AP U.S. Government Syllabus

Resources For Summer Enrichment

• Discovery Education’s Social Studies Techbook offers instruction on the structure and processes of the U.S. government through an inquiry-based learning process. It provides teachers with primary source documents, exclusive videos, and other dynamic digital content. New online-entry features check students’ understanding, allowing them to apply their learning to new situations, and contribute to classroom conversations. Discovery Education Social Studies Techbook also includes interactive features in which students practice civic discourse with debates and role-playing.
• iCivics is a set of free online educational games developed by a nonprofit organization founded by former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Last November, the game was played roughly 3 million times, according to Education Week.
• Newseum, a Washington-based museum about current events, provides free learning tools on media literacy and the First Amendment.
• C-SPAN Classroom offers extensive classroom lesson plans and free videos developed by teachers and the C-SPAN staff.
• The Center for Civic Education is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote an enlightened and responsible citizenry that is committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy. It offers a variety of lesson plans related to elections on topics such as voting requirements, the power of the senior vote, and amendments. Handouts include a chart of political slogans. Did you know that Herbert Hoover’s slogan was “a chicken in every pot (and a car in every garage)”?
• PBS NewsHour Extra has a variety of videos and lesson plans for Grades 7–12 civics teachers. Civic Engagement and Ways for Students to Get Involved is a three-day lesson plan that guides students through the various ways that citizens can participate in the political process.
• The American Bar Association has lessons plans on a variety of topics, including antitrust laws, the Second Amendment, and the environment. One lesson plan involves a discussion of the use of censorship in Ray Bradbury’s book Fahrenheit 451.
• The Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools is an advocacy group that promotes civics education at the state and national level. Its website provides links to over 90 organizations and schools that provide teachers with free lesson plans and inspiration, including EarthForce.org and the Constitutional Rights Foundation.
• SLPS Summer Reading Program St. Louis Public Schools, provides all students access to high-quality literature that covers a wide range of topics. 

Please visit: www.slps.org/keeponlearning and complete the daily assignments.