Alabama Social Studies SS24.AS.20

SS24.AS.20 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• SS24.AS.20a

  Describe the state court system in Alabama, and explain how the election of judges in Alabama differs from the appointment of judges at the federal level.

• SS24.AS.20b

  Differentiate among the types of state bureaucratic bodies in Alabama, including commissions, boards, and agencies.

• SS24.AS.20c

  Research and report on significant political figures in Alabama history who have shaped the state and nation through their actions and initiatives.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students compare the jobs of the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, and attorney general. They map Alabama's courts, compare how state and federal judges get their jobs, and sort commissions, boards, and agencies by what they do. They use sources to explain how an Alabama political figure affected the state and the nation.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Students match each official to a duty and trace a criminal appeal from circuit court to the Court of Criminal Appeals. They explain that Alabama voters elect judges, while the president nominates federal judges and the Senate confirms them. They sort real state bodies by type and cite evidence for a political figure's impact.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may confuse Alabama's secretary of state with the U.S. foreign affairs official, or think the attorney general is a judge. They may assume Alabama judges are appointed like federal judges or that federal courts hear every state appeal. They may lump boards, commissions, and agencies together or name a famous Alabamian without explaining what that person changed.

04

How to Assess It

Give a 10-minute exit ticket: match the four officials to their jobs, name the court that hears a criminal appeal from circuit court, and label the Public Service Commission, State Board of Education, and Department of Revenue by type. Ask how Alabama and federal judges are chosen, then provide a short source on John Lewis and ask for one effect of his work in Alabama and one nationwide.

1. 01

   Give pairs four official cards and four task cards: sign a bill, preside over the Senate, oversee elections, represent Alabama in court.

2. 02

   Ask students: How might elections for Alabama judges and appointments for federal judges create different pressures on each?

3. 03

   Run a sorting race with Public Service Commission, State Board of Education, and Department of Revenue cards; students label each body and explain its job.

4. 04

   Show an archive photo of John Lewis at Selma; students write two captions explaining his work's effects in Alabama and nationwide.

• SS24.2.2a

  Compare the state and national governments in respect to their powers, roles, and leaders.

• SS24.1.2

  Identify public offices in the community and state and the duties associated with them.

• SS24.6.10a

  Compare and contrast the division of power among levels of government in unitary, federal, and confederate styles of governance.

• SS24.USG.13a

  Compare specific functions, organizations, and purposes of local and state governments.