The Rest of the Bill of Rights - Class Recap

Rays of the sun streaming through the flag of the United States, over the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Picture taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Welcome to your weekend! Lots of grading and work for me to do, but I am still looking forward to it, of course. Here's the recap for the day:

Learning Targets Addressed:
SS.HS.KN.ALT.05: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.
SS.HS.CO.ALT.05: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

Soundtrack: “99 Problems (Clean)" by Jay Z. Selected for today because it discusses the various protections that the Bill of Rights offers. Lyrics (which are decidedly NOT clean, but Rap Genius does offer some interesting interpretations of what they mean) here.

AGENDA 2/27/15:
News Brief - Simone
Political Spectrum
Rights of the Accused
The Death Penalty

Homework: Read the blog! Take the Political Spectrum test if you want. Next news brief: Yeli.

News Brief: Simone had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: NYTimes.com -  Move to Ban a Bullet Adds to Its Appeal. We talked about how President Obama might have a hard time getting this idea past the Republican controlled Congress, who, being mostly conservative, usually has a pro-gun stance.

We also addressed the "What Color is this Dress?" controversy. Obviously, it's blue and black.

Yeli was selected to do the next news brief.

Political Spectrum: This was leftover from last class, so we finished it up. Basically, I wanted everyone to have some foundation for knowledge about the different political philosophies we are going to be talking about this semester. If you missed it, the PowerPoint is here:

Google Drive - Political Spectrum PowerPoint 

The last few slides are about the political compass test. If you want to take it, check it out here.

Rights of the Accused: Because I want to get done with the Bill of Rights, today we looked through the details of the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th Amendments. Specifically, I started by looking at the cleaned up lyrics to "99 Problems" by Jay Z, then going through a packet of individual U.S. Supreme Court cases that helped set the scope of the Fourth Amendment. That packet is here:

Google Drive - Fourth Amendment Protections Handout

We went over some case studies and had some more good discussion about various student questions:

Then, I showed this clip to introduce the Fifth Amendment:

This led to another handout, going through the rights of the accused in the United States. We finished the first page of in class (get ahead of the game by reviewing it all as homework):

Google Drive - Rights of the Accused Handout

Next class, on Tuesday, we will finish up with this and really start preparing for the next test, on the Bill of Rights, which will possibly be on Thursday. Have a great weekend!

The Political Spectrum - Class Recap

The African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. The soldiers are carrying guns, which relates to the Second Amendment! Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

We had another good conversation in class today about the first two amendments to the Constitution and looked at the political spectrum. Here's what happened:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
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.

Soundtrack: "Where is the Love?" by The Black Eyed Peas. Selected for today because I think most people could have done a bit better with knowing the material for the last test. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/25/15:
News Brief - Ella
Review Constitution Test/Grades
Tinker v. Des Moines
Second Amendment
Political Spectrum

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Simone (Aldo/Chris).
--
News Brief: After I talked about President Obama's veto of the Keystone XL pipeline bill (which happened yesterday, and is the third veto of his presidency), Ella came in and talked about her news brief today which was about this story: OregonLive.com - Portland approves $15-an-hour minimum wage for full-time city workers, contractors. Since my mom was involved with this vote, it is especially interesting to me! Thanks for selecting the article, Ella.

Simone was selected next for the news brief.

Review Constitution Test/Grades: The overall scores were not too bad, but I know most people could do better, which is why we reviewed the answers together as a class. The first 10 questions were about the philosophy of U.S. Government and the second 10 questions were about the Constitution. Your grades for the class are now posted on the wall near the door, by student ID number.

Tinker v. Des Moines: This is a famous U.S. Supreme Court case about freedom of speech at school - especially in regards to what students are allowed to wear, which is a conversation we have been having at Westview about the dress code. The class was split into groups to talk about the case and do the review questions, then we talked about it as a whole. Ultimately, the justices decided 7-2 that the students protesting the Vietnam War by wearing armbands were within their rights to do so. A summary of the case can be found here.

As part of this section, we also talked about the flag burning case of Texas v. Johnson. A recap of that, which found that burning the flag was a protected form of speech, can be found here.

Second Amendment: This was just an overview of the debate surrounding Second Amendment rights, which mostly have to do with gun laws. I asked for some thoughts on specific issues that the Second Amendment raises, like if we should have the right to own any gun or ammunition. Just remember that this amendment has to do with the ability to own and use guns.

Political Spectrum: At the end of class, we started looking at the political spectrum, which was most of this PowerPoint:

Google Drive - Political Spectrum PowerPoint

Please be familiar with the various different philosophies on the political spectrum! Next class, we will finish this and then talk about the rest of the Bill of Rights, including an analysis of the Jay Z song "99 Problems." See you then!

The First Amendment - Class Recap

I happened to be in Washington D.C. in 2010 when President Obama's healthcare bill was advancing through Congress. There were a lot of angry protesters outside the Capitol, using their First Amendment rights!

