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!

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: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. Selected for today because of the teen spirit evident in a few of the cases we have been talking about in class. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/30/16:
News Brief – Sam
Finish Landmark Cases
Mock Trial Prep
Work Time

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

News Brief: Sam had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: OregonLive.com - Wisconsin moving forward with recount thanks to Jill Stein. We had a good in class discussion about this story and what will happen next with the recount (and if it will make any difference in the outcome of the election). I enjoyed all the student comments and questions here - thanks everyone!

Komi 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! :-)

Philosophy of Government, Day 3 - Class Recap

European Influences Reading

This is what the inside of the United States Capitol building dome looks like, in Washington, D.C. The Capitol is where Congress meets to debate legislation!

Hi everyone,

Today, we wrapped up the Forced Choice activity, which took most of class. There were some really valuable discussions and insights that were shared about how we think the world should operate! Here's the class recap for the day:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

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: "Get Up, Stand Up" by Bob Marley. Selected for today because you were asked to stand up and move around for what you believed in, as related to the debate. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/20/16:
Wildcat News Brief – Amber
Forced Choice
Reflection
European Influences

Homework: Read the blog. The next news brief is assigned to Ireland.

News Brief: Amber selected an article about this story to talk about today: OregonLive.com - Oregon Congress members introduce 'No Lead in School Water' bill. We talked about the recent lead crisis in public schools here in the Portland area, and the process for getting this bill into law (and why it might face criticism from people who think we already pay too much in taxes for schools). Thanks, Amber! Ireland, you are next up.

We also watched the Wildcat News together (even though apparently it was really supposed to be shown in Community). Here it is to see if you missed class or wanted to see it again:

Forced Choice: Again, a continuation of the activity that we started last class. This time, we hit a variety of questions from 4-10, here:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being listened to without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any firearms that they want.
3. Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere and government officials should have to recognize 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 for convicted murderers.
10. Colin Kaepernick should be able to take a knee during the national anthem if he wants and not face any team or legal consequences.

I had the class answer the 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.

Today's class was interesting! One of the discussion points had to do with the cost of the Death Penalty, and I said it costs the taxpayers of Oregon roughly 10 times more to prosecute death penalty cases, over a murder without a death penalty possibility. Here is a link to that article: OregonLive.com - Can Oregon Afford the Death Penalty?

Super interesting!

Reflection: The prompt at the end of class (the rest of the time was just for writing) 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?

The learning target that is being assessed for this one is: Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

 If you didn't finish today in class, we will devote a bit of time at the start of next class to finishing and then moving on to talk more about European Influences in the US government, as well as our Declaration of Independence. Thanks, everyone!

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 9/16/16:

News Brief – Amber
Finish Notes

Philosopher Reading

Forced Choice

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

News Brief: Before the news brief, we watched Wildcat News for the day. Here it is if you wanted to see it again, or missed it the first time:

Today's news brief was assigned to Amber, who kindly wrote to me last night to say she had an appointment during class, so she will be presenting next class.

Connery was assigned the next news brief.

Finish Notes/Philosopher Readings: After reviewing the PowerPoints from last class, 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. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any firearms that they want.
3. Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere and government officials should have to recognize 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 for convicted murderers.
10. Colin Kaepernick should be able to take a knee during the national anthem if he wants and not face any team or legal consequences.

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!

Declaration of Independence - 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,

Even though it was more of a work day today, it was nice to see everyone and learn a bit more class content! 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 2/12/16:
Wildcat News Brief – Ty
Finish Forced Choice
European Influences
Declaration of Independence

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

Wildcat News Brief: Ty brought in the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: TheNation.com - Ted Cruz Keeps Winning. This was especially relevant because of the ongoing primaries for the nomination process to become President of the United States. Senator Cruz won the Iowa caucuses, and is the only person so far to finish higher than Donald Trump in this election.

A very interesting and relevant article! Thanks, Ty! Anna has the next news brief.

