Bill of Rights Test and Legislative Branch Overview - Class Recap

Please note: there will be no class recaps posted for the week of March 20-24, as most juniors in class will be taking Smarter Balanced assessments. As such, the rest of class was more of a study hall. Have a great Spring Break, everyone! See you after!

The United States Capitol Building, which is where Congress (the Legislative Branch of the US) meets. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Another quiz today! I hope it went well for everyone. Thanks again for your hard work! We also got started with a unit on the legislative branch. Here's what happened today:

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 levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "At the Beginning" from Anastasia. Selected for today because we are the start of a new unit: the Legislative Branch. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/17/17:
News Brief - Logan
Bill of Rights Quiz
Legislative Branch Overview
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Study how a bill becomes a law handout! Next news brief: nobody.

News Brief: Dylan had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: NYTimes.com - Rex Tillerson Rejects Talks With North Korea on Nuclear Program. We talked about this story for a bit at the start of class, including why it is a big issue for people in Asia and a test for the Trump administration. I am visiting South Korea for Spring Break, so it will certainly be interesting to see the mood there!

Thanks, Logan! Nobody has the next news brief, as it is SBAC testing next week for the vast majority of students in class.

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

Bill of Rights Quiz: We prepared for this the past few classes, as well as a bit during class today, before the quiz. Thank you for giving your best effort on this! We will go over the results together next class (after Spring Break - wow!).

Legislative Branch Overview/Work Time: This was a handout that went through some of through some of the specifics of the legislative process, like what the legislative branch does and who makes it up. Please review the flow chart on page two, specifically. You will eventually be tested on that and we are going to work through that process together in a simulation later this week:

Google Drive - How a Bill Becomes a Law Handout

Before we did some review, I showed this old Schoolhouse Rock classic:

I also showed a Washington, D.C. license plate and talked about "taxation without representation."

We kept going with the handout until we stopped at trustee and delegate styles of legislators. Please make sure to review this handout! Thank you! Have a wonderful Spring Break and I will see you after!

Bill of Rights Review - Class Recap

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, D.C. FDR was named as one of the Presidents in Final Jeopardy today!

Dear class,

I had a lot of fun reviewing the Bill of Rights with you today! Please be studying the content for the quiz next class, along with the structure of the U.S. government. Here's the recap for the day:

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: “American Pie" by Don McLean. Selected for today because we were talking more about American government, and this song famously contains lots of references to American culture. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/15/17:
News Brief - Kyla
Crash Course Rights
Jeopardy Review
Study Time

Homework: Read the blog! Keep reviewing the Bill of Rights for the quiz next class (be able to write down what each Amendment in the Bill of Rights is, and an example, as well as checks/balances/powers of the federal government). Next news brief: Logan.

News Brief: Kyla selected this article to talk about for his news brief today: OregonLive.com - 5 homemade explosive devices found across from elementary, middle schools in Hillsboro. We talked about this article for a while, and how it relates to our government. We also talked about what we were up to outside of class.

Logan was assigned to do the next news brief. Thank you!

Crash Course Rights: To finish up with reviewing in class for the Bill of Rights test, I showed this Crash Course video (with captions on - I know that the narrator talks very quickly):

Some good information here (and familiar Supreme Court cases)!

Jeopardy Review: I always really enjoy this, and today was no exception. I split the class into two groups, and then we played this version of PowerPoint Jeopardy to review the material we have learned so far in class:

Google Drive - Constitution/Bill of Rights Jeopardy Review

This probably will be difficult to replicate on Google Drive, but you can at least see the questions to study from. We will do this later in the year, too!

Study Time: The rest of class was used for studying and/or retakes of tests or quizzes. I think this was used productively in class, so we may continue to do this. Thanks for your focus today!  One question from the quiz, for checking the blog, is: What is one power of the judicial branch listed in the Constitution? 

Be ready for the quiz next class, please! See you then!

