(15) Government. The student understands the American beliefs and principles reflected in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and other important historic documents. The student is expected to:
(A) identify the influence of ideas from historic documents, including the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, and the Federalist Papers, on the U.S. system of government;
(B) summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation;
(C) identify colonial grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence and explain how those grievances were addressed in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights;
(D) analyze how the U.S. Constitution reflects the principles of limited government, republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and individual rights; and
(E) explain the role of significant individuals such as Thomas Hooker, Charles de Montesquieu, and John Locke in the development of self-government in colonial America.
STAAR Blitz: Each day for 10 days (March 31-April 14), students will review the 11 units we have covered this year. This review is to prepare our students for the Social Studies STAAR Test on April 16. Each day will consist of the following: Warm Up, Lesson, Assignment.
Monday: Today’s unit to be covered is Unit 7: Westward Expansion (Manifest Destiny
Tuesday: STAAR Reading Test (Grades 6,7,8)
Wednesday: Today’s unit to be covered is Unit 8: Industrial Revolution (Part 1)
Thursday: Today’s unit to be covered is Unit 8: Reform Movement (Part 2)
Friday: Today’s unit to be covered is Unit 9: Sectionalism
STAAR Blitz: Each day for 10 days (March 31-April 14), students will review the 11 units we have covered this year. This review is to prepare our students for the Social Studies STAAR Test on April 16. Each day will consist of the following: Warm Up, Lesson, Assignment. There will be a quiz over previous day’s unit at the beginning of the period; assignment assessment at the end of the period.
Monday: Complete reporting category chart and introduce STAAR Blitz.
Tuesday: Today’s unit to be covered is Unit 2: Colonial America
Wednesday: Today’s unit to be covered is Unit 3: American Independence
Thursday: Today’s unit to be covered is Unit 4: Writing the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Friday: Today’s unit to be covered is Unit 5: Early Republic: Assessing Challenges
This Wednesday and Thursday, several of our students will be participating in our UIL District meet. This is an exciting time for our campus, as we are striving to repeat as District Champions! With this said, students who will compete will need to be very conscious of their assigned classwork while they are out on one or both days. I will post several assignments on our Google Classroom so they will stay caught up. I will visit with my classes on Monday and Tuesday so they will know and understand the expectations for them. (for those who will compete and for those who will remain in class.)
Monday: Students will examine arguments (Supreme Court decisions) regarding protective tariffs, taxation, banking system, as well as judicial review.
Tuesday: Explain the causes, important events, and effects of the War of 1812. (Unit 5:3 Day 3 Warm-Up). Create a slide presentation that outlines the causes, events, and outcomes of the War of 1812.
Wednesday: Identify the foreign policies of presidents George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe and explain the impact of Washington’s Farewell Address and the Monroe Doctrine.
Thursday: (Same as Wednesday: Identify the foreign policies of presidents George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe and explain the impact of Washington’s Farewell Address and the Monroe Doctrine.
Friday: Review for Unit 5: Early Republic (Part 2) test on Monday.
Monday: Students will examine responsible citizenship in regards to upcoming presidential election. Students will be able to answer the following:
What responsibilities are expected of American citizens?
Why is it important for Americans to understand their rights and responsibilities?
Students will look at the 2 main candidates for president: Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump. (Students will vote tomorrow in class.). Examine Article II of the Constitution (Executive Branch)
Tuesday: Students will summarize rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights and the purposes for amending the U.S. Constitution. Students will be able to answer the following:
What rights are specifically protected in the Bill of Rights?
Why has the U.S. Constitution been amended?
Wednesday: Students will trace the development of religious freedom in the United States and analyze the impact of the First Amendment guarantees (5 freedoms) on the American way of life.
Thursday: Test Review Unit 4: Writing the Constitution, focusing on the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution.
Friday: Unit 4: Writing the Constitution (Bill of Rights) Test
**There is always an opportunity for our students to come in at 7:30AM on test day for a last minute review. I will also post a test review video and other tools for our kids to look at the day/night before to help them be successful on each test. Sadly, the percentage of students taking advantage of these opportunities is not where it needs to be. Example: For the Screencastify video review (11 minutes and 44 seconds), there were only 3 students who watched the video prior to 7:30 Friday morning. The 7:30 am last minute test day review had only 15 students. That is out of approximately 120 total students. Coaches have been very accommodating for the students to come in for the 7:30am review. However, they must let the coaches know well in advance and they will let them leave practice and return when the review is finished. (usually 15-20 minutes). Please encourage your student to take advantage of these extra help tools.**
Monday: Students will analyze the 7 Articles of the Constitution and the 7 Principles of the Constitution.
7 Articles of the Constitution
Article I Legislative Branch.
Article II Executive Branch.
Article III Judicial Branch.
Article IV Relationships Between the States.
Article V Amending the Constitution.
Article VI The Supreme Law.
Article VII Ratification Clause.
7 Principles of the Constitution. (Students will create a graphic illustration for each of the 7 principles. Due Thursday.)
Popular Sovereignty
Limited Government
Separation Of Powers
Federalism
Checks And Balances
Republicanism
Individual Rights
Tuesday and Wednesday: Students will summarize rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights and the purposes for amending the U.S. Constitution. Students will complete an illustrated handout of each of the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. (Study Sheet #5 Quiz: Constitution Era and the previous eras, including Exploration, Colonial America and American Independence)
Thursday: Review Unit 4: Writing the Constitution for their test on Friday. (Video review, Unit 4: Graphic Organizer, Kahoot, Quizlet, etc. will be posted on our Goggle Classroom.)
