Knowledge and Skills
American Government
Unit 1: Foundations and Principles of American Government
Time Frame
35 Days
Assessment Limits
- Documents: Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, United States Constitution, the Bill of
Rights (other documents and amendments may be used to assess the principles, but information will be
provided). (CLG 1.1.1)
- Basic principles: Federalism, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, Judicial Review, Representative
Democracy, Limited Government, Rule of Law, Individual Rights and Responsibilities, Consent of the
Governed, Majority Rule, Popular Sovereignty, Equal Protection (CLG 1.1.1)
- Concepts: Federalism, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, Judicial Review, Representative
Democracy, Limited Government, Rule of Law, Individual Rights and Responsibilities, Consent of the
Governed, Majority Rule, Popular Sovereignty, Equal Protection. (CLG 1.1.2)
- Types of political systems including: Democratic (Parliamentary, Presidential) and Authoritarian (Monarchy,
Oligarchy, Dictatorship, and Totalitarianism) (CLG 2.2.1)
- Forms of government: Confederation, Federal, Unitary (CLG 2.2.1)
- Role of government in answering the basic economic questions in traditional, market, command, and mixed
economies (4.1.1)
- Role of scarcity and opportunity cost in government decision-making (CLG 4.1.2)
SC Indicators and Objectives
1.1.1 Analyze historic documents to determine the basic principles of United States government and apply
them to real-world situations
- Describe the purposes of government, such as protecting individual rights, promoting the common
good, and providing economic security (1.1.1.a)
- Evaluate why governments are formed (1.1.1.b)
- Evaluate the fundamental principles of government and law developed by leading philosophers, such as
Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau (1.1.1.c)
- Explain how common law and historic documents, such as Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, and
the Mayflower Compact influenced the framers of the Constitution and its development. (1.1.1.d)
- Analyze how the Constitution eliminated the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation (1.1.1.e)
- Examine the ratification process of the Constitution and the arguments that occurred including the
view points of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists (1.1.1.f)
- Explain the fundamental principles of American government contained in the Declaration of
Independence, Articles of Confederation, United States Constitution, and Maryland Constitution
(1.1.1.g)
- Analyze the Preamble as the mission statement of the Constitution of the United States (1.1.1.h)
- Apply the principles of federalism, checks and balances, rule of law, judicial review, separation of
powers, consent of the governed, and majority rule to real world situations (1.1.1.j)
Unit Vocabulary
- Allocate
- Articles of Confederation
- Authoritarian
- Authority
- Bill of Rights
- Checks and Balances
- Command Economy
- Commerce
- Confederate
- Consent of the Governed
- Consumer
- Declaration of Independence
- Democratic
- Dictatorship
- Direct Democracy
- Economy
- English Bill of Rights
- Equal Protection
- Federal
- Federalism
- Government
- Liberty
- Limited Government
- Magna Carta
- Majority
- Majority Rule
- Market Economy
- Minority
- Mixed Economy
- Monarchy
- National
- Oligarchy
- Opportunity Cost
- Popular Sovereignty
- Producer
- Representative Democracy
- Rule of Law
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American Government
Unit 1: Foundations and Principles of American Government
1.1.2 Evaluate how the principles of government assist or impede the functioning of government (1.1.2)
- Evaluate the principles of federalism, representative democracy, popular sovereignty, consent of the
governed, separation of powers, checks and balances, rule of law, limited government, majority rule
and how they protect individual rights and impact the functioning of government (1.1.2.a)
- Explain how the powers of government are divided and shared on the federal and state levels including
delegated, reserved and concurrent powers (1.1.2.b)
1.2.3 Evaluate the impact of governmental decisions and actions that have affected the rights of individuals
and groups in American society and/or have affected maintaining order and/or safety
- Analyze the relationship between government authority and maintaining order under the rule of law
(1.2.3.d)
-
Scarcity
Separation of Powers
Social Contract
State
Tax Revenue
Totalitarianism
Traditional Economy
Unitary
Unlimited Government
U.S. Constitution
2.2.1 Analyze advantages and disadvantages of various types of governments throughout the world (2.2.1)