The Rest of the Bill of Rights - Class Recap

Rays of the sun streaming through the flag of the United States, over the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Picture taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Welcome back from your weekend! We had a good time going through the rest of the Bill of Rights today in class. Here's the recap for the day:

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: “99 Problems (Clean)" by Jay Z. Selected for today because it discusses the various protections that the Bill of Rights offers. Lyrics (which are decidedly NOT clean, but Rap Genius does offer some interesting interpretations of what they mean) here.

AGENDA 3/13/17:
Wildcat News Brief - Tanner
Fourth Amendment
Pleading the Fifth
Bill of Rights Review

Homework: Read the blog! Keep reviewing the Bill of Rights for upcoming quiz (on Friday). Take the Political Spectrum test if you want. Next news brief: Kyla.

Wildcat News Brief: Tanner had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: OregonLive.com - Gunfire, arrest after fight at dinner in the Pearl District. We talked about this story for a bit and how it relates to the Second Amendment and gun rights (which we discussed in detail last class). We also checked in with what people were up to outside of class.

Kyla was assigned to do the next news brief.

Here's Wildcat News today as shown in class, if you missed class or wanted to see it again:

Fourth Amendment: Because I want to get done with the Bill of Rights, today we looked through the details of Amendments 4-10 We continued going through a packet of individual U.S. Supreme Court cases that helped set the scope of the Fourth Amendment. That packet is here:

Google Drive - Fourth Amendment Protections Handout

We finished the case on the last page today (Illinois v. McArthur), which basically said that police can have time to get a search warrant while a suspect is waiting.

Pleading The Fifth: I showed this clip to introduce the Fifth Amendment:

This led to a more in depth look at the Amendments,

Bill of Rights Review: At the end of class, I showed the TIME overview videos for Amendments 5-10, since we were wrapping up rights of the accused today in class. During this time, I had students write down the Amendments in their own words, for future use in class. Here's a link to the Fourth Amendment one:

Time.com - Your Fourth Amendment Right to Privacy

I thought these did a nice job of explaining the history of each amendment, as well as how they are relevant today. Watch the other ones, if you want to go over them all again! See you next class!

Rights of the Accused - Class Recap

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

Dear class,

Thanks for checking in on the blog! We continued looking at the Bill of Rights together today, and diving into what the main ones mean.

Here's what happened:

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: "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. Selected for today for the philosophy of government because the song talks about a king. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/8/17:
News Brief - Veronica
Review Constitution Test
Gun Nation
Rights of the Accused

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Tanner.
--
News Brief: Veronica had the news brief today but was not in class, so I filled in and selected this story to talk about with the class: CNN.com - Obama irked and exasperated in response to Trump's wiretapping claims, sources say. We discussed this story and the process for wiretapping. I also fielded some questions about the new healthcare plan offered by the Republicans in the House of Representatives.

We also talked a bit about the upcoming weekend, before moving on.

Tanner was selected for the next news brief.

Review Constitution Test: This was from last class. I passed back the tests, which had the grades marked on the top of each side. If this test went poorly, never fear, because there will be a retake in a few classes on the Bill of Rights and the branches of government. Please make sure to review the material!

Gun Nation: This was the "Gun Nation" episode of the "30 Days" documentary series. I asked students to note Pro and Con arguments for gun rights, as well as what students thought should happen now with gun rights in America. I think this episode does a really good job of looking at both sides of the debate, and is pretty powerful. I enjoyed our conversation afterwards. Thanks for your participation with this, everyone!

Rights of the Accused: To end class, we started looking at the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. I then passed out this packet (or students accessed it on Google Classroom), which was about various different cases regarding privacy and rights:

Google Drive - Fourth Amendment Protections Packet

Before the end of class, we finished the 8 cases. We ended there for the week, and will pick back up next time there. Thanks, everyone. :-)

Political Spectrum - Class Recap

The African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. The soldiers are carrying guns, which relates to the Second Amendment! Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

We had another good day in class today about the Second Amendment to the Constitution and looked at the political spectrum. Here's what happened:

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

Soundtrack: "Be Prepared" from The Lion King. Selected for today because I was hoping students would have right answers on the Constitution test, and because we are continuing to learn about the Bill of Rights.

