Judicial Branch, Day 3 - Class Recap

Looking down the National Mall, from the top of the Washington Monument. The United States Supreme Court building is behind and to the left of the Capitol Building. Photo taken in 2010.

Dear class,

We finished looking at the Supreme Court landmark cases today, then I passed out Mock Trial prep materials. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Ordinary People" by John Legend. Selected for today because of the Supreme Court cases we looked at, which involved ordinary people making a difference in our country. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/27/16:
News Brief – Angel
Finish Landmark Cases
Mock Trial Prep
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Look at your grade and improve it, if possible! Enjoy the long weekend! Next news brief: Faiza.

News Brief: Angel had the news brief today, but it slipped his mind, so I showed the results from the presidential primaries last night in the Northeast of the United States:

NYTimes.com - Primary Election Results 2016

I tried to give my analysis of what happened, which basically was that Mr. Trump had a dominant night and looks somewhat likely to win the Republican nomination for president, while Secretary Clinton solidified her lead and will almost certainly be the Democratic Party nominee. Very interesting stuff!

Faiza was assigned to do the next news brief.

Landmark Case Reading: We finished going through these today:

Google Drive: Landmark Supreme Court Decisions Handout

The assignment that went along with the reading is here:

Google Drive: Landmark SCOTUS Cases Assignment Sheet

Please make sure you have your completed notes for these very important cases! It was interesting to get to talk about stuff like Japanese internment camps in the United States during World War II!

Mock Trial Prep: The rest of the class was devoted to preparing for mock trials, which we will do next class. This was a very complicated process to explain, but students in class got it, I think! If you missed class, you are going to need to come see me in person to get your case forms and the assignment sheet.

Be prepared to finish these at the start of next class, and then do the four mock trials! Have a great weekend! :-)

Judicial Branch, Day 2 - Class Recap

Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay, which was a prison for federal criminals. Photo taken in 2011.

Dear class,

Today was another deep dive into various different Supreme Court cases, to see how the Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government impacts our day to day lives. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Princess of China" by Coldplay and Rihanna. Selected for today because a monarchy is an example of a form of government. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/25/16:
News Brief – D'Shawn
SCOTUS Overview
Cases Teens Should Know
Landmark Cases

Homework: Read the blog. Look at your grade and improve it, if possible! Next news brief: Angel.

News Brief: D'Shawn had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: NYTimes.com - U.S. Cyberattacks Target ISIS in a New Line of Combat. Since we just talked about the Executive Branch, this related because President Obama has been wanting to attack ISIS using cyber warfare, instead of troops on the ground in Syria.

We also checked in about the weekend and what was going on outside of class.

Angel volunteered to do the next news brief.

SCOTUS Overview: Before moving on to the reading and discussion, we learned a little more about the Supreme Court, as I read through a few of the interesting points on this document:

Google Drive: Supreme Court Overview Information

Then, I talked a little bit about how the current Supreme Court only has 8 members, due to Justice Scalia recently passing away. President Obama has nominated Merrick Garland to be a replacement judge, but it is unlikely that Republicans are going to let him even get a hearing in the Senate, as many want the next president to decide who the nominee should be. We watched the video on this website for a little biography about Merrick Garland, so students know a bit more about who he is:

WhiteHouse.gov - President Obama's Supreme Court Nomination

Seeing as this has been in the news, I wanted students to be educated!

Cases Teens Should Know: This was the reading was from last class - we finished and then went over the answers:

NYTimes Upfront - 10 Supreme Court Cases Every Teen Should Know

The assignment was to, on a separate sheet of paper, read and write the answers to the following questions for a minimum of five out of the ten cases.

1) What was the issue?
2) Describe the judge’s decision and explain their reasons why.
3) Do you agree or disagree with the judge’s decision? Explain your reasons why or why not.