Friday: Students will be tested over Unit 4: Writing the Constitution. Students may come in for a last minute review at 7:30. (They MUST be in our room by 7:30. Coaches have been very accommodating to allow them to come in and then return to practice.)
Tuesday: Students will identify colonial grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence and explain how those grievances were addressed in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. (Warm-Up Day 4: As we have on each warm up, students will follow this procedure: Without using their graphic organizer/notes, try answering the questions. When they finish, and if necessary, check the notes and then submit.). Reminder: Students must recite the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution this week. (Test grade)
The Preamble: We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Wednesday: Students will analyze the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, including those of Alexander Hamilton, Patrick Henry, James Madison, and George Mason. Study Sheet #4 (Constitution Era and the previous eras, including Exploration, Colonial America and American Independence)
Thursday: Students will analyze the issues of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, including the Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise.
Friday: Students will analyze the 7 Principles of the Constitution.
Monday: Stucdents will look back at the Declaration of Independence and specifically the grievances. How would these affect the framing of a new government to ensure those previous grievances would not surface in a new government. Assign the Preamble to the Constitution (Test grade: Must recite next Wednesday, October 23)
The Preamble: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Tuesday: Students will analyze the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Warm-up activity (Google Classroom) As we have on each warm up, students will follow this procedure: Without using your graphic organizer/notes, try answering the questions. When you finish, and if necessary, check your notes and then submit.
Wednesday: Students will analyze the 7 Principles of the Constitution.
Monday: Support a point of view on a social studies issue or event. (Desert Survival Situation). The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation led the Constitutional Framers to review the Articles and determine whether or not to write a new U.S. Constitution.
Tuesday: Students will summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
(Tuesday: Warm-up activity. As we have on each warm up, students will follow this procedure: Without using your graphic organizer/notes, try answering the questions. When you finish, and if necessary, check your notes and then submit.)
Wednesday: Students will identify colonial grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence and explain how those grievances were addressed in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Introduce the following vocabulary terms:
Articles of Confederation, Northwest Ordinance, Great Compromise, Three-Fifths Compromise, Federalist, Anti-Federalist, Checks and balances
Thursday: Review information covered this 9 weeks: Unit 1: Thinking like a Historian; Unit 2: Colonial America; Unit 3: American Independence for a test on Friday. (Students will study their Study Sheet for this assignment, which is located in the front of their journal.)
Friday: Assess the information covered this 9 weeks: Unit 1: Thinking like a Historian; Unit 2: Colonial America; Unit 3: American Independence. (Students will study their Study Sheet for this assignment, which is located in the front of their journal.)
Monday: Explain and chart significant major battles that were fought by the Patriots to gain independence.
Tuesday: Break down the Treaty of Paris and its significance. If time permits, analyze political cartoons/pictures representative of the struggle for independence. Warm-up activity (Google Classroom) As we have on each warm up, students will follow this procedure: Without using your graphic organizer/notes, try answering the questions. When you finish, and if necessary, check your notes and then submit.
Wednesday: Review for our Unit 3 American Independence test (Thursday)
Thursday: Unit 3: American Independence test
Friday: Students will begin to chart their progress on the assessments they have taken thus for. (Unit 2 as well as Study Sheet Quiz #1 and #2.). Analyze strengths and areas for improvement.
Monday: Examine the roles played by significant individuals during the American Revolution. (Sensory Figure Image was assigned last Thursday and is due Tuesday). I will assign Unit 3: American Independence PowerPoint question today. The powerpoint will be on the students Google Classroom. They are not due until Monday and we may answer a few in class throughout the week. (This will be another tool they can use for a test review for the Unit 3 test, which will be next Tuesday. Also, Study Sheet quizzes will begin this week over Unit 2 Exploration and Colonization on Tuesday and Unit 3: American Independence on Thursday. Study Sheet is in their journal.
Tuesday: Analyze reasons for and the impact of selected examples of civil disobedience and then identify colonial grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence. (Turn in the Sensory Figure Image) Study Sheet Quiz #1: Exploration and Colonization Quiz. Unlike the warm-up activities, students cannot use their notes.
Wednesday: Explain the issues surrounding important events of the American Revolution. (Events will include but not be limited to the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, Lexington and Concord, Saratoga, Valley Forge, and Yorktown.) Warm up activity at the beginning of the class. As we have on each warm up, students will follow this procedure: Without using their graphic organizer/notes, try answering the questions. When they finish, and if necessary, they can check their notes and then submit.
Thursday: Continue with Wednesday’s objective over important events/ battles of the American Revolution. Study Sheet Quiz #2: American Revolution Era (8 questions) and 2 questions from the previous units. (Exploration and Colonization Eras)
Friday: Explain the issues surrounding important events of the American Revolution, specifically the signing of the Treaty of Paris of 1783 and its significance to the United States. Warm up activity at the beginning of the class. As we have on each warm up, students will follow this procedure: Without using their graphic organizer/notes, try answering the questions. When they finish, and if necessary, they can check their notes and then submit.
