The Executive Branch, Day 7 - Class Recap

The Statue of Liberty in New York, which is a symbol of immigration to the United States. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Welcome to your Thanksgiving break! Thanks for doing your homework and checking in on the blog to see what we are up to. Today was the last day 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: "Kings and Queens" by 30 Seconds to Mars. Selected for today because of the connection to government, and this song gets me fired up because it reminds me of watching ESPN tennis tournaments. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/25/14:
News Brief – Spencer
Cabinet Presentations
Executive Branch Test
Shibboleth

Homework: Read the blog. Have a great Thanksgiving break! Next news brief: Simzaid.

News Brief: Spencer had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Ferguson, other parts of U.S. on edge after jury opts not to indict Ferguson cop.

We talked somewhat in depth about the news from Ferguson, Missouri last night. I told the class that I would post the Grand Jury interview with Darren Wilson, the officer who shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American male. I also showed this timeline of the event based on the witness testimony, as compiled by the Washington Post. We will continue to talk about how government, structures of power, and race all intersect.

Thanks for the interesting discussion! Simzaid was selected to do the next news brief.

Cabinet Presentations: We finished up with the few groups that did not get the chance to go last time. After this, I had everyone turn in all the work from the cabinet project. I will grade these by next Tuesday!

Executive Branch Test: As promised! I hope that everyone studied and did well. I will also look at the tests for students that attempted the political spectrum target again.

Shibboleth: We didn't have enough time at the end of class, so we kept talking about the Michael Brown case. If we had time, I would have shown n episode of the TV series "The West Wing," which had to do with Thanksgiving, illegal immigration, school prayer, direct democracy, and representative democracy. There were no notes or any other requirement - it was just a relaxing way to end the class after the test and go out to Thanksgiving Break. Here's the funniest scene of the episode, in my opinion:

I remain quite thankful for all of you! Have a wonderful break - see you next week. ;-)

The Executive Branch, Day 6 - Class Recap

The Washington Monument, in Washington, D.C. Named after our first President, George Washington! Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

I enjoyed playing the role of the President today and hearing all of the various different policy proposals for the federal government! Next class, we will finish up with this, then take the Executive Branch test. 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: "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" from The Lion King. Selected for today because I played the role of President Obama in the cabinet presentations! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/21/14:
News Brief – Luke/A-b
Grades Talk
Cabinet Presentations
Study for Test

Homework: 1) Read the blog. Congratulations for doing this!

2) Redo your "Town Hall Review" sheet answers. Specifically, you need to look at question 3. In order to demonstrate proficiency with the learning target, this needed to be much more specific. Please write about how the individual questions and the groups (like CASUA and the Oregon Restaurant Association) had an impact in shaping the government and political process during the Town Hall.

(The target for this is: 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)

3) Study for the executive branch test:

Review the key terms and readings on the Study Guide. For instance, The Presidency reading will help. Also, study the cabinet descriptions reading (blog exclusive). You might want to download the pdf and then rotate the page (because it is in landscape format). Or, just turn your head, I guess)!

Finally, review the Political Spectrum, because that will be on the test again, too. Know the order from left to right: radical, liberal, moderate, conservative, reactionary, and what they believe.

Next news brief: Spencer.

News Brief: Kyle had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: NYTimes.com - Coal Rush in India Could Tip Balance on Climate Change. A tenuous connection to the U.S. government, but important to know about, for sure!

We also talked about President Obama issuing an Executive Order on immigration last night, because of how important that is and relevant to our current study. If you missed the speech, it is here to watch or read: NPR.org - Watch: President Obama's Speech on Immigration.

Thanks for the interesting discussion! Spencer was selected to do the next news brief.

Grades Talk: As mentioned above, I had some feedback about what I wanted from the Town Hall Review. It was probably my bad for not being clearer about the question and what to write about. In any case, I passed back grades for that and all the current events that have been presented so far. So, your grades in Synergy should be up to date as of this morning - obviously, the Cabinet project will be graded soon, as well. :-)

Study for Test: It was a shorter day today, due to the assembly schedule. Again, here is the study guide for the test, which will be 30 multiple choice questions (for LT5) and the political spectrum (for LT4).

