as related to the essential question.
Final Synthesis
Writing
Prompt-related to EQ
2
“Research” throughout this plan refers to student-led inquiry activities; these are extension tasks that allow students to make connections with texts. These activities should
be done after students have read, written, and spoken about an individual text and demonstrated their understanding of the text. Additional reading and writing performance
tasks with the texts are expected and indicated through the possible Reading and Writing Standards.
Social Studies Year at a Glance Unit Planner
Unit # 4
Ess. Q.:
What are
the rights
and responsibilities of citizens in our
democracy
in regards
to civil
rights?
Anchor Text (common text for
use by all students, justified
for text complexity)
Textbook, US Constitution,
United States Supreme Court
Website
Related Texts—may add texture or context; not all students will use all of
these; set provides varieties of text
complexities for diverse students
Literary Texts
 Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Life
 Collective Action and the Civil
Rights Movement
How Unit Builds Student Knowledge & RealWorld/Career/Academy Connections
Students will learn ideas and concepts of the
principles and foundations of the U.S. Government by examining and analyzing primary and
secondary texts to include online webquest research.
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Textbook
“Letter from a Birminghouse
Jail”
Eyes on the Prize video series
US Constitution
Title IX
Americans with Disabilities Acts
1990s
CRA 1964
VRA 1965
Brown v Topeka Board of Education 1954
Plessy v Ferguson 1896
University of California v Bakke
1978
Grutter v Bollinger 2003
Miranda v Arizona
Roe v Wade
Engel v Vitale
Texas v Johnson
Schenck v US
Mapp v Ohio
Phelps v Snyder
Meyer v Nebraska
Korematsu v United States
Griswold v Connecticut
Nonprint Texts (e.g., Media, Website,
Video, Film, Music, Art, Graphics)
Reading
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
Writing
1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
Informational Texts
Text Complexity Rationale
Text complexity will introduce legal style of writing
from both 200 years ago to
present. WICOR strategies
will introduce new vocabulary. WICOR strategies will
show students how cases
build upon each other to give
consistency to our laws.
Close read strategies will be
used in examining new materials.
KS College & Career Ready
Standards (See One-Pagers)
Cross-Discipline Connections
The unit will aid students in understanding the financial and political impact of US influ-ence at
home and abroad. Students will be required to
conduct primary and secondary source documents research then create a two page paper reflecting their finds as re-lated to the essential
question.
Content Standards
Standard # 3 Societies are
shaped by beliefs, ideas, and
diversity. Standard # 4 Societies experience continuity and
change over time. Standard # 5
Relationships among people,
places, ideas, and environments are dynamic.

Eyes on the Prize Video Series
Related Texts for Independent Reading:
 Malcom X
 Hands on the Freedom Plow
 Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Possible
Research
Extensions2
Possible Teacher Resources http://www.pbs.org Cornell University Supreme Court Collection: http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/
Oyez, Oyez, Oyez (Northwestern University)
http://www.oyez.org/oyez/frontpageFindLaw.com:
http://www.findlaw.com/ First Amendment Center:
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/default.aspx
Use for philosophical chairs, Socratic Seminars, literature circles, Inquiry Circles, etc. Not all students will read the same texts.
Reading primary sources, vocabulary, Cornell Notes, guided note taking, webquest/Internet researchClick here to enter text.
Final SynThe unit will aid students in understanding the financial and political impact of US influence at home and abroad. Students
thesis
will be required to conduct primary and secondary source documents research then create a two page paper reflecting
Writing
their finds as related to the essential question.
Prompt-related to EQ
2
“Research” throughout this plan refers to student-led inquiry activities; these are extension tasks that allow students to make connections with texts. These activities should
be done after students have read, written, and spoken about an individual text and demonstrated their understanding of the text. Additional reading and writing performance
tasks with the texts are expected and indicated through the possible Reading and Writing Standards.
Social Studies Year at a Glance Unit Planner
Unit # 5:
Domestic
and Foreign Policy
EQ: What
is the role
of United
States hegemony
within the
global empire?
Possible
Research
Extensions2
Final Synthesis
Writing
Anchor Text (common text for
use by all students, justified
for text complexity)
Textbook
The Bush Record
How the Feds Guide Monetary Policy
Text Complexity Rationale
Text complexity will introduce legal style of writing
from both 200 years ago to
present. WICOR strategies
will introduce new vocabulary. WICOR strategies will
show students how cases
build upon each other to give
consistency to our laws.
Close read strategies will be
used in examining new materials.
Related Texts
Literary Texts

Informational Texts


Public Policy: Q&A (worksheet)
THE BUSH RECORD: Challenging Rest of the World With a
New Order (By ROGER COHEN,
DAVID E. SANGER and STEVEN
R. WEISMAN; 10/12/2004)
Nonprint Texts (e.g., Media, Website,
Video, Film, Music, Art, Graphics)
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Balancing the Federal Budget
Webquest (Budget simulation/
Economics)
Dr. Strangelove, or How I
Learned to Stop Worrying and
Love the Bomb (1964)
West Wing (Season 3, Episode
20, 22, 23)
How Unit Builds Student Knowledge & RealWorld/Career/Academy Connections
Click here to enter text.
Students will learn ideas and concepts of domestic and foreign policy by reviewing primary
source documents along with completing
webquest-based inquiries.
Cross-Discipline Connections
The unit will aid students in understanding the financial and political impact of US influence at
home and abroad. Students will be required to
conduct primary and secondary source documents research then create a two page paper reflecting their finds as related to the essential
question.
Possible Teacher Resources
Where Do Are Taxes Go? http://www.cbpp.org/files/4-14-08tax.pdf
PBS Newshour on Obama’s budget: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/video/module.html?mod=0&pkg=26022009&seg=3
Budget Hero Simulation: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/features/budget_hero/
http://www.frbsf.org/publications/federalreserve/fedinbrief/guides.html
Click here to enter text.
Use for philosophical chairs, Socratic Seminars, literature circles, Inquiry Circles, etc. Not all students will read the same texts.
-Curriculum vocabulary research-Cornell Notes-Balancing the Federal Budget Webquest-Public Policy: Q&A-Budget Hero
Simulation Webquest-DBQ: The Preamble and the Federal Budget-Isolation DBQ—Syria
The unit will aid students in understanding the financial and political impact of US influence at home and abroad. Students
will be required to conduct primary and secondary source documents research then create a two page paper reflecting
their finds as related to the essential question.
KS College & Career Ready
Standards (See One-Pagers)
Reading
Click here to enter text.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
Writing
Click here to enter text.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10
Content Standards
Standard # 1 Choices have consequences. Standard # 3 Societies are shaped by beliefs,
ideas, and diversity. Standard #
5 Relationships among people,
places, ide-as, and environments are dynamic.
Prompt-related to EQ
2
“Research” throughout this plan refers to student-led inquiry activities; these are extension tasks that allow students to make connections with texts. These activities should
be done after students have read, written, and spoken about an individual text and demonstrated their understanding of the text. Additional reading and writing performance
tasks with the texts are expected and indicated through the possible Reading and Writing Standards.