Eighth grade students need to be more knowledgeable about the three branches of government. They are entering a time in their lives when they will need to become more involved in civic matters. As teenagers they will be able to be more responsible, but they need a foundation of knowledge to build on. This track will enable them to begin to make connections between what they are learning in school and thier "real" lives. This track incorporates the following standards: Social Studies: Civics and Government: (6-8) Students will gain knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to become contributing citizens in our participatory democracy. English/Language Arts: Writing (6-8) The student will develop the structural and creative skills necessary to produce written language that can be read and interpreted by various audiences. For this unit, students will be required to research and create a collage of the three branches of government, write a persuasive letter to the president, create a graphic organizer about the making of a bill, create ten laws that would help them live peacefully on an uninhabited island with their classmates, and re-write the preamble to the Constitution in modern terms.