Hi everyone,

We had some good discussions today, looking at the first amendment to the United States Constitution. We also began class with a quiz on the Constitution and philosophers. Here's what happened:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
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.

Soundtrack: “Don't Speak" by No Doubt. Selected because today we talked about the First Amendment, which gives the freedom of speech as a right. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/23/15:
News Brief - Katlyn
Constitution Test
First Amendment
Second Amendment

Homework: Read the blog! Get your forecasting done! Next news brief: Aldo (Ella/Chris).
--
News Brief: Katlyn brought in the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: ABCNews.com - Mall of America Heightens Security After al-Shabab Threat. This article addresses the Mall of America in Minnesota, which has a large population of Somali immigrants. This connection (along with the video posted online) has led to heightened security at malls around America. Aldo was selected next for the news brief.

Constitution Test: As promised! I hope that this went well for everyone. I will try to have them graded and entered later today. The first 10 questions were about the philosophy of U.S. Government and the second 10 questions were about the Constitution.

First Amendment:  To start this section, I handed out a worksheet that had a few questions about what students thought about different aspects of the First Amendment. For instance, should burning the US flag be allowed? We debated our answers as a class, which took most of the rest of the period, then did another worksheet (I know, there are a lot of them to begin the semester) about the aspects of the First Amendment. At one point, I was reminded of the issues surrounding the press reporting on my mom, which made me think to show this Congressional record, about my dad!

We ended by looking at Tinker v. Des Moines (we will go into detail with this next class). This is a famous U.S. Supreme Court case about freedom of speech at school. Ultimately, the justices decided 7-2 that the students protesting the Vietnam War by wearing armbands were within their rights to do so. A summary of the case can be found here.

That was it for the day! Lots to do next class! See you then!

The Constitution, Day 2 - Class Recap

Fireworks over Niagara Falls, in 2009. 

Hi everyone,

Thanks for continuing to work on getting to know the Constitution better! I know it may not be the most fun part of class, but it is so important for knowing the foundations of how our government works! 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: "Be Prepared" from The Lion King. Selected for today because you should be prepared for the Constitution test next class. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/19/15:
News Brief - Gabriella
Philosophy Quiz Review
The Constitution
The Bill of Rights

Homework: Read the blog! Prepare for Constitution test next class by studying the handout answers! Next news brief: Chris.

News Brief: Today's article was brought in by Gabriella, who selected this story: StatesmanJournal.com - Bill would give terminal patients access to unapproved drugs. What an interesting story! This really shows how the government can really have a huge impact on people's lives - especially if they are dying of cancer and want one last shot at staying alive.

Quiz Review: After the news brief, I passed out graded quizzes from last class. I actually felt like I was pretty easy on the grading, but the class average was still around a D for it. If you did not hit proficiency, you definitely need to study and retake it, please! If you have not taken it, please find a time to do so soon. You will also have the opportunity on the Constitution test to demonstrate proficiency with the Philosophy target again.

The Constitution: Finally, we went through the worksheet answers about what makes up the U.S. Constitution. I enjoyed all of your questions and trying to explain the answers! Please make sure to study these for the test next class. If you missed class the last two times, here it is to download and fill out by reading the Constitution:

Google Drive: Understanding the Constitution Handout

As I said, here's the reward for checking the blog: a (tough, because I did not specifically ask you this in class) question from the Constitution test:

All of the following are included in the Preamble to the Constitution EXCEPT _____________.
a. establish justice c. the pursuit of happiness
b. provide for the common defense d.  promote the general welfare

The answer would be C.

The Bill of Rights: The first ten amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. To start this section, I showed this clip from The Daily Show, looking at what some people working for FOX News had to say in regards to the Bill of Rights and the Boston Marathon bomber:

The Daily Show
Daily Show Full Episodes,More Daily Show Videos,Comedy Central Full Episodes

After this, we went through the Amendments and tried to put them in our own words. Next class, we will continue this and look more in depth at the first few amendments. All of this is so important - it is how our country runs! See you next week!

The Constitution, Day 1 - Class Recap

The World War I Memorial Stonehenge replica in Goldendale, Washington, overlooking the Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood. Photo taken this past weekend!

Hi everyone,

I enjoyed hearing about your new countries today in class, as we continued to look at the basics of how the United States government works. Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
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.

Soundtrack: "In the End" by Linkin Park. Selected for today because it was the end of the Creation of a Nation assignment. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/17/15:
News Brief – Katlyn/Ella
Creation of a Nation
The Constitution
Bill of Rights

Homework: Read the blog. Next news brief: Gabriella (Katlyn and Ella need to do theirs, too).

News Brief: Because both assigned students were either not prepared or not in class, I presented the news brief today about our Oregon Governor being forced to resign: OregonLive.com - Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber's statement. We talked in class about why Kitzhaber was forced to resign (mostly because of ethical complaints about his fiance using her public role as Oregon First Lady to profit from private companies) and a little about Kate Brown, who will become the next governor on Wednesday at 10 AM. A really interesting and important time in our state government!

