Content Priorities

The following list is the result of my brainstorm about Presidency... and my attempt to break it down into what students should be familiar with, what the students should know and be able to do, and what my big ideas and enduring understandings are.  Before we get to the list I do have a couple of thoughts/concerns/questions:

1. My "Important to Know and Do" seems like a lot of recall, rather than higher-order thinking.  It may be that when I get to thinking through assessment (I know we are not there yet) I can frame questions and projects to be higher thinking while still assessing these facts/ideas/etc.  However, I am worried that they seem very basic.
2. Is this still too comprehensive?  There is so much to the presidency!  As I read through the NCSCOS for Grade 5 Social Studies and the Essential Standards I noticed that they want all the facets covered that I listed.  Again, I am just worried if this is too much to bite off in one unit?  Is it too much to look at the history of the presidency, the role of the president as it is today and even a few key historical figures of the presidency?  I am sure I can integrate even with a subject to cover all of this -- but still... Am I thinking too much right now?  
3. Have I missed the boat somewhere?  Because the presidency is so big, am I missing a key function or idea?  I still have more brainstorming I want to do, so maybe that will be revealed in time.

Ok.  Now onto my list, as a rough draft:
Worth Being Familiar with:

• who the current president is (Barak Obama)
• who the first president of the United State was (George Washington)
• other key presidents
• Abraham Lincoln
• John F. Kennedy
• FDR
• Thomas Jefferson
• John Adams
• the history of the presidential role (how it has changed)
• comparison to state governor, local mayor (similar & different)
• what other countries have presidents
• how they compare
• how does the president’s decision affect me (as a student)?
• democracy was not a new idea in 1776

Important to Know and Do:

• state clearly the president’s role as it is today
• understand what the president can & cannot do alone (checks & balances)
• ex: declare war
• enact a law
• identify founding fathers purpose for the President
• how the role works with state government
• voting is a right, it should be used
• at what age
• how a student can affect government

Big Ideas & Enduring Understandings:

• I can affect the government
• The president is not just figure head; the president is not the only one in charge.
• The president works with Congress and the Supreme Court to run the country.
• The presidency is evolving.

Do you have an additional thoughts for me?  I am also going to share my google doc with Professor Duncan and my Group so they can read along and share ideas as I continue to process through building this unit backwards, using Understanding by Design.

Thanks for any feedback!