Civics - Mr. Haynes



Civics and Government

Unit 4: The Executive Branch and World Affairs

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|Overarching Question: |

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|How are both knowledge about American constitutional government and actions by citizens essential components of effective government? |

|Previous Unit: |This Unit: |Next Unit: |

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|The Legislative Branch and Politics |The Executive Branch and World Affairs |The Judicial Branch and Individual |

| | |Rights |

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|Questions To Focus Assessment and Instruction: |Types of Thinking |

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|1. How are the purposes of government and constitutional principles reflected in the powers and structure of |Description |

|the executive branch? |Classifying/Grouping |

|2. How democratic are presidential campaigns and elections in the U.S.? |Identifying Perspectives |

|3. How do economic, political, national security, and cultural issues influence U.S. foreign policy decisions?|Cause and Effect |

| |Research |

| |Non-linguistic Representations |

Unit Abstract:

This unit focuses on the executive branch of government, presidential elections, and the making of foreign policy. Students begin the unit by exploring the five constitutional grants of power delineated in Article II (executive, appointment, war, legislative, and treaty powers), and the limits on those powers. Expanding their understanding of the presidency to inherent powers, students examine executive prerogative and presidential roles (e.g., Commander-in-Chief, Chief Diplomat, Chief of Party, etc.). They learn that the executive branch is comprised of many different offices and agencies, including the Cabinet, which help the president faithfully execute the laws. Using historical examples of tensions between the branches, they consider how the legislative and judicial branches serve to check the power of the executive. In doing so, students explore the use executive privilege. Students are then introduced to the presidential election process and explore how the Electoral College influences campaigns. They analyze demographic data and voting trends with respect to presidential elections, plan campaign strategies for winning the electoral vote, and reflect on how money plays a role in presidential campaigns. Students also assess the demographic data and identify gaps in the information. Next, students hone their critical literacy skills by exploring and analyzing the accuracy and effectiveness of campaign ads and speeches. The last portion of the unit addresses world affairs as students distinguish between domestic and foreign policy and explore the process by which foreign policy is made. They revisit executive prerogative as it relates to the foreign policy realm. Students also examine how other actors and organizations are involved in shaping foreign policy, including the role of international organizations. Using historical examples, students study how the tools of foreign policy have varied according to the time period and the situation at hand. They also consider how foreign policy statements reflect evidence of idealism and realism in foreign policy philosophy. Students apply their knowledge of foreign policy to a case study of the Korean conflict. They then conclude the unit with an expository writing piece detailing the attributes of a foreign policy decision.

Focus Questions

1. How are the purposes of government and constitutional principles reflected in the powers and structure of the executive branch?

2. How democratic are presidential campaigns and elections in the U.S.?

3. How do economic, political, national security, and cultural issues influence U.S. foreign policy decisions?

Content Expectations:

C2.2.5: Use examples to investigate why people may agree on constitutional principles and fundamental values in the abstract, yet disagree over their meaning when they are applied to specific situations.

C3.1.2: Analyze the purposes, organization, functions, and processes of the executive branch as enumerated in Article II of the Constitution.

C3.1.4: Identify the role of independent regulatory agencies in the federal bureaucracy (e.g., Federal Reserve Board, Food and Drug Administration, Federal Communications Commission).

C3.1.5: Use case studies or examples to examine tensions between the three branches of government (e.g., powers of purse and impeachment, advise and consent, veto power, and judicial review).

 

C3.2.1: Explain how the principles of enumerated powers, federalism, separation of powers, bicameralism, checks and balances, republicanism, rule of law, individual rights, inalienable rights, separation of church and state, and popular sovereignty serve to limit the power of government.

C3.5.6: Explain the significance of campaigns and elections in American politics, current criticisms of campaigns, and proposals for their reform.

C3.5.7: Explain the role of television, radio, the press, and the internet in political communication.