- Describe the advantages and disadvantages of a direct and representative government (2.2.1.a)
- Compare confederate, unitary, and federal forms of government and determine how each assists of
impedes the functioning of government (2.2.1.b)
- Compare parliamentary and presidential democracies (2.2.1.c)
- Describe the characteristics of limited (democratic) and unlimited (authoritarian) governments (2.2.1.d)
- Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of limited and unlimited political systems (2.2.1.e)
- Explain how governments with written constitutions are not necessarily constitutional governments
which follow the rule of law such as Peoples Republic of China and North Korea (2.2.1.f)
4.1.1 Evaluate how governments affect the answers to the basic economic questions of what to produce,
how to produce, and for whom to produce (4.1.1)
- Explain how traditional, command and market economies answer the basic economic questions of what
to produce, how to produce and for whom to produce (4.1.1.a)
- Describe how governments organize their economic system for the production, distribution and
consumption of goods and services (4.1.1.b)
- Explain how elements of market, command and tradition have shaped the United States’ mixed
economic system, such as consumer preferences and tariff policies (4.1.1.c)
4.1.2 Utilize the principles of economic costs and benefits and opportunity cost to analyze the effectiveness
of government policy in achieving socio-economic goals (4.1.2)
- Explain how scarcity and opportunity cost affect government decision-making (4.1.2.a)
- Explain how governments attempt to prioritize socio-economic goals in response to changing
economic, social, and political conditions (4.1.2.b)
- Evaluate the role of government in providing public goods, such as national defense and public
education (4.1.2.c)
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American Government
Unit 1: Foundations and Principles of American Government
Essential Questions:
- How does government balance individual liberty against the need to promote the common good?
- How do documents like the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights demonstrated the changing
balance of power between national and state governments over time?
- How does the United States Constitution limit the powers of the government?
- To what extent does the modern American system of government adhere to each the principles of democracy?
- How do different economic systems influence the interaction between consumers and producers in an economy?
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American Government
Unit 1: Foundations and Principles of American Government
Learning Activities and Strategies
Suggested Learning Plan
Essential Question: How does government balance individual liberty against the need to promote the common good?
SC Objectives
Timetable
Activity Description
1. Evaluate why governments
are formed (1.1.1.b)
½ Day
Classroom Simulation:
Students will be able to evaluate why
governments are formed by
1. creating a classroom social contract that
outlines the rules and expectations for both
the teacher (government official) and the
students (citizens of the classroom).
Recommended Resources
 Remy, p. 8
 Principles LDC Module
2. Evaluate the fundamental
principles of government
and law developed by
leading philosophers, such
as Hobbes, Locke,
Montesquieu, and Rousseau
(1.1.1.c)
1 ½ Days
Primary Document Reading:
Students will be able to evaluate the fundamental
principles of government and law developed by
leading philosophers such as Hobbes, Locke,
Montesquieu, and Rousseau by
1. reading primary source selections from each
author, and
2. questioning the authors as to the
characteristics of a “good” government and
its role in the lives of citizens.
 Primary Document Excerpts on each
Philosopher
 Selection from Hobbes (Specifically
paragraphs 8-9)
 Remy, p. 8, 806
 Principles LDC Module
3. Describe the purposes of
government, such as
protecting individual rights,
promoting the common
good, and providing
economic security (1.1.1.a)
2 Days
Scenario Analysis of Current Events Topics:
Students will be able to describe the purposes of
government (such as protecting individual rights,
promoting the common good, and providing
economic security) by
1. identifying which purposes of government
are being demonstrated in real-world
scenarios and
2. analyzing how these purposes may come
into conflict with one another (e.g. The
Occupy Wall Street Movement of 2011 was
an example of a conflict between protecting
the individual rights of the protestors with
maintaining law and order on the streets of
New York City).
 Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
 Remy, p. 9-11
 Principles LDC Module
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American Government
4. Explain how common law
and historic documents,
such as Magna Carta, the
English Bill of Rights, and
the Mayflower Compact
influenced the framers of
the Constitution and its
development. (1.1.1.d)
Unit 1: Foundations and Principles of American Government
1 Day
Primary Document Reading and Graphic Organizer:
Students will be able to explain how historic
documents influenced the framers by
1. reading excerpts from primary documents
and
2. completing a comparative graphic organizer
between each of the documents.




Magna Carta
English Bill of Rights
Mayflower Compact
Remy, p. 35-8, 802-4
Essential Question: How do documents like the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights
demonstrate the changing balance of power between national and state governments over time?
SC Objectives
Timetable
Activity Description
5. Compare confederate,
unitary, and federal forms of
government and determine
how each assists of impedes
the functioning of
government (2.2.1.b)
1 Day
Gallery Walk and Graphic Organizer:
Students will be able to describe how each of the
three forms of government (confederate, unitary,
and federal) assist or impede the functioning of
government by
1. examining the characteristics of the rule
of England’s King George III over the
American colonies (unitary), and
2. comparing it to the United States under
the Articles of the Confederation
(confederate), and the United States
under the Constitution (federal).
Recommended Resources
 Overview of Pros and Cons
 Remy, p. 42-58, 106-11
6. Analyze how the Constitution
eliminated the weaknesses
of the Articles of
Confederation (1.1.1.e)
1 Day
Historical Inquiry: Shays’ Rebellion:
Students will examine the underlying faults with
the Articles of Confederation by
1. analyzing the causes of Shays’ Rebellion,
2. evaluating the extent to which a more
powerful national government would’ve been
able to prevent the rebellion, and
3. describing the differences between the
Articles of Confederation and the United
States Constitution.
 Resources on Shays’ Rebellion
 Articles of Confederation
 Remy, p. 48-58
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American Government
Unit 1: Foundations and Principles of American Government
7. Examine the ratification
process of the Constitution
and the arguments that
occurred including the view
points of the Federalists and
the Anti-Federalists (1.1.1.f)
2 Days
Placemat Activity:
Students will be able to examine the arguments
that occurred during the ratification process for
the Constitution by
1. analyzing readings from the Federalist Papers
in groups and
2. completing a “placemat” activity that will be
shared with the class.
 Federalist Papers: Federalist #10 (On
the need for a Union), Federalist #4446 (Comparing State and Federal
Gov’ts), Federalist #84 (No need for a
Bill of Rights)
 Patrick Henry (On the need for a Bill
of Rights)
 Remy, p. 56-8, 812-4
8. Explain how the powers of
government are divided and
shared on the federal and
state levels including
delegated, reserved and
concurrent powers (1.1.2.b)
1 ½ Days
Venn-Diagram:
Students will be able to explain how the powers of
government are divided and shared by
1. analyzing a primary document reading, and
2. examining real-world scenarios in order to
develop a Venn Diagram which depicts the
delegated, reserved, and concurrent powers
of the U.S. government.
 Article 1 Section 8 of the United
States Constitution
 Federalism Venn Diagram Activity
 Federalist Papers: Federalist #51 (On
divided government)
 Remy, p. 94-102
9. Evaluate the role of
government in providing
public goods, such as
national defense and public
education (4.1.2.c)
½ Day
Think-Pair-Share Class Discussion:
Students will be able to evaluate the role of the
government in providing public goods by
1. brainstorming the ways in which broad public
education has shaped students’ lives and
American culture, and
2. creating a journal entry describing how they
believe their world would be different if there
were no public schools and sharing it with the
class.
Essential Question: How does the United States Constitution limit the powers of the government?
SC Objectives
Timetable
Activity Description
10. Analyze the Preamble as the
mission statement of the
Constitution of the United
States (1.1.1.h)
½ Day
Annotated Text:
Students will be able to analyze the Preamble as a
mission statement of the Constitution by
1. completing a think-pair-share text annotation
activity.
