1.

This is a revision to the separate American Government and Economics semester long
courses into a one year-long integrated Civics course. The reason for this course change is both
American Government and Economics have overlapping and complementing ideas and
concepts that can be integrated into a single class that combines the material of both courses.
This would allow the students to understand and comprehend the connection between American
Government and Economics and allow for more in depth look into both curriculums. This would
also allow for proper treatment to be paid to the state standards for American Government, the
number of which is nearly double that of the state standards for Economics.

2. This will be a year-long course of 10 units total of both American Government and Economics
meeting the criteria of the California State Standards for Twelve Graders Social Science and will
be A-G Course for University of California and CSUs by the content of American Government
and Economics being taught together at the same time rather than two separate courses; this
will be Course A (Social Science).

3.
Unit #1
-Government: Chapter 1: Principles of Government (forms of Gov’t and styles)
-Economics: Chapter 2: Economic Systems
-Government Chapter 2: Origins of American Government (History of the Gov’t)
-Government Chapter 3: Constitution (6 Basic Foundations & Changes)
-Economics: Chapter 3: American Free Enterprise System
-Government Chapter 4: Federalism/Local Government
Unit #1 Benchmark

Unit #2
-Economics Chapter 4: Supply
-Economics Chapter 5: Demand
-Economics Chapter 6: Price
Unit #2 Benchmark

Unit #3
-Government Chapter 5: Political Parties
-Government Chapter 6: Voter Behaviors and Political Socialization & Public Opinion
-Government Chapter 7: Electoral Process-
-Government Chapter 8: Mass Media
-Economic Chapters 8 & 9: Business Organizations and Labor -
Unit #3 Benchmark

Unit #4
-Government Chapter 10, 11, 12-Congress
-Economic Chapter 14-Taxes & Government Spending
Unit #4 Benchmark

Unit #5 (Executive Branch)

-Government Chapter 13 & 14-Presidency
-Government Chapter 17-Foreign Policy & Defense
-Economics Chapter 17: International Trade
Unit #5 Benchmark

Unit #6 (Bureaucracy and Interest Groups)

-Government Chapter 15: Government Bureaucracy
-Government Chapter 9: Interest Groups
-Economics Chapter 15: Budget
-Economics Chapter 7: Market Structures
-Economics Chapter 11: Financial Markets
Unit #6 Benchmark

Unit #7 (Policy)
-Economic: Chapter 12: GDP, Production, and Growth
-Economic: Chapter 15: Fiscal Policy
-Economics Chapter 16: Federal Reserve & Monetary Policy
Economics Chapter 10: Money & Bank
-Government: Education & Environmental Policy
Unit #7 Benchmark

Unit #8 (Justice)
-Government Chapter 18: Court System
Government Chapter 19: Civil Liberties
Government Chapter 20: Civil Rights

4. Within the American Government portion of the course, students apply knowledge gained in
previous years of study to pursue a deeper understanding of American Government. Students
consider the role of and necessity for government structures and procedures as they think about
how much power the federal government should have over its citizens. They consider how
government can attain goals sanctioned by the majority while protecting its citizens from the
abuse of power. Students can also analyze and compare the trade-offs between majority rule
and the protection of individual rights. Students will review and expand their knowledge of the
key elements of a representative form of democracy, such as the idea that the authority to
govern resides
in its citizens. Their study will be grounded in the understanding that all citizens have
certain inalienable rights such as due process, the freedom to believe whatever they want, and
to choose how and where to live. This course is the culmination of the civic literacy strand of
history–social studies that prepares students to vote and to be informed, skilled, and engaged
participants in civic life, while being able to think critically and engage with people from various
backgrounds and mindsets thoughtfully.

The Economics portion of the course provides an introduction to the two sides of economic
theory: microeconomics and macroeconomics. Microeconomics deals with issues of production,
supply and demand, the pricing of goods and services, along with the factors that influence the
means of production. Macroeconomics addresses nationwide and global economic policy, which
are broken into two elements: fiscal policy (spending and saving) and monetary policy (issuance
of money and setting of interest rates). Students will address current, real world issues to
understand how these economic theories affect their lives. In addition, students will learn basic
life skills related to cash management, investment, and borrowing, skills they will find useful
throughout their lives. Students will master fundamental economic concepts, applying the tools
and skills (graphs, statistics gathering and analysis, equations) from other subject areas to
understand the operations and institutions of economic systems. Studied in an historic context
are the basic economic principles of micro- and macroeconomics, international economics,
comparative economic systems, measurement of economies and businesses, and the various
methods used in those systems.

5. The students will learn using differential instruction to improve their skills and prepare them
for life after High School while utilizing multiple learning techniques not limited to:

Student Center Learning and Engagement Activities

-Classroom Discussions (This discussion will cover a variety of political, social, and economic
issues that are affecting the world).
-Debates (Student will learn how to debate and make counter arguments using evidence and
critical thinking skills to defend their position).
-Collaborative Learning Groups/Group Projects
-Project Based Learning Lessons (A variety of Projects can be created and used to be enhance
student comprehension of the material and bringing together skills and knowledge from other
content areas).
-Simulations (Mock Congress, Mock Supreme Court, Stock Market Simulation, Life-Budget
Simulation, etc.).
-Visual Aids (Movies and Documentaries that relate to the topics of study to enhance
understanding)
-Critical Thinking Skill Exercises

Study and Classroom Skills

-Lecture Note Taking both visual lectures but also solely auditory (this is skill that should be
practiced so that students are prepared for college)
-Reading and Comprehension of a Textbook and applying that reading to higher thinking in
class.
-Reading and Comprehension of Primary Sources, Data, and News Sources (Newspaper
Articles, News magazines, Political Cartoons, Data Analysis, as found in the California Common
Core Reading Standards)
-Writing Skills (Document Based Writing, Short Answer Writing, Argumentative Writing).
-Test Taking and Studying Skills (Students will learn how to prepare for a test and the skills that
are needed for Assessments in the future such as college or career).

6. Students will be given Eight Benchmark Exams covering each individual unit created by the
Department; the Benchmark will be given by Multiple Choice Exams and/or Short Answer
Questions to improve students writing in a Social Science Course. These assessments will be in
line with Common standards and the California Standards. Chapter Tests and Quizzes can be
given by the individual educators to help improve students understanding and comprehension.