These history notes are for the AQA specification (but will work for the Edexcel course) and cover the topic ‘US Government and Politics’.
They cover:
US and comparative politics
The Constitution
Congress
The President
Civil Rights
The Supreme Court
Elections
Parties
Pressure Groups
I made and used these for my revision and got an A*. I now study History and Politics at the University of Oxford.
Edexcel A-Level Politics
L16: What is the State of Race and Rights in contemporary US politics?
Component 3: Comparative Politics- Government and Politics of the USA
FREE Lesson From this Unit: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12853244
COMPARATIVE APPROACHES NOT INCLUDED
This SoW is designed in detail to be clearly differentiated and engaging. Using the latest researched teaching and learning techniques, such as Retrieval Practice and Dual Coding. This SoW allows you to move pupils through content efficiently. Each SoW is sequenced clearly and in line with the Edexcel Specification.
A colour scheme also runs throughout to ease both your delivery and students’ comprehension.
We provided an email address that is monitored daily, if you have any questions or issues with this purchase (teachercentralltd@gmail.com).
Below is a break down of the Bundle:
Component 3: Comparative Politics- Government and Politics of the USA
L1: What is the Nature of the US Constitution?
L2: What are the key features of the US Constitution?
L3: What are the Main Characteristics of US Federalism?
L4: What Debates Around the US Constitution and Federalism Exist?
L5: What is the Power and Structure of Congress?
L6: What are the Key Functions of Congress?
L7: What are the Key Interpretations and Debates Around Congress?
L8: What Role does Presidential Power Play in American Politics?
L9: What are the Informal Sources of Presidential Power?
L10: How is the Power of the Presidency Limited?
L11: What are the Key Debates of the US presidency?
L12: What is the nature and role of the Supreme Court?
L13: What is the Appointment Process for the Supreme Court?
L14: What is the Role of The Supreme Court in Regards to Public Policy?
L15: How are Civil Liberties Protected in the US Today?
L16: What is the State of Race and Rights in contemporary US politics?
L17: What are the Interpretations and Debates of the US Supreme Court and civil rights?
L18: What are the Key Characteristics of Electoral systems in the USA?
L19: What are the Key Principles of the Democratic and Republican Parties?
L20: What is the Role of Interest groups in the USA?
Any questions please do feel free to get in contact:
teachercentralltd@gmail.com
Tes Teaching Store:
https://www.tes.com/teaching-resources/shop/TeacherCentral
Edexcel Comparative Politics- can be used for AQA also with small adaptations
Includes all my lessons on the Presidency- updated as of Jan 2024 to include Biden’s successes and failures. All lessons are at least 2 hours plus hwk. Some take longer
Lesson 1 and 2 Intro to President- Role and Powers
Lesson 3-4 Cabinet and Vice President
Lesson 5-6 Power of Persuasion
Lesson 7-8 Student Presentations Presidential Case Studies Aims successes and failures including foreign and domestic policy (including completed notes sheet in case any are absent or don’t include enough detail)
Lesson 9-10 Presidential Power- What factors can help the President? Is the President Imperial or Imperilled?
Lesson 11-12 Comparative Politics comparing the President and the Prime Minister in the UK
Total cost to buy separately: £28.00
These notes cover US Government and Politics as well as Comparative Politics, comparing the British and American systems using examples from real life.
Length: 79 pages
Designed for the AQA A Level in Government & Politics - the Government of the USA Video.
Embedded are some videos within that explains some concepts in more detail.
It has been used as a revision aid as a part of lecture series given during Year 13 study leave.
Updated for 114th Congress
An Introduction to US Government & Politics
To understand the requirements of the USA course.
To understand the foundations of the US Constitution.
Lesson Outline:
Specification overview
Key Words
Comprehension Activity
Link to video
Homework Activity & Question sheet
This lesson references material from the following resource:
American Politics: A Beginner’s Guide - Jon Roper
(The homework task refers to this resource)
A workbook with everything you need in for Edexcel A-Level Politics course. This was made with remote learning in mind, with quick quizzes for every lesson, guided reading activities and exam questions. Around 20-22 hours worth of lessons included within the workbook.
Edexcel A Level USA Politics Lessons 86-104 (US Supreme Court)
LIST OF LESSONS IN THIS BUNDLE
Lesson 85a: To what extent is the US Supreme Court independent?
Lesson 85b: Is judicial review a positive or negative feature of the US Constitution?
Lesson 86ab [2-hour lesson]: To what extent does the appointments process make the US Supreme Court a political body rather than a judicial one?
Lesson 86c: Why is the composition of the Supreme Court so important?