I had a good time discussing these cases with everyone! Thanks for the interest and questions. Here are a few of the articles I used in class to discuss the cases:

BusinessInsider.com - These Are The 19 States That Still Let Public Schools Hit Kids

JonathanTurley.org - Fast Times At Westview High: Student Journalists Fight for Right to Cover Story on Sex at School

Salon.com - Sex ed under the bleachers

Landmark Case Reading: This was definitely a reading and work heavy day. That's kind of what the Supreme Court is all about, though - lots of legal papers and decisions to look at, in order to understand the law. Here was the reading:

Google Drive: Landmark Supreme Court Decisions Handout

The assignment that went along with the reading is here:

Google Drive: Landmark SCOTUS Cases Assignment Sheet

That was it for the day! Thank you so much for your focus and hard work! Next class, we will finish up the Supreme Court landmark cases, then prep a little for some fun mock trials. :-)

Judicial Branch, Day 1 - Class Recap

The United States Supreme Court building, in Washington, D.C. Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your focus today, as we took the Executive Branch test and then moved on to learning a bit about the Judicial Branch! Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum. Selected for today because of the Executive Branch test, and the possibility you were hoping for some divine intervention in doing well on it. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/21/16:
News Brief – Sophie
Executive Branch Test
Judicial Branch
10 Cases

Homework: Read the blog. Work on improving your grade, if possible! Next news brief: D'Shawn.

News Brief: Sophie had the news brief today and selected this story to bring in: WashingtonPost.com - Did this gay pastor fake a cake with an anti-gay decoration? Whole Foods thinks so. We talked about this story (especially as it may relate to the Forced Choice question we debated earlier this year, about whether or not someone should have to make a cake they feel violates their religious principles) and about LGBTQ rights in general. Thanks for the discussion!

I also showed the voter's guide for the upcoming primary election, which features my mom as a part of it! So cool to have a personal connection to government as I teach it, too. :-)

D'Shawn volunteered to do the next news brief.

Executive Branch Test: I hope that you studied and did well on this! I will try to have the grades entered in soon. Thirty questions, multiple choice, then the political spectrum. Not too bad, I hope! Thanks, as always for your effort on this!

Judicial Branch: To start out our look at the judicial branch, I showed this video to the class:

I thought this was a good overview of the structure of the federal court system in the United States. Next, I led students through a fill in the blank overview of the judicial branch. Here it is again, if you want to go over it to study for the test:

Google Drive: Judicial Branch Overview

10 Supreme Court Cases: After going over the introduction to the unit, I passed out this reading:

NYTimes Upfront - 10 Supreme Court Cases Every Teen Should Know

The rest of class was devoted to reading the cases, and following these directions: On a separate sheet of paper, read and write the answers to the following questions for a minimum of five out of the ten cases (I had one half of the room do the first five, and the other half do the second five).

1) What was the issue?
2) Describe the judge’s decision and explain their reasons why.
3) Do you agree or disagree with the judge’s decision? Explain your reasons why or why not.

Next class, we will finish this, discuss, then move on to some more case studies.

Thanks! See you next time! Have a great weekend! :-)

Executive Branch, Day 5 - Class Recap

The Washington Monument, in Washington, D.C. Named after our first President, George Washington! Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

I enjoyed playing the role of the President today and hearing all of the various different policy proposals for the federal government! Next class, we will finish up with the unit and take the Executive Branch test. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.
Critical Thinking and Reasoning LT 3: I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Research LT 5: I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "If You're Out There" by John Legend. Selected for today because it was a song that President Obama used to campaign, and we are in the Executive Branch unit. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/18/16:
News Brief – Jessie
Cabinet Simulation
Study Guide
Executive Review

Homework: 1) Read the blog. Congratulations for doing this!

2) Study for the executive branch test:

Review the key terms and readings on the Study Guide. For instance, The Presidency reading will help. Also, study the cabinet descriptions reading. You might want to download the pdf and then rotate the page (because it is in landscape format). Or, just turn your head, I guess)!

A test question you will see (thanks for checking the blog!) is: All of the following are duties of the President EXCEPT:

A) Receive Ambassadors. B) Judge the Supreme Court. C) Give a State of the Union Address. D) Ensure that laws are faithfully executed.

