St. Lucie County Social Studies Scope & Sequence Documents, Grades 6-12
2106310/20 12th Grade US Government 2013-2014
The St. Lucie County Scope & Sequence and Suggested Pacing Guide should be used in concert as a teaching and learning tool in our continuing effort to improve
the rigor of instruction and better prepare our students for future learning (including college and career readiness) and to address skills requirements of the
Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies in Grades 6-12.
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Instruction should be based on content / skills from the St. Lucie County Public Schools Scope and Sequence, Suggested Pacing Guides, and the Common
Core State Standards Appendix. These documents should serve to guide instruction, rather than a textbook or any other specific resource.
Use the Learning Goal and Scale as your starting point: have it posted, and review it regularly with your students to provide them with a framework for
instruction and a purpose for learning all the related content. The same holds true for the target(s) you are focusing on each day. They should be visible
and discussed before and after instruction.
Strategies must include Document-Based instruction (analytical reading and writing involving individual and collections of primary and secondary
sources), methodology affecting the multiple intelligences, and utilizing both individual and cooperative learning.
Activities may include Document-Based instruction (analytical reading and writing involving individual and collections of primary and secondary sources),
methodology affecting the multiple intelligences and utilizing both individual and cooperative learning (e.g. Economics Alive/Kagan Structures).
Students should conduct extended research projects such as the Euro Challenge or Project Citizen.
Social Studies Literacy Strategies should be utilized regularly (Cornell Notes, Dialectical Notes, or similar note-taking method, SOAPStone or APPARTS
analysis tools, and PERSIA or G-SPRITE categorization tools).
Assessment should include both formative assessments “for learning,” and summative assessments. Questions should follow Webb’s Depth of
Knowledge / Cognitive Complexity and include Level 1 items that involve low order, foundational knowledge/skills; Level 2 items that require students to
infer or draw conclusions; and Level 3 items that require more abstract thought or an extension of the information at hand.
Students should keep a Notebook as they help students organize information (previews, teacher directed activities, and process assignments).
Notebooks provide cohesion and structure to a unit of study, and they place responsibility for learning on students (e.g. an AVID or Interactive Student
Notebook).
Teachers should assign, and students should complete targeted homework - students should be expected to complete homework regularly but
homework shouldn’t be assigned simply for the sake of giving homework. Homework can include preview or process activities, vocabulary/concept
building, work related to projects, etc. (Read Marzano’s article “The Case For and Against Homework” available on SHARE).
o Previews involve activating prior knowledge, preparing students for the next topic of instruction.
o Process activities relate to content/skills recently learned where students are involved in metacognition.
The Common Core State Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies are integrated with the Scope and Sequence and are also available on the at
www.corestandards.org.
St. Lucie Public Schools
2106310/20 12th Grade US Government – Suggested Pacing Guide
Timeframe
Topic of Study
Targets
1 Day
Rules, Procedures,
Pre‐Tests
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Establish course content (Syllabus).
Explain class expectations.
Establish rules and procedures.
Conduct pre‐tests and initial evaluations.
Initial Activities.
7 Days (Block)
14 Days (Period)
Principles and
Foundation of
Government
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Examine the constitutional principles of
representative government, limited
government, consent of the governed, rule of
law, and individual rights.
Define federalism, and identify examples of the
powers granted and denied to states and the
national government in the American federal
system of government
Explain how the Declaration of Independence
reflected the political principles of popular
sovereignty, social contract, natural rights, and
individual rights.
Evaluate the ideals and principles of the
founding documents (Declaration of
Independence, Articles of Confederation,
Federalist Papers) that shaped American
democracy.
Evaluate, take, and defend positions on the
founding ideals and principles in American
Constitutional government.
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St. Lucie Public Schools
Key Terms, People, Places, Events
Benchmarks
Government, public policy, legislative power, executive
power, constitution, dictatorship, democracy, state,
sovereign, preamble, ratify, federalism, compromise,
impeach, elastic clause, judicial review, exclusive power,
checks and balances, judicial branch, separation of
power, amendments, limited government, popular
sovereignty, supremacy clause, reserve powers,
autography, oligarchy, federal government, presidential
government, parliamentary government, Magna Carta,
English Bill of Rights, petition of rights, bicameral,
unicameral, repeal, delegate, articles of confederation,
new jersey plan, Virginia plan, three-fifths compromise,
Connecticut compromise, constitutionalism, veto, Bill of
Rights, electoral college, treaty.
