The Constitution, Day 1 - Class Recap

The World War I Memorial Stonehenge replica in Goldendale, Washington, overlooking the Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood. Photo taken in 2015!

Hi everyone,

I enjoyed hearing about your new countries today in class, as we continued to look at the basics of how the United States government works and specifically, the Constitution. Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
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: "Power [Radio Edit]" by Kanye West. Selected for today because "no one man should have all that power" when it comes to government, which the Constitution made sure of!

AGENDA 2/28/17:
News Brief – Bryce
Create Nations
Share
The Constitution

Homework: Read the blog. Watch the President's speech to the joint session of Congress tonight (link to watch online)! Next news brief: Sam K.

News Brief: Bryce had the news brief today, but was not in class today, so I filled in and chose this article to talk about: CNN.com - Donald Trump gives himself a C grade in messaging, A in achievement. We discussed this story for a bit and also checked in about what we were up to over the weekend, before moving on.

Sam K. was selected for the next news brief.

Share Nations: Again, this was creating your own nation, which is a break away of some of the western states from the United States. In groups of 2 or 3, this was the assignment, which I had a few groups present in class: 

Google Drive - Creation of a Nation Assignment

I enjoyed listening to these presentations and hearing about your proposed ideas for what a new country should look like! Thank you for your effort on this.

The Constitution: Next, we tied the creation of a nation activity into the creation of our own United States Constitution by watching this Crash Course video:

Lots of similar themes as you were having to decide in the creation of your own country!

With that, I passed out this handout/worksheet, which looks at different aspects of what makes up the United States Constitution:

Google Drive - Constitution and Bill of Rights Handout

We started this in class and will continue working on it next class. If you want to continue to work on completing this outside of class, here is a copy of the Constitution to look at.

Please keep this packet, as you will be using it to study for an upcoming test on the Constitution. See you later this week!

Creation of a Nation - Class Recap

Crater Lake, which is Oregon's only National Park. Maybe a symbol of your new nation? Photo taken in August 2014.

Hi wonderful students,

Great to see you all again today! It was a quiz and work day in class. Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 4: I can explain how different ideological movements and philosophies shape politics.

Soundtrack: "If I Ruled the World" by Nas and Lauryn Hill. Selected for today because you were creating your own countries today in class!

AGENDA 2/24/16:
News Brief – Alyssa I./Sabrina
Philosophy Quiz
Declaration of Independence/Articles of Confederation
Creation of a Nation

Homework: Read the blog. Be ready to finish the Creation of a Nation activity next class. Next news brief: Bryce.

News Brief: Alyssa I. and Sabrina had the news brief today. Alyssa started and selected this article about this story to talk about: OregonLive.com - A Lake Oswego man is organizing Oregon's first 'March 4 Trump'. We discussed this story and also talked about the recent Women's March, as well.

Sabrina selected this article to bring in: TalkingPointsMemo.com - Judge Blocks Texas From Cutting Medicaid Funds To Planned Parenthood. We talked for a bit about funding for Planned Parenthood (and what Medicaid is), along with the debate about federal money going to the organization. Related to this, we discussed the recent transgender students directive from the Department of Justice and noted that the state of Oregon still has protections for transgender students.

Bryce was selected for the next news brief.

Philosophy Quiz: Because I'm a nice guy, I gave the class about five minutes to study for this (even though it was homework to do so). I haven't read the responses yet, but basically, if you knew the four philosophers from the first reading, and knew the basics of the European influences reading, you should have been fine. If you need to take this, please come find me before or after school.  I will grade these and get them back to you as soon as I can.

Declaration of Independence/Articles of Confederation: Next up, we had a brief lecture in class about the early foundations of the United States government and some of the forms of government in the world. To begin, we looked at the Declaration of Independence and at some of the reasons the United States "broke up" with Great Britain. After this, I had students write their own break up letter, using some of the same reasons outlined in the text of the Declaration of Independence.

Next, we moved on to learning about the first government of the United States. The Articles of Confederation was the first way that the country was organized, and we looked at how it was not good enough to really keep the states together in any coherent way. Here's the reading notes that I showed in class:

Google Drive: Forms of Government and Articles of Confederation

Please know the basics here for future use!

Creation of a Nation: The last activity we did today in class was to start thinking about creating your own nation, which is a break away of some of the western states from the United States. In groups of 2 or 3, this is the assignment, which we will finish working on next class and present. Again, I want every group to make a flag for their new country, because flags are awesome. Please see the document for specifics as to what each group member should do.