C4.1.1: Identify and evaluate major foreign policy positions that have characterized the United States’ relations with the world (e.g., isolated nation, imperial power, world leader) in light of foundational values and principles, provide examples of how they were implemented and their consequences (e.g., Spanish-American War, Cold War containment).

C4.1.2: Describe the process by which United States foreign policy is made, including the powers the Constitution gives to the president; Congress and the judiciary; and the roles federal agencies, domestic interest groups, the public, and the media play in foreign policy.

C4.1.3: Evaluate the means used to implement U.S. foreign policy with respect to current or past international issues (e.g., diplomacy, economic, military and humanitarian aid, treaties, sanctions, military intervention, and covert action).

C4.1.4: Using at least two historical examples, explain the reasons for, and consequences of, conflicts that arise when international disputes cannot be resolved peacefully.

C4.2.4: Identify the purposes and functions of governmental and non-governmental international organizations, and the role of the United States in each (e.g., the United Nations, NATO World Court, Organization of American States, International Red Cross, Amnesty International).

C4.2.5: Evaluate the role of the United States in important bilateral and multilateral agreements (e.g., NAFTA, Helsinki Accords, Antarctic Treaty, Most Favored Nation Agreements, and Kyoto Protocol).

C6.1.1: Identify and research various viewpoints on significant public policy issues.

C6.1.2: Locate, analyze, and use various forms of evidence, information, and sources about a significant public policy issue, including primary and secondary sources, legal documents (e.g., constitutions, court decisions, state law), non-text based information (e.g., maps, charts, tables, graphs, and cartoons), and other forms of political communication (e.g., political cartoons, campaign advertisements, political speeches, and blogs).

C6.1.3: Develop and use criteria (logical validity, factual accuracy and/or omission, emotional appeals to bias or prejudice, overall strength of argument) in analyzing evidence and position statements.

C6.2.4: Participate in a real or simulated election, and evaluate the results, including the impact of voter turnout and demographics.

Common Core State Standards

RH.9-10.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.

RH.9-10.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.

RH.9-10.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social studies.

RH.9-10.5: Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis.

RH.9-10.8: Assess the extent to which the reasoning and evidence in a text support the author’s claim.

RH.9-10.10: By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

WHST.9-10.2: Writing information/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.

a. Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics, (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.

c. Use varied transitions and sentence structures to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic and convey a style appropriate to the discipline and context as well as to the expertise of likely readers.

e. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

f. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).

WHST.9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to the task, purpose, and audience.

WHST.9-10.5: Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific person or audience.

WHST.9-10.7: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

WHST.9-10.8: Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

WHST.9-10.9: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

WHST.9-10.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for reflection and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Key Concepts

Cabinet

campaigns and elections

constitutional powers of the president

demographic data and trends

Electoral College

executive prerogative

executive privilege

domestic vs. foreign policy

governmental and non-governmental international organizations

independent regulatory agencies

national security

roles of the president

succession

Duration

3 weeks

Lesson Sequence

Lesson 1: An Introduction to Article II - Constitutional Powers of the Presidency

Lesson 2: Executive Prerogative and Inherent Powers of the President

Lesson 3: Executing the Law – One of the Many Roles of the President

Lesson 4: Checks and Tension among the Branches

Lesson 5: Presidential Elections

Lesson 6: Presidential Campaigns and Elections

Lesson 7: Exploring Demographic Data and Trends

Lesson 8: Evaluating Political Communication

Lesson 9: The Constitution and U.S. Foreign Policy

Lesson 10: Foreign Policy – Trends and Tools

Lesson 11: Expository Writing – Foreign Policy

Assessment

Selected Response Items

Constructed Response Items

Performance Assessments

Resources

Equipment/Manipulative

Chart paper

Computer with Internet access

Markers

Overhead projector or document camera

Student Resource

2008 What ifs? . 15 April 2011 .

Campbell, Thomas J. “An Understanding of the Constitution’s Foreign Affairs Power.” The Heritage Foundation. 15 April 2011 .

Election Interactive Maps. . 15 April 2011 .

