Legislative Branch, Day 5 - Class Recap

Today's town hall had various students running for office. Here's a very real candidate: my mom, running for Portland City Council in 2012!

Dear class,

Another interesting day, especially with the town hall meeting, which I really enjoyed! Here's what happened today in class:

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

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

Soundtrack: "Born in the USA" by Bruce Springsteen. Selected for today because the song relates to the United States government in many ways. We talked about the lyrics in class.

AGENDA 4/11/17:
News Brief – Mante
Washington's Gridlock
Town Hall
Review for Test

Homework: Read the blog. Review for Legislative test, which is next class. Here are some resources to help you with this:

The second page of this handout, charting how a bill becomes a law, will be on the test. You will need to fill in the blanks with what happens on each side of Congress, then what happens when it gets to the President.

You will need to know: the political spectrum (from left to right: radical, liberal, moderate, conservative, reactionary). the number of representatives in each branch of Congress, and the eligibility requirements for them. The leaders in both the Senate (Vice President) and the House (Speaker of the House).

Finally, there will be a mandatory retake for the Bill of Rights, in terms of knowing which Amendment describes a scenario I will give. Refresh yourselves on them, please!

Next news brief: Lauren.

News Brief: Mante had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: WashingtonPost.com - United CEO, facing boycott calls, defends booting passenger so crew could take his seat. A very interesting story, especially as it relates to the government, which enforces various different laws related to this situation. Thanks, Mante!

Lauren was assigned to do the next news brief. We also checked in about the weekend before moving on.

Washington's Gridlock: I think this is an important story to learn about, with why many people are very frustrated with the United States government, in that not much of consequence seems to get done. Here is the reading we did in class:

Google Drive - New York Times Upfront: Washington's Gridlock

Here is the assignment that went with the reading:

Google Drive - Washington's Gridlock Assignment

As part of the article, I talked about redistricting and gerrymandering contributing to inaction in Congress. Here's an interesting article about the most gerrymandered congressional districts in America. Also, I showed part of this hilarious video of Patton Oswalt on Parks and Recreation, using the filibuster as a tactic to stop the local city council from voting on an issue:

Furthermore, I showed this real life example of Senator Paul Ryan (KY) using the filibuster tactic in the Senate:

We also took a look at the approval ratings over time for President Obama and Congress.

Town Hall: I really liked this! We had three candidates (Priya, A.J., and Sabrina) in front of the class, representing their own views. Everyone else in the class was responsible for writing questions for the candidates in class, representing different non-governmental organizations and advocacy groups for some important issues in the country - education, jobs and the economy, immigration, the environment, healthcare. This hits LT3: I can demonstrate an understanding of how individuals and non-governmental institutions interact with each other and the government in shaping politics.

The three candidates talked about their own views on the issues, and then tried to think on their feet to answer questions from the various groups around the class.

Here was the assessment I used for LT3, after the Town Hall:

Google Drive - Town Hall Review Questions

If you missed class today, please do your best to try and complete these questions using your own opinions and thoughts. Some students were not able to finish in class, so please get this in to me as soon as possible.

Review for Test: Please study for the legislative branch test (some multiple choice, some fill in the blank, some short answer) and let me know if you have any questions I can answer about it. Look above in the homework section for links that will help, along with this study guide:

Google Drive - Legislative Branch Test Study Guide

Thanks! See you next class!

Legislative Branch, Day 4 - Class Recap

As part of the Legislative simulation today in class, I played the role of the President of the United States. Here I am in front of the White House, where the President lives in Washington, D.C. in 2010 (when I had a beard!).

Dear class,

I enjoyed the bill simulation today! As usual, there was also a lot of work in going through information about the Legislative Branch. Thank you for your focus and effort! Here's the recap for today:

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 levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Edge of the Ocean" by Ivy. Selected for today because I imagine that at least a few students visited a beach over Spring Break and because of the big storm out there today! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/7/17:
News Brief – Deven
Review Congress Work
Legislative Simulation
Washington's Gridlock

Homework: Read the blog. Finish the Washington's Gridlock article and related questions. Next news brief: Mante.

News Brief: Deven had the news brief today and chose an article about this story to talk about: KGW.com - Bill would ban alcohol on Oregon beaches. We discussed this bill idea for a bit in class, and also talked about last night's air strikes by the United States government against Syria and the confirmation of new Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. A lot going on, for sure!