We also watched Wildcat News today in class. Here it is if you missed class or wanted to see it again:

Finish Forced Choice: I wanted to give the class time to finish the debate from last class (even though I usually don't like spending parts of three days on it). 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. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.
3. Private businesses should have the right refuse service on religious grounds (like a bakery not making a cake for a same sex wedding).
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 for convicted murderers.
10. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

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 target that is being assessed for this one is: Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

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 work time in class for, then we talked about it together. If you missed class, or lost your copy, here they are again to see:

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: This was pretty fun. We looked at the Declaration of Independence (which is what started the United States) and tried to put the first couple of paragraphs of it into our own words, like a break up letter. These were pretty funny - thanks for your effort! Next time, we will look into the document with more detail, check out the Articles of Confederation, then try and create your own new country, using the information that you've learned about so far in class.

At the end of class, I provided some time to study for the philosophy quiz next class. You will need to know the ideas of the four philosophers we talked about in class, how their ideas influence the U.S. government, and the three European influences that impacted our government.

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

Philosophy of Government, Day 3 - Class Recap

This is what the inside of the United States Capitol building dome looks like, in Washington, D.C. The Capitol is where Congress meets to debate legislation!

Hi everyone,

Today, we continued with the Forced Choice activity, which took most of class. There were some really valuable discussions and insights that were shared about how we think the world should operate! Here's the class recap for the day:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

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: "Get Up, Stand Up" by Bob Marley. Selected for today because you were asked to stand up and move around for what you believed in, as related to the debate. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/10/16:
News Brief – Mo M.
Forced Choice
Reflection
Forecasting

Homework: Read the blog. The next news brief is assigned to Ty.

News Brief: Mo M. selected an article about this story to talk about today: Reuters.com - Woman who accused Bill Clinton of assault to campaign against Hillary presidential run. This was definitely a relevant article, as it talks about the past history of the Clinton family, along with the current event of the presidential nomination process.

As part of the news brief, I showed the blog, and also the latest updates from New Hampshire primaries, with Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders winning. I talked about what might happen next, as a part of this.

Finally, I noticed on Twitter that today is the day that Charles Montesquieu died in 1755. Considering we were just talking about him, I thought it was worth noting.

Forced Choice: Again, a continuation of the activity that we started last class. This time, we hit a variety of questions from 3-10, here:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being listened to without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.
3. Private businesses should have the right refuse service on religious grounds (like a bakery not making a cake for a same sex wedding).
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 for convicted murderers.
10. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

I had the class answer the 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.

Today's class was interesting! One of the discussion points had to do with the cost of the Death Penalty, and I said it costs the taxpayers of Oregon roughly 10 times more to prosecute death penalty cases, over a murder without a death penalty possibility. Here is a link to that article: OregonLive.com - Can Oregon Afford the Death Penalty?

Super interesting!

We did not have time to finish or get to the reflections today, but we will next class.

Forecasting: After the period was over, I went over forecasting with everyone. You have two weeks to determine what classes you want to take next year and ask for them on the assigned papers! See the Westview High School website and the Academic Planning Guide if you have any questions. Thanks for your focus during this time!

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 2/8/16:

News Brief – Olivia
Government Overview

Philosopher Reading

Forced Choice

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Mo M.

News Brief: Today's news brief was brought in by Olivia, who selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - Hillary Clinton to Sanders: 'If you have something to say, say it. We discussed the upcoming New Hampshire primary (tomorrow!) and looked at who is currently favored to win on fivethirtyeight.com projections. Thanks, Olivia!

Mo M. 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. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.
3. Private businesses should have the right refuse service on religious grounds (like a bakery not making a cake for a same sex wedding).
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 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 3 - Class Recap

This is what the inside of the United States Capitol building dome looks like, in Washington, D.C. The Capitol is where Congress meets to debate legislation!

Hi everyone,

Today, we wrapped up the Forced Choice activity, which took most of class. There were some really valuable discussions and insights that were shared about how we think the world should operate! Here's the class recap for the day:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

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: "Get Up, Stand Up" by Bob Marley. Selected for today because you were asked to stand up and move around for what you believed in, as related to the debate. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/22/15:
Wildcat News Brief – Jon
Forced Choice
Reflection
European Influences

Homework: Read the blog. The next news brief is assigned to Katie.