If you want to, guess in the comments and I will tell you if you are right!

Finally, review the Legislative Branch and political spectrum, because that will be on the test, as well.

Next news brief: Sophie.

News Brief: Jessie had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: KOIN.com - New Oregon laws going into effect on January 1. This was a look at laws that are currently in effect here in Oregon. We talked about Earned Sick Leave (which my mom helped pass in Portland, before the state did) and the increase in minimum wage. Thanks, Jessie!

Sophie was selected to do the next news brief.

We also checked in about the weekend and what everyone was up to, before moving on.

Cabinet Simulation: I really enjoyed listening to everyone talk about their departments, problems, and possible solutions! Although it appears many students did not have their packets or papers done (please turn them in to me as soon as possible), I was pleased to hear some knowledge and response to my questions as the President! Here are the questions students were answering as a part of this activity:

1) What is your department? What responsibilities does it have?
2) What is a problem your department is facing?
3) What are your possible solutions to the problem?
4) How much money will it cost?

Here are the notes that I took during the presentation. If a name is in bold, that was because the other partner either wasn't in class, or did not share at all.

Google Drive: Notes from 4/18/2016 Cabinet Meeting - Period 4

I realize this took a long time to do (almost all of class), so thank you for your patience and understanding that it is important each student have a voice in the process.

Study Guide/Executive Review: Here is the study guide for the test, which will be 30 multiple choice questions (for LT5), plus the political spectrum again.

Please make sure to ask me if you are at all confused about anything! Thank you so much for your hard work!

Executive Branch, Day 4 - Class Recap

The American Cemetery in Normandy, France. A reminder that with great power comes great responsibility.

Hi everybody,

Today was the final work day in class for the Cabinet Project. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.
Critical Thinking and Reasoning LT 3: I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Research LT 1: I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters" by Moby. Selected for today because it was the same as my soundtrack for Global Studies, where they are learning about religion, and because the President is not all powerful. This was an instrumental song with no lyrics. Listen to it again if you want here.

AGENDA 4/14/15:
News Brief - Brandon
Cabinet Project
Computer Lab N210

Homework: Read the blog. Complete the Cabinet project assignment and be ready to present with your partner in a classroom cabinet meeting next class. Next news brief: Jessie.

News Brief: Brandon had the news brief today and talked about this story: CNN.com - Paul Ryan on 2016 bid: 'Count me out'. This was a great news brief, as it allowed us to talk about the Republican process for nominating a presidential candidate, and what will happen this summer. It will be super interesting, for sure! Thanks, Brandon!

Jessie volunteered to do the next news brief.

We also checked in about the weekend and what everyone was up to. Always nice to hear about what people are doing outside of class!

Cabinet Project: Here's a link to the cabinet project (advising the President) that we worked on in class today:

Google Drive - Presidential Cabinet Assignment Handout

Here are the sign ups for each of the cabinet positions. If you have missed class the last two times, you need to select one that has either nobody or one person on it:

Agriculture: Angel and Mo M.
Commerce: Daniel and Avery
Defense: D’Shawn and Mo H.
Education: Emma and Riley
Energy: Ty and Quinn
Health and Human Services: Anna and Vanessa
Housing and Urban Development:
Interior: Nyree
Justice: Brandon and Claire
Labor: Julia and Jessie
Transportation: Emily and Faiza
Treasury: Alex M.
Veteran’s Affairs: Olivia and Alex B.
State Department: Alex J. and Sophie
Homeland Security: Lexi and Vivian
Environmental Protection Agency:
US Mission to the United Nations:

If you missed class, please see where you are on the list and who your partner is!

Computer Lab N210: This is due to be presented next class, so I hope you worked hard and do not have much homework (if any) left to complete. If you do, and are confused or need help, please let me know and I will try to get back to you ASAP! See you on Monday!