Google Drive - Creation of a Nation Assignment

Next class, we will continue with this and then move on to studying the Constitution. Thanks! See you next class!

Philosophy of Government, Day 3 - Class Recap

The Parthenon, which is a part of the Acropolis in Athens. We learned today about Greek democracy influencing the United States government! Photo taken in July, 2014.

Dear class,

I really enjoyed the debate today, again! Thank you for your participation in what we are working on in class. Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 4: I can explain how different ideological movements and philosophies shape politics.

Soundtrack: "GDFR" by Flo Rida. Selected for today because it was Going Down For Real when the United States declared independence from Great Britain.

AGENDA 2/22/17:
News Brief – Sabrina (Mr. Fritz)
Finish Forced Choice
European Influences
Declaration of Independence

Homework: Read the blog. Study for philosophy and European influences quiz next class. Next news brief: Alyssa I.

News Brief: Sabrina was absent today from class, so I filled in and talked about this story: BBC.com - Mexican man kills himself after being deported from US. Related to this, I discussed the latest news regarding immigration enforcement under President Trump's administration.

Alyssa I. has the next news brief. We also checked in about the weekend and what people were up to, before moving on.

Finish Forced Choice: I wanted to give the class time to finish some of the debate from last class. The questions were:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being listened to without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. Everyone in the United States should be able to have firearms if they want.
3. Government officials should have to approve/sign off on marriages that they are against on religious grounds.
4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.
5. Public schools should strictly enforce a standardized dress code.
6. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.
7. The government of a country should be able to make decisions that the majority of the people do not support.
8. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?
9. I agree with the death penalty option for convicted murderers.
10. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

Today, we did questions 3, 4, and 9 in class. Here are two articles that I brought into the conversation, if you are interested in reading more:

OregonLive.com - Can Oregon afford the death penalty?

WWeek.com - Oregon's Recreational Cannabis Tax Revenue For 2016 Exceeded One Original Estimate More than Six-Fold

The prompt after the activity was this: Write a one page reflection on the activity. What was the most difficult or controversial question for you? Why? How do these sorts of questions relate to the study of government? What did you think of this activity?

The learning targets being assessed for this one are: Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing AND Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.

If you did not finish this one page reflection in class, please treat it as homework. Thank you!

European Influences: In order to progress up to the Declaration of Independence, we first had to look at some of the key ideas that influenced the foundation of our country. This was a four page reading and some associated questions, that I gave some work time in class for. If you missed class, or lost your copy, here they are again to see and study for the quiz next class:

Google Drive - European Influences on the United States Government Reading

Google Drive - European Influences Reading Questions

Use this reading and your answers to study for the upcoming quiz!

Declaration of Independence: We ran out of time today in class to do this, so we will get back to it after the quiz next time.

Thanks for your work and effort in class, and for doing your homework in reading the blog! :-)

Philosophy of Government, Day 2 - Class Recap

Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is where the United States Constitution was debated and signed. We did some debating today in class and will continue to do so next time!

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the excellent discussions today in class and for reading the blog! Here's what happened:

Learning Targets: 
Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 4: I can explain how different ideological movements and philosophies shape politics.

Soundtrack: “I Think of You" by Renaissance. Selected for today because 1) the philosophers we are talking about did a lot of thinking, and 2) the renaissance was an important period for changing views about how government should work. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/17/17:

News Brief – Destinny
Government Overview

Philosopher Reading

Forced Choice

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Sabrina.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by Destinny, who selected this article to talk about: OregonLive.com - The Oregon Lottery could be in trouble. We discussed this article for a bit, along with what we were up to in the coming weekend. Thanks, Destinny!

Sabrina was assigned the next news brief.

Government Overview: This was stemming off of the PowerPoint on the four philosophers we are studying. I wanted students to think in their own minds about the role of government. The questions, to answer on a blank sheet of paper and keep for later, are:

1. What is the purpose of government?

2. What does a government do?

3. What role should the government play in people’s lives?

4. What do you know about the structure of the United States government? Draw a web!

I had a few students randomly answer the questions with the class, and we talked about what the general viewpoint was.

