Philosophy of Government, Day 1 - Class Recap

A statue of our first President, George Washington (I hope you knew that on the Citizenship test today), outside Federal Hall in New York City. Photo taken in 2009.

Hi everyone,

Welcome to your first weekend of the semester! I am definitely looking forward to resting up a bit after a frenetic start this week - even four days was a lot. Here's 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: "Talk" by Coldplay. Selected for today because we did a lot of talking about the basics of the government today in class. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/29/15:
News Brief - Julia
Citizenship
Government Overview
Philosophy

Homework: Read the blog and post a comment (if you have not already). Ashton has the next news brief. Have a great weekend!

News Brief: Julia had the news brief today and did an excellent job leading us off, with this article: Reuters.com - U.S. says 9.5 million people enroll for 2015 Obamacare insurance. We talked about what Obamacare is, and about how healthcare coverage was (and is, but it is decreasing) a huge expenditure in the United States. A super interesting way to start off the day and discussion. Thanks, Julia! Ashton, you are next up.

Citizenship: To get into looking at our government, I played this video of high school students trying to answer questions about social studies:

We laughed at some of the responses, then I flipped the script and had the class try and citizenship test!

Here was the pre-test that I passed out in class. All sorts of good questions about how the U.S. government is structured and works.

Google Drive: United States Government Citizenship Test

I believe Zoey and Evita were our high scorers, with 25 correct out of 30. We definitely have work to do!

Government Overview: Next up, I had the class do another another pre-assessment. The questions were:

1. What is the purpose of government?
2. What does a government do?
3. What role should the government play in people’s lives?
4. What do you know about the structure of the United States government? Draw a web!

We had a good discussion about all of this (we will get into specific details and cases here soon). Thanks!

Philosophy: I wanted to start looking at some of the philosophers of government during the Enlightenment period. Here's the PowerPoint we went through (we only did slides 6-9 today, and I won't go over the entire presentation, so just focus on those for now):

Google Drive: Philosophers of Government PowerPoint

All in all, a pretty packed day! Thanks for hanging in there and for reading the blog. Have a great weekend - see you next week!

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 Government, 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 1/27/15:
Introductions/Attendance
Syllabus/Grades
The Blog
Letter to Class/Mr. Fritz
Create Ground Rules
News Briefs

Homework: Check the blog and post a comment! Next news brief: Julia

Introductions/Attendance: At the start of class, I introduced myself and how the agenda on the whiteboard works. I am absolutely delighted to be your teacher at Westview this 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!

Syllabus/Grades: I know that this is not the most exciting content in class. I wanted to make sure to go over some of the real key points to the syllabus (like where I am, how to contact me, how your grade is decided, and the need to bring a binder to class). Here are electronic copies of the syllabus and rubrics:

Google Drive: Westview Government Syllabus 2014-15

The rubrics that will be used for the course and grades:

Google Drive: Westview Government Learning Targets and Rubrics 2014-15

If you or your parents have any questions about any of this, please let me know!

The Blog: As part of the syllabus, I introduced this website: the class blog! This is seriously so important for your success in this class. If you are staying up to date on here, reviewing what happened in class to get ready for the next meeting, and asking questions if you need help, I guarantee that you will be more successful than if you do not. Make sure to leave a comment at least once (the easiest homework assignment of all time for most students, I believe), so I know you are able to!

Letter to Class/Mr. Fritz: After the syllabus talk 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!

News Brief: This is the current event style assignment that everyone will do at least once. If you have had a previous class of mine, it is a little different - you actually have a write up to do. Here's a link to the format for the write up (it is also on the left side of this website, under the Ground Rules):

Google Drive - Government Current Event Forms

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. Respect Others 2. Listen 3. Be Prepared 4. Involve Yourself 5. Give Your Best Effort
 

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 dawn of a new day and semester over Westview!

Hello everyone,

Welcome to the Government bog for my class at Westview during the 2014-15 school year! Before I begin with posting updates via class recaps, 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, so that I can follow up with you in person) by selecting "Name/URL" on the right, underneath the comment box. 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 syllabus that I passed out in class.

Google Drive: Westview Government Syllabus 2014-15

Here is a link to the rubrics that will be used for the course and grades:

Google Drive: Westview Government Learning Targets and Rubrics 2014-15

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! :-)

Finals - Class Recap

Congratulations, everyone! You are done with Government for this semester! Photo taken at Niagara Falls in 2010.