Please make sure to ask me if you are at all confused about anything! Have a great weekend!

The Executive Branch, Day 5 - Class Recap

The grounds of the White House and surrounding Washington D.C., as seen from the top of the Washington Monument. Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

We wrapped up our work on the Executive Branch cabinet simulation today. Next class, we will have presentations from all of the various departments, so be prepared! 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: "Princess of China" by Coldplay and Rihanna. Selected for today because a monarchy could be considered as a type of executive (okay, I was stretching it today). Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/19/14:
News Brief – Luke/A-b
The Cabinet
Computer Lab S210

Homework: Read the blog. Study the cabinet descriptions reading (blog exclusive). You might want to download the pdf and then rotate the page (because it is in landscape format). Or, just turn your head, I guess)! Next news brief: Kyle.

News Brief: A-b had the first news brief today and brought in this article to talk about: USAToday.com - Obama to visit Las Vegas — immigration orders imminent? This is an important developing story that we will have to monitor - especially because it comes as we are in the middle of a unit on the Executive Branch! We might have more to talk about with this next week.

Luke brought in his news brief today, as well. Here's what he selected to talk about: CNN.com - Steve King on hostage review: No paying ransom. This is another interesting policy decision. Typically, the United States has always said that we do not negotiate with terrorists. Some countries do (like Germany). We talked a bit about ISIS and the U.S. citizens that have been killed by them.

Thanks, both of you! Kyle was selected to do the next news brief. Not many left to do now!

The Cabinet: After the news brief, we watched this video on how the Presidential Cabinet works (from December 2009):

This is essentially how it is going to look next class, when we do the simulation!

Here's a link to the cabinet project (advising the President) that we worked on in class today:

Google Drive - Presidential Cabinet Assignment Handout

Here are the sign ups for each of the cabinet positions:

- Manuel and Logan - Defense
- Kylie and Jocelyn - Education
- Ariana and Jazmin (+A-b/Sandra) - Health and Human Services
- Brad and Seth - Housing and Urban Development
- Luke and Kyle - Interior
- Amanda and Spencer - Justice
- Abby and Tifani - Labor
- Mathew and Simzaid - State
- Tony and Timothy – Transportation
- Chloe and Katharyn – Treasury
- Enrique and Kerwin – Homeland Security
- Sammy and Brendan – Environmental Protection Agency
-Trish and Abby G. – United Nations
- Jerick and Alfredo – Agriculture

Computer Lab S210: We spent the second part of class in the lab. Next class will be presentations, so please be ready to go!

The Executive Branch, Day 4 - Class Recap

School was canceled for our A Day last week, so today was the first time that class has met in 10 days! This was outside my house in 2008 - nothing like the bit of ice that canceled school this time around!

Dear class,

It was so good to see everyone today! It had been way too long. 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: "Let it Go" from the movie Frozen. Selected for today because of the ice (at least, at my house!) that canceled school last week. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/17/14:
News Brief – A-b
Computer Lab S210

Homework: Read the blog. Study the cabinet descriptions reading (blog exclusive). You might want to download the pdf and then rotate the page (because it is in landscape format). Or, just turn your head, I guess)! Next news brief: A-b (Sandra) and Luke.

News Brief: A-b had the news brief today and did not remember (who can blame her, because it has been so long since we last met). She needs to bring one next class, along with Luke.

We  checked out some of the hilarious responses to Beaverton Schools Superintendent Jeff Rose on twitter: KPTV.com -Beaverton students on superintendent who canceled class: 'Not all heroes wear capes'.

Luke was selected to do the next news brief.