Mante was volunteered for the next news brief.

Review Congress Work: The past two classes, we have been working on these handouts. First, Oregon reps in Congress:

Google Drive - Oregon Representatives in Congress Assignment

We also looked at the demographics of the current representatives in congress:

Google Drive - 114th Congress Profile Assignment

Here is a link to the website/pdf document that has the answers:

FAS.org - Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile

We went through most of the answers as a class, then I told students to keep them to prepare for the upcoming Legislative Branch test.

Legislative Simulation: Again, I really liked this. I split up the class into the House of Representatives and Senate (which had less students in it, because that's how it really works), then again into different committees. I then passed out all the ideas for bills that students gave me at the end of last class, to debate. The committees debated the ideas for bills, then chose what they thought was the best one to propose to their chamber of Congress, by answering these questions:

What are you proposing?
Who will it impact?
When will it begin or end?
Where (which states) will be impacted?
Why should this bill pass?
How much will it cost?

After the full House and full Senate debated the two bills that were put forward by the committees, they chose one bill each to vote on and send over to the other part of Congress.

Both sections of Congress debated the bills, changed them, then voted on them, sending them back to the other side (this would now be the conference committee). Eventually, two bills passed Congress.

Acting as President of the simulation, I signed the bills into law, with the pen that Governor Kate Brown used to sign the highway safety legislation that was enacted after my dad was killed last year.

Here are the two bills that I signed into fake law!

Very nice!

Washington's Gridlock: I think this is an important story to learn about, with why many people are very frustrated with the United States government, in that not much of consequence seems to get done. Here is the reading we did in class:

Google Drive - New York Times Upfront: Washington's Gridlock 

Here are the questions that go along with the article:

Google Drive - Washington's Gridlock Questions

As part of the article, we will talk about redistricting and gerrymandering contributing to inaction in Congress. Here's an interesting article about the most gerrymandered congressional districts in America.

Please finish answering the questions for next class. Thank you very much!

Legislative Branch, Day 3 - Class Recap

The office of Speaker of the House, which is currently controlled by Republicans, and Representative Paul Ryan. Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

We continued looking into the Legislative Branch today and what it looks like as far as representatives. Here's the recap for today:

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 levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Abc" by The Jackson 5. Selected for today because it is like the stages for how a bill becomes a law: A) Committee, B) Full House/Senate, C) President signs. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/5/17:
News Brief – Terra
Review Oregon Reps
Create Bills
115th Congress

Homework: Read the blog. Create a bill idea if you did not in class. Finish the Oregon representatives handout and the 115th Congress profile. Next news brief: Sophie.

News Brief: Terra had the news brief today, but was not in class, so I filled in and selected an article about this story to talk about: NBCNews.com - Gorsuch: Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley Spoke for More Than 15 Hours to Block SCOTUS Pick. We discussed what is happening as far as the Supreme Court nomination process for Neil Gorsuch and why our senator was protesting it for 15 hours last night.

Deven was selected for the next news brief.

Review Oregon Reps: Last class, we started working on this assignment, which is about knowing who represents Oregon at the federal level in Congress. We went through the assignment together, noting who your congressional representative is and where they are on the political spectrum.

Create a Bill: This was in preparation for next class, when we will be doing a simulation of Congress and the legislative process. Here were the questions I wanted you to answer in your bill proposals:

1. What are you proposing?
2. Who will it impact?
3. When will it begin or end?
4. Where (which states) will be impacted?
5. Why should this bill pass?
6. How much will it cost?

Bring these in next class if you did not turn them in today, please!

115th Congress: The last new piece from today was this handout, looking at the demographics of the current representatives in congress:

Google Drive - 115th Congress Profile Assignment

Here is a link to the website/pdf document that has the answers:

HSDL.org - Membership of the 115th Congress: A Profile

I hope this helps!

For the rest of the class, we were in class with Chromebooks, working on the Oregon representatives handout, as well as the 115th Congress paper and creating bills. Here is the handout that I passed out last class:

Google Drive - Oregon Representatives in Congress Handout

The main point here is to know who our representatives are and what they believe. It is important that we know who represents us in Congress, and what their ideas are!

Thanks for your work on this! See you next class, when we will be creating legislation of our own!