Philosopher Readings: I passed out this reading about the four philosophers and a handout to answer with the reading, that asked you to summarize the different ideas for the purpose of government, the role of government in people's lives, and ideas that are included in the current U.S. government. Here they are again if you lost your copy or missed class today:

Google Drive: Philosophers of Government Reading

Google Drive: Philosophers of Government Handout

We went over the answers in class and reviewed who Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau were and what they thought about the role of government. Keep these answers to review for an upcoming test!

Forced Choice: One of my favorite activities of the year. I had the class answer the following questions and choose YES or NO to each of them. Then, we split up the class so that two sides were facing each other. With each question, students moved to the side they felt best represented their opinion on the matter. The questions were:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being listened to without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. Everyone in the United States should be able to have firearms if they want.
3. Government officials should have to approve/sign off on marriages that they are against on religious grounds.
4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.
5. Public schools should strictly enforce a standardized dress code.
6. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.
7. The government of a country should be able to make decisions that the majority of the people do not support.
8. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?
9. I agree with the death penalty option for convicted murderers.
10. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

We only made it through question 2 today, so I will pick and choose next class as to which questions we will discuss and debate, before writing a reflective piece about the experience. I love these discussions and I think we did a great job of following the Ground Rules that we established at the beginning of the year. Thank you for your participation! Be ready to keep talking next time. If you have any further thoughts, please post them in the comments!

Philosophy of Government, Day 1 - Class Recap

The ball of yarn that we used in class today for the Class Unity Activity! Thanks for participating in this!

Dear class,

I enjoyed getting to know you all a bit better today! We had a productive time with the yarn activity and learning more about the philosophy of government. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed: 

Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 4: I can explain how different ideological movements and philosophies shape politics.

Soundtrack: "Comin' From Where I'm From" by Anthony Hamilton. Because today, we talked about where we are from and how we got to be at Westview, via our family background. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/15/17:
News Brief - A.J.
Citizenship Scores
Class Unity Activity
Philosophy

Homework: Read the blog and post a comment (if you have not already). Destinny has the next news brief.

News Brief: A.J. had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: NYTimes.com - Women’s March Highlights as Huge Crowds Protest Trump: ‘We’re Not Going Away’. We discussed this story and what the different parts of the protest were about. A.J,. did a fantastic job of knowing about the story and demonstrating how to do a news brief! Thanks, A.J.!

Destinny was assigned to do the next news brief.

Citizenship: To start looking at our government, I played this video of high school students trying to answer questions about social studies:

We laughed at some of the responses, then I flipped the script and had the class try and citizenship test!

Here was the pre-test that I passed out in class. All sorts of good questions about how the U.S. government is structured and works.

Google Drive: United States Government Citizenship Test

Thanks for your focus and participation on this! I enjoyed going through the answers with everyone in class, as we learned a little more about the basics of the United States government.

Class Unity Activity: I always love this, for many reasons. One, because I love hearing about how everyone came to be in our classroom. Two, because of how the yarn connects us all. Three, because it helps the class (and me) learn names and a little about each other! Thank you for participating in this. It can get lengthy, I know, but I value it so much more than just lecturing for that time.

Philosophy: To begin this part of class, we watched this Crash Course video (with the captions on - it's pretty speedy!) about why studying government is important:

After this, I wanted to start looking at some of the philosophers of government during the Enlightenment period. Here's the PowerPoint we went through (we only did slides 6-8 today - just focus on those for now):

Google Drive: Philosophers of Government PowerPoint

Again, please review and be responsible for knowing the basics of what Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu thought about government.

That was it for the day! Thanks again - see you next class!

Introduction Day - Class Recap

The White House in Washington, D.C., 2011.

Hello everyone,

Thank you for doing your homework and visiting the blog! As I said in class, I think this is a really helpful resource for students, staff, and parents to be able to follow along with what is happening. After every class, I will write up a recap and post it. Most of the time, your only homework will be to read over the blog and be prepared for what is coming next in class. With that, let's get started!

Soundtrack: "Changes" by 2Pac. I always choose this song to start off a new class with, because I like the idea of our room being somewhat different from your other experiences in high school. This song also has all sorts of lyrics that relate to Government, like the line "instead of a War on Poverty, they got a War on Drugs, so the police can bother me." Check out the full lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/13/17:
Introductions/Attendance
Syllabus/Grades
The Blog
Letter to Class/Mr. Fritz
Create Ground Rules
News Briefs

Homework: Check the blog and post a comment! Next news brief: A.J.