Cabinet Project: Here's a link to the cabinet project (advising the President) that we worked on in class today:

Google Drive - Presidential Cabinet Assignment Handout

Here are the sign ups for each of the cabinet positions:

- Manuel and Logan - Defense
- Kylie and Jocelyn - Education
- Ariana and Jazmin (+A-b/Sandra) - Health and Human Services
- Brad and Seth - Housing and Urban Development
- Luke and Kyle - Interior
- Amanda and Spencer - Justice
- Abby and Tifani - Labor
- Mathew and Simzaid - State
- Tony and Timothy – Transportation
- Chloe and Katharyn – Treasury
- Enrique and Kerwin – Homeland Security
- Sammy and Brendan – Environmental Protection Agency
-Trish and Abby G. – United Nations
- Jerick and Alfredo – Agriculture

Computer Lab S210: We spent the second part of class in the lab. Next time, we will finish in the lab, then be ready to present next class.

The Executive Branch, Day 3 - Class Recap

Then Senator Barack Obama when he visited Portland near the start of his Presidential campaign in 2007.

Dear class,

The last day before a nice long weekend (well, at least for you all - I will still be at Westview on Monday, but I do get Tuesday off). 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: "The War Was in Color" by Carbon Leaf. The reason I chose this song for today is because it is all about a veteran describing war to his grandson. We have Tuesday off of school because of Veteran's Day and it is important that we honor the service of those in our armed forces. Lyrics (which I read part of in class) here.

AGENDA 11/7/14:
News Brief/Election Review – Kylie
The Presidency
The Cabinet
Computer Lab S210

Homework: Read the blog. Study the cabinet descriptions reading (blog exclusive). You might want to download the pdf and then rotate the page (because it is in landscape format). Or, just turn your head, I guess)! Next news brief: A-b (Sandra).

News Brief/Election Review: Kylie had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: Newsweek.com - U.N., U.S. Ask for More Resources to Fight Ebola. We talked about the continued response to the Ebola outbreak. I showed this map that lends some perspective on just how many places in Africa have current Ebola outbreaks.

I also showed the class this story from yesterday: OregonLive.com - ODOT signs $7 million deal for I-5 safety barrier where crossover crash killed Steve Fritz, Cary Fairchild. This is an example of our state government at work. Nobody should have to lose someone like my family lost my dad - we hope that the new barriers will be a big help in preventing crossover accidents in the future.

A-b (Sandra) was selected to do the next news brief.

The Presidency: This was going over the introduction to the Executive Branch. Today we looked at some of the vocabulary stemming from this packet:

Google Drive - The Presidency Reading

Cabinet Project: Here's a link to the cabinet project (advising the President) that we worked on in class today:

Google Drive - Presidential Cabinet Assignment Handout

Here are the sign ups for each of the cabinet positions:

- Manuel and Logan - Defense
- Kylie and Jocelyn - Education
- Ariana and Jazmin (+A-b/Sandra) - Health and Human Services
- Brad and Seth - Housing and Urban Development
- Luke and Kyle - Interior
- Amanda and Spencer - Justice
- Abby and Tifani - Labor
- Mathew and Simzaid - State
- Tony and Timothy – Transportation
- Chloe and Katharyn – Treasury
- Enrique and Kerwin – Homeland Security
- Sammy and Brendan – Environmental Protection Agency
-Trish and Abby G. – United Nations
- Jerick and Alfredo – Agriculture

Computer Lab S210: We spent the second half of class in the lab. Next week, we only meet one day (Thursday) and it is likely that we will spend the entire time in the lab again, with the assignment due to be presented in class the next class after that (Monday, November 17th).

Have a great weekend!

The Executive Branch, Day 2 - Class Recap

The Lincoln Memorial, in Washington, D.C. Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

Today fulfilled a long held dream of mine: to be able to teach a Government class the day after a national election! I really enjoyed going over all of the results and implications with you. 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: "So What" by Miles Davis. Selected for today because we talked about the "So What?" now that the election has happened, as far as what happens next. No lyrics (because it is jazz), but you can listen to the track here, if you want.

AGENDA 11/5/14:
News Brief/Election Review – Abby E.
The Presidency
Cabinet Project
Computer Lab S213

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

News Brief/Election Review: Abby E. had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: OregonLive.com - Recreational marijuana passes in Oregon: Oregon election results 2014. Obviously, this was a big story here in Oregon last night. We talked a lot about Measure 91 in class, including the next steps for when the law goes into effect and what it does. I showed this tweet that has a map of how counties in Oregon voted on Measure 91. We also went over the full election results for the rest of the ballot measures and candidates here in Oregon. I showed another tweet, with a map of county results for Measure 88 (which would have given undocumented immigrants access to get driver's cards).

