Course Description

As individuals living within the political, cultural, and geographic boundaries of the United States of America, students will be able to read and write about:

• the background and principles of American government
• the purpose and structure of government institutions at the national, state, and local levels
• the idealized rights and responsibilities of citizens in the United States

Students will demonstrate knowledge of this content by taking the 2020 Civics Test for the Naturalization Examination, according to the Indiana Department of Education and as given by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

• To guide students’ understanding of the American government, students will explore these concepts through an inquiry-based study of documents, including*:
• Patriotic Anthems and Symbols of the United States
• Presidential and Historical Speeches
• Fundamental Documents of American Democracy
• Landmark Decisions of the US Supreme Court
• Presidential Statements on Citizenship and Immigration

In doing so, students will not only grow their intellectual understanding of American government and citizenship, but students will also expand their reading and writing skills. By the end of the quarter, students will learn how to decode a variety of complex texts using reading and metacognitive strategies. Students will also learn how to write informationally and argumentatively about key ideas and apply these to their current contexts.