Recommended Resources
 Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
 Remy, p. 63, 775
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American Government
11. Explain the fundamental
principles of American
government contained in
the Declaration of
Independence, Articles of
Confederation, United
States Constitution, and
Maryland Constitution
(1.1.1.g)
Unit 1: Foundations and Principles of American Government
2 ½ Days
Primary Document Reading and Concept Map:
Students will be able to explain the fundamental
principles of American government containing in
the founding documents by
1. completing a graphic organizer,
2. identifying themes between the documents,
and
3. completing a brief informational writing
assignment describing the principles
contained in the founding documents.







Declaration of Independence
Remy, 770-3
Articles of Confederation
Remy, p. 808-11
United States Constitution
Remy, p. 774-99
Constitution of Maryland
Essential Question: To what extent does the modern American system of government adhere to each of the principles of
democracy?
SC Objectives
Timetable
Activity Description
12. Describe the characteristics
of limited (democratic) and
unlimited (authoritarian)
governments (2.2.1.d)
2 Days
Concept Definition Map:
Students will be able to describe the
characteristics of limited and unlimited
governments by
1. completing a concept definition for each type
of government and
2. evaluating scenarios for key terms that
describe each type of government.
Recommended Resources
 Concept Definition Map
 Remy 18-20
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American Government
Unit 1: Foundations and Principles of American Government
13. Evaluate the advantages
and disadvantages of limited
and unlimited political
systems (2.2.1.e)
2 Days
Comparative Analysis: Dictators v. Democracies:
Students will be able to evaluate the advantages
and disadvantages of limited and unlimited
political systems by
1. creating a T-chart graphic organizer which
compares limited and unlimited
governments from the perspectives of
leaders, citizens, and the media. (e.g.
Dictators enjoy the power to legislate
quickly by fiat, but may make bad laws as
a result. The complex legislative
processes in democracies is slower, but
can be more equitable to citizens’
concerns) and
2. creating a RAFT assignment wherein they
will choose a specific role and explain
how the American government functions
from their perspective.
 Life in North Korea
 “How Dictators Work”
 Remy, 688-707
14. Explain how governments
with written constitutions
are not necessarily
constitutional governments
which follow the rule of law
such as Peoples Republic of
China and North Korea
(2.2.1.f)
2 Days
Case Study: Communist China:
Students will be able to explain how governments
with written constitutions are not necessarily
constitutional governments by
1. analyzing primary documents
surrounding the Tiananmen Square
protests (1989) in Communist China and
the Chinese government’s response to
the protests, and
2. creating an account of the government’s
response from the perspective of a
protester and
3. censoring the account of the
government’s response.
 “Tank Man” documentary film
(Particularly 1:04:50 – 1:10:00 for
modern reactions)
 Declassified Documents (especially
#17 and #19)
 Additional Resources (select China:
Tiananmen Square
 Remy, p. 16, 702-7
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American Government
Unit 1: Foundations and Principles of American Government
15. Describe the advantages
and disadvantages of a
direct and representative
government (2.2.1.a)
½ Day
Voting Simulation:
Students will be able to describe the advantages
and disadvantages of direct and representative
democracies by
1. participating in a classroom simulation
wherein groups of students will vote on
school issues both popular vote (direct
democracy) and through group
representatives and
2. evaluating the pros and cons of the
experience of a written assignment.
 Economist: Tyranny of the Majority
 Remy, p. 20-1
16. Compare parliamentary and
presidential democracies
(2.2.1.c)
½ Day
Diagramming Democracies:
Students will analyze the differences between
different forms of democratic governments
(direct, representative, parliamentary,
presidential) by
1. analyzing scenarios in order to identify
key characteristics of different forms of
democracy.
 Remy, p. 688-94
17. Evaluate the principles of
federalism, representative
democracy, popular
sovereignty, consent of the
governed, separation of
powers, checks and
balances, rule of law, limited
government, majority rule
and how they protect
individual rights and impact
the functioning of
government (1.1.2.a)
3 Days
Creative Writing Assignment:
Students will evaluate the principles of democracy
by completing guided notes and by
1. participating in a think-pair-share activity
in which the students imagine and
describe what America would be like
without each of the principles of
democracy and
2. completing a creative writing assignment
that describes a city where none of the
principles of democracy are present from
the perspective of a citizen of that city.