Dear class,

I really loved being your teacher this semester. It was a challenging time for me personally, and you all were fantastic and working hard and keeping class an enjoyable place to come to in the morning. Thank you! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 1: I can demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between citizens and their governments.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.
Research LT 5: I can effectively conduct and apply research. 

Soundtrack: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. I always choose this song for the last soundtrack of a class I am teaching, because I remain so thankful for all of you! I read part of the lyrics at the start of class.

AGENDA 1/21/15:
News Brief – Timothy
Final
State/Local Discussion
Reflection

Homework: Have a great rest of the year! Say hi to me in the halls! :-)

News Brief: Mathew had the news brief today and talked about last night's State of the Union address by President Obama to Congress and the country. I wish I had made this homework to watch! In any case, here it is if you want to watch or read it. It is such an interesting speech, every year!

Final: This was 100 questions, multiple choice. I think it took a bit longer to complete than in past years, but that is okay. I am looking forward to seeing how everyone did! Grades are due by next Tuesday morning, I believe.

State/Local Discussion: Due to the length of the final, we did not have time to talk about your State and Local government projects, to my great chagrin! I asked that they all be turned in to me, and I will read through them all in the coming days. I hope this was at least interesting and compelling as a project that could make a difference in your community!

Reflection: As the class was winding to a close, I passed out a final reflection prompt, about how the class went, what you learned, and what you will remember (if anything) five years from now. I always enjoy reading these, as well.

Thank you all so much for your hard work! See you around! :-)

State and Local Government and Finals Prep, Day 4 - Class Recap

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington D.C. Photo taken in 2011.

Dear class,

I really enjoyed our last day before finals! It was great to review some of the State and Local government material and play Jeopardy to review for the final. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 1: I can demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between citizens and their governments.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.
Research LT 5: I can effectively conduct and apply research. 

Soundtrack: "Pride (In the Name of Love)" by U2. Selected for today because the song is about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We have Monday off of school to honor Dr. King, and I showed this website in class to encourage students to do some sort of community service on Monday (as the day has increasingly been about). Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/16/15:
News Brief – Mathew
State/Local Review
Finals Jeopardy
Study for Test

Homework: Read the blog. All late/missing/incomplete/make up work due by TUESDAY. State/Local paper due on finals day. Next news brief: Timothy (does not need to write anything for it).

News Brief: Mathew had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about: CNN.com - Snyder bucks NRA, vetoes gun bill. This was actually the governor of Michigan (not Washington, as mentioned in class), but was a great example of state government decision making.

Timothy was selected to do the next (last) news brief.

State/Local Review: We went through the State and Local government reading and answers together, as some of these will be on the final test. Make sure to review your answers from this! If you were not in class today, be sure to complete it on your own and ask others to check your answers.

Finals Jeopardy: Here's a link to the Jeopardy game that we played in class!

Google Drive - Finals Jeopardy Review PowerPoint

The first four categories contain questions that will actually be on the test. Obviously, questions about myself or the class itself will not be on the final.

Study for Test: At the end of class, I passed out a study guide (two sides) that explained the basics of what to study for and the learning targets associated with the test.

Google Drive - Government Study Guide for Finals

That was it for today! Thanks for your hard work! It has been such a pleasure to be your teacher! :-)

State and Local Government, Day 3 - Class Recap

With my friend Tyler, my mom, and my brother at the College Football National Championship Game in Texas, on Monday!

Hi everyone,

It was great to be back teaching today, after missing the first two days of the week to see Oregon play! Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 1: I can demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between citizens and their governments.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.
Research LT 5: I can effectively conduct and apply research. 

Soundtrack: "Love Loss Hope Repeat" by Carbon Leaf. Selected for today because of Oregon losing on Monday. It was a wonderful season, for sure! I was really happy to get to witness so much of it. I look forward to many more years of attending Oregon football games, regardless of the outcome. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/14/15:
News Brief – Alfredo
State/Local Readings
Computer Lab S213

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in your citizenship paper if you did not already! State/Local paper due on finals day. Bring your materials to study for the final next class! Next news brief: Mathew

News Brief: Alfredo had the news brief today and talked about the continuing story with terrorism in France. Mathew asked to do the next news brief.

State/Local Readings: This is the last reading/overview of the class! We will go over it together on Friday.There are copies of this handout (it is somewhat lengthy, with questions on top) in class, on the desk.