SS.912.C.3.1
SS.912.C.3.2
SS.912.C.1.2
SS.912.C.1.3
SS.912.C.1.1
SS.912.C.1.5
SS.912.C.3.15
SS.912.C.2.6
SS.912.C.3.15
SS.912.C.2.6
SS.912.C.1.4
SS.912.C.2.4
SS.912.C.3.11
2106310/20 12th Grade US Government – Suggested Pacing Guide
Timeframe
Topic of Study
Principles and
Foundation of
Government
(cont’d)
Targets
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1 Day
September 17
St. Lucie Public Schools
Constitution Day
Key Terms, People, Places, Events
Benchmarks
Evaluate how the Constitution and its
amendments reflect the political principles of
rule of law, checks and balances, separation of
powers, republicanism, democracy, and
federalism.
Examine how power and responsibility are
distributed, shared, and limited by the
Constitution.
Evaluate, take, and defend positions about
rights protected by the Constitution and Bill of
Rights.
Analyze and categorize the diverse viewpoints
presented by the Federalists and the AntiFederalists concerning ratification of the
Constitution and inclusion of a bill of rights.
Evaluate, take, and defend positions on issues
that cause the government to balance the
interests of individuals with the public good.
Contrast how the Constitution safeguards and
limits individual rights.
The federal government requires that we provide “an Preamble, Popular Sovereignty, Natural Rights,
educational program pertaining to the United States Federalism, Legislative Branch, Executive Branch, Judicial
Constitution” on this day. (If Constitution Day falls Branch, The Constitution of the United States of America,
on a Saturday or Sunday, activities shall be
Checks and Balances, Bill of Rights, Articles
conducted on the preceding Friday).
FEDERAL
STATUTE
2106310/20 12th Grade US Government – Suggested Pacing Guide
Timeframe
Topic of Study
5 Days (Block)
10 Days (Period)
Political Behavior
Targets
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St. Lucie Public Schools
Key Terms, People, Places, Events
Political party, major parties, party in power,
Evaluate the constitutional provisions
establishing citizenship, and assess the criteria partisanship, plurality, bipartisan, consensus, multiparty,
coalition, single-member district, Incumbent, electorate,
among citizens by birth, naturalized citizens,
factions, ward, precinct, split-ticket voting, Nomination,
and non-citizens.
general election, caucus, direct primary, closed primary,
Evaluate the importance of political
open primary, absentee voting, ballot, polling place,
participation and civic participation.
coattail effect, Political Action Committees (PAC),
Participate in a mock election.
Evaluate, take, and defend positions on issues subsidy, soft money, hard money, suffrage, franchise,
gerrymandering, , injunction, preclearance, off-year
that cause the government to balance the
elections, political socialization, gender gap, party
interests of individuals with the public good.
Conduct a service project to further the public identification, straight-ticket voting, split-ticket voting,
independents, public affairs, public opinion, mass
good.
media, peer group, opinion leaders, mandate, interest
Evaluate, take, and defend positions about
rights protected by the Constitution and Bill of groups, sample, public opinion poll, medium, public
agenda, propaganda, lobbying, grass roots.
Rights.
Analyze the impact of citizen participation as a
means of achieving political and social change
Analyze public policy solutions or courses of
action to resolve a local, state, or federal issue.
Create a chart explaining the changing roles of
television, radio, print media, and the Internet
in political communication.
Create a political cartoon showing how a
particular party or interest group uses
propaganda to persuade people to their point of
view.
Evaluate the processes and results of an
election at the state or federal level.
Create a chart listing the major functions of
political parties in the United States.
Analyze trends in voter turnout using historical
data.
Benchmarks
SS.912.C.2.1
SS.912.C.2.2
SS.912.C.2.3
SS.912.C.2.4
SS.912.C.2.5
SS.912.C.2.6
SS.912.C.2.8
SS.912.C.2.11
SS.912.C.2.12
SS.912.C.2.13
SS.912.C.2.14
SS.912.C.2.15
SS.912.C.2.16
SS.912.C.3.13
2106310/20 12th Grade US Government – Suggested Pacing Guide
Timeframe
Topic of Study
Targets
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5 Days (Block)
10 Days (Period)
The Legislative Branch 
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St. Lucie Public Schools
Key Terms, People, Places, Events
Use a graphic organizer to compare and
contrast the four types of minor parties
(ideological, single issue, economic protest, and
splinter.)
Illustrate examples of how government affects
the daily lives of citizens at the local, state, and
national levels.
Expressed power, delegated power, implied power,
Evaluate the importance of political
inherent power, strict constructionist, consensus, tax,
participation and civic participation.
direct and indirect tax, deficit financing, term, session,
Participate in a mock Congress
Evaluate, take, and defend positions on issues public debt, commerce powers, legal tender, bankrupts,
eminent domain, patent and copyright, naturalization,
that cause the government to balance the
single-member district, gerrymander, constituency,
interests of individuals with the public good.
partisan, speaker of the house, president of the senate,
Write a letter or send an e-mail to your
Congressional representative expressing your whip, floor leader, perjury, bill, joint resolution,
concurrent resolution, resolution, filibuster, veto
views on how the Senator or Representative
should vote on upcoming legislation.