 Federalist Papers: Federalist #47
(Separation of Powers), Federalist #51
(Checks and Balances)
 Remy, p.20-4, 65-7
 Principles LDC Module
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American Government
Unit 1: Foundations and Principles of American Government
18. Apply the principles of
federalism, checks and
balances, rule of law,
judicial review, separation
of powers, consent of the
governed, and majority rule
to real world situations
(1.1.1.j)
2 ½ Days
Current Events Web-Quest:
Students will apply the principle of democracy to
real world situations by
1. completing a current events web-quest
wherein the students will identify online
news articles that discuss a principle of
democracy and
2. describe how the government in the
article is either adhering to, or violating
the principle of government.
 Remy, p.20-4, 65-7
 Principles LDC Module
19. Analyze the relationship
between governmental
authority and maintaining
order under the rule of law
(1.2.3.d)
½ Day
Concept Formation: Authority
Students will analyze the relationship between
governmental authority and maintaining order
under the rule of law by
1. participating in a concept formation on
the topic of authority wherein students
will examine examples of government
authority,
2. discuss where authority originates in a
democracy, and
3. evaluate how violations of the rule of law
undermine government authority.
 Concept Formation Explained
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American Government
Unit 1: Foundations and Principles of American Government
Essential Question: How do different economic systems influence the interaction between consumers and producers in an
economy?
SC Objectives
Timetable
Activity Description
Recommended Resources
20. Explain how traditional,
command and market
economies answer the basic
economic questions of what
to produce, how to produce
and for whom to produce
(4.1.1.a)
2 Days
Factory Simulation:
Students will be able to explain how traditional,
command, and market economies answer the
basic economic questions by
1. participating in a small-group factory
simulation wherein they will be given
strict instruction (instructions will differ,
depending on the type of economy being
simulated) on how to produce rings,
bracelets, and necklaces out of beads and
string and
2. evaluate their experiences in each
economy.
 Remy, p. 26-30, 717-20
21. Describe how governments
organize their economic
system for the production,
distribution and
consumption of goods and
services (4.1.1.b)
1 Day
Case Study: China’s Great Leap Forward:
Students will be able to describe how
governments organize their production,
distribution, and consumption of goods and
services by
1. examining primary documents,
2. analyzing the effect of government
intervention during China’s Great Leap
Forward, and
3. evaluating the benefits and
disadvantages of centralized economic
planning.
 Mao’s Great Leap to Famine
 Remy, p. 717-36
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American Government
Unit 1: Foundations and Principles of American Government
22. Explain how elements of
market, command and
tradition have shaped the
United States’ mixed
economic system, such as
consumer preferences and
tariff policies (4.1.1.c)
2 Days
Gallery Walk: Alike-But-Different:
Students will be able to explain how elements of
market, command, and traditional economies
have shaped the United States’ mixed economic
system by
1. completing a gallery walk and
2. categorizing characteristics of economies
in an alike-but-different graphic organizer
which illustrates common properties that
the United States’ mixed economic
system shares with the other types of
economies.
 Remy, p. 28, 720-1
23. Explain how scarcity and
opportunity cost affect
government decisionmaking (4.1.2.a)
2 Days
Budgeting Simulation:
Students will be able to explain how scarcity and
opportunity cost affect government decisionmaking planning individual lifestyles by
1. budgeting scarce resources, and
2. analyzing the trade-off in increasing
government funding for a particular
program at the expense of another.
 Remy, p. 807 (Adam Smith excerpt)
24. Explain how governments
attempt to prioritize socioeconomic goals in response
to changing economic,
social, and political
conditions (4.1.2.b)
1 Day
Cost-Benefit Analysis:
Students will be able to explain how governments
prioritize socio-economic goals by
1. pros and cons associated constructing a
new sports complex in Baltimore City
2. analyzing the effects of proposed
construction,
3. forming a position on the project, and
4. defending their position with a wellsupported written argument.
 Baltimore Sun Article on Camden
Yards
12