Legislative Branch, Day 2 - Class Recap

This image of the US Capitol Building is actually the background for this blog! Photo taken in 2010.

Dear class,

Welcome back from Spring Break! We checked in about what we were up to and went over your Bill of Rights Quiz scores! We also started up with looking at the Oregon congressional delegation. Here's the recap for today:

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 levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Represent" by Weezer. Selected for today because we started learning about who your representatives in Congress are. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/3/17:
News Brief – Mr. Fritz
Review Quiz
Oregon Reps in Congress
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Finish the Oregon representatives handout. Next news brief: Terra.

News Brief: I had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: NPR.org - The Senate Could Go 'Nuclear' This Week. What Does That Mean? I talked for a while about how President Trump's selection of Neil Gorsuch for the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of Antonin Scalia has proceeded, and why many Democrats are opposing his nomination. At this point, it sounds like Republicans will need to change the rules of the Senate to confirm Mr. Gorsuch.

After the news brief, we talked about what we were up to over Spring Break. I showed some of my photos from South Korea! :-)

Terra was randomly selected for the next news brief.

Review Quiz: After the news, we talked about the Bill of Rights test from last class. We went through the answers together. If you need to retake this (or any other quiz/test), let's figure out a time outside of class to do this. Updated grades are posted on StudentVUE.

Oregon Representatives: Next, it was time to learn more about who serves Oregon as representatives in Congress at the federal level. Here is the handout that I passed out in class (it is also on Google Classroom):

Google Drive - Oregon Representatives in Congress Handout

The main point here is to know who our representatives are and what they believe. It is important that we know who represents us in Congress, and what their ideas are!

Work Time: For the rest of the class, we were working on Chromebooks and on paper copies (if needed), working on the Oregon representatives handout.

Thanks for your work on this! See you next class, when we will be creating legislation of our own!

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!

Legislative Branch, Day 5 - Class Recap

Today's town hall had various students running for office. Here's a very real candidate: my mom, running for Portland City Council in 2012!

Dear class,

Another interesting day, especially with the town hall meeting, which I really enjoyed! Here's what happened today in class:

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

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

Soundtrack: "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. Selected for today because we are studying US government, and also, because it is Halloween soon. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/27/16:
News Brief – Auriel
Washington's Gridlock
Town Hall
Review for Test

Homework: Read the blog. Review for Legislative test, which is next class. Here are some resources to help you with this:

The second page of this handout, charting how a bill becomes a law, will be on the test. You will need to fill in the blanks with what happens on each side of Congress, then what happens when it gets to the President.

You will need to know: the political spectrum (from left to right: radical, liberal, moderate, conservative, reactionary). the number of representatives in each branch of Congress, and the eligibility requirements for them. The leaders in both the Senate (Vice President) and the House (Speaker of the House).

Next news brief: Danielle.

News Brief: Auriel had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: TheGuardian.com - Over 120 arrested at North Dakota pipeline protests, including journalists. We discussed this story as well as what is going on in the larger picture here, which relates to the United States government and Native American tribes. Thanks, Auriel!

Danielle volunteered to do the next news brief. We also checked in about the weekend before moving on.

Washington's Gridlock: I think this is an important story to learn about, with why many people are very frustrated with the United States government, in that not much of consequence seems to get done. Here is the reading we did in class:

Google Drive - New York Times Upfront: Washington's Gridlock

Here is the assignment that went with the reading:

Google Drive - Washington's Gridlock Assignment

As part of the article, I talked about redistricting and gerrymandering contributing to inaction in Congress. Here's an interesting article about the most gerrymandered congressional districts in America. Also, I showed part of this hilarious video of Patton Oswalt on Parks and Recreation, using the filibuster as a tactic to stop the local city council from voting on an issue:

Furthermore, I showed this real life example of Senator Paul Ryan (KY) using the filibuster tactic in the Senate:

We also took a look at the approval ratings over time for President Obama and Congress.

Town Hall: I really liked this! We had three candidates (Auriel, Kenny, and Sydney) in front of the class, representing their own views. Everyone else in the class was responsible for writing questions for the candidates in class, representing different non-governmental organizations and advocacy groups for some important issues in the country - education, jobs and the economy, immigration, the environment, healthcare. This hits LT3: I can demonstrate an understanding of how individuals and non-governmental institutions interact with each other and the government in shaping politics.

