AMERICAN CIVICS:PARENT’S NIGHT EDITION

Welcome to American Civics

“People should not be afraid of their government, government should be afraid of their people.”

The ideas that really matter… …Are older than the United States… …Have been debated since the beginning of

civilization.

You are not what you were born, you are what you have it in you to be.

What We Study

First Semester: World History & Government Unit I: Age of the Lawgivers (Egypt and

Mesopotamia) Unit II: Age of Empires (Greece and

Rome) Unit III: Age of Kings (Byzantine Empire

and Medieval Europe) Unit IV: Toward a New Heaven and a New

Earth (The Renaissance and the Enlightenment)

What We Study

Second Semester: The United States – Government and Early Development Unit V: Brave New World (The Development of British

America) Unit VI: The War for Independence (The American

Revolution) Unit VII: We the People (The United States

Constitution and American Government) Unit VIII: Empire of Liberty (U.S. History from 1789

to 1824) Unit IX: Jacksonian Democracy and Manifest Destiny

(U.S. History from 1824 to 1850) The United States Constitution Final Exam

How to Succeed in Civics Without Really Trying

(Very Much)Necessary Materials

3 subject spiral college-ruled notebook 1 Three-ring binder Plenty of Pencils/Pens High-lighters (Yellow, Green, Blue, Pink, Red)

Breakdown of Grades Homework = 25% Tests = 25% Classwork = 10% Quizzes = 20% Projects = 20%

Why Grades Add Up This Way

A high homework grade WILL balance out a bad test grade (so bombing a test won’t kill you!) You can afford to miss a few assignments if

you need too…but they will add up

Classwork/Quizzes/Projects combined = 50% If you do what is expected it is very difficult to

fail this class But it has been done…if one chooses to…

The Path to Success

Make checking the WikiSpace or Facebook Page part of the daily routine Facebook.com/americancivicsclassroom Contains copies of homework, links to fun

websites, daily updates on our class Class Archive (The Binders in the Front)

For students who do not have internet access Parental Involvement

We love to have fun…stop in anytime! Drop a line and email

Competition Never Hurts

To promote competition between my classes… I will rank my classes just like The Coaches Poll in NCAA Football or The Associated Press (AP) Poll in NCAA

Basketball

Each class has a team name that was chosen from history: Military Squadrons of the Continental Army

in the American Revolution

How It Works

You have 5 Days (Friday to Thursday)

By doing things like: Entering class PROFESSIONALLY and SILENTLY Getting started IMMEDIATELY on warmup Participating POSITIVELY in class Being PREPARED for class (with ALL MATERIALS) Being RESPECTFUL, CIVIL, and POLITE (NOT talking out

of turn, randomly screaming, or yelling, sitting professionally)

You earn points toward your weekly (and yearly) total

A Period: “The Patriots”

B Period: “The Eagles”

C Period: “The Cavaliers”

E Period: “The Nationals”

F Period: “The Raiders”

Your Place in History

Defending Champions: The Raiders Runner-up: The Patriots

The Historic Rivalries: #1. Nationals vs. Eagles (the oldest and biggest) #2. Cavaliers vs. Patriots (the second biggest) #3. Patriots vs. Eagles (just never liked each

other) #4. Cavaliers vs. Raiders #5. Patriots vs. Raiders

A Final Thought

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be lit.” –Plutarch