Texas Social Studies Framework - Department of Geography ...

Chapter 5: The Teaching-Learning System: Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
Figure 33: Aligning Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment:
U.S. Government
TEKS 3 History. The student understands the roles played by individuals, political parties, interest groups,
and the media in the U.S. political system, past and present.
(A) give examples of the processes used by individuals, political parties, interest groups, or the media
to affect public policy; and
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(B) analyze the impact of political changes brought about by individuals, political parties, interest groups,
or the media, past and present.
Curriculum: The curriculum identifies what the student will know, understand, and be able to do related to the
idea of the roles played by individuals, political parties, interest groups, and the media. Knowledge: The student
will recall information: the processes used by individuals and other special interest groups to affect public policy.
Understanding: The student will analyze the ways individuals, parties, and interest groups influence political
change. Application: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the ways they can influence political change
(TEKS 16 A and 23 A).
Instruction: Instruction focuses student learning and activity on the curriculum. Knowledge: Students will
identify the opinions expressed by individuals, political parties, interest groups, and the media about one public
policy issue. They will identify the different processes and products each group generated and analyze the
message contained in each. Understanding: Students will participate in a role playing exercise in which they
interpret the opinions of a character that believes differently than the student about an issue. Application: The
student will devise a strategy to influence public policy from a given perspective.
Assessment: Assessment provides evidence of how well students know, understand, and are able to apply the
curriculum. Knowledge: At the end of a lesson on the role individuals, political parties, and special interest groups
play in the U.S. political system, students will complete fill-in-the-blank responses or short answer essays that
assess their knowledge of the ways individuals, groups, and the media affect public policy. Understanding:
Students will compare the stand a political party or a right-to-life group takes toward capital punishment and the
different processes each uses to influence public policy about that issue. Students will explain the differences.
This moves student understanding beyond simple recall through application and perspective (See Figure 25).
Application: Building on the role playing exercise, students will adopt a perspective and will create a brochure,
media presentation, or petition that would generate support for a public policy issue. They will also explain how
the actions of special interest groups influence their self-knowledge (Figure 25, Empathy, Self-Knowledge).