The three candidates talked about their own views on the issues, and then tried to think on their feet to answer questions from the various groups around the class.

Here was the assessment I used for LT3, after the Town Hall:

Google Drive - Town Hall Review Questions

If you missed class today, please do your best to try and complete these questions using your own opinions and thoughts. Some students were not able to finish in class, so please get this in to me as soon as possible.

Review for Test: Please study for the legislative branch test (some multiple choice, some fill in the blank, some short answer) and let me know if you have any questions I can answer about it. Look above in the homework section for links that will help, along with this study guide:

Google Drive - Legislative Branch Test Study Guide

Thanks! See you next week!

Legislative Branch, Day 4 - Class Recap

As part of the Legislative simulation today in class, I played the role of the President of the United States. Here I am in front of the White House, where the President lives in Washington, D.C. in 2010 (when I had a beard!).

Dear class,

I enjoyed the bill simulation today! As usual, there was also a lot of work in going through information about the Legislative Branch. Thank you for your focus and effort! Here's the recap for today:

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 levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Rhapsody in Blue" by Leonard Bernstein. Selected for today because the legislative process is long, like this song. No lyrics, but listen here.

AGENDA 10/25/16:
News Brief – Maryana
Review Congress Work
Legislative Simulation
Washington's Gridlock

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on the Washington's Gridlock article and related questions. Next news brief: Auriel.

News Brief: Maryana had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: CNN.com - Clinton leads by 5 heading in to final two weeks. We checked in about the presidential race and latest odds. I also showed my official 2016 ballot, which I will fill out after showing my classes. Hopefully you enjoyed checking it out!

Auriel was randomly selected for the next news brief. We also checked in about the weekend and anything interesting happening (I am still tired from the weekend in the Bay Area!) before moving on.

Review Congress Work: The past two classes, we have been working on these handouts. First, Oregon reps in Congress:

Google Drive - Oregon Representatives in Congress Assignment

We also looked at the demographics of the current representatives in congress:

Google Drive - 114th Congress Profile Assignment

Here is a link to the website/pdf document that has the answers:

FAS.org - Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile

We went through most of the answers as a class, then I told students to keep them to prepare for the upcoming Legislative Branch test.

Legislative Simulation: Again, I really liked this. I split up the class into the House of Representatives and Senate (which had less students in it, because that's how it really works), then again into different committees. I then passed out all the ideas for bills that students gave me at the end of last class, to debate. The committees debated the ideas for bills, then chose what they thought was the best one to propose to their chamber of Congress, by answering these questions:

What are you proposing?
Who will it impact?
When will it begin or end?
Where (which states) will be impacted?
Why should this bill pass?
How much will it cost?

After the full House and full Senate debated the two bills that were put forward by the committees, they chose one bill each to vote on and send over to the other part of Congress. This ended up being a bill on raising the minimum wage and one lowering the amount of time that someone with a new driver's license cannot have a friend in the car.

Both sections of Congress debated the bills, changed them, then voted on them, sending them back to the other side (this would now be the conference committee). Eventually, we had two bills pass into law: one about legalizing undocumented immigrants after 12 years in the country, and one (overriding my veto) about being able to turn in late work. So good!

Acting as President of the simulation, I signed the bill into law, with the pen that Governor Kate Brown used to sign the highway safety legislation that was enacted after my dad was killed in 2014.

Washington's Gridlock: I think this is an important story to learn about, with why many people are very frustrated with the United States government, in that not much of consequence seems to get done. Here is the reading we did in class:

Google Drive - New York Times Upfront: Washington's Gridlock 

Here are the questions that go along with the article:

Google Drive - Washington's Gridlock Questions

As part of the article, we will talk about redistricting and gerrymandering contributing to inaction in Congress. Here's an interesting article about the most gerrymandered congressional districts in America.

We will finish this up next class. Thank you very much!

Legislative Branch, Day 3 - Class Recap

The office of Speaker of the House, which is currently controlled by Republicans, and Representative Paul Ryan from Wisconsin. Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

It was basically another work/prep day for our legislative branch unit today in class! Here's the recap for today:

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 levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Represent" by Weezer. Selected for today because we were continuing to look at Oregon's Representatives in Congress. Get it? Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/21/16:
News Brief/Debate Recap – Tyshawn
Finish Oregon Reps
114th Congress
Create Bills

Homework: Read the blog. Create a bill if you did not in class. Finish the Oregon representatives handout and the 114th Congress profile. Next news brief: Maryana.

