Civics

Course Title: Civics Teacher: Mr. Brad Miller Credits: 0.5 Department: History Contact Information: bmillshs@u61.net / @MrMillersSHS Website: http://mrmillerspaulding.weebly.com/ Course Description: This course relates to government and citizenship, specifically in the United States. Throughout the quarter we will investigate the foundations of government, at the federal, state, and local level. Units of Study: Unit Unit Unit Unit Unit Unit 1: 2: 3: 4: 5: 6: Citizenship Legislative Branch Executive Branch Judicial Branch State/Local Project Citizen Nov. 4 -- Nov. 13 Nov. 14 -- Nov. 22 (Nov. 25-26 Mini Project Citizen) Dec. 2 -- Dec. 6 Dec. 9 -- Dec. 13 Dec. 16 -- Dec. 20 Jan. 2 -- Jan. 17

Essential Questions: Unit 1: What does it mean to be a citizen? What are the rights, duties and responsibilities of citizenship? What civic values are essential to being American citizens? Unit 2-4: What is the purpose, structure and function of the federal government? What are the roles and responsibilities of each of the three branches as defined by the United States Constitution? What is the role of a citizen at this level? Unit 5: What is the purpose, structure and function of state government? What is the role of a citizen at this level of government? What is the purpose, structure and function of government at the local level? What is the role of a citizen at this level? Unit 6: What is the role of a high school student as a citizen in their community (be it school, city/town, state, etc.) My Email/Website: I encourage students and parents to contact me via email at bmillshs@u61.net. I check often, and have no problem responding to student or parent questions as quickly as possible. Additionally, I encourage both students and parents to consult my website -

mrmillerspaulding.weebly.com - for all documents related to the course. You may also contact me via Twitter. My account is @mrmillershs. Course Expectations & Rules: I treat my classrooms like teams; everyone is expected to contribute in their own way. Whether it be by engaging in a discussion, asking me questions one on one, taking group notes during group work, or actively emailing me about material, I will ask every student to actively grapple with our material over the next 9 weeks. And as is the case on a team; disrespect, dishonesty, and lack of effort will be met with unfortunate results. Class Materials: You will need a folder or a binder, as well as a notebook everyday in this class. I am happy to provide students with folders and notebooks, but they should feel free to use their own if they wish. Assignments: I believe that we can accomplish a lot in 75 minutes, thus I am not a teacher who believes in nightly homework. I will only assign one piece of homework per week. BUT, that means two things: one, I ask a lot of students while we are in class, and two, it is vital that you turn in the homework that is assigned. Zeros on homework will DESTROY your grade in my class. I will hold 2-3 fast quizzes every week. We will move through a large amount of material rather quickly, and thus I want to have quick feedback in terms of what students are learning. I will make an attempt to assign at least one Type 2 write OR one Current Event every week. In terms of handing in work, I will make every effort to clearly mark due dates. If an assignment is late, I will take 5 points off for every day that it is missing. If an assignment is missing for over a week, I will not award more than 50% for that assignment, regardless of the quality. As always, PLEASE speak with me if you feel there is a valid reason that you cannot be in class or hand in work. I am here to help you! Grades will be determined as follows: In-class activities, quizzes, class participation Projects, tests, papers Homework 20% 50% 30%

Students must receive a grade of proficient (65%) and participate in all aspects of the Project Citizen unit to pass this course. Skills to be develop during the semester:

Academic: reading, writing, speaking, listening, critical thinking Social: teamwork, sensitivity, respect Personal: honesty, willingness to accept criticism, responsibility, humor