Introductions/Attendance: At the start of class, I introduced myself and how the agenda on the whiteboard works. I am absolutely delighted to be your teacher at Westview this semester!

I took attendance and tried to ask everyone how they wanted me to address them. It will take me some time, but eventually, I will know everyone's names, I promise!

We also watched Wildcat News for the day. If you missed class, or wanted to watch it again, here it is:

Syllabus/Grades: I know that this is not the most exciting content in class. I wanted to make sure to go over some of the real key points to the syllabus (like where I am, how to contact me, how your grade is decided, and the need to bring a binder to class). Here are electronic copies of the syllabus and rubrics:

Google Drive: Westview Government Syllabus 2016-17

The rubrics that will be used for the course and grades:

Google Drive: Westview Government Learning Targets and Rubrics 2016-17

If you or your parents have any questions about any of this, please let me know!

The Blog/Google Classroom: As part of the syllabus, I introduced this website: the class blog! This is seriously so important for your success in this class. If you are staying up to date on here, reviewing what happened in class to get ready for the next meeting, and asking questions if you need help, I guarantee that you will be more successful than if you do not. Make sure to leave a comment at least once (the easiest homework assignment of all time for most students, I believe), so I know you are able to!

Also: I use Google Classroom a lot in Government, because we do not use a textbook. Please be sure to bring your Chromebook to our class!

Letter to Class/Mr. Fritz: After the syllabus talk was done, I passed out a letter that I wrote to the class, explaining all about who I am and what sort of expectations I have. Hopefully, most of it was interesting information! I like passing these out and signing them all individually. To me, it represents that I really am interested in everyone in my class.

After reading the letter aloud, I asked everyone to write back to me in a similar sort of fashion. I gave a bunch of possible questions to answer as prompts and about 20 minutes or so to complete the assignment. I LOVE reading these and writing back to everyone! Thank you for your effort - I can't wait to learn a little bit more about who you are!

Create Ground Rules: Ahh, yes. The awkward process. This was painfully slow for your class! The rules that you came up with and agreed to as an entire class are:

1) Listen to what people have to say

2) Respect other people’s opinions

3) Keep an open mind

4) Participate to your best ability

5) Be prepared

I will be working to make sure everyone, including myself, is following the ground rules! Thank you for participating in this exercise.

News Briefs: This is the current event style assignment that everyone will do at least once. To introduce why this is so important, we talked about last night's Iowa caucuses, in the nomination process for president. If you have had a previous class of mine, it is a little different - you actually have a write up to do. Here's a link to the format for the write up (it is also on the left side of this website, under the Ground Rules):

Google Drive - Government Current Event Forms

A.J. volunteered to do the first News Brief, due at the start of next class. Thanks, everyone! See you next class!

Welcome to the Blog!

The dawn of a new day and semester over Westview!

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the Government blog for my class at Westview during the 2015-16 school year! Before I begin with posting updates via class recaps, let me give you a little introduction to this website.

First off, comments can be made on any post by anyone, and they can be anonymous (though I would really prefer that you leave your name, so that I can follow up with you in person) by selecting "Name/URL" on the right, underneath the comment box. Please try to use good spelling and grammar in your comments! I have to approve the comments before they are posted, so don't worry if you don't see your comment right away.

Secondly, because I will be putting up the class agenda and homework, as well as any interesting links (after class has met), I will attempt to give you ways to download the relevant files and documents you may have missed in class or would be interested in seeing again for your homework (or just because). For instance, here is the syllabus that I passed out in class.

Google Drive: Westview Government Syllabus 2016-17

Here is a link to the rubrics that will be used for the course and grades:

Google Drive: Westview Government Learning Targets and Rubrics 2016-17

Finally, to contact me personally (other than leaving a comment - which I may or may not see immediately), please e-mail me at luke_fritz@beaverton.k12.or.us - this can always be found by clicking on "View My Complete Profile" on the right, where my picture is, then clicking on "Email" on the left sidebar. I will get back to you ASAP! Again, please use grammatically correct language and spelling, to the best of your ability. It really is appreciated and will go a long way for you in the future!

I know it might be a lot to take in, but hopefully we will all get used to it! I envision this blog as a place where you will be able to come to converse with your classmates and me, as well as get all the latest assignments, updates from class, and further information.

If you have any questions or comments, please never hesitate to let me know!