News Brief: Tyshawn had the news brief today and we talked about the last presidential debate on Wednesday. Here's the overview clip I showed in class: CNN.com - Trump calls Clinton 'a nasty woman'. We discussed what happened as well as previewed the last 18 days of the presidential campaign. Not long now! Next class, I will bring in my uncompleted ballot to show everyone! There were some good perspectives here. Thanks, Tyshawn!

Maryana was randomly selected for the next news brief.

Finish Oregon Reps: At the start of the class, we were working on the Oregon representatives handout, as well as the 114th Congress paper and creating bills. Here is the handout that I passed out last class:

Google Drive - Oregon Representatives in Congress Handout

The main point here is to know who our representatives are and what they believe. It is important that we know who represents us in Congress, and what their ideas are!

114th Congress: The next new piece from today was this handout, looking at the demographics of the current representatives in congress:

Google Drive - 114th Congress Profile Assignment

Here is a link to the website/pdf document that has the answers:

FAS.org - Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile

I hope this helps! We will go through the answers to these questions next class.

Create a Bill: This was in preparation for next class, when we will be doing a simulation of Congress. To start this off, I showed this recently released look behind the scenes as the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) was passed in 2010:

Here were the questions I wanted you to answer in your personal bill proposals:

1. What are you proposing?
2. Who will it impact?
3. When will it begin or end?
4. Where (which states) will be impacted?
5. Why should this bill pass?
6. How much will it cost?

Bring these in next class, please! Thanks for your work on this! See you next class, when we will simulating the legislative process!

Legislative Branch, Day 2 - Class Recap

This image of the US Capitol Building is actually the background for this blog! Photo taken in 2010.

Dear class,

Today, we talked your Bill of Rights Quiz scores! We also started up with looking at the Oregon congressional delegation. Here's the recap for today:

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 levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Abc" by The Jackson 5. Selected for today because counting 1-2-3 of the Amendments in the Bill of Rights would have helped last class on the quiz! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 10/19/16:
News Brief – Kenny
Review Quiz
Oregon Reps in Congress
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on the Oregon representatives handout (we will have a bit of time next class to finish/review). Watch the last Presidential debate tonight at 6 PM. Next news brief: Tyshawn.

News Brief: Kenny had the news brief today and forgot to bring it in, so we checked in about the debate tonight and I showed the updated Election Forecast from FiveThirtyEight.com in discussing what the possible impacts of the debate tonight could be.

Tyshawn was randomly selected for the next news brief.

Review Quiz: After the news, we talked about the Bill of Rights test from last class. We went through the answers together. If you need to retake this (or any other quiz/test), let's figure out a time outside of class to do this. Updated grades are posted online on StudentVUE.

Oregon Representatives: Next, it was time to learn more about who serves Oregon as representatives in Congress at the federal level. Here is the handout that I passed out in class/was on Google Classroom for students to edit using Kami:

Google Drive - Oregon Representatives in Congress Handout

The main point here is to know who our representatives are and what they believe. It is important that we know who represents us in Congress, and what their ideas are!

Work Time: For the rest of the class, we were working with the Chromebooks in class on the Oregon representatives handout.

Thanks for your work on this! See you next class, when we will be creating legislation of our own!

Bill of Rights Test and Legislative Branch Overview - Class Recap

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 10/17/16:
News Brief - Dylan
Bill of Rights Quiz
Legislative Branch Overview
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Study how a bill becomes a law handout! Next news brief: Kenny.

News Brief: Dylan had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: WashingtonPost.com - Clinton campaign chairman ties email hack to Russians, suggests Trump had early warning. We checked in about this story, and made some guesses as to why Russia would want Trump to win the election, if this were truly the case.

Thanks, Dylan! Kenny has the next news brief.

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

Here's Wildcat News for the day:

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.

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!

