1. Completing an Intellectual Mansion One educator’s journey towards filling in content gaps.

2. Essential Questions How have landmark Supreme Court decisions impacted the development of American society and politics? What systems of government are most popular? Why? And, how to they operate in relation to one another? How is the economy of the United States regulated? Do certain agencies/commissions have more power than others? Which ones operate in the public and private sectors? And, how does an understanding of economic systems deepen understanding of American history, politics, and jurisprudence?

3. Enduring Understandings American society is constructed around the decisions made by the top-most levels of government Society would look much different had certain decisions not been made or if made differently Economics does NOT necessarily have to do solely with money Although all unique, all governments are inherently similar, and each has its flaws

4. The Governments: A Flowchart Simple, easy to read flowchart on different types of most popular governments. A great resource for students. Concise and informative.

5. Supreme Court Crossword Crossword puzzle on the 15 most important Supreme Court cases. Another great resource for students. Given the impact of the case and must fill-in the appropriate case.

6. Sabbatical Travel Log Created a fictional travel log. It is correspondence between three college professors on sabbatical and their experiences. Each deals with a particular situation based off different governmental systems and types of laws. Situations are meant to model what life in the U.S. might be like had important Supreme Court decisions not been made. E.g., Abington School District v. Schempp (1963).

7. Intro to Econ Brochure Created a brochure that one would likely receive at an Intro to Economics conference. Contains basic principles of economics and fundamental economic theory. Focuses on important economic forces (i.e., supply and demand, elasticity, and scarcity). As well as different economic systems, such as command economy and market economy.

8. Resources that are my Favorites https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2128.html http://library.thinkquest.org/11572/cc/index.html http://www.investopedia.com/university/economics/ http://chartsbin.com/view/6kx

9. Reflection and Questions I learned that it’s O.K. to not know everything right now There’s always time to learn more Knowledge is continually growing and expanding What cases are in today’s court rooms have the biggest potential to impact how we live? Are certain economic policies related to certain types of governments?