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City Studies

Government in Plain Sight

How do federal, state, and city laws affect our everyday lives? Where can the government be found on the ground? And what’s the right role for different levels of government to play? With a presidential election on the horizon, and the appropriate role of government in our lives as the hot topic, Mr. Sandoval’s 9th grade US History class at the Academy of Urban Planning set out to answer these questions with the help of CUP teaching artist Stephen Fiehn.

The group created “Government in Plain Sight,” a teaching tool on federalism that prepares high school students for the US History Regents exam. The booklet lays out activities that teachers can do with their students to better understand the impact that government has on everything from canned soup to big banks. This booklet is ready to go out in the field with high school students in your history, government, and civics classes. The booklet is a great companion to “Field Guide to Federalism.”