9th grade Social Studies
11 units matched to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
Focus areas
- United States Government: the ideas behind the founding documents and forms of government
- The Constitution: the three branches, checks and balances, federalism, and how Texas is governed
- Citizenship: the Bill of Rights, landmark Supreme Court cases, voting and taking part
- Politics and the economy: parties and elections, lawmaking, the media, taxes and trade
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.
TEKS student expectation: GOV.1(A); GOV.1(B); GOV.1(C); GOV.1(D); GOV.6(A); GOV.6(C) · the ideas, traditions and thinkers behind the founding documents, and the Federalist Papers
Unit 2
Forms of Government
Democracies, monarchies, oligarchies and authoritarian states, federal, confederal and unitary systems, and the roots of American ideas about limited government.
TEKS student expectation: GOV.11(A); GOV.11(B) · comparing the US constitutional republic with other forms of government, and presidential and parliamentary systems
Unit 3
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.
TEKS student expectation: GOV.13(A); GOV.13(B); GOV.14(A); GOV.14(B); GOV.19(D) · civic responsibilities, ways to take part in the political process, citizen movements and judging sources
Unit 4
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.
TEKS student expectation: GOV.2(A); GOV.15(B); GOV.18(B) · how the media affects public policy, freedom of the press, and the internet and the political process
Unit 5
Three Branches
How Articles I, II and III set up Congress, the presidency and the courts, terms and numbers, independent agencies such as NASA, checks and balances, and how the Constitution is amended.
TEKS student expectation: GOV.6(E); GOV.7(A); GOV.7(B); GOV.7(C); GOV.7(D); GOV.7(E) · the structure and functions of the three branches, independent agencies, checks and balances, and amending the Constitution
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.
TEKS student expectation: GOV.12(A); GOV.12(B); GOV.12(C); GOV.12(D); GOV.12(F); GOV.12(G) · unalienable rights, the Bill of Rights, religious freedom, due process and the 14th Amendment
Unit 7
Landmark Supreme Court Cases
Landmark decisions such as Marbury v. Madison, Engel v. Vitale, Schenck, Brandenburg, Texas v. Johnson, Miranda, Gideon and Mapp, cases about Texas such as Hernandez v. Texas and Sweatt v. Painter, and judicial activism and restraint, presented factually and from more than one side.
TEKS student expectation: GOV.3(C); GOV.7(F); GOV.12(E); GOV.16(A) · landmark Supreme Court interpretations of rights, judicial activism and restraint, and decisions that affected particular groups
Unit 8
Elections & Voting
How Texans register and vote, open primaries and runoffs, political parties and third parties, the Electoral College, the 17th Amendment, campaigns, and redistricting after the census.
TEKS student expectation: GOV.3(A); GOV.9(B); GOV.9(C); GOV.10(A); GOV.10(B); GOV.13(C) · political parties, the Electoral College, the 17th Amendment, and how to register and who may vote
Unit 9
How Laws Are Made
How a bill becomes law in Congress and in the Texas Legislature, committees, vetoes and overrides, the governor's line-item veto and special sessions, regulations, and how citizens and interest groups influence lawmaking.
TEKS student expectation: GOV.2(A); GOV.7(A); GOV.7(H) · how bills become law in Congress and the Texas Legislature, and how individuals and groups affect public policy
Unit 10
Government & the Economy
How governments raise and spend money, Texas's taxes and Rainy Day Fund, deficits and debt, fiscal and monetary policy, regulation, the free enterprise system, and trade policy.
TEKS student expectation: GOV.4(A); GOV.4(B); GOV.4(C); GOV.5(B) · government fiscal and regulatory policy at each level, free enterprise, taxation, and trade policy
Unit 11
Federalism & Texas Government
Why the Founders chose federalism, national, reserved and shared powers, the supremacy clause and limits on the states, conflicts between state and national government, and how Texas is governed: the Constitution of 1876, the Legislature, the plural executive, the two high courts, counties, cities and school districts.
TEKS student expectation: GOV.7(H); GOV.8(A); GOV.8(B); GOV.8(C); GOV.8(D); GOV.9(A) · federalism, national, state and shared powers, and the structures of national, state and local government in Texas
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