Welcome again - thanks for visiting. Please bookmark this site and come back soon! :-)

Last Day of Semester - Class Recap

Congratulations, everyone! You are done with Government for this semester! Photo taken at Niagara Falls in 2010.

Dear class,

I really loved being your teacher this semester! You all were fantastic at working hard and keeping class an enjoyable place to come to in the morning. Thank you! Here's what happened in class today:

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: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. I always choose this song for the last soundtrack of a class I am teaching, because I remain so thankful for all of you! I read part of the lyrics at the start of class.

AGENDA 1/27/16:
News Brief – Keane
Divided States of America
Appreciation

Homework: Have a great rest of the year! Consider forecasting for Diversity and Social Justice next year! Say hi to me in the halls! :-)

News Brief: Keane had the news brief today and selected an article about Bernie Sanders. Here's a recent story about him: NYTimes.com - Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz Debate Health Care: Live Analysis.

I hope that you are continuing to follow the news, especially with the upcoming votes for the presidential nomination this year!

Divided States of America: The rest of class was spent continuing to watch the recent documentary from Frontline/PBS. Here it is to watch if you wanted to see all the way until the end.

PBS.org - Frontline: Divided States of America

Appreciation: Thank you all so much for your hard work! See you around! Be informed and educated citizens! :-)

Finals - Class Recap

One more step on the bridge to the second semester, completed! Photo taken in New Zealand in 2014.

Dear class,

Today was finals for your period! I hope they went well and that you are looking forward to our last day together on Thursday. Here's what happened in class today:

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: "Lucky Star" by Madonna. Selected for today because I searched for "luck" in my iTunes and this is one song that came up, for good luck on finals. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/7/17:
News Brief – Asher
Final Test
Reflection
Divided States of America

Homework: Read the blog! Good luck on the rest of your finals! See you next class! Next news brief: Keane.

News Brief: Asher had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: Politico.com - Trump's travel ban: What's next in the legal fight? We talked about this continuing story in terms of the judicial branch interacting with the executive branch. Today, the travel ban (which has been stopped for the time being) goes before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Definitely interesting to continue to follow!

Final Test: This was 100 questions, multiple choice. I think it took a bit longer to complete than in past years, but that is okay. I am looking forward to seeing how everyone did! Grades are due by February 21, I believe. I will likely have them entered later this week, however.

Reflection: As the test was winding to a close, I passed out a final reflection prompt, about how the class went, what you learned, and what you will remember (if anything) five years from now. I always enjoy reading these, as well.

Divided States of America: Next class, we will be finishing by watching the rest (or as much as we can) of this documentary about what is going on with our political system. Here it is again if you want to review or watch ahead:

PBS.org - Frontline: Divided States of America

Thanks everyone! See you next class for one more day together! :-)

Finals Prep, Day 2 - Class Recap

It was announced yesterday that Jay Z and Beyonce are expecting twins, so here's a picture I took of him in London in 2013.

Hi everyone,

Today was the last day before finals, next week! As such, I did not introduce any new content and I allowed students to work on whatever they wanted as we watched a documentary in class. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
Knowledge LT 1: I can demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between citizens and their governments.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "So Many Tears" by 2Pac. Selected for today because the documentary was about the tearing apart of America by political lines.

AGENDA 2/2/17:

News Brief – Dylan
Divided States of America
Finals Prep
Questions?

Homework: Read the blog! Study for your final test! Next news brief: Asher.

---

News Brief: Dylan had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Berkeley: 'Masked agitators' sparked violence before Milo Yiannopoulos talk. As I said in class, there is SO MUCH news right now with the federal government, that it is hard to keep track of. We discussed this story, along with the nomination that President Trump made to the Supreme Court, and various other stories, before moving on.

The next news brief was assigned to Asher.

Divided States of America: This is a PBS Frontline documentary that just came out a couple of weeks ago, on how politics (especially involving President Obama and President Trump) have really divided our country. We watched a fair amount of Part 1 today in class (again, students also had this time to study anything they wanted to), and might finish up the rest after finals. Here it is to watch if you are interested:

PBS.org - Frontline: Divided States of America

I hope you found this interesting!

Finals Prep/Questions: Here it is (at least, the first page), if you missed class or wanted to see it again:

Google Drive - Government Semester Final Study Guide

See you on Tuesday, for finals! Have a great weekend!