News Brief: Jon selected an article about this story to talk about today: NBCNews.com - California Drought: State Cut Water Use by 31 Percent in July. I asked how the Governor (and government of California) is trying to help make sure there is enough water to go around, during this fourth year of drought there. A variety of strategies are being used - it seems like 31% less use is a ton! Thanks, Jon! Katie, you are next up.

We also watched the Wildcat News together. Here it is to see if you missed class or wanted to see it again:

Forced Choice: Again, a continuation of the activity that we started last class. This time, we hit a variety of questions from 4-10, here:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being listened to without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.
3. Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere and government officials should be forced to recognize 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 for convicted murderers.
10. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

I had the class answer the 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.

Today's class was interesting! One of the discussion points had to do with the cost of the Death Penalty, and I said it costs the taxpayers of Oregon roughly 10 times more to prosecute death penalty cases, over a murder without a death penalty possibility. Here is a link to that article: OregonLive.com - Can Oregon Afford the Death Penalty?

Super interesting!

Reflection: The prompt at the end of class (the rest of the time was just for writing) 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?

The learning target that is being assessed for this one is: Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

We ended class by sharing out a few of these reflections as a class, and then I had completed reflections turned in. If you didn't finish today in class, please treat this as homework and turn it in to me next class. Thank you!

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 9/18/15:

News Brief – Emma

Philosopher Reading

Forced Choice

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Jon S.

News Brief: Before the news brief, we watched Wildcat News for the day. Here it is if you wanted to see it again, or missed it the first time:

Today's news brief was brought in by Emma, who selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - Muslim teen Ahmed Mohamed creates clock, shows teachers, gets arrested. I showed this tweet from President Obama in response to the situation, which we agreed was pretty cool. This story has a lot to do with government and discrimination, so it was perfect to discuss as a class! Thanks, Emma.

Jon S. was assigned the next news brief.

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. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.
3. Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere and government officials should be forced to recognize 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 for convicted murderers.
10. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

We only made it through question 3 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!

Forced Choice, Day 2 - Class Recap

This is what the inside of the United States Capitol building dome looks like, in Washington, D.C. The Capitol is where Congress meets to debate legislation!

Hi everyone,

Today, we wrapped up the Forced Choice activity, which took most of class. There were some really valuable discussions and insights that were shared about how we think the world should operate! Here's the class recap for the day:

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: "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones. Selected for today because I was playing "devil's advocate" for the different issues we were debating. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/6/15:
News Brief – Kelsey
Forced Choice
Reflection
European Influences

Homework: Read the blog. Keep working on the European Influences handout and questions. The next news brief is assigned to Ella.

News Brief: Kelsey selected this article to talk about today: CNN.com - What will Putin do if U.S. arms Ukraine? We talked about the interesting decisions that the United States needs to make with Ukraine and Russia, and specifically, how President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry will respond. Thanks, Kelsey! Ella, you are next up.

Forced Choice: Again, a continuation of the activity that we started last class. This time, we hit a variety of questions from 5-10, here:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being listened to without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection. 

2. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.

3. Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere.

4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.

5. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.

6. The government of a country should have the power to make decisions that the majority of the people in it do not support.

7. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?

8. I agree with the death penalty for convicted murderers.

9. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

10. Democracy is always the best form of government for anywhere in the world.

I had the class answer the 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.

Today's class was interesting! One of the discussion points had to do with the cost of the Death Penalty, and I said I would link to an article about how it costs the taxpayers of Oregon roughly 10 times more to prosecute death penalty cases, over a murder without a death penalty possibility. Here is that article: OregonLive.com - Can Oregon Afford the Death Penalty?

Super interesting!

Reflection: The prompt at the end of class (the rest of the time was just for writing) 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?

The learning target that is being assessed for this one is: Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

European Influences: When everyone was done with the reflection, the rest of class was devoted to continuing to look at the European Influences in the United States Government. Here are the links to this again:

Google Drive: European Influences Reading Handout

Google Drive: European Influences Reading Questions

We will finish this together next class and continue looking at the foundations of the United States government. See you next week!

