9th grade Social Studies
9 units matched to the Arizona Academic Standards.
Focus areas
- Civics: how government works in the United States
- The Arizona Constitution and Arizona's governments
- Practice for the American civics test
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: HS.C3.1; HS.C1.1 · the ideas behind the US Constitution and the principles it is built on
Unit 2
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: HS.C2.4; HS.C2.1 · the rights and responsibilities of citizens
Unit 3
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: HS.C1.2 · democracy compared with other forms of government around the world
Unit 4
Three Branches
The structure, powers and checks of Congress, the presidency and the federal courts, how each branch makes decisions, and Arizona's seats in Congress.
Learning standard: HS.C4.1; HS.C3.1 · procedures for decisions in all three branches, and how the US Constitution divides and limits power
Unit 5
Elections & Voting
How people register and vote, primaries and parties, the Electoral College, polls, campaign money and the media, and redistricting, with Arizona's electoral votes and who runs its elections.
Learning standard: HS.C4.3; HS.C3.3 · the procedures for elections at each level, and the impact of parties, interest groups, elections and the media
Unit 6
Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Landmark decisions from Marbury v. Madison to recent cases, including Miranda v. Arizona, judicial activism and restraint, precedent, and how readings of the Bill of Rights and civil rights have changed, presented factually and from more than one side.
Learning standard: HS.C2.3 · landmark Supreme Court cases and how rights have changed over time
Unit 7
The Arizona Constitution
Arizona's constitution compared with the US Constitution: the 1910 convention and statehood, the Declaration of Rights and its privacy clause, the initiative, referendum and recall, how each constitution is amended, and how a state can add to federal rights.
Learning standard: HS.C2.5; HS.C2.3; HS.C1.4 · comparing the rights in the Arizona and US constitutions, and how rights and democratic principles have changed over time
Unit 8
Governing Arizona
How Arizona is governed: the Legislature, the Governor and the Secretary of State, merit selection of judges, the Independent Redistricting Commission, counties, cities and sovereign tribal governments, and how Arizonans register, vote early and take part.
Learning standard: HS.C3.2; HS.C4.3; HS.C4.1 · the structures of national, state, local and tribal government, how elections work at each level, and how decisions are made in each branch
Unit 9
The Civics Test
Practice with questions like those on the US citizenship civics test, which Arizona's American Civics Act asks high school students to pass with at least 60 of 100 correct: the Constitution, the branches of government, rights and responsibilities.
Learning standard: HS.C3.1; HS.C2.4; HS.C2.1 · how the US Constitution set up the system of government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens
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