Implementing District Standards
The Democracy (in)Action: Promoting Critical Youth Consciousness and Participation Unit is an attempt at a comprehensive tackling of the core principles of American Democratic theory. The standards addressed in this unit revolve around the areas of critical examination of American Democracy, civic mindedness and participation. The following are standards I feel this unit addresses.
Standard 12.1 reads "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." We will be studying the philosophical, political and economic basis of the Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Several essays from The Federalist Papers will be studied. Furthermore, we will explore Plato's critique of democracy and Tocqueville's observations of the promise and potential pitfalls of our government.
Standard12.2 reads "Students evaluate and take and defend positions on the scope and limits of rights and obligations as democratic citizens, the relationships among them, and how they are secured." Sub-section #4 reads "Understand the obligations of civic-mindedness, including voting, being informed on civic issues, volunteering and performing public service, and serving in the military or alternative service." And Sub-section #5 reads, "Describe the reciprocity between rights and obligations; that is, why enjoyment of one's rights entails respect for the rights of others." This standard will be met in the last part of my curriculum unit where students apply what they have learned to organize a townhall meeting and other campaigns relating to their communities.
Standard12.5 reads "Students summarize landmark U.S. Supreme Court interpretations of the Constitution and its amendments." Sub-section #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)", will be addressed in the part of the unit that discusses the flaws in the application of democratic principles to historically disenfranchised people.
Standard 12.7 reads, "Students analyze and compare the powers and procedures of the national, state, tribal, and local governments." Our class will organize a townhall of local officials and candidates running for office in this Novembers Election.
Standard 12.8 reads, "Students evaluate and take and defend positions on the influence of the media on American political life." Sub-section #2 reads "Describe the roles of broadcast, print, and electronic media, including the Internet, as means of communication in American politics. Our class will create blogs on the internet as a public forum to discuss their process of learning and doing democracy.
Comments: