Week 5, Syllabus

Mr. Ditzenberger, American Government
Time: 5 Periods, 3:20 hours
Unit 1Lesson: Foundations of American Government
Week: 5 Dates: September 10-14
Objectives:
1. Students will study primary documents and analyze how these documents influenced the Founding Fathers.
2. Students will read and understand the Declaration of Independence by studying its different sections, understanding its terms, and discussing the historical accuracy of some of its claims.
3. Students will synthesize the information from their own knowledge of the constitution with the circumstances of a critical Supreme Court case.
4. Students will learn about the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation by discussing, taking notes, and answering guided reading questions from their text.
5. Students will analyze the compromises of the Constitutional Convention as a foundation to understanding the present form of government under the direction of the Constitution.
Materials: Textbook, http://ditzenberger.blogspot.com/index.html; textbook, lectures, computer lab.
Monday
Turn in Homework.
Foundational Documents Activity
Tuesday
1. Finish Foundational Documents Activity.
Wednesday
1. Opener: “Society in every state is a blessing, but Government, even in its best state, is a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.” Thomas Paine.
2. Read Declaration of Independence. Answer questions.
Thursday
1. Plessey vs. Ferguson.
2. Brief Quiz over the Foundational Documents. 10 questions.
3. Lecture on Articles of Confederation: Shadow Without Substance.
4. Answer “Read to Discover” Questions: 1-4 by Friday.

Friday
Survey for Senior Class Party-somewhere around holidays.
Compromise Lecture.