9th grade Social Studies
9 units matched to the Alaska content standards.
Focus areas
- Civics: how government works in the United States
- Alaska's constitution and government
- Alaska history, land claims and the economy
Units
Unit 1
Foundations of Democracy
Greek, Roman, English and Enlightenment roots of American government, Tocqueville's view of American democracy, republican and liberal ideas, the Federalist Papers and the Bill of Rights as a limit on government.
Learning standard: SS.9-12.6.1; SS.9-12.6.3 · the ideas behind the Constitution and the principles it is built on
Unit 2
Taking Part
Ways to take part before and after 18, volunteering and civil society, petitions and peaceful protest, deliberating about tensions in our democracy, and checking news for reliability.
Learning standard: SS.9-12.10.3; SS.9-12.7.8 · how engaged citizens make change, and how to register and vote
Unit 3
Media & Democracy
Why a free and responsible press matters, broadcast, print and online media, how officials use media to shape opinion, and how to spot misinformation, bias and spin.
Learning standard: SS.9-12.7.2; SS.9-12.7.3 · bias in the media and judging news sources
Unit 4
Forms of Government
Democracies, monarchies, oligarchies and authoritarian states, federal, confederal and unitary systems, and the roots of American ideas about limited government.
Learning standard: SS.9-12.6.1; SS.USH.7.6.1 · representative democracy compared with other forms of government around the world
Unit 5
How the Nation Governs
The United States government: the three articles that set up Congress, the presidency and the courts, terms and powers, checks and balances, the Bill of Rights and later amendments, landmark cases, and how the US system compares with a parliamentary one.
Learning standard: SS.9-12.8.6; SS.9-12.6.3 · the three branches of government and how they make, carry out and interpret laws
Unit 6
Rights & Responsibilities
Unalienable rights, the freedoms in the Bill of Rights and later amendments, religious freedom, due process, the 14th Amendment, civil rights laws, and citizens' duties such as jury service and paying taxes.
Learning standard: SS.9-12.10.2; SS.9-12.6.7 · rights and responsibilities under the founding documents, and balancing liberty and the public good
Unit 7
The Alaska Constitution
How the Alaska Constitution organizes government: the 1955–56 convention, separation of powers and federalism, a strong Governor, the merit selection of judges, the resources article and right to privacy, and the services local, state and Tribal governments provide.
Learning standard: SS.9-12.9.1; SS.AKH.5.8.1; SS.9-12.9.9 · how the Alaska Constitution creates three branches with limited powers and its unique features, and the services of local, state and Tribal governments
Unit 8
Land, Statehood & ANCSA
The 1867 purchase from different perspectives, the territory years and the statehood movement, Native land claims, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 and the corporations it created, and ANILCA. Debates are presented as different views, factually and without taking sides.
Learning standard: SS.AKH.2.17.1; SS.AKH.2.8.1; SS.9-12.9.6; SS.AKH.5.23.1 · perspectives on the purchase of Alaska, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and its effects on Tribes and governance, and the statehood movement
Unit 9
Oil, Fish & the Permanent Fund
Alaska's markets and industries (oil, seafood, tourism, health care and federal spending), the causes and effects of its boom-and-bust economy, the Permanent Fund and the dividend, and how resource revenue shapes the state's government and budget choices.
Learning standard: SS.AKH.6.8.1; SS.AKH.6.11.2; SS.AKH.6.11.1; SS.9-12.9.7 · the Permanent Fund and dividend, Alaska's boom-and-bust economy and its industries, and the role of natural resources in the development of Alaska's government
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