Nationally, here's a map of how the U.S. Senate became Republican controlled due to a series of wins last night.

There was obviously a LOT to talk about - I'm glad everyone was so interested in what was going on with the election! :-)

Kylie was drawn as the next news brief.

The Presidency: This was going over the introduction to the Executive Branch.

Google Drive - The Presidency Reading

There was a packet in class that has questions related to the reading, along with vocabulary and a debate on the Electoral College.

Cabinet Project: Here's a link to the cabinet project (advising the President) that students will be working on the next few days in class:

Google Drive - Presidential Cabinet Assignment Handout

Since the news brief went extra long today (that's fine - it should have!), we did not have time to go to the computer lab. I did assign the project and which students were doing each cabinet positions, as follows:

- Manuel and Logan - Defense
- Kylie and Jocelyn - Education
- Ariana and Jazmin - Health and Human Services
- Brad and Seth - Housing and Urban Development
- Luke and Kyle - Interior
- Amanda and Spencer - Justice
- Abby and Tifani - Labor
- Mathew and Simzaid - State
- Tony and Timothy – Transportation
- Chloe and Katharyn – Treasury
- Enrique and Kerwin – Homeland Security
- Sammy and Brendan – Environmental Protection Agency
-Trish and Abby G. – United Nations
- Jerick and Alfredo – Agriculture

If you missed class, please come prepared by reading over the assignment and having a position that is not currently taken (look at the second page of the handout for all the different cabinet positions) in mind to start.

See you next class, when we will spend the majority of the time in the computer lab! Thanks!

The 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.

Dear class,

I hope you are visiting the blog today in preparation for next class, and looking forward to the midterm elections on Tuesday! This link will probably have results linked around 8:00 PM on November 4. 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: "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake. Selected because of how poorly the majority of the class did on the legislative branch test. Make sure to study and ask questions if you are confused! Those that did had noticeably higher scores! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/3/14:
News Brief – Timothy/Jazmin
Review Test
Oregon Ballot Measures
The Presidency

Homework: Read the blog. Track one ballot measure that Oregon is voting on in the election on Tuesday and be prepared to talk about the results. Study! Next news brief: Abby E.

News Brief: Timothy had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about in class: CNN.com - Romney: GOP Senate would pass immigration reform. Very topical, with the election upcoming! I talked a little bit about how President Obama's approval rating among Hispanics has dropped by around 20 points. Jazmin remembered to bring her news brief today, too, and selected this story to talk about: OregonLive.com - Brittany Maynard, who moved to Oregon for Death with Dignity act, dies 'as she intended,' agency says. Another very interesting story and relation to the study of government. Thanks to both Timothy and Jazmin! Abby E. was drawn as the next news brief.

Review Test: As I said above, this did not seem to go very well for a large percentage of the class. There will be opportunities to retake the learning targets in the future. Since they are averaged, it still will impact your grade, though. Please be sure to study! Especially when I directly spell out what will be on the test.

Oregon Ballot Measures: For this section, I reviewed the current ballot measures that Oregonians are voting on in this election. Since students asked, and I have no problem informing students where my biases are as a teacher, in order to give you the most complete information in order to make your own decisions, I talked a little bit about my thinking behind each of them. Here's a link to the list of ballot measures, again: Ballotpedia.com - Oregon 2014 Ballot Measures.

Make sure to check in with local TV news, or online, around 8:00 PM on Tuesday! I will be at the Blazers game vs. Cleveland (I try to see LeBron James, who is the best player of the current generation, when he comes to town), but I will be trying to monitor the results, as well!

The Presidency: The last 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

Here is the reading that we ended class with. It is not homework to complete (there is a separate packet of questions that are in class), but be familiar with the basics, as a future test will be based on it!

Google Drive - The Presidency Reading

That was everything for today! Lots to do, for sure. Please be studying and paying attention to the election! See you on Wednesday!