Forced Choice, Day 1 - 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 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: “Waiting on the World to Change" by John Mayer. Selected because the issues we were talking about today could change the world. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/4/15:

News Brief – Sophia/Ashton

European Influences

Forced Choice

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

News Brief: Both Sophia and Ashton were absent from class today, so I filled in again and talked about the vaccine debate in the United States, which was brought to national prominence again by an outbreak of measles (an entirely preventable disease, if people get their vaccinations) in Disneyland. Here's an article about this story: CNN.com - CDC: 102 measles cases in January, most stemming from Disney outbreak.

European Influences: I just wanted to pass this out, so that students who want to work ahead can see what we will be doing after the debate. Here are the two handouts that go along with these (we will come back to them later).

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 an upcoming quiz!

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. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.

3. Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere.

4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.

5. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.

6. The government of a country should have the power to make decisions that the majority of the people in it do not support.

7. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?

8. I agree that the death penalty should be an option for convicted murderers.

9. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

10. Democracy is always the best form of government for anywhere in the world.

We only made it through question 4 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!

Forced Choice, Day 2 - Class Recap

This is what the inside of the United States Capitol building dome looks like, in Washington, D.C. The Capitol is where Congress meets to debate legislation!

Hi everyone,

Today, we wrapped up the Forced Choice activity, which took most of class. There were some really valuable discussions and insights that were shared about how we think the world should operate! Here's the class recap for the day:

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: "Get Up, Stand Up" by Bob Marley. Selected for today because students were standing up for what they believed in, with the Forced Choice activity. Plus, Logan had a Bob Marley shirt on! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/17/14:
News Brief – Katharyn
Blog Recap
Forced Choice
Debrief
Declaration of Independence

Homework: Read the blog. Finish the Forced Choice reflection paper and be ready to turn it in at the start of next class. The next news brief is assigned to Chloe.

News Brief: Katharyn selected this news article to talk about this morning: OregonLive.com - Portland Public Schools' $16.8 million windfall could lead to immediate relief in crowded schools. We talked again about how schools get money (from the state), then theorized as to how a school district could have $16.8 million extra to spend. Maybe from higher than expected tax revenue, combined with a school budget that was the "worst case" scenario? Thanks, Katharyn! Chloe, you are next up.

Blog Recap: For this section, I just wanted to show this website again and re-emphasize the importance of checking in, reading the recaps, on staying on top of what we are doing in class. A lot of time and effort goes into writing the blog - please use it to help yourself be successful! :-)

Forced Choice: Again, a continuation of the activity that we started last class. This time, we hit a variety of questions from 4-10, here:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being listened to without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection. 

2. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.

3. Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere.

4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.

5. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.

6. The government of a country should have the power to make decisions that the majority of the people in it do not support.

7. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?

8. A ban on all guns would reduce crime in the United States.

9. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

10. Democracy is always the best form of government for anywhere in the world.

I had the class answer the 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.

Today's class was interesting - it did get a little heated/ridiculous during the discussion time for question 8! One of the discussion points had to do with Hitler taking guns away from Germans once he got into power. Here's an article about how that might be a misrepresentation of history: Salon.com - The Hitler gun control lie.

Another discussion point was about Germany not invading Switzerland because everyone in Switzerland had a gun. Here's a little background about Germany's plans for invading Switzerland, which fell through.

Debrief: The prompt at the end of class (the rest of the time was just for writing) 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?

Yes, you will be turning this in, and yes, it will be graded. The learning target that is being assessed for this one is: Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Please come ready at the start of next class to turn this reflection in and to talk a bit about the activity. Then, we will move on to more of the details about the start of the United States government. Thanks, everyone!

Forced Choice, Day 1 - 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!

Welcome back, everyone!

Weekends really need to be longer, don't they? In any case, I was excited by the work we did today in class. Here's what happened:

Learning Targets: 
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: “Grapevine Fires” by Death Cab for Cutie. Selected for today because of the fire drill during third period. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/15/14:

News Brief – Trish

Fear Stories

Forced Choice

Declaration of Independence

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

News Brief: Trish brought in the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: OregonLive.com - Does Portland Public Schools' transfer process for focus schools dilute diversity? We had a conversation about how schools are funded (generally, through the state) and why segregation is still an issue, despite being outlawed. Thanks, Trish! Katharyn, you are next up.

