This is an adaptive credit recovery course, in which students will complete a pretest for each module, and will be exempted from activities for topics where mastery is demonstrated. This type of credit recovery course targets individual areas of need in the curriculum and minimizes repetition of content where students have demonstrated their understanding.
This course will guide students through a study of the history, structure, and guiding principles of the American government. Students will review the origins of government, from the earliest models of democracy to the founding documents that created a federalist system of government in the United States. Students will explore the role and responsibilities of each branch of government as well as the impact of the Constitution on the lives of individual Americans.
Major concepts include:
- The forces and philosophies that led to the creation of the first governments.
- The role of the United States Constitution in creating the structure of the American government.
- The people, principles, and theories that informed and inspired the framers of the United States Constitution.
- The impact of the Bill of rights in protecting individual freedoms and informing Civil Rights Movements.
- The impact of political parties, interest groups, and movements on the political process.
- Strategies and processes for participating in the American government as a citizen.
Students learn through online lesson activities, videos, and interactive activities. Each module begins with a pretest, proceeds to lessons that conclude with a brief self-check, and wraps with a module exam. The course concludes with a cumulative exam.
This course uses content from Accelerate Education taught by a VHS Learning instructor who is certified in their content area and who follows VHS Learning policies. The course will be hosted in the Buzz learning management system. Students may spend 40 hours completing this course, though actual time-spent will vary based on individual student performance in module pretests.
Credit recovery courses do not meet initial eligibility requirements for NCAA. Students who require flexible courses meeting initial eligibility requirements should consider VHS Learning self-paced courses, which can be found in the VHS Learning Catalog.
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