Civics · 6 weeks · Grades 6-12
American Government Unit Study
Read the Constitution, then run a government and find out why every clause is there.
Six weeks on the structure and limits of American government: separation of powers, federalism, the Bill of Rights, elections, and the courts, paired with running an equivalent structure inside a student's own nation.
Essential questions
- Why split power across three branches?
- What does federalism actually divide?
- Which rights are hardest to protect, and why?
- How does a bill become law, and where does it usually die?
Lessons
1. Founding documents
Declaration, Articles of Confederation, and why the Constitution replaced them.
2. Three branches
Powers, checks, and what each branch cannot do.
3. Federalism
Federal, state, and local responsibilities in practice.
4. Bill of Rights
Read all ten, restate each in your own words.
5. Elections
Primaries, general elections, the electoral college, and turnout.
6. Courts
Judicial review and how one case can change the rules.
Projects
- • Draft your nation's constitution
- • Hold a household or co-op election with real ballots
- • Argue a mock case with two sides and a ruling
Assessment
- • Constitution draft rubric
- • Branches quiz with key
- • Mock case argument scoring guide
Vocabulary
federalismvetoratifyamendmentjudicial reviewquorumprecedent
Reading list
- • An annotated pocket Constitution
- • A biography of a founder or a justice
- • One age-appropriate book on civic participation