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!

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 9/28/16:
News Brief – Nick
The First Debate/Share Nations
The Constitution
Bill of Rights

Homework: Read the blog. Next news brief: Ellie R.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by Nick, who selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - The first presidential debate in under 2 minutes. We watched this video and discussed the first presidential debate of the general election, which was Monday night between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. It was interesting to hear different student perspectives on it! I also showed the latest FiveThirtyEight.com projection map for what the current polls are suggesting will happen on Election Day in November.

Thanks, Nick! Ellie R. 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 were presented 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. I know we spent a large part of class on this, and I just thought it was a fun way to look at what our ideal governments might look like. I also really loved the flags, which I will aim to have up on the walls soon!

The Constitution: Next, I directed students back to our Google Classroom page to click on 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 barely had a chance to start this in class, after learning about how to open this and edit it using the Kami software for the Chromebooks. If you want to continue to work on completing this outside of class, here is a copy of the Constitution to look at. Next class, we'll have some time to work on this together, before going over the answers, as it is a study guide.

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

The Bill of Rights: We did not get to the Bill of Rights today, so we will look more in depth at this next class. Thanks for your hard work today! I really appreciate your attendance in class and focus!

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 9/26/16:
News Brief – Josh
Philosophy Quiz
Articles of Confederation
Creation of a Nation

Homework: Read the blog. Be ready to finish the Creation of a Nation activity next class. Bring a device able to access the internet to see the Constitution. Watch the debate tonight at 6:00 PM! Next news brief: Nick.

News Brief: Josh had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: NYTimes.com - Presidential Debate: What to Watch For as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Face Off. We talked for a while in class about the debate tonight, as well as the current state of the race. Very interesting time for government in the United States!

Nick was selected for the next news brief.

Philosophy Quiz: 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 - it will count as an assessment opportunity for LT7.

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. 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 passed out in class:

Google Drive: Forms of Government and Articles of Confederation Handout

We will continue to investigate the first U.S. government in the future!

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. Please try to have a device that is able to access it. Thanks! See you next class!

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 2/19/16:
Wildcat News Brief – Daniel
Share Nations
The Constitution
Computer Lab N210

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

Wildcat News Brief: Before the assembly, we watched Wildcat News as a class. Here it is again if you missed class or wanted to watch again:

Daniel had the news brief today, but was not in class today, so I chose an article about the United States government bombing ISIS inside of Libya last night to talk about. We also discussed the Republican primary in South Carolina tomorrow, along with the Democratic caucus in Nevada. It will be interesting to see what happens!

Emma 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, 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 completed this in class by going to the computer lab. 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 next 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 2/17/16:
News Brief – Anna
Philosophy Quiz/Read Letters
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: Daniel.

News Brief: Anna had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: NYTimes.com - After Antonin Scalia’s Death, Fierce Battle Lines Emerge. This is a HUGE story for the United States government. We talked for a while in class about why Scalia's death is important for the Supreme Court, the presidential nomination race, and a host of issues that might end 4-4 now, instead of 5-4 on one side or the other.

Daniel was selected for the next news brief.

Philosophy Quiz/Read Letters: 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.

After the quiz, we heard some of the "break up letters" that students wrote looking at the Declaration of Independence. These were pretty funny - thanks for participating in this.

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. 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!

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 9/28/15:
News Brief – Ian
Philosophy Quiz
Articles of Confederation
Creation of a Nation

Homework: Read the blog. Be ready to finish the Creation of a Nation activity next class. Bring a device able to access the internet to see the Constitution. Next news brief: Hector.

News Brief: Ian had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: TIME.com - Transcript: Read the Speech Pope Francis Gave to Congress. Even though the Pope is a world leader, his visit also had an impact on the United States government, in that he addressed both houses of Congress and met with the President during his visit to the U.S. Lots of important connections there!

Hector 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 - it will count as an assessment opportunity for LT7.

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. 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 passed out in class:

Google Drive: Forms of Government and Articles of Confederation Handout

Please keep this and study it 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. Please try to have a device that is able to access it. Thanks! See you next class!

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 this past weekend!

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. Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
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.

Soundtrack: "In the End" by Linkin Park. Selected for today because it was the end of the Creation of a Nation assignment. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/17/15:
News Brief – Katlyn/Ella
Creation of a Nation
The Constitution
Bill of Rights

Homework: Read the blog. Next news brief: Gabriella (Katlyn and Ella need to do theirs, too).

News Brief: Because both assigned students were either not prepared or not in class, I presented the news brief today about our Oregon Governor being forced to resign: OregonLive.com - Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber's statement. We talked in class about why Kitzhaber was forced to resign (mostly because of ethical complaints about his fiance using her public role as Oregon First Lady to profit from private companies) and a little about Kate Brown, who will become the next governor on Wednesday at 10 AM. A really interesting and important time in our state government!

Gabriella was selected for the next news brief.

Creation of a Nation: 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 we finished working on in class and presented. 

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!

The Constitution: Most of class was devoted to finishing the Creation of a Nation assignment and presenting (briefly) what the groups came up with. At the end, 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 by using the books (with the Constitution in the back) in the room. If you want to continue to work on completing this outside of class (I will give more time during next class to finish and go through this together), here is a copy of the Constitution to look at.

The Bill of Rights: We did not get to the Bill of Rights today, so we will look more in depth at this next class. Thanks for your hard work today! I really appreciate your attendance in class and focus!

Articles of Confederation and 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:
Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
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.

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 2/12/15:
News Brief – Kayla
Philosophy Quiz
Articles of Confederation
Creation of a Nation

Homework: Read the blog. Be ready to finish the Creation of a Nation activity next class. Bring a device able to access the internet to see the Constitution. Next news brief: Katlyn.

News Brief: Kayla brought in the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: NYTimes.com - Oregon Governor Says He Will Block Executions. This is actually an article from four years ago, so it does not really count as a current event, but it is still interesting, because of our discussion on the death penalty from Forced Choice. Oregon's governor is actually under quite a lot of criticism recently, so it is possible we will have a future news brief about him!

Katlyn 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 finish or retake it, please come see me on your own time (like a Study Hall, or first or second lunch).  I will grade these and get them back to you as soon as I can - it will count as an assessment opportunity for LT7.

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. 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 passed out in class:

Google Drive: Forms of Government and Articles of Confederation Handout

Please keep this and study it 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. Please try to have a device that is able to access it. Thanks! See you next class!

Articles of Confederation and 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:
Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
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.

Soundtrack: "Rebel Rebel" by David Bowie. Selected for today because we were talking about the formation of the United States after rebelling from the United Kingdom. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/23/14:
News Brief – Enrique
Philosophy Quiz
Articles of Confederation
Creation of a Nation

Homework: Read the blog. Be ready to finish the Creation of a Nation activity next class. Bring a device able to access the internet to see the Constitution. Next news brief: Kerwin.

News Brief: Enrique brought in the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: KOMO.com - Prosecutor to drop all Seattle marijuana tickets. We talked about how this relates to the various parts to the United States government - the federal government having a law against marijuana, but the Washington state law that allows it, and the local police officer that is against it. Government can be really complicated, sometimes! This was a good example of the different layers. Thanks, Enrique!

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 finish or retake it, please come see me on your own time (like a Study Hall, or first or second lunch).  I will grade these and get them back to you as soon as I can - it will count as an assessment opportunity for LT7.

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. 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 passed out in class:

Google Drive: Forms of Government and Articles of Confederation Handout

Please keep this and study it 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. Please try to have a device that is able to access it. Thanks! See you next class!