Welcome to the second segment of an engaging American Government course, structured in nine-week sessions, designed to accommodate diverse learners, including gifted, neurodivergent, and twice-exceptional students. This inclusive curriculum emphasizes explicit instruction in academic and executive functioning skills, delivered through two weekly in-person sessions and skill-building homework assignments. 
Throughout this course, students will master American Government standards while honing essential skills for independent learning, effective note-taking, and self-advocacy. The curriculum integrates gamified learning, hands-on projects, real-world examples, enriching videos, and primary sources to ensure an interactive learning experience.

Engagement is fostered through daily discussion questions, reflective writing, essays, and interactive projects, all aimed at encouraging critical thinking and preparing students for advanced academic opportunities. Aligned with standardized exam content, the curriculum blends theoretical knowledge with practical application to equip students with the necessary skills and confidence.

This approach underscores:

    Inclusive Learning: Tailored for diverse learners.
    Executive Functioning Skills: Explicit instruction for academic success.
    Interactive Activities: Engaging tools like gamified learning and projects.
    Real-World Examples: Contextualizing theories for practical understanding.
    Primary Sources: Direct insights into historical and political perspectives.
    Discussion and Reflection: Encouraging critical thought and self-expression.
    Preparation for Advanced Learning: Building skills for higher education opportunities.

Week 1: 
- Classroom Norms and Structure
- Media Literacy and Bias
- Defining Public Opinion
- Political Socialization
- Public Opinion and Polling

Week 2: 
- The Public Sphere
- Factors that Impact Public Opinion
- Public Opinion and Policy
- The Effects of Public Opinion
- Historical Events, Public Opinion, and Policy Project Start (Learners will research a historical event which had significant impact on public opinion which led to policy changes in the United States government for example the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire or Stonewall)

Week 3
- Continue Project
-Evolution of Voting Rights Review
- Voter Registration
- Voter Turnout

Week 4
- Factors that Decrease Voter Turnout
- Voting and Election Simulation (Learners will complete a simulation in which they learn about fictional politicians running for local elections in a fictitious city based on issues such as education, city development, and environmental issues to learn about the research and effort involved in casting an informed vote as well as how voters often have to prioritize specifics issues and make tradeoffs)
- Elections
- Parties, Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions
- The Electoral College

Week 5
- Fundraising and Campaigning
- Citizens United
- Technology and Voter Decision Making
-Direct Democracy
- Persuasive Writing Project (Learners identify one or more reasons for low voter turnout and research how other democracies have addressed the problem. Then they argue whether or not this approach could be successfully implemented in the United States)

Week 6
- Complete Project
- The Media and Democracy
- Evolution of Media in Politics

Week 7:
-Regulations on the Media
- Media Literacy Evaluating Advertisements
- Impact of the Media 
- Understanding Framing
- Propaganda

Week 8:
- Political Parties
-The Two Party System
- Historical Realignments 
- Partisan Polarization

Week 9:
- Final Project Developing a Campaign around A Single Issue