Fear Stories: This was left over from last class, when we talked about the impact of 9/11. The prompt was: write about a time in which you experienced fear and how you felt. What did you want to do in that moment?

After writing and sharing in partners, I asked for volunteers to share with the class. It is nice to be able to look back on scary moments in life and laugh, or just be thankful that we escaped out of it. It was also good to hear about how fear makes us feel - anxious, wanting to do anything to escape, and not wanting to experience it again. That's in large part how the U.S. Government was able to operate in the aftermath of the horrific event that was 9/11/2001. Thanks for sharing, everyone that did.

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. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.

3. Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere.

4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.

5. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.

6. The government of a country should have the power to make decisions that the majority of the people in it do not support.

7. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?

8. A ban on all guns would reduce crime in the United States.

9. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

10. Democracy is always the best form of government for anywhere in the world.

We only made it through question 3 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.

Forced Choice - Class Recap

The Washington Monument, as seen from across the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC in 2010. We have no school on Monday, because it is Presidents Day, which originally was meant to observe President George Washington's birthday.

Hi everyone,

I appreciated your willingness to go with the flow today, even without Computer Lab time! Thanks for your hard work. Here's what we did:

Learning Targets Addressed (Remember, due to proficiency standards, this is how you will be graded):
SS.HS.KN.ALT.04: I can explain how different ideological movements and philosophies shape politics.
SS.HS.CO.ALT.05: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: “Rockin’ In The Free World” by Neil Young. I chose this song for today because we are studying the US, which is typically seen as part of the "free world" and because you have Monday off for Presidents Day, so you will be free to enjoy a long weekend. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/14/14:
Gov. Intro
Grades/Current Events
Pre-Assessment
Forced Choice
Government Philosophy

Homework: Check the blog and post a comment! Keep working on your historical investigation! Ask about your family history – how did you get here? Next news brief: Alex.

---

Gov. Intro: To begin class, I passed back the letters you wrote me, with comments that I made on them. I wanted to you read my responses, then pass them back so I can refer to them in the future, as I get to know you all better! Then, I played this YouTube video, which involved students in Washington state answering questions about the government, history, and geography:

Hopefully, this reinforced the idea in your mind that knowing about the government is important. 

Grades/Current Events: Next, I talked about proficiency grading. If you are interested in knowing how you are going to be graded this semester (I sure hope you are), you can see every learning target and rubric for grading proficiency here (they are also posted on the wall in our room):

Google Drive - Government LTs and Rubrics 

That is the entire class, right there. I also introduced how we will do current events in class. I call them "news briefs" and we will start each class with a different student talking about one. Here is the current event form (just the top half is all you need) to download, if you lost your slip (I will also put it permanently in the top right corner):

Google Drive - Government Current Event Template

Please follow the P.A.S.S. template on the form to write up your current event, which should have something to do with the United States Government. You will also be asked to talk a little about the article in class.

Pre-Assessment: It was a pretty packed day today. I also had the class fill out a short, three question slip about what you already know about government. I will compare it with what you are able to demonstrate learning later in the first unit.

Forced Choice: I love this activity so much. It is always so interesting to me to hear all of your opinions on the issues! Here are the 10 questions I asked you to take a Yes or No stand on:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being listened to without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.
3. It bothers me that the National Security Administration/federal government can see whatever we do online.
4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.
5. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.
6. The government of a country should have the power to make decisions that the majority of the people in it do not support.
7. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?
8. A ban on all guns would reduce crime in the United States.
9. People in power are always corrupt in some way.
10. Democracy is always the best form of government for anywhere in the world.

We discussed the first five as a class, then I gave everyone the rest of the time to write a response to this prompt:

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?

This will be the first grade, hitting both the verbal and written learning target, since everyone participated and wrote a response.

We did not have enough time (I kind of suspected as much) to start looking into the philosophy of government. Next week, we will get into that!

That's all for now! Have a great weekend and I will see you on Wednesday!