Lesson 87: Why have the concepts of judicial activism and judicial restraint both been criticised?
Lesson 88abcd [4-hour lesson on case studies]: What impact has the Supreme Court had on public policy and how effectively has it protected rights?
Lesson 89ab [2-hour lesson]: Has affirmative action been effective?
Lesson 89c: Why is the USA not a ‘post-racial society’?
Lesson 90: How effectively has the Supreme Court protected voting rights?
Lesson 91a: Why do judges interpret the Constitution differently?
Lesson 91b: To what extent can the Supreme Court be described as a political institution, and is it too powerful?
Lesson 92a: How different are the powers and independence of the US and UK Supreme Courts?Lesson 92b: To what extent are rights better protected in the USA than in the UK?
Lesson 92c: How can we use comparative theories to analyse the US and UK judicial branches and civil rights?
Further to the 125 lessons I have created for the UK Politics components of the Edexcel A Level and the 50 lessons for the Political Ideas element of the course (Liberalism, Conservatism, Socialism, Feminism), I have created 104 lessons for the US and Comparative Politics element (Paper 3A). These lessons, designed to be taught over four terms (with spare time for mock exams) include:
LIST OF MATERIALS IN THE FULL 104 LESSONS ACROSS TOPIC BUNDLES
A mastery-based approach dividing the course up into modules and components;
Between 3 and 4 homeworks set per week;
15 assessment opportunities;
39 short knowledge tests, one at the end of each component (the aim of a mastery approach is to use these component knowledge tests to ascertain whether a high enough proportion of your students have ‘mastered’ the content (about 80% correct) before moving on);
Further reading integrated (although you will need to purchase the relevant books yourself).
The core textbook for students to use is US Government and Politics (2021) by Anthony J. Bennett, David Tuck and Simon Lemieux. I recommend buying enough for all students.
Further reading homeworks make use of the following books (all easily found on Amazon):Robert S. Singh, ‘In Defence of the United States Constitution’US Politics Annual Update 2021 (also used in a lesson)Developments in American Politics, 8th EditionUS Politics Annual Update 2017 (also used in a lesson)US Politics Annual Update 2015Knock Down the House (a 2019 documentary film)The Presidency of Barack Obama, edited by Julian E. ZelizerBarack Obama, ‘A Promised Land’Robert A. Dahl, ‘How Democratic is the American Constitution?’US Politics Annual Update 2019US Politics Annual Update 2018US Politics Annual Update 2020Chris Whipple, ‘The Gatekeepers’
A very small number of tasks make reference to Politics Review articles, and so it would be useful to buy the back catalogue of this absolutely fantastic magazine. However, if you cannot afford this you can just skip these tasks.
Edexcel Politics A-Level - US Politics Essay Questions
77+ essay questions covering all the content in the US Politics section, all organised into the chapters - US Constitution and Federalism, Congress, US Presidency, The Supreme Court and Civil Rights, Democracy and Participation, Comparative Approaches
Make essay plans for all these and you’ll be prepared as possible for the US Politics assessment!
Edexcel Politics Alevel
Lessons on Ideologies as a whole and Liberalism as a topic for the Edexcel 2017 spec.
I teach Liberalism first because it makes MUCH more sense since it was developed first as an Ideology and Conservatism was a response to it.
This bundle includes the first 7 lessons (2 hours each) intro and activities, Core Values with independent research (uses hand outs from Pearson and Haywood book) and Explanation of the Core Values but you could use some of the slides if you don’t have the textbook.
Lesson 5 ends up developing a plan for the essay:
To what extent do Liberals agree on the State? (24 marks)
I taught these lessons to my Year 13 class and they worked really well for discussion. Also includes some embedded videos and worksheets.
EDIT: I have now amended this resource and added some additional files.
If you have already paid for it- you should be able to redownload the bundle.
This document is comprised of a series of in-depth essay plans that cover all of the content of this topic. If aiming for a top grade, understanding of these essays are essential!
To what extent does nationalism support self-determination for all nations?
To what extent is nationalism progressive?
To what extent is nationalism a single doctrine?
The best way to revise using this essay would be to read it, write it out again under timed conditions with notes and then attempt to write out the essay without the help of the notes. This progression will help to gradually emulate a real exam and thus will improve your performance. :)
Powerpoint presentation which examines how significant a role that women play in US politics. In addition, the presentation examines why is important for the US to increase female representation within the system, at national, state and local level.
This is a tracker for students to follow different news headlines and see how they are treated differently by rival media groups with BIAS- in this case I chose CNN and Fox News.
