Government
Government- forms, philosophies & principles
Course: Government Theme: 1. Gov’t-forms, philosophies & principles
Focus/Big Idea(s): Culminating Assignment:
Culminating Assessment:
Government-forms, philosophies & principles is about why 1. Graded Discussion
government is essential to human beings in a society and the a. Compare and contrast historical political
philosophy behind the US government. philosophies and determine which ideas
1. What is government?/the state? are still relevant today.
2. Philosophy Political theories 3. Imaginative Writing
3. Purpose of government a. What would a life be like for a person
4. Forms of government living under a specific government?
5. Democracy 4. Modified DBQ
a. Which political philosophies does the
current US Democracy and leadership
support?
5. Unit Quiz
a. 5 essential questions
Essential Question(s):
1. Why are government & politics necessary?
2. How do the different theories of the origin of government apply to the US?
3. What purposes should governments serve?
4. What are alternative ways of organizing governments?
5. Which political philosophies does our current structure of government & leadership support?
PPS Standards:
GOV.8.1 Analyze how various forms of government function in different situations.
GOV.1.1 Critique the purpose of laws and government, provisions to limit power, and the ability to meet changing needs as essential ideas
of the Constitution.
Academic Vocabulary: (Content to Know) Skills to learn:
Focus 1- Focus 3-
a. Government a. Union Disscussions
b. public policies b. Justice Applying history to present day
c. state c. Domestic Imaginative writing with academic context
d. territory d. tranquility Highlighting text for important information
e. sovereign e. common defense
f. welfare
Focus 2- g. Liberty
a. force theory
b. evolution theory Focus 4-
c. divine right theory a. democracy
d. social contract theory b. dictatorship
e. Hobbes c. autocracy
f. Locke d. oligarchy
g. Machiavelli e. unitary government
h. Montisquieu f. federal government
i. Rousseau g. division of powers
h. confederation
Focus 5- i. presidential government
a. equality j. parliamentary government
b. compromise
c. free enterprise system
d. mixed economy
Sarah Epstein, Date11/28/2011 1
Draft
Government
Government- forms, philosophies & principles
Time Frame: 8-10 50 minute periods
Instructional Design: Outline of lessons, in step-by-step progression. Attach additional pages.
1. To illustrate need for rules in society have students create a game with only the instructions that the game must
be played, everyone must participate and only 4 classroom items chosen by teacher can be used.
2. What is government? Magruder’s pgs 4-7
3. Theories behind creation of state Magruder’s pgs 7-8
4. Philosophy (Hobbes, Locke, Machiavelli, Montisquieu, Rousseau)- Character corners students become expert
on philosophers of choice and then work in small groups to compare and contrast the philosophers using Venn
Diagrams and finally list which philosophies applicable to present day.
5. Different types of government Magruder’s pgs 12-16
6. Students list the characteristics of a type of government of their choice. They then list what they imagine daily
life under this government would be like. They take the brainstorm and write a short imaginative essay on life
under the government. Class discussion on comparing their essays with life in US democracy.
7. Philosophy and US democracy modified DBQ—prompt: which political philosophies do the current US
democracy & leadership support?
a. On chart paper in groups students write the prompt on the top
b. Create a spectrum on paper related to prompt i.e. Social Contract Theory_______________people evil unless forced to do good
c. On chart paper paste or write prior knowledge brainstorm on US democracy & philosophers (under prompt/ above spectrum)
d. Give students 6-8 documents concerning the 5 philosophers studied & philosophy of US gov’t
e. Students highlight information on documents related to prompt
f. Students will assess the document underneath— (value of document)
g. Students will paste the document along the spectrum where they feel it belongs
h. At the bottom of the chart paper groups write a group Claim/Thesis
i. Can be turned into essay or used as an assessment as is
Resources and materials: (Text, links, videos, speakers, etc. Additional supports and extensions: (TAG, SPED, ESL, etc.)
Please note if available district-wide)
Group Brainstorms and group thesis creation help ESL, SPED students have
information for papers.
Magruder’s Government Text
We the People Text
For ESL & some SPED students note outlines are given ahead of readings—
More details posted on GIST
these can have space for students to fill in information from the readings.
Students are asked to make picture/symbols in outlines for key vocabulary to
demonstrate understanding.
TAG students can be asked to write a formal essay for modified DBQ and use at
least 2-3 current events in their answer.
Sarah Epstein, Date11/28/2011 2
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