The final assignment for the class is this project, which is a two page paper, with at least MLA citations, about a local issue that you care about. It will be due in class on finals day, and you will probably be asked to give a short (like a minute or two). Here's the handout:

Google Drive: State and Local Government Final Project

Computer Lab S213: This was the last in class time time to work on finishing the Citizenship paper (if you have not already turned it in) and State/Local paper, to be able to demonstrate proficiency again with LT 1. Here are the assignments:

Google Drive: Citizenship Paper Assignment

 Google Drive - State/Local Government Project Paper

Please be reading through and answering the questions on the State/Local government packet, so we can go through it together on our last class before finals, on Friday

See you on Friday! We will review, play Jeopardy, and I will hand out a Study Guide for finals.

State and Local Government, Day 2 - Class Recap

Today, I assigned the State/Local final project, in which students are asked to think about ways they can positively impact the community. I took this picture in Portland, in 2009. 

Dear class,

As we get closer to the end of the semester, we have quite a lot of work to do! As such, there is a lot to cover. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 1: I can demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between citizens and their governments.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.
Research LT 5: I can effectively conduct and apply research. 

Soundtrack: "So What" by Miles Davis. This is a jazz track with no lyrics. Selected for today because we should be getting into the importance of United States citizenship. So what? It's a big deal! :-)

AGENDA 1/8/15:
News Brief – Chloe
State/Local Assignment
Citizenship Paper
Computer Lab S219

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in your citizenship paper if you did not already! Next news brief (just find an article related to government - no write up needed): Tifani

News Brief: Chloe was not in class at the start, so we did not have a news brief section today. Tifani volunteered to do the next one.

State/Local Assignment: This is the last reading/overview of the class! We will go over it together next week - probably on Friday. Make the citizenship paper and State/Local project higher priority, as you are in the computer lab the next few classes, researching and typing. There are copies of this handout (it is somewhat lengthy, with questions on top) in class, on the desk.

The final assignment for the class is this project, which is a two page paper, with at least MLA citations, about a local issue that you care about. It will be due in class on finals day, and you will probably be asked to give a short (like a minute or two). Here's the handout:

Google Drive: State and Local Government Final Project

Citizenship Paper/Computer Lab S219: This was time to work on finishing the Citizenship Paper, to be able to demonstrate proficiency again with LT 1. Here's the assignment:

Google Drive: Citizenship Paper Assignment

This was due at the end of class. Next class, you will have Mr. Smith as your substitute, and you will be going to S213 Computer Lab. In the lab, you should be working on research and typing your State/Local government project paper. If you are somehow able to get done with that in one class, please be reading through and answering the questions on the State/Local government packet.

Thanks, everyone! See you next Wednesday, which will be another lab day, to finish your State/Local project!

State and Local Government, Day 1 - Class Recap

I hope everyone had a great Winter Break! I started 2015 by watching Oregon win the Rose Bowl, in Pasadena, California, with my mom and brother!

Welcome back, everyone!


It was really great to see you all today in class. I'm thankful that I have a job that I am so excited to come back to after Winter Break, to see everyone! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 1: I can demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between citizens and their governments.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.
Research LT 5: I can effectively conduct and apply research. 

Soundtrack: "Welcome Back" by Ma$e. Selected for obvious reasons. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/6/15:
News Brief – Mr. Fritz
Review Judicial Branch Test
State/Local Government
Citizenship Paper
Computer Lab S213

Homework: Read the blog. Keep working on your citizenship paper! Next news brief (just find an article related to government - no write up needed): Chloe

News Brief: I started off class by checking in about Winter Break, then talked about this article as my news brief for a recent story affecting our government: CNN.com - Tsarnaev trial starts: 13 things to keep in mind. Slow justice! The Boston Marathon bombing was almost two years ago, and the trial is just now starting, with jury selection (which could be very challenging, due to the amount of people that could be biased against Tsarnaev due to being impacted by the bombing).

Review Judicial Branch Test: I wanted to be sure to go back to what we learned before the break, about the Judicial Branch of the US government. So, we went through the answers from the test, just as a refresher. Some of them may appear on your final!

State/Local Government: Today, we started our work with State and Local government unit (our last main one before the end of the semester). To begin, I had students do a simple fill-in-the-blank overview of the main concepts. The completed form is here:

Google Drive: State/Local Government Completed Overview

This was meant as a general overview. We will get into some specifics in the coming days.

Citizenship Paper/Computer Lab S213: This is meant as a short assignment, just so be able to demonstrate proficiency again with LT 1. Here's the assignment (which will probably be due at the end of next class):

Google Drive: Citizenship Paper Assignment

Again, I am just looking to see that you can identify and explain the basics of rights and responsibilities as a United States citizen. We will have time next class to finish this up, then move on to looking in depth at State and Local government.