Kylee Manganiello kmanganiello@norfolkacademy.

org Breakthrough 2017

9th Grade Social Studies:

Foundations of Government

Welcome to 9th grade social studies! Im so happy to see you all back this summer
and I feel honored to be working with you during your last summer at BT. Over the
next five and a half weeks, well be working together to become better historians, more
critical thinkers, and better citizens. This year, you will build upon the knowledge and
skills you learned last summer in civics. We will be considering why governments exist
and what purposes they serve as well as what it truly means to be a citizen in a
democracy. My goal is that by the end of this course, you will not only be well-prepared
for the challenges of high school, but you will be able to recognize the power you have
as citizens to create the change you wish to see in the world.

Hopefully this course will be a rich, *collaborative* learning experience for us all.

Course Essential Questions:

1. What is government?
2. Why do governments exist?
3. Is a democracy the only just form of governance?
4. When it comes to governance, which value is most important: equality, security, or
freedom?
5. What does it mean to be a citizen?

Course Topics:
1. Democracy and Republics: Ancient Greece and Rome
2. Authoritarian Regimes?: Empire of Ghana and the Mongolian Empire
3. Principles of Governance today: What is the state of our democracy?

Final Project: Independent *Action* Research Project (see additional handout)

Kylee Manganiello kmanganiello@norfolkacademy.org Breakthrough 2017

General Notes:

Expectations for behavior and home practice are consistent with Breakthroughs overall
expectations for all students
Though students will not receive official final grades, I will be grading all assignments to
gauge progress between mid-summer and final evaluations.
Since most of the work for the final project will be completed during class time, I expect
students to be present regularly and communicate with me in advance if theyll be
missing class.
If you ever have a question or concern, you can reach me in any of the following ways:
1. Drop a note in my home practice bin (I check daily and will get back to you
ASAP)
2. Email me at kmanganiello@norfolkacademy.org
3. Call or text me at (302) 519-0972 (please reserve for emergencies and
questions/concerns that need to addressed immediately).

Student Signature: ___________________________________ Date: _____________

Parent/ Guardian Signature: _______________________________ Date: _____________