Executive Branch, Day 1 - Class Recap

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

Hi everyone,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Google Drive - Executive Branch Overview Notes

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

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

Google Drive - The Presidency Reading

These are the questions that go along with the reading:

Google Drive - The Presidency Questions

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

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

Google Drive - Questions for Deputy Hallford

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

Legislative Branch, Day 5 - Class Recap

Today's town hall had various students running for office. Here's a very real candidate: my mom, running for Portland City Council in 2012!

Dear class,

Another interesting day, especially with the town hall meeting, which I really enjoyed! Here's what happened today in class:

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

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

Soundtrack: "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus. Selected for today because we are studying US government, and also, because Chik-Fil-A is opening down the street, which is prompting some chaotic scenes. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/31/16:
News Brief – Alex M.
Filibusters
Town Hall
Review for Test

Homework: Read the blog. Review for Legislative test, which is next class. Here are some resources to help you with this:

The second page of this handout, charting how a bill becomes a law, will be on the test. You will need to fill in the blanks with what happens on each side of Congress, then what happens when it gets to the President.

You will need to know: the political spectrum (from left to right: radical, liberal, moderate, conservative, reactionary). the number of representatives in each branch of Congress, and the eligibility requirements for them. The leaders in both the Senate (Vice President) and the House (Speaker of the House). That's probably enough of a bonus for reading the blog!

Next news brief: Mo H.

News Brief: Alex M. had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: BBC.com - FBI-Apple case: Investigators break into dead San Bernardino gunman's iPhone. We had a good discussion in class about the implications of this, as well as a similar balance between security and privacy, which resulted in lots of flights being hijacked in the 1970s. Here's an article about that: Vox.com - The US once had more than 130 hijackings in 4 years. Here’s why they finally stopped.

Thanks for the interest in this! Mo H was randomly selected to do the next news brief.

Washington's Gridlock: I think this is an important story to learn about, with why many people are very frustrated with the United States government, in that not much of consequence seems to get done. Here is the reading we did in class:

Google Drive - New York Times Upfront: Washington's Gridlock

Here is the assignment that went with the reading:

Google Drive - Washington's Gridlock Assignment

As part of the article, I talked about redistricting and gerrymandering contributing to inaction in Congress. Here's an interesting article about the most gerrymandered congressional districts in America. Also, I showed part of this hilarious video of Patton Oswalt on Parks and Recreation, using the filibuster as a tactic to stop the local city council from voting on an issue:

Furthermore, I showed this real life example of Senator Paul Ryan (KY) using the filibuster tactic in the Senate:

Town Hall: I really liked this! We had three candidates (Mo H, Vivian, and Ty) in front of the class, representing their own views. Everyone else in the class was responsible for writing questions for the candidates in class, representing different non-governmental organizations and advocacy groups for some important issues in the country - education, jobs and the economy, immigration, the environment, healthcare. This hits LT3: I can demonstrate an understanding of how individuals and non-governmental institutions interact with each other and the government in shaping politics.

The three candidates talked about their own views on the issues, and then tried to think on their feet to answer questions from the various groups around the class.

Here was the assessment I used for LT3, after the Town Hall:

Google Drive - Town Hall Review Questions

If you missed class today, please do your best to try and complete these questions using your own opinions and thoughts - you could even watch a real town hall on YouTube and answer the questions based on that. Some students were not able to finish in class, so please get this in to me as soon as possible.

Review for Test: Please study for the legislative branch test (some multiple choice, some fill in the blank, some short answer) and let me know if you have any questions I can answer about it. Look above in the homework section for links that will help. Thanks! See you next class!

Legislative Branch, Day 4 - Class Recap

As part of the Legislative simulation today in class, I played the role of the President of the United States. Here I am in front of the White House, where the President lives in Washington, D.C. in 2010 (when I had a beard!).

Dear class,

I enjoyed the bill simulation today! As usual, there was also a lot of work in going through information about the Legislative Branch. Thank you for your focus and effort! Here's the recap for today:

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 levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Edge of the Ocean" by Ivy. Selected for today because I imagine that at least a few students visited a beach over Spring Break! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/29/16:
News Brief – Sophie
Review Congress Work
Legislative Simulation
Washington's Gridlock

Homework: Read the blog. Finish the Washington's Gridlock article and related questions. Next news brief: Sophie and Alex M.

News Brief: I had the news brief today, since Sophie forgot to bring one in, and I chose this article to talk about: CNN.com - Capitol shooting: Suspect in custody. We talked about this story from yesterday and anything interesting that happened over Spring Break. We also had an earthquake drill, fire drill, and long announcements, so it was quite the start to the class!

