The Constitution and European Influences - Class Recap

Happy weekend, everyone! Picture taken at Cape Kiwanda on the Oregon Coast in 2009.

Hi everyone,

I hope you are reading this with the confidence that you did well on the quiz today in class, and are well on the way to passing the first learning target of the opening unit. Read on to see what we did today in class!

Learning Targets Addressed: 
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: “Help Yourself” by Sad Brad Smith. Selected because you should have been helping yourself by studying for the quiz as homework. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/27/14: 
News Brief
European Influences
Quiz
The Constitution

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief is assigned to Reed.

News Brief: Today's news brief was helpfully brought in by Jesse. He chose this story to talk about: CNN.com - Man selling home for $135,000 in Dogecoins. This sparked a really interesting conversation about cryptocurrency (like Bitcoin) and how money is (or is not) regulated by governments. Thanks a lot, Jesse! Please remember to send me your write up for credit on the assignment.

European Influences: After the news brief, I wanted to prepare the class for the quiz, so I passed out a handout (available in class only) about ways in which the U.S. government has been influenced by European ideas (which was a quiz question). Hopefully, this helped a bit as some last minute cramming!

Quiz: This, combined with the pre-assessment slip you did a few classes ago and the nation building exercise, counts towards proficiency at SS.HS.KN.ALT.04: I can explain how different ideological movements and philosophies shape politics. Hopefully, you feel like you did okay on this (checking the blog may have helped)!

The Constitution: The rest of class was devoted to getting back into the specifics of what the Constitution is all about. There was a handout from last class, a worksheet of questions that went along with it, and we also used the copy of the Constitution contained in the "We The People" books.

Have a great weekend! See you on Monday!

The Constitution - Class Recap

Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. This is where the US Constitution was debated and signed! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Thanks for another day of hard work! Hopefully, you are feeling confident at having a product to bring next class for some peer review. This means you should really try to have a rough draft of everything, ready to go! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:

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: “Two Days in February” by Goo Goo Dolls. Selected because there are now two days (in February) left of class before your historical investigation is due! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/25/14:

News Brief

Finish Nation Building
Understanding the Constitution
Study for Quiz

Homework: Quiz next class on philosophies of U.S. government (ideas, early governments, and people). Read the blog! Next news brief: Jesse.

News Brief: Rachel selected this story to talk about: TheNation.com - 20 Years Ago, an Army Veteran Reported a Sexual Assault. She’s Still Waiting for Justice. This is interesting for our study of government, because changing the laws that regulate how military justice works takes the cooperation of both the legislators and the military itself, which has its own way that the system works. Thanks, Rachel!

Finish Nation Building: I really enjoyed this activity and your presentations! The reasons behind why you chose to break away and form your own country were great. So were the flag designs! Thank you for participating here.

Understanding the Constitution: For most the rest of class, we worked on looking at the Constitution of the United States. As with every Government teacher since the beginning of time, I showed a clip of Schoolhouse Rock to start us off:

I then passed out a worksheet and some questions to answer, in regards to what the Constitution is all about. There are now "We The People" books in our room, which have the text of the Constitution at the end.

Study for Quiz: The next step is to study for the upcoming quiz next class, which will be assessing your knowledge of learning target SS.HS.KN.ALT.04: I can explain how different ideological movements and philosophies shape politics. Please be ready for this, next class! It is only three questions, but you need to pass it in order to demonstrate proficiency on the learning target. 

Declaration of Independence - Class Recap

The Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan, New York City. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Another "short" week done! Thanks for participating today and for the fun in constructing your new governments. Here's what we did today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
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: “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga & Colby O’Donis. Selected because of MORP this weekend! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/21/14:
News Brief
Declaration of Independence
Creation of a Nation

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

News Brief: Hailey had the news brief today and needs to email me her report with the link for credit.

Declaration of Independence: To start this section, I played Morgan Freeman's introduction in this video:

Then, I passed out a copy of the text of the Declaration of Independence, and asked students to get into groups of two and summarize the first bit of it (up until "He has refused his Assent to Laws") in your own words. We went over this as a class, then looked at the specific reasons outlined to revolt against the King.

