Students will explore the budgeting process in North Carolina, gaining an understanding of the different categories of our state's budget, how they are funded, and the state's procedure for making a budget. Students will participate in an experiential activity in which they create a balanced state budget, determining what areas to prioritize and then defending their decisions to fellow legislators.

In this lesson, students will simulate the meeting of the Clover County Commissioners, gaining an active understanding of the importance of local government. Students will then examine youth voter apathy at the local level and brainstorm ideas on how to get young people engaged in voting.

In this experiential activity, students will gain an understanding of the role of city councils, the responsibilities of council members, and the relevance of council decisions to individual citizens. Assuming the roles of city council members or special interest groups, students will participate in a city council simulation in which council members must decide whether to pass a curfew ordinance for the city's young residents.

In this experiential activity, students will gain an understanding of the role of city councils, the responsibilities of council members, and the relevance of council decisions to individual citizens. Assuming the roles of city council members or special interest groups, students will participate in a city council simulation in which council members must decide how to spend an $800,000 grant allocated for local environmental improvements. Students can then apply learned presentation skills and acquired understandings to format a presentation for a local governing body.

In this lesson, students will learn about the basis of county and city government and, through role plays, will explore some of the major difference between counties and municipalities.

Students will assume the roles of County Commissioners and utilize advocacy, negociation, and compromise to create a county budget.

In this lesson, students will gain an understanding of the role of the county board of commissioners, the responsibilities of commissioners, and the relevance of a board's decisions to individual citizens. Assuming the roles of county commissioners or special interest groups, students will participate in a board of commissioners' simulation in which commissioners must decide whether to pass a county budget.

This presentation is intended for use with the lesson plan "County Commissioners and Independent Boards." In this lesson, students will participate in a budgeting simulation in which they learn about the responsibilities and interactions of county boards of commissioners and state mandated county independent boards.

Students will examine the organization of local governments, charters, and elections by creating their own city.

This lesson focuses on the debates among the U.S. Founders surrounding the distribution of power between states and the federal government. Students learn about the pros and cons of state sovereignty vs. federalism and have the opportunity to argue different sides of the issue.

Narrated by Bowdoin College Government Professor Andrew Rudalevige, "Founding Principles" provides an introductory overview and basic understanding to American government, but one that is crucial to building citizen-leaders, promoting civic engagement, and working toward the common good.
Chapter Twelve discusses the governmental bureaucracy, social policy, and regulation.

Narrated by Bowdoin College Government Professor Andrew Rudalevige, "Founding Principles" provides an introductory overview and basic understanding to American government, but one that is crucial to building citizen-leaders, promoting civic engagement, and working toward the common good.
Chapter Two discusses the differences in national and state government systems and what levels of power exist therein.

In addition to regular course work in Civics & Economics, students will be required to complete a Civics Participation Project. This information lists options and instructions for students to get involved in different opportunities of interest. Students will complete a minimum of six hours of civic participation, obtain documentation of their participation, and reflect upon their experiences in writing.

Students will utilize the interactive tool "Balancing Act" to create an outline of federal spending, participate in a simulation activity attempting to balance the federal budget and complete a written reflection and justification of their proposed changes. Once finalized, students capture their thinking in a political speech (which may be written or orated), persuading their audience (citizens, voters, etc.) to agree with their ideas.

Students discuss the current system of school funding in North Carolina,
examine the pros and cons of state versus local funding, and explore the impact of Leandro v. State of
North Carolina on North Carolina's public schools.

Remix to add resources for use with this graphic organizer. This graphic organizer helps guide discussion or research to support understanding of the North Carolina Constitution.

Students will be presented with ideas/concepts/questions about both the United States' and North Carolina Constitutions and determine if the statement is found in the U.S. Constitution, North Carolina constitution, or both. The presentation can be done either through paper or digital formats, and could vary from being a basic overview of both documents to a specific comparison of the three branches described in both documents.

This project is designed to take 1-2 days on a block schedule.Students will examine articles and charts that illustrate the different types of NC taxes.Students will evaluate and then prioritize the consequences of increasing and decreasing the different types of taxes in terms of fairness to taxpayers and in terms of revenue collected to pay for NC state government services.

In this lesson, students will explore themes of First Amendment rights and the freedom to read, while also gaining an actiTo Ban or Not to Ban the Invisible Man: A School Board Simulationve understanding of the roles of School Board members and the responsibilities of active community members, by participating in a School Board simulation where they grapple with the same choice: whether or not to ban Invisible Man.

This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the perennial power struggle between federal and state governments to legislate. By investigating the compelling question "Who has the power?" students will consider the role of state government in initiating the best legislation for its citizens, even in cases where state law conflicts with federal law. In investigating evidence from historic and contemporary sources, students develop an interpretation of federalism and begin to evaluate historic and contemporary arguments and issues.