Alex M. was randomly selected for the next news brief.

Review Congress Work: The past two classes, we have been working on these handouts. First, Oregon reps in Congress:

Google Drive - Oregon Representatives in Congress Assignment

We also looked at the demographics of the current representatives in congress:

Google Drive - 114th Congress Profile Assignment

Here is a link to the website/pdf document that has the answers:

FAS.org - Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile

We went through most of the answers as a class, then I told students to keep them to prepare for the upcoming Legislative Branch test.

Legislative Simulation: Again, I really liked this. I split up the class into the House of Representatives and Senate (which had less students in it, because that's how it really works), then again into different committees. I then passed out all the ideas for bills that students gave me at the end of last class, to debate. The committees debated the ideas for bills, then chose what they thought was the best one to propose to their chamber of Congress, by answering these questions:

What are you proposing?
Who will it impact?
When will it begin or end?
Where (which states) will be impacted?
Why should this bill pass?
How much will it cost?

After the full House and full Senate debated the two bills that were put forward by the committees, they chose one bill each to vote on and send over to the other part of Congress.

Both sections of Congress debated the bills, changed them, then voted on them, sending them back to the other side (this would now be the conference committee). Eventually, only one bill passed Congress.

Acting as President of the simulation, I signed the bill into law, with the pen that Governor Kate Brown used to sign the highway safety legislation that was enacted after my dad was killed last year.

Here is the bill that had the most revisions, and ultimately failed!

Washington's Gridlock: I think this is an important story to learn about, with why many people are very frustrated with the United States government, in that not much of consequence seems to get done. Here is the reading we did in class:

Google Drive - New York Times Upfront: Washington's Gridlock 

Here are the questions that go along with the article:

Google Drive - Washington's Gridlock Questions

As part of the article, we will talk about redistricting and gerrymandering contributing to inaction in Congress. Here's an interesting article about the most gerrymandered congressional districts in America.

Please finish answering the questions for next class. Thank you very much!

Legislative Branch, Day 3 - Class Recap

The office of Speaker of the House, which is currently controlled by Republicans, and Representative Paul Ryan. Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

Our last day together before Spring Break was basically another work/prep day for our legislative branch unit. Here's the recap for today:

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 levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Represent" by Weezer. Selected for today because we were continuing to look at Oregon's Representatives in Congress. Get it? Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/17/16:
News Brief – Alex J.
Review Oregon Reps
Create Bills
114th Congress

Homework: Read the blog. Create a bill idea if you did not in class. Finish the Oregon representatives handout and the 114th Congress profile. Have a great, safe Spring Break. Next news brief: Sophie.

News Brief: Alex J. had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CBS.com - North Korea warns of impending nuclear and rocket tests. We discussed the implications of North Korea testing nuclear bombs and threatening the United States, and what we (and the international community) are trying to do to respond. Thanks, Alex!

Finally, we discussed the presidential nomination process results from Tuedsay: NYTimes.com - March 15 Primary Results and took at look at Donald Trump's progress towards the Republican nomination: NYTimes.com - Rubio’s Exit Leaves Trump With an Open Path to 1,237 Delegates.

Sophie was selected for the next news brief.

Review Oregon Reps: Last class, we went to the Computer Lab and worked on this assignment, which is about knowing who represents Oregon at the federal level in Congress. We went through the assignment together, noting who your congressional representative is and where they are on the political spectrum.

Create a Bill: This was in preparation for next class, when we will be doing a simulation of Congress and the legislative process. Here were the questions I wanted you to answer in your bill proposals:

1. What are you proposing?
2. Who will it impact?
3. When will it begin or end?
4. Where (which states) will be impacted?
5. Why should this bill pass?
6. How much will it cost?

Bring these in next class if you did not turn them in today, please!

114th Congress: The last new piece from today was this handout, looking at the demographics of the current representatives in congress:

Google Drive - 114th Congress Profile Assignment

Here is a link to the website/pdf document that has the answers:

FAS.org - Membership of the 114th Congress: A Profile

I hope this helps!