Executive Branch, Day 3 - Class Recap

Then Senator Barack Obama when he visited Portland near the start of his Presidential campaign in 2007.

Dear class,

Today, we started the Cabinet Project! The Presidential Cabinet is a very important part of how the Executive Branch functions. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.
Critical Thinking and Reasoning LT 3: I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Research LT 1: I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "Step in the Name of Love" by R. Kelly. Selected for today because of us stepping on over to the Computer Lab later in class. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/12/16:
Wildcat News Brief - Claire
The Presidency
Cabinet Project
Computer Lab N210

Homework: Read the blog. Study the cabinet descriptions reading. You might want to download the pdf and then rotate the page (because it is in landscape format). Or, just turn your head, I guess)! Continue working on Cabinet project. Next news brief: Brandon.

Wildcat News Brief: Claire had the news brief today, and selected this article to talk about with the class: WWeek.com - A Vancouver Charity is Funding a Group Backing North Carolina’s Anti-Transgender “Bathroom Bill”. This brought up a pretty interesting conversation in class about gender identity, "religious freedom" type laws, and the backlash to recent laws passing in North Carolina and Mississippi. We also talked about the Westview QSA which meets on Wednesday across the hall from our classroom, after school. Thanks, Claire!

Brandon volunteered to do the next news brief.

Here's Wildcat News for the day if you missed class, or wanted to see it again:

The Presidency: We finished going through The Presidency reading and questions:

Google Drive - The Presidency Reading

These are the questions that go along with the reading:

Google Drive - The Presidency Questions

Cabinet Departments: For this section, we went over what the various different presidential cabinet departments are responsible for. We also watched this video, so everyone could see what it looks like in real life:

We will be doing a similar sort of activity in class, with me playing the role of the President and the class taking on the various department heads!

Cabinet Project: Here's a link to the cabinet project (advising the President) that we worked on in class today:

Google Drive - Presidential Cabinet Assignment Handout

Here are the sign ups for each of the cabinet positions:

Agriculture: Angel and Mo M.
Commerce: Daniel and Avery
Defense: D’Shawn and Mo H.
Education: Emma and Riley
Energy: Ty and Quinn
Health and Human Services: Anna and Vanessa
Housing and Urban Development:
Interior: Nyree
Justice: Brandon and Claire
Labor: Julia and Jessie
Transportation:
Treasury: Alex M.
Veteran’s Affairs: Olivia and Alex B.
State Department: Alex J. and Sophie
Homeland Security: Lexi and Vivian
Environmental Protection Agency:
US Mission to the United Nations:

If you missed class, please see where you are on the list and who your partner is!

Computer Lab N210: We spent the second half of class in the lab. We will also spend much of next class in the lab, and the cabinet project assignment will be due on Monday.

See you next class!

Executive Branch, Day 2 - Class Recap

NOTE: There will be no blog recap for the 4/8 class because we had many students taking the Smarter Balanced test, so we had no new content. Have a great weekend! We will get back to the Executive Branch next class.

Inside the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

Today, we heard from Deputy Jamie Hallford, our Student Support Officer here at Westview, and also went through more introduction to the Executive Branch. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Knowledge LT 1: I can demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between citizens and their governments.
Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Born in the U.S.A" by Bruce Springsteen. Selected for today because the song is typically seen as representing patriotic themes, but a closer look at the lyrics (as we did in class) show that the song is really about a deep dissatisfaction with American culture and government.

AGENDA 4/6/16:
News Brief – Riley
Deputy Hallford
CRLE Forms
Review Legislative Test
The Presidency

Homework: Read the blog. Smarter Balanced on Friday. Next news brief: Claire (on Tuesday).

News Brief: Riley had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about in class: NYTimes.com - Obama Criticizes Donald Trump for Plan to Cut Money Transfers to Mexico. We talked about this story and the election results from Wisconsin last night. Last class, we learned that President Obama has the role of chief diplomat for the United States government. Today, we heard about how people around the world have been concerned about the election here, and the possible implications of policy proposals. We were a little pressed for time, but this was a good discussion, thank you!

