A Noble Experiment: The History and Nature of the American Government
Zeezok Publishing is looking
for students/parents interested in being part of a beta/test group for a new
high school US Government curriculum. A restricted yahoo group has been set up
for the participants. If you are interested in participating please send an
email to:
A Noble Experiment: The
History and Nature of the American Government, written by Mr. Tim Spickler, M.Ed., a
certified secondary teacher with over two decades of government teaching
experience, is designed to be student-directed with a minimum of teacher
preparation and involvement. A Noble Experiment covers all the national
standards for high school civics and government, from a Judeo-Christian
perspective, as well as the subject matter traditionally included in secondary
government courses. With our unique and interesting approach to the subject
matter, your student will enjoy studying the history, foundations, principles,
and organization of our government.
The course is intended to last one semester and count for 1/2 a credit hour. It is comprised of 54 student lessons. The course will last for 18 weeks if the class is "taught" three times each week. The course includes 25 video lessons which are viewed during the student lessons. Each video lesson runs between 10-15 minutes. There is a significant amount of primary source reading for the student and work directly related to that reading. For example, the student is asked to read excerpts from the English Bill of Rights (1689) and identify principles from this document which were incorporated into the US constitution. The course material that you will be provided includes all primary source documents, student worksheets, quizzes, tests, a project on state and local government, and answer keys. The format for a typical day is 1) primary source reading, 2) watch the video lesson and 3) complete related workbook activities.
We intend to start the focus group in January. Each lesson will be posted in the yahoo group and available for 1-2 weeks. Participants will need to print the information and watch the video before it is taken down. It is our intention that each participant will offer feedback on the program. If no feedback is being given, or there is no participation in the group, the participant will be removed.
Click on the links to view the course outline, and lessons 3 and 4, which includes two sample video lesson scripts, student workbook page and teacher's answer key.
For updates please join the group. As we move into December more information will be made available.