Creation of a Nation: Of course, it is not enough to merely declare independence - a new country had to be formed from scratch! There were all sorts of issues with the Articles of Confederation, which formed the first U.S. Government. We looked into some of those, then I had students break up into groups of 4 to start the new nation project. Next class, we will keep working on this some more. The elements required are:

1. A Declaration of Independence (explaining 6-8 reasons for separating the western United States from the rest of the country).

2. A new national flag that symbolizes what your nation stands for. Include a description of all the symbols and colors.

3. A paragraph summary of what influences you used in creating your new constitution.

4. A new Constitution with responses to the following questions: What purpose will this government serve? How will the government be organized? How will you ensure that the government is run correctly? What if it becomes corrupt? What will be done to give each state a fair voice? If there will be voting, who is eligible to vote? Who is eligible to run for office? Is there one person in charge? What powers does that person have, and what happens if they abuse their powers? How much say does each state have in how it governs its own citizens?

Let me know if you need any help with directions on this! Have a great weekend - see you on Tuesday!

Philosophy of Government - Class Recap

The statue of George Washington outside Federal Hall, in New York City. Washington was inaugurated here and this is where the first US capitol was. Monday, we had school off because of Presidents Day, which recognizes Washington's birthday.

Hi everyone,

Thanks for checking in with the blog today! Lots of important information here, especially about Part C of your Historical Investigation. Keep reading!

Learning Targets Addressed:
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: “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac. Selected because it was mentioned as a band someone liked, because of the amount of rain forecast for today, and because I enjoyed reading about your dreams in the letters you wrote to me! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/19/14:
News Brief
Class Unity Activity
Government Philosophy
Work Time

Homework: Finish the philosophy worksheet if you did not in class. Check the blog and post a comment if you have not already done so! Hailey has the next news brief.

News Brief: Chris brought in this article (or video, in this case) for his current event: CNN.com - Is Iran behind new cyber war threats. I talked a bit about this new form of warfare, and how the United States has been involved in the past with attacking Iran's nuclear structure. Here's an article about that, if you are interested: NYTimes.com - Obama Ordered Wave of Cyberattacks Against Iran.

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

Government Philosophy: In order to event start looking at the US government, we need to have some sort of idea about what the philosophy behind it is. Thus, I handed out this reading and worksheet, that most students completed in class. There will be a quiz based on this information in the coming days!

Google Drive - Philosophy of Government Reading

Google Drive - Philosophy of Government Worksheet

Work Time: The rest of the class was devoted to quiet work on the reading. At the end, we went over how the four philosophers in the article (Hobbs, Locke, Montesquieu, and Rousseau) thought about government and how their ideas are possibly represented in the U.S. government.

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!

Introduction Day, Class Recap

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

Hello everyone,

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

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

AGENDA 2/11/14:
Introductions/Attendance
Letter to Class/Mr. Fritz
The Blog
Create Ground Rules
News Briefs (Next Class)

Homework: Check the blog and post a comment!

Introductions/Attendance: At the start of class, I introduced myself and apologized for being two weeks late in arriving to start the semester. Had I known that I would have had a class, I certainly never would have booked the vacation I was on! With all of that said and done, I am absolutely delighted to be at Westview for the rest of this school year.

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

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

After reading the letter aloud, I asked everyone to write back to me in a similar sort of fashion. I gave a bunch of possible questions to answer as prompts and about 30 minutes or so to complete the assignment. I LOVE reading these and writing back to everyone! Thank you for your effort - I can't wait to learn a little bit more about who you are!

The Blog: Next, I introduced this website. If you are here, you have the web address down correctly! I also demonstrated how to post a comment, which is homework. This should take about one minute. Quite possibly the easiest homework assignment of all time. Please remember to keep checking back, especially if you were confused about something in class, or missed a day!

Create Ground Rules: Ahh, yes. The awkward process. You did not do too badly with this! The rules that you came up with and agreed to as an entire class are:

1. Come Prepared
2. Respect
3. Try to Stay Engaged
4. Listen to Others
5. Keep an Open Mind

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

Thank you for reading! See you next class!

Welcome to the Blog!

The United States Capitol in Washington DC. I took this picture while visiting during Spring Break of 2010.

Hello all,

Welcome to the blog for my Government class at Westview in 2014! Before I begin with posting updates, let me give you a little introduction to this website.

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

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

Google Drive: Westview PRIDE Lesson on Plagiarism

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

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

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

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