Link to Unit Plan Map
History/Social Science Framework
12.1 Students
explain the fundamental principles and moral values of American democracy as
expressed in the U.S. Constitution and other essential documents of American
democracy.
6. Understand that the Bill of Rights limits the powers of the federal government and state governments 12.2 Students evaluate and take and defend positions on the scope and limits of rights and obligations as democratic citizens, the relation- ships among them, and how they are secured. 1. Discuss the meaning and importance of each of the rights guaranteed under the Bill of Rights and how each is secured (e.g., freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, petition, privacy). 5. Describe the reciprocity between rights and obligations; that is, why enjoyment of one’s rights entails respect for the rights of others. 12.5 Students summarize landmark U.S. Supreme Court interpretations of the Constitution and its amendments. 1. Understand the changing interpretations of the Bill of Rights over time, including interpretations of the basic freedoms (religion, speech, press, petition, and assembly) articulated in the First Amendment and the due process and equal-protection-of-the-law clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment. 2. Analyze judicial activism and judicial restraint and the effects of each policy over the decades (e.g., the Warren and Rehnquist courts). 4. Explain the controversies that have resulted over changing interpretations of civil rights, including those in Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, Miranda v. Arizona, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Pena, and United States v. Virginia (VMI). 12.10 Students formulate questions about and defend their analyses of tensions within our constitutional democracy and the importance of maintaining a balance between the following concepts: majority rule and individual rights; liberty and equality; state and national authority in a federal system; civil disobedience and the rule of law; freedom of the press and the right to a fair trial; the relationship of religion and government. |
Common Core Reading and writing Standards
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.1
Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.3 Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.8 Evaluate an author's premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.9 Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.10 By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.1.a Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.1.e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from or supports the argument presented. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.2.b Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience's knowledge of the topic. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.2.e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation provided (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.11-12.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information. |
Essential Historical Questions
- How has the U.S Supreme Court interpreted the Amendments of the Constitution through various court cases?
- How have the decisions of the U.S Supreme Court altered U.S society history?
- What are the historical circumstances that surround the creation of the Bill of Rights and 14th amendment in protecting the liberties of U.S citizen?
- How have issues of civil liberties and civil rights manifested in current society?
Big Ideas
- Liberty and equality in the 21st century.
- Individual rights vs majority rule.
- The procedure of the Supreme Court to render a ruling and opinion.
- Judicial restraint vs Judicial Activism.
- The functioning of the criminal and civil justice system in the U.S.
- The balance between preserving civil liberties through radical change.
- The addressing of civil rights issues of the past and the present.
Assessment plan overview
- Entry Level: Chalk Board Splash, discussions
- Formative: Socrative, 3x summarize, Exit Slips, Graphic Organizer, written assignments, and class discussions. One-on-one sessions.
- Summative: Shining Moments, Meta Cognition, Journal Write-ups, Simulation (Mock Supreme Court)
- A History of Mr. Papa's Classroom Culminating Project.