$85
for 8 classes
U.S. Civics & Government - Middle School- Unit 4 - Politics & Current Events
Completed by 21 learners
Ages 12-14
Live Group Class
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(87 reviews)
Live video meetings
2x per week, 4 weeks
3-8 learners per class
60 min
What's included
8 live meetings
8 in-class hoursHomework
1 hour per week. Homework will be assigned on specific weeks, after the first day of instruction that week. Homework may consist of a worksheet, online activity, or research assignment. All homework is designed to reinforce the concepts, to solidify understanding, and to allow students the opportunity to apply these concepts to real life situations. Students will be expected to complete the assignments individually, by Day 2 of that week. We will then review the assignment as a class during Day 2. Some homework assignments may also be submitted via GoogleDrive to be reviewed by the instructor and returned with comments.Assessment
I will provide an informal assessment of your student upon completion of this course. If a student completes all four units, a formal letter grade can also be provided.Grading
includedClass Experience
US Grade 6 - 8
**WHAT WILL BE TAUGHT? Civics is the study of the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens, and of the government's function and role in our lives. In this course, we'll marry classic civics with contemporary concepts to more accurately explore the modern state of our government. In addition, civics is best understood when students understand HOW we got here. Immersed in this civics curriculum are countless bits of forgotten US history so they see the full story! **HOW WILL CLASS BE STRUCTED? This is a semester-long course that's broken up into four individual units. Each unit is 4-weeks long, and each week we'll meet twice. Each unit is independent of the others, which means that students can take just one, a few, or all of them. However, I do recommend taking all of the units, and in chronological order, in order to get the most out of the material. Each week, we'll cover a different topic. Day one will include instruction using videos, lectures, PowerPoint presentations, Nearpod activities, and more. Day two will vary week-by-week, but the aim will be to complete the instruction, discuss the concepts, and review homework assignments (if applicable). Some weeks will include a short homework assignment or quiz, but not all. **UNIT 4 - TOPICS BY WEEK Week 1 - U.S. Politics Elections and the Voting System Week 2 - U.S. Politics, Part II The History of Political Parties Week 3 - The Institutional and Socio-Economic Cycles Theory The Cycles Explained Week 4 - The Institutional and Socio-Economic Cycles Theory, Part II Current Events and Gen Z's Future A basic knowledge of the U.S. government will be helpful for this course, but is not required. It will also be helpful to have taken the previous three units, but is also not required. All instruction will be thorough and fact-based. My goal is to make civics as interactive and exciting as possible, so I ask lots of questions and do my best to keep students engaged!
Learning Goals
The purpose of this course is truly to gain a more realistic understanding of how the government is structured today, the role it has in our daily lives, and how to be a more knowledgeable, responsible citizen. This unit will cover several often neglected topics. First, students will gain an understanding of the current two-party system and a history of what happened to third parties. Next, they'll learn about the Institutional and Socio-Economic Cycles Theory, and the role of the different generations in shaping our government and history. Finally, students will decide for themselves if they think the theories are true, or not, and make their own predictions about the future in America!Other Details
Language of Instruction
English
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Sources
We will refer to a theory developed by geopolitical analyst George Friedman, particularly in his book 'The Storm Before the Calm: America's Discord, The Coming Crisis of the 2020's, and the Triumph Beyond.'
Other sources include:
fairvote.org
archives.gov
usa.gov
Brennan Center for Justice
Pew Research Center
The Fourther Turning
Meet the teacher
Joined May, 2021
5.0
87reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
2 Degrees
Master's Degree from Kaplan University
Bachelor's Degree from Kaplan University
A veteran of the U.S. Army Military Police Corps, I hold both bachelor and masters degrees in Legal Studies and spent the last two decades working with various government agencies, attorney's, victims rights advocates, judges, and law enforcement officers.
I'm also a homeschool mom of two and I run a small business offering live civics courses to teens and tweens in the local community. Reviews
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