Gov Alive - Unit Overviews

Student Edition

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Power, Politics, and You

Journey Through a TCI Inquiry-Based Unit As you go through the units in this program, you’ll be equipped with the knowledge and skills to become an informed and active citizen. The structure of a unit takes you through an entire inquiry, from asking and investigating questions about government to reporting findings and taking informed action. To get digital access, visit www.teachtci.com.

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Storyline Video Each unit begins with a storyline and political question that you will explore and return to throughout the unit. After watching the video, you will ask questions about the unit to drive your learning.

TCI’s Lesson Cycle Each lesson in the unit begins with a Preview to spark interest and inspire questions. The lesson progresses to an interactive Activity, which engages and connects you to your reading. You will also investigate the questions you asked at the start of the unit.

Throughout the lesson, you will engage in a variety of assessments, including Lesson Games, Processing assignments, and Summative Assessments.

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Political Inquiry Each unit concludes with a Political Inquiry, a projectbased inquiry activity wherein you tackle real-world problems and work either individually or in groups to find answers to compelling questions.

Active Citizenship

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Extend your learning with our toolkits, primary sources, and additional readings. The Doing Democracy Toolkit offers resources for you to practice your citizenship skills.

You can also explore the court system with You Make the Call, in which you read briefings on Supreme Court cases and then write your own opinion on the cases.

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U N IT 1

Power, Authority, and Government

UNIT CONTENTS 1

The Nature of Power, Politics, and Government

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Comparing Forms of Government

POLITICAL INQUIRY: Assessing Democracies Around the World

The vast majority of nation-states identify as some form of democracy, a type of government that is widely associated with political freedom. However, a 2018 report from Freedom House shows that global freedom is declining. In this unit, you will explore the relationship between power, politics, and government and examine different forms of government.

Then, you will act as employees of the U.S. Department of State to create a report on the state of democracy around the world.

U N IT 2

Foundations of American Government

UNIT CONTENTS 3

The Roots of American Democracy

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The United States Constitution

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The Bill of Rights and Civil Liberties

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Federalism: National, State, and Local Powers

POLITICAL INQUIRY: Creating School Policy

In this unit, you will explore the roots of American democracy and examine the civil rights and liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Then, at the end of the unit, you will take a closer look at the freedom of speech and examine to what extent this freedom is protected in schools. You will become policy advisers to recommend a speech policy for your local public school.

U N IT 3

Political Participation and Behavior

UNIT CONTENTS 7

Citizen Participation in a Democracy

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Parties, Interest Groups, and Public Policy

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Public Opinion and the Media

10 Political Campaigns and Elections POLITICAL INQUIRY: Solving a Local Problem

The U.S. political system is designed to give people the power to make their voices heard, to bring about change, and to make a difference in their communities. In this unit, you will examine different ways to participate in the U.S. political system.

Then, at the end of the unit, you will identify a problem in your community and its causes. You will propose a solution and create a strategy to implement it.

U N IT 4

The Legislative Branch

UNIT CONTENTS 11 Lawmakers and Legislatures

12 Congressional Lawmaking POLITICAL INQUIRY: Characterizing a Good Legislator

In the United States, you are represented by legislators at the state and federal levels. These representatives defend your interests as they make laws that represent the needs of their constituents.

In this unit, you will learn more about how legislators are elected, their job duties, and the process to pass laws. At the end of the unit, you will use what you learn to think about and discuss the qualities that make a good legislator. You will then grade your own state and federal legislators based on these qualities.

U N IT 5

The Executive Branch

UNIT CONTENTS 13 Chief Executives and Bureaucracies

14 The Federal Budget POLITICAL INQUIRY: Understanding the Role of Executive Agencies

The president leads the executive branch of the United States. Many executive departments and independent agencies support the president. In this unit, you will learn more about the many roles of the president and the bureaucracies that help carry out public policies. At the end of the unit, you will act as members of the presidential Cabinet to evaluate an executive department and an agency within that department.

U N IT 6

The Judicial Branch

UNIT CONTENTS 15 Courts, Judges, and the Law

16 The Criminal Justice System POLITICAL INQUIRY: Deciding How to Select State Judges

The U.S. justice system is a hierarchy of district courts and courts of appeals at state and federal levels that all defer to the highest court in the country, the U.S. Supreme Court. In this unit, you will investigate the purpose and structure of the U.S. judicial and criminal justice systems. At the end of the unit, you will research your state’s supreme court and propose how the justices sitting on that court should be selected.

U N IT 7

The United States and the World

UNIT CONTENTS 17 Creating American Foreign Policy

18 Confronting Global Issues POLITICAL INQUIRY: Addressing Foreign Policy

How countries interact with one another is an important part of politics. There are many approaches a government may use to address foreign policy issues. In this unit, you will learn about different foreign policy strategies, including the use of soft power and hard power. You will also explore how international organizations respond to global issues. At the end of the unit, you will investigate one foreign policy issue and write a memo to recommend how to address the issue.