Executive Branch - Divisions off The Executive Branch. Law Library, American Law and Legal Information. 15 April 2011 .

Fact . Annenberg Public Policy Center. 15 April 2011 .

Independent Agencies and Government Corporations. . 15 April 2011.

John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government, Chapter 14, Section 159. 15 April 2011 .

Lesson: Understanding the Language of Political Ads. The Living Room Candidate. Museum of the Moving Image. 15 January 2011 .

North Atlantic Treaty Organization. FAQs. 15 April 2011 .

. St. Petersburg Times. 15 April 2011 .

Polling Report. 15 April 2011 .

President’s Schedule. The White House. 15 April 2011. .

Teaching with Documents: The Korean Conflict. National Archives. 15 April 2011 .

The Constitution of the United States, Analysis and Interpretation. United States Government Printing Office. 15 April 2011 .

The Democratic Party. 15 April 2011 .

The Heritage Foundation. 15 April 2011 .

The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commericials. 1952-2008. Museum of the Moving Image. 15 April 2011 .

The Republican National Committee. 15 January 2011 .

The Seven Hat Challenge: Master the Roles of the President. Scholastic. Teacher. 15 April 2011 .

Three Views of Presidential Power. Syracuse University. 15 April 2011 .

Trimble, Phillip R. Executive Perogative. 1992. 15 April 2011 .

U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution Online. 15 April 2011 .

United Nations: An Introduction for Students. 15 January 2011 .

Who We Are. Amnesty International. 15 April 2011 .

Who We Are. International Committee of the Red Cross. 15 April 2011 .

Who We Are. Organization of American States. 15 April 2011 .

World Court. Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site. Natioal Park Services. 15 April 2011 .

Teacher Resource

Annotated Constitution. Cornell Law School. 15 April 2011.

Herman, Susan. “Patriot Games: Terrorism, Law, and Executive Power.” The Jurist: Legal News and Research. University of Pittsburgh School of Law. 26 Jan. 2006. 15 April 2011 .

Mankani, Nirmal and Ethan Roeder, 2010 Turnout: Quantifying the Quandry: How Voting in 2010 will be Unlike any Previous Midterm in Recent History and How it will be Exactly the Same. New Organizing Institute. Sept. 2010. 15 April 2011 .

(Monk, Linda R. The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution. Hyperion: New York, 2003.

“Presidency - What is Executive Privilege and Why Do Presidents Like to Invoke It?” History News Network. 15 April 2011 .

President Lincoln Signs the Emancipation Proclamation, 1863. Eyewitness to History. 15 April 2011 .

Presidential Politics. American Experience. PBS. 15 April 2011 .

Root, Damon. “A Switch in Time Saves Nine.” . 22 Jan. 2009. 15 April 2011 .

(Scardino, Franco. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to U.S. Government & Politics. The Penguin Group, NY: 2009.

Seven Roles for One President. Scholastic. Teachers. 15 April 2011 .

The Treaty of the Louisiana Purchase. Archiving Early America. 15 April 2011 .

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Accomplishments. National Park Services. 15 April 2011 .

“Unit 4, Lesson 10, PowerPoint.” Michigan Citizenship Collaborative Curriculum, 2011. .

Williams, Frank. “Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties in Wartime.” The Heritage Foundation. 5 May 2004. 15 April 2011 .

For Further Professional Knowledge

Barilleaux, Ryan J. and Christopher S. Kelley. Ed. The Unitary Executive and the Modern Presidency. Texas A & M University Press, 2010.

O’Connor, Karen and Larry J. Sabato. Essentials of American Government: Roots and Reform. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2009.

Thurber, James A. Rival for Power: Presidential-Congressional Relations. Lanham, MD: Rowman-Littlefield, 2009.

( Although the resources denoted with an asterisk are not cited in the lessons for this unit, they are included here to provide meaningful options for teachers.

( Although the resources denoted with an asterisk are not cited in the lessons for this unit, they are included here to provide meaningful options for teachers.

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