The course aligns with the first five units from Virginia’s Standards of Learning for Civics & Economics. The course includes access to all course materials, feedback from a licensed Virginia teacher, grades from each unit (one formative and two summative), as well as a written report card and Certificate of Completion at the end the course.
In addition, students will learn valuable research skills, note-taking techniques, and MLA Format (for citations and paper formatting) we’ve used in the classroom for years. Not only will your child stay not fall behind their peers in the United States, your child will be able to use these skills in their regular classroom.
Each unit (noted below) includes and Introduction Activity, Unit Organizer (summative); Mid-point Check-in (formative), and A Project Based Learning Activity (summative). Each summative includes feedback through our standards-based rubric.
The units include:
Unit 1: Constitution: Students will learn about the Constitution and other important founding documents, take a deep dive into the preamble and differences between ratification of an Amendment in the U.S. and Virginia. At the end of the students will be given a choice of rewriting the Constitution to reflect modern times or writing their U.S. Senator about a change they would like to see.
Unit 2: Citizens- Rights, Duties, and Responsibilities: Students start off by taking an actual U.S. Citizenship Practice Test. From there, students will explore what it means to be a citizen through activities such as Bill of Rights Survivor! (activity in which your child will eliminate the first ten amendments one by one until there is only one) and the purpose of public goods. In the final part of the unit, students will teach a new citizen things about the U.S. or defend a student that has been accused of violating several of the first ten amendments.
Unit 3: Political Process and Public Policy: In the intro activity, students think about what they would have to do now to run for President of the United States in 2040. From there, students will learn a bit about the two major political parties in the U.S., analyze campaign slogans, and look at the effect of media and finance. In the final project students will create a plan to get a fictional person elected as the next President of the United States.
Unit 4: Federal, State, and Local Governments: This unit is all about the differences between the federal government, the State of Virginia, and local governments. Students will compare a variety of areas including the legislative process and the court system at all three levels along with an analysis of several political cartoons. In the final project, students will present the ideal city for your family to move back to in the States or do some preliminary polling for a political candidate.
Unit 5: The Court System: After learning about Supreme Court cases dealing with students, you will defend a student at the Supreme Court that has been accused of violating several federal statutes. In a fictional scenario, a student has been accused of violating several federal statutes related to several amendments. The student’s job is to defend the student through the federal court system all the way to the Supreme Court (unless they prevail in a lower court).
Upon completion of all assignments with an overall grade above 70%, students will receive 0.5 credits.
Please read the Terms of Service for more details.
The course aligns with the first five units from Virginia’s Standards of Learning for Civics & Economics. The course includes access to all course materials, feedback from a licensed Virginia teacher, grades from each unit (one formative and two summative), as well as a written report card and Certificate of Completion at the end the course.
In addition, students will learn valuable research skills, note-taking techniques, and MLA Format (for citations and paper formatting) we’ve used in the classroom for years. Not only will your child stay not fall behind their peers in the United States, your child will be able to use these skills in their regular classroom.
Each unit (noted below) includes and Introduction Activity, Unit Organizer (summative); Mid-point Check-in (formative), and A Project Based Learning Activity (summative). Each summative includes feedback through our standards-based rubric.
The units include:
Unit 1: Constitution: Students will learn about the Constitution and other important founding documents, take a deep dive into the preamble and differences between ratification of an Amendment in the U.S. and Virginia. At the end of the students will be given a choice of rewriting the Constitution to reflect modern times or writing their U.S. Senator about a change they would like to see.
Unit 2: Citizens- Rights, Duties, and Responsibilities: Students start off by taking an actual U.S. Citizenship Practice Test. From there, students will explore what it means to be a citizen through activities such as Bill of Rights Survivor! (activity in which your child will eliminate the first ten amendments one by one until there is only one) and the purpose of public goods. In the final part of the unit, students will teach a new citizen things about the U.S. or defend a student that has been accused of violating several of the first ten amendments.
Unit 3: Political Process and Public Policy: In the intro activity, students think about what they would have to do now to run for President of the United States in 2040. From there, students will learn a bit about the two major political parties in the U.S., analyze campaign slogans, and look at the effect of media and finance. In the final project students will create a plan to get a fictional person elected as the next President of the United States.
Unit 4: Federal, State, and Local Governments: This unit is all about the differences between the federal government, the State of Virginia, and local governments. Students will compare a variety of areas including the legislative process and the court system at all three levels along with an analysis of several political cartoons. In the final project, students will present the ideal city for your family to move back to in the States or do some preliminary polling for a political candidate.
Unit 5: The Court System: After learning about Supreme Court cases dealing with students, you will defend a student at the Supreme Court that has been accused of violating several federal statutes. In a fictional scenario, a student has been accused of violating several federal statutes related to several amendments. The student’s job is to defend the student through the federal court system all the way to the Supreme Court (unless they prevail in a lower court).
Upon completion of all assignments with an overall grade above 70%, students will receive 0.5 credits.
Please read the Terms of Service for more details.