AGENDA 3/6/17:
Wildcat News Brief - Priya
Constitution Test
Political Spectrum
Second Amendment

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Veronica.
--
News Brief: Priya had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about with the class: CNN.com - Trump touts call for increased military spending during ship visit. We discussed this story and the implications of more military spending in the United States.

We also talked a bit about the weekend, before moving on.

Veronica was selected for the next news brief.

Here is Wildcat News again, if you wanted to watch it or missed class:

Constitution Test: As promised! I hope that this went well for everyone. I will try to have them entered in the gradebook ASAP. The first 10 questions were about the philosophy of U.S. Government, and the second 10 questions were about the branches of government/checks of power.

Political Spectrum: I went over the political spectrum in class, which was most of this PowerPoint:

Google Drive - Political Spectrum PowerPoint

Please be familiar with the various different philosophies on the political spectrum, and where they are on the line from left to right, in relation to each other!

Here's the link to the Political Compass test I showed at the end of the PowerPoint. Try it yourself and let me know what you get!

Second Amendment: To continue our look at the Bill of Rights, we started watching the "Gun Nation" episode of the "30 Days" documentary series. I asked students to note Pro and Con arguments for gun rights. We will finish watching this next class, and move on to looking in depth at some of the other amendments. Thanks, everyone!

The Constitution, Day 2 - Class Recap

Fireworks over Niagara Falls, in 2009. 

Hi everyone,

Thanks for continuing to work on getting to know the Constitution better! I know it may not be the most fun part of class, but it is so important for knowing the foundations of how our government works! Here's what we did 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: "Don't Speak" by No Doubt. Selected for today because we were talking about the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, which is partially about freedom of speech. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/2/17:
News Brief - Sam K./Bryce
Review Constitution
Bill of Rights
The First Amendment

Homework: Read the blog! Prepare for Constitution test on Monday by studying the handout answers (as well as reviewing the philosophers and European influences)! Next news brief: Priya.

News Brief: Sam K. started us off with this today, and shared about this story: WashingtonPost.com - Trump says he is open to immigration compromise including legal status. We discussed this for a while in class and also watched this 90 second recap of President Trump's address to Congress on Tuesday: CNN.com - Trump's Speech to Congress in 90 Seconds.

Next, Bryce had his news brief, since he missed last class. Here was the article he selected: WWeek.com - A Multnomah County Judge Allegedly Helped an Undocumented Immigrant Escape ICE Through Her Courtroom Door. What a super fascinating story. We talked for a bit in class about sanctuary city policies, whether or not the judge committed a crime, and the relation to the immigration debate.

We also checked in for a bit about the upcoming weekend, before moving on.

Priya was selected for the next news brief.

Review Constitution: We continued looking at the Constitution packet I passed out last class, which had the Bill of Rights as a part of the last couple of pages. Please make sure to study the Constitution portion done for the test on Monday. If you missed class the last two times, here it is to download and fill out by reading the Constitution:

Google Drive: Understanding the Constitution Handout

As I said, here's the reward for checking the blog: a (tough, because I did not specifically ask you this in class) question from the Constitution test:

All of the following are included in the Preamble to the Constitution EXCEPT _____________.
a. establish justice c. the pursuit of happiness
b. provide for the common defense d.  promote the general welfare

The answer would be C.

Bill of Rights: As far as the Bill of Rights, I showed this clip from The Daily Show, looking at what some people working for FOX News had to say in regards to the Bill of Rights and the Boston Marathon bomber:

The Daily Show
Daily Show Full Episodes,More Daily Show Videos,Comedy Central Full Episodes

Clearly, this is a more liberal perspective on the Bill of Rights. I think the video does a good job of going through many of the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution!

The First Amendment: We ended by looking at how the First Amendment impacts students at school. With that, we went through this PowerPoint, as we discussed each case:

Google Drive - First Amendment Case Study PowerPoint

We looked at some specific examples of cases where students had questions about how far their rights go. We ended by looking at the famous "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case, which we will continue to discuss next class. Thanks, everyone!