I selected Claire to do the next news brief, in the interests of time, because Deputy Hallford had arrived in the room.

Deputy Hallford: Much of the rest of class was devoted to Jamie Hallford, who is the officer here at Westview. Here are all the questions that were handed in, that he went over:

Google Drive - Questions for Deputy Hallford

Jamie talked about his experience with being the Student Support Officer here for the past five years. Hopefully, you enjoyed hearing him talk with the class, because I always do!

CRLE Forms: As a part of the guest speaker coming in, students filled out a Career Related Learning Experience form (I believe you need to have 4 of these completed as a graduation requirement). I did turn all of these into the counseling office, and the counselor didn't say anything about needing a resume as well, so I think you are good to go! I will try to have my mom come in near the end of the semester for a second opportunity, as well.

Review Legislative Test: Grades have been updated on that back wall and in Student VUE, so please know where you are at and what you need to do in order to improve, if possible! We did not review this in class, because there were so many students in class that had not taken it.

The Presidency: As a blog extra, here is a video from Election Night 2000, when nobody really knew who won the election for President:

At the end of class, we went through The Presidency reading and questions:

Google Drive - The Presidency Reading

These are the questions that go along with the reading:

Google Drive - The Presidency Questions

We ended around question 8 or so, and will pick back up next class (after Smarter Balanced on Friday), then start the Executive Branch project, which involves selecting a cabinet department to research. See you on Friday!

Executive Branch, Day 1 - Class Recap

The White House, in Washington, D.C., where the President (the head of the Executive Branch of the United States government) lives. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was the Legislative Branch test in class, as well as the start of our unit on the Executive Branch. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Knowledge LT 1: I can demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between citizens and their governments.
Knowledge LT 3: I can demonstrate an understanding of how individuals and non-governmental institutions interact with each other and the government in shaping politics.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who. Selected for today because last week was April Fools Day. I talked for a bit in class about a prank I helped the Westview staff play on Dr. Franco. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/4/16:
News Brief – Mo H.
Legislative Test
Executive Branch Overview
The Presidency
Questions for Deputy Hallford

Homework: Read the blog. Next news brief: Riley.

News Brief: Mo H. had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about in class: CNN.com - FTC: Scam cancer charities kept millions of dollars. What an incredibly outrageous story, for a variety of reasons. We talked about how the government enforces rules about scams (which is a good lead in to the Executive Branch). Thanks, Mo H.! Riley was drawn as the next news brief.

We also checked in about the weekend and what people were up to, before moving on.

Legislative Test: I was generous in the lead up to this, as I went over basically the exact questions from the test and gave some study time before I passed it out. I should have grades for it available by next class (fingers crossed).

Executive Branch Overview: The next part of class was learning about the Executive Branch. Here are the answers to the sheet I passed out to start the unit:

Google Drive - Executive Branch Overview Notes

As part of going through this, I explained that the 2000 Presidential Election was decided by the Electoral College, not the popular vote (Gore got the most votes in the country, but still lost the election). We will look more into this soon.

The Presidency: Here is the reading that we ended class with. It is not homework to complete (unless you missed class), but be familiar with the basics, as a future test will be based on it!

Google Drive - The Presidency Reading

These are the questions that go along with the reading:

Google Drive - The Presidency Questions

I am fully aware that this was not the most interesting class as far as new content goes. I think it will be more engaging soon!

Questions for Deputy Hallford: At the end of class, we made some questions for Jamie Hallford, who is the officer here at Westview. Here are all the questions that were handed in:

Google Drive - Questions for Deputy Hallford

Next class, Jamie will come in and answer your questions, and talk about his experience with being the Student Support Officer here. In the past, this has been an awesome experience in learning more about law enforcement (directly related to the Executive Branch) and filling out a Career Related Learning Experience form (I believe you need to have 4 of these completed as a graduation requirement). I am looking forward to it! See you next class.