Entry 1: Chapter 1, Lesson 1 – Purposes and Origins of Government
As you read the Chapter 1, Lesson 1 Reading Essentials, you’ll encounter the following questions. Please answer them as you read, and use this checklist to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
☐ Do you agree with Lincoln’s view of the proper role of government? Explain your answer.
☐ What do governments provide to citizens? Do you agree, and should they provide more or less?
☐ Think about how the government affects your daily life—from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep. For example, the water you brushed your teeth with is purified according to standards required by the government. List 5 examples of government involvement in your life and then categorize them according to the purposes of government from the reading.
☐ What are the major theories of the origins of the state? Which do you find the most convincing and why?
☐ persuasive paragraph to convince a friend or relative why government is necessary. As you write, think about the origin of the state theories. Do you believe government exists to carry out to carry out God’s will and leaders are chosen by God or gods? Do you believe governments exist to provide security and order for their people? Do you have a different theory? Explain your ideas thoroughly.
☐ Be sure to also take notes that you think are relevant or helpful. Here are some tips:
• Think about what the Journal Questions above are asking.
o Decide what facts and definitions would be helpful to know for if you had to answer these questions on an exam. What could you use to support your ideas or opinions?
o What parts of the reading do the questions not ask about? What else seems important that you want to remember later?
• If you want, take the ☐ mini quiz for this chapter lesson and see what you missed. Go back and include that information in your notes.
• You can take notes by hand in a notebook and scan it to a PDF for upload, or you can take notes in a Word document.
• Attach these personal notes to the Chapter 1, Entry 1 journal entry.
If you’ve checked all the boxes, move on to the Chapter 1, Lesson 2 reading!
Entry 2: Chapter 1, Lesson 2 – Types of Government
As you read the Chapter 1, Lesson 2 Reading Essentials, you’ll encounter the following questions. Please answer them as you read, and use this checklist to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
☐ What are the major purposes of a constitution? Which purpose do you feel is most important and why?
☐ Why is citizen participation an important principle of democracy?
☐ Attach your mini multimedia presentation. Remember, you need to explain why you chose the images you did for each principle of democracy.
☐ Attach your personal notes.
☐ Reminder: if you want, take the optional mini quiz for this chapter lesson to check your understanding.
If you’ve checked all the boxes, move on to the Chapter 1, Lesson 3 reading!
Entry 3: Chapter 1, Lesson 3- The Role of Government in Economic Systems
As you read the Chapter 1, Lesson 3 Reading Essentials, you’ll encounter the following questions. Please answer them as you read, and use this checklist to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
☐ What are two different ways economic systems are classified? How are they different?
☐ What are the five characteristics of pure capitalism? Be sure to define each in your response and give an example of them. Your examples can be text descriptions, or you can use visual representations.
☐ How does the U.S. economy differ from pure capitalism?
☐ What are the features of a purely communist country?
☐ Imagine your economy is in bad shape. Many people do not have jobs. Many people have had to sell or move out of their homes and the number of people eating at soup kitchens and living in homeless shelters is increasing daily. Companies are failing and business owners are afraid to create new jobs because they do not know if they will make enough profit to afford the new workers, especially because it will cost them more to comply with new government regulations. In a short paragraph prioritize the following strategies to improve the economy. Then explain your reasons.
• The government should lower taxes on wealthy business owners so they will have an incentive to expand their business and hire more workers.
• The government should lower taxes on poor and middle class people so they have more money to spend on goods and services.
• The government should not interfere with the economy.
• The government should take over industries that employ a lot of people and make sure workers get a fair wage.
☐ Attach your personal notes.
☐ Attach any notes you took on the Socialism vs. Capitalism video.
☐ Attach your visual element that compares and contrasts two current nations and their economic systems. Your visual element can be a Venn diagram, illustration, chart, etc. (See the Reading Essentials, “Include with Your Notes” section.)
☐ Reminder: if you want, take the optional mini quiz for this chapter lesson to check your understanding.
If you’ve checked all the boxes, move on to the Chapter 2, Lesson 1 reading!
Chapter 2
Entry 4: Chapter 2, Lesson 1 – Government in Colonial America
☐ Choose one of these historical thinkers:
• John Locke
• Charles-Louis de Montesquieu
Read about your philosopher and create n outline of the main ideas presented. Research how the principles of laws and government institutions presented either in your document or by your philosopher affected the founding of the United States.
☐ Attach your personal notes
☐ Attach your worksheet from the Magna Carta video.
☐ Attach your graphic organizer with images that represent the four rights you think are most important. (See the Reading Essentials, “Include with Your Notes” section)
☐ Reminder: if you want, take the optional mini quiz for this chapter lesson to check your understanding.
If you’ve checked all the boxes, move on to the next chapter lesson reading!