Analyze public policy solutions or course of
action to resolve a local, state, or federal issue.
Evaluate the origins and roles of political
parties, interest groups, media, and individuals
in determining and shaping public policy.
Define federalism, and identify examples of the
powers granted and denied to states and the
national government in the American federal
system of government.
Create a chart that identifies the organization of
the House of Representative and Senate, and
their various committees
Develop a flow chart of the process followed by
the United States Senate and House of
Representatives when making a law
Identify, explain and give examples of each of
the three types of Congressional powers
Examine how power and responsibility are
distributed, shared, and limited by the
Constitution.
Benchmarks
SS.912.C.2.2
SS.912.C.2.3
SS.912.C.2.4
SS.912.C.2.8
SS.912.C.2.11
SS.912.C.2.15
SS.912.C.3.2
SS.912.C.3.3
SS.912.C.3.13
SS.912.C.3.14
SS.912.C.3.15
2106310/20 12th Grade US Government – Suggested Pacing Guide
Timeframe
5 Days (Block)
10 Days (Period)
Topic of Study
Targets
The Executive Branch •
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End of Q1
St. Lucie Public Schools
Key Terms, People, Places, Events
Analyze the structures, functions, and processes Presidential succession, balance the ticket, presidential
of the executive branch as described in Article II electors, electoral votes, electoral college, district plan,
of the Constitution.
proportional plan, direct popular elections, electorate,
Identify the impact of independent regulatory executive article, mass media, imperial presidency,
agencies in the federal bureaucracy
progressive tax, tax return, payroll tax, regressive tax,
Examine how power and responsibility are
estate tax, Interest, deficit, surplus, public debt,
distributed, shared, and limited by the
entitlement, controllable spending, uncontrollable
Constitution.
spending, domestic affairs, foreign affairs, isolationist,
Evaluate the importance of political
foreign policy, ambassador, espionage, terrorism, draft,
participation and civic participation.
cold war, containment, détente, foreign aid, regional
Evaluate the processes and results of an
security, UN security council.
election at the state or federal level.
Evaluate the origins and roles of political
parties, interest groups, media, and individuals
in determining and shaping public policy.
Analyze trends in voter turnout.
Evaluate the influence of American foreign
policy on other nations and the influences of
other nations on American policies and society.
Assess human rights policies of the United
States and other countries.
Use geographic terms and tools to analyze case
studies of policies and programs for resource
use and management.
Benchmarks
SS.912.C.3.4
SS.912.C.3.5
SS.912.C.3.15
SS.912.C.2.2
SS.912.C.2.14
SS.912.C.2.15
SS.912.C.2.16
SS.912.C.4.2
SS.912.C.4.3
SS.912.G.5.5
2106310/20 12th Grade US Government – Suggested Pacing Guide
Timeframe
Topic of Study
5 Days (Block)
10 Days (Period)
The Judicial Branch
Targets
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St. Lucie Public Schools
Key Terms, People, Places, Events
Inferior court, superior court, jurisdiction, exclusive
Create a diagram to list and explain the main
jurisdiction, concurrent jurisdiction, plaintiff, defendant,
role and characteristics of the district courts,
original jurisdiction, appellate jurisdiction, criminal case,
courts of appeal, and the Supreme Court.
civil case, docket, writ of certiorari, majority opinion,
Identify and define the concept of judicial
precedent, concurring opinion, dissenting opinion,
review; write a summary of how Marbury v.
redress, court martial, civilian tribunal, civil liberties, civil
Madison changed the role of the Supreme
rights, due process clause, process of incorporation,
Court.
establishment clause, free exercise clause, prior
Compare the role of judges on the state and
restraint, shield laws, exclusionary rule, ex post facto
federal level with other elected officials.
Analyze the various levels and responsibilities of law, grand jury
courts in the federal and state judicial system
and the relationships among them.
Evaluate the significance and outcomes of
landmark Supreme Court cases.
Conduct a mock judicial hearing.
Examine how power and responsibility are
distributed, shared, and limited by the
Constitution.
Outline and explain the steps that a case goes
through to reach the Supreme Court.
Research a recent Supreme Court nomination
hearing and discuss in class.