For the rest of the class, we were in the computer lab, working on the Oregon representatives handout, as well as the 114th Congress paper and creating bills. Here is the handout that I passed out last class:

Google Drive - Oregon Representatives in Congress Handout

The main point here is to know who our representatives are and what they believe. It is important that we know who represents us in Congress, and what their ideas are!

Thanks for your work on this! See you next class, when we will be creating legislation of our own! Enjoy Spring Break!

Legislative Branch, Day 2 - Class Recap

This image of the US Capitol Building is actually the background for this blog! Photo taken in 2010.

Dear class,

Today, we talked more about the continuing Presidential Nomination process and the weekend. We also started up with looking at the Oregon congressional delegation. Here's the recap for today:

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 levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Marry The Night" by Lady Gaga. Selected for today because it was so dark out this morning, due to the loss of an hour over the weekend, for Daylight Savings Time. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/15/16:
Wildcat News Brief – Vivian
Nomination Update
Oregon Reps in Congress
Computer Lab N210

Homework: Read the blog. Finish the Oregon representatives handout. Next news brief: Alex J.

Wildcat News Brief: Vivian had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: OregonLive.com - Oregon Senate approves minimum wage hike after marathon debate. Super interesting and relevant article and story to anyone that makes minimum wage or near minimum wage. We talked about the battle to get this bill passed into law, with the Democrats needing the majorities in the House and Senate, along with the Governor, to sign it. Here's a look at what the minimum wage increases will look like in the coming years, starting this July.

Thanks, Vivian!

Alex J. was randomly selected for the next news brief.

If you missed class, or wanted to see it again, here is Wildcat News for the day:

Nomination Update: We continued to talk about who the Republicans and Democrats will nominate to be president. Today, Florida (the home state of Republican Senator Marco Rubio), Ohio (the home state of Republican Governor John Kasich), Illinois, North Carolina, and Missouri vote to nominate candidates. I showed this website and talked about the state of the race to get the delegates needed: NYTimes.com - 2016 Primary Results and Calendar.

Oregon Representatives: Next, it was time to learn more about who serves Oregon as representatives in Congress at the federal level. Here is the handout that I passed out in class:

Google Drive - Oregon Representatives in Congress Handout

Note that opencongress.org doesn't exist any more (use the one that replaced it), and you don't have to find the "partisanship" score on the far right. The main point here is to know who our representatives are and what they believe. It is important that we know who represents us in Congress, and what their ideas are!

Computer Lab N210: For the rest of the class, we were in the computer lab, working on the Oregon representatives handout.

Thanks for your work on this! See you next class, when we will be creating legislation of our own!

Bill of Rights Test and Legislative Branch Overview - Class Recap

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 3/10/16:
News Brief - Lexi
Bill of Rights Quiz
Legislative Branch Overview
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Study how a bill becomes a law handout - be prepared to write your own bill next class! Next news brief: Vivian.

News Brief: Lexi had the news brief today and selected this article: CNN.com - Marco Rubio says he's not 'proud' of Donald Trump attacks. We discussed the ongoing presidential campaign and how Rubio really needs a win in his home state of Florida next Tuesday, due to a lot of bad results recently for him (possibly attributed to the attacks on Trump).

Thanks, Lexi! Vivian has the next news brief.

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.

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 finished going over the handout, including trustee and delegate styles of legislators. Please make sure to review this handout! Thank you! Have a great long weekend!

Executive Branch, Day 1 - Class Recap

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

Hi everyone,

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

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

Soundtrack: "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. Selected for today because this past weekend was Halloween. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/2/15:
News Brief – Istanbul
Legislative Test
Executive Branch Overview
The Presidency
Questions for Deputy Hallford

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

News Brief: Istanbul had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about in class: CNN.com - Chipotle closes dozens of stores in Washington and Oregon in E. coli scare. This story obviously impacts us, as a few students were worried that they might have E. coli in class! The government has food safety inspectors and can advise companies about shutting down operations in order to protect consumers. Thanks, Istanbul! Nhi was drawn as the next news brief.

We also checked in about the weekend and what people were up to. I have to say, my freshmen are much more eager to share than your class. I wonder why? :-)

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

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

Google Drive - Executive Branch Overview Notes

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

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

Google Drive - The Presidency Reading

These are the questions that go along with the reading:

Google Drive - The Presidency Questions

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

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

Google Drive - Questions for Deputy Hallford

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