The Executive Branch, Day 1 - Class Recap

The White House, in Washington, DC, where the head of the Executive Branch of the United States government lives. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

I am not sure about you, but I have a To Do list that is about a mile long at this point. I do like writing the blogs, though! It reminds me of everything we did today in class and makes me think of how it all went. In this case, I think it went well! Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
SS.HS.CR.ALT.03: I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
SS.HS.RE.ALT.05: I can effectively conduct and apply research.
SS.HS.KN.ALT.02: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
SS.HS.CO.ALT.05: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: “The Times They Are a-Changin’” by Bob Dylan. Selected because we are changing to a new unit and this is a very famous song about American society changing. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/17/14:
News Brief
Review Test
The Executive Branch Overview
Cabinet Project

Homework: Missing and/or late work to me by next Wednesday for progress report grades. Read the blog! Next news brief: Anab.

News Brief: Marco was not in class today, so we did not (yet again!) have a news brief.

Review Test: I passed back the legislation test and we went over the answers together as a class. Generally, this seemed to go pretty well. The real struggle for many of you was in the flow chart of how a bill becomes a law, which I had posted here on the blog before the test multiple times. Here is the breakdown for proficiency scores:

4 = 44-39 correct
3 = 38-33
2 = 32-27
1 = 26-0

The Executive Branch Overview: The start of another branch of government to be learning about! This involved going through a reading together and answering some related questions. I do not have electronic copies of these - if you missed class (as many students today did), please pick them up next time.

Cabinet Project: The project is about advising the President (me, in this case) about a specific cabinet department's concerns. Students split off into groups and decided on what department they wanted to represent. Next class, we will start researching the departments and creating a recommendation! This assignment hits four learning targets, so it is really important for your success that you come to class and prepare for your presentation. Here is the link to the electronic copy of the assignment:

Google Drive: Executive Branch - Cabinet Project

Have a great weekend!