Benchmarks
SS.912.C.3.6
SS.912.C.3.7
SS.912.C.3.8
SS.912.C.3.9
SS.912.C.3.10
SS.912.C.3.12
SS.912.C.3.15
2106310/20 12th Grade US Government – Suggested Pacing Guide
Timeframe
4 Days (Block)
8 Days (Period)
Topic of Study
Targets
Civil Liberties and Civil 
Rights
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St. Lucie Public Schools
Key Terms, People, Places, Events
civil liberties, civil rights, due process clause, picketing,
Evaluate, take, and defend positions about
rights protected by the Constitution and Bill of assemble, right of association, substantive due process,
procedural due process, police power, search warrant,
Rights
Evaluate, take, and defend positions on issues involuntary servitude, discrimination, writs of assistance,
probable cause, exclusionary rule, writ of habeas corpus,
that cause the government to balance the
bill of attainder, indictment, double jeopardy, bench
interests of individuals with the public good.
trial, Miranda rule, bail, capital punishment, treason,
Explain why rights have limits and are not
heterogeneous, immigrants, reservation, refugees,
absolute.
Identify the expansion of civil rights and liberties assimilation, segregation, Jim Crow Law, Separate-butequal, integration, de jure segregation, de facto
by examining the principles contained in
segregation, affirmative action, citizen, naturalization,
primary documents.
Create a comparison chart that distinguishes the expatriation, denaturalization, deportation
differences between civil liberties (freedoms)
and civil rights (government actions to secure
freedoms).
Identify the differences between freedoms
guaranteed to African Americans and other
groups with the 13th, 14th, and 15th
Amendments to the Constitution
Create a presentation on a federal court case
that affected one of the following issues:
affirmative action, women’s rights, or
immigration.
Find and describe court cases related to each of
the amendments, except the 3rd Amendment
Research a selected banned and/or challenged
book and present findings to the class. (Include
a summary of the book and an explanation of
who tried to ban the book and why). Discuss the
merits of the case in relationship to the First
Amendment.
Benchmarks
SS.912.C.2.6
SS.912.C.2.4
SS.912.C.2.7
SS.912.C.2.9
2106310/20 12th Grade US Government – Suggested Pacing Guide
Timeframe
Topic of Study
4 Days (Block)
8 Days (Period)
Comparative
Government
Targets
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St. Lucie Public Schools
Key Terms, People, Places, Events
monarchy, minister, shadow cabinet, devolution,
Compare and contrast the main types of
consensus, dissolution, prefecture, mestizo,
government (Autocracy, oligarchy, and
nationalization, North America Free Trade Agreement
democracy.) Decide which political systems
(NAFTA),purge, Soviets, perestroika, glasnost, capital,
most countries use.
factors of production, capitalist, entrepreneur, free
Evaluate the influence of American foreign
enterprise system, laws of supply of demand, monopoly,
policy on other nations and the influences of
other nations on American policies and society. trust, laissez-faire theory, socialism, proletariat,
bourgeoisie, welfare state, market economy, centrally
Assess human rights policies of the United
planned economy, collectivization, privatization,
States and other countries.
commune, Great Leap Forward
Compare indicators of democratization in
multiple countries.
Create a presentation to compare and contrast
the two most common ways to organize
institutions of the central government, e.g.,
unitary system; federal system.
Write an essay explaining the differences
between the federal systems of Mexico and the
United States.
Create a diagram listing and explaining the main
characteristics of a unitary system of
government (e.g. Great Britain and Japan)
Evaluate the significance of communism as an
economic term and as a political term. Write an
essay about how the governments and
economic systems in the former Soviet Union,
Cuba, and China reflect this idea.
Develop a graphic organizer comparing and
contrasting the main political systems.
Create a political cartoon based on different
government systems
Create a map showing the predominant political
systems in the world.
Benchmarks
SS.912.C.4.1
SS.912.C.4.2
SS.912.C.4.3
SS.912.C.4.4
SS.912.G.5.5
2106310/20 12th Grade US Government – Suggested Pacing Guide
Timeframe
Topic of Study
3 Days (Block)
6 Days (Period)
State and Local
Government
Targets
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End of Semester
St. Lucie Public Schools
Research current issues affecting the state and
local government and propose possible
solutions.
Contact the state and/or local representative
about a public policy issue.
Describe the election process, terms and
compensation of state legislators.
Using a Venn diagram or double bubble map,
compare the responsibilities of the Federal
Government with those of state and local
governments. Which government is generally
likely to have the most impact upon your daily
life?
Illustrate examples of how government affects
the daily lives of citizens at the local, state, and
national levels.
Summarize the basic principles found in every
constitution.
Create a chart explaining how to propose
changes to the Florida Constitution.
Research the services available through state
and/or local governments.
Key Terms, People, Places, Events
Benchmarks
Limited Government, statutory law, initiative, popular
sovereignty, police power, constituent power,
referendum, recall, item veto, clemency, pardon, parole,
commutation, reprieve, bench trial, jury, justice of the
peace, warrant, magistrate, appellate jurisdiction
SS.912.C.2.10
SS.912.C.2.11
SS.912.C.2.1
SS.912.C.3.2
SS.912.C.3.13