Gabriella was selected for the next news brief.

Creation of a Nation: Again, this was creating your own nation, which is a break away of some of the western states from the United States. In groups of 2 or 3, this was the assignment, which we finished working on in class and presented. 

Google Drive - Creation of a Nation Assignment

I enjoyed listening to these presentations and hearing about your proposed ideas for what a new country should look like!

The Constitution: Most of class was devoted to finishing the Creation of a Nation assignment and presenting (briefly) what the groups came up with. At the end, I passed out this handout/worksheet, which looks at different aspects of what makes up the United States Constitution:

Google Drive - Constitution and Bill of Rights Handout

We started this in class by using the books (with the Constitution in the back) in the room. If you want to continue to work on completing this outside of class (I will give more time during next class to finish and go through this together), here is a copy of the Constitution to look at.

The Bill of Rights: We did not get to the Bill of Rights today, so we will look more in depth at this next class. Thanks for your hard work today! I really appreciate your attendance in class and focus!

Articles of Confederation and Creation of a Nation - Class Recap

Crater Lake, which is Oregon's only National Park. Maybe a symbol of your new nation? Photo taken in August 2014.

Hi wonderful students,

Great to see you all again today! It was a quiz and work day in class. Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
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.

Soundtrack: "If I Ruled the World" by Nas and Lauryn Hill. Selected for today because you were creating your own countries today in class!

AGENDA 2/12/15:
News Brief – Kayla
Philosophy Quiz
Articles of Confederation
Creation of a Nation

Homework: Read the blog. Be ready to finish the Creation of a Nation activity next class. Bring a device able to access the internet to see the Constitution. Next news brief: Katlyn.

News Brief: Kayla brought in the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: NYTimes.com - Oregon Governor Says He Will Block Executions. This is actually an article from four years ago, so it does not really count as a current event, but it is still interesting, because of our discussion on the death penalty from Forced Choice. Oregon's governor is actually under quite a lot of criticism recently, so it is possible we will have a future news brief about him!

Katlyn was selected for the next news brief.

Philosophy Quiz: Because I'm a nice guy, I gave the class about five minutes to study for this (even though it was homework to do so). I haven't read the responses yet, but basically, if you knew the four philosophers from the first reading, and knew the basics of the European influences reading, you should have been fine. If you need to finish or retake it, please come see me on your own time (like a Study Hall, or first or second lunch).  I will grade these and get them back to you as soon as I can - it will count as an assessment opportunity for LT7.

Articles of Confederation: Next up, we had a brief lecture in class about the early foundations of the United States government and some of the forms of government in the world. The Articles of Confederation was the first way that the country was organized, and we looked at how it was not good enough to really keep the states together in any coherent way. Here's the reading notes that I passed out in class:

Google Drive: Forms of Government and Articles of Confederation Handout

Please keep this and study it for future use!

Creation of a Nation: The last activity we did today in class was to start thinking about creating your own nation, which is a break away of some of the western states from the United States. In groups of 2 or 3, this is the assignment, which we will finish working on next class and present. Again, I want every group to make a flag for their new country, because flags are awesome. Please see the document for specifics as to what each group member should do.

Google Drive - Creation of a Nation Assignment

Next class, we will continue with this and then move on to studying the Constitution. Please try to have a device that is able to access it. Thanks! See you next class!

Declaration of Independence - Class Recap

The Parthenon, which is a part of the Acropolis in Athens. We learned today about Greek democracy influencing the United States government! Photo taken in July, 2014.

Dear class,

Even though it was more of a work day today, it was nice to see everyone and learn a bit more class content! Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets:
Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
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.

Soundtrack: "GDFR" by Flo Rida. Selected for today because it was "Going Down For Real" when the United States declared independence from Great Britain, in 1776.

AGENDA 2/10/15:
News Brief – Sophia
Debrief Forced Choice
European Influences
Declaration of Independence

Homework: Read the blog. Study for philosophy and European influences quiz next class. Next news brief: Ella (again) and Kayla.

News Brief: Sophia brought in the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - Same-sex couples wed in Alabama despite efforts to block them. Really interesting story, because it relates to the law in the United States. Basically, the state of Alabama's Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has told county officials there to not enforce the law that the United States Supreme Court said it needed to. We will learn about this later, but federal law usually trumps (is higher than) state law in the US. I showed the map in this article to check out the different counties in Alabama as far as where issuing of same sex marriage licenses is occurring: WashingtonPost.com - Judicial defiance in Alabama: Same-sex marriages begin, but most counties refuse.

A very interesting and relevant article! Thanks, Sophia! Ella and Kayla have the next news briefs.

Debrief Forced Choice: I enjoyed hearing thoughts about how the activity last week went. Generally, people liked hearing each other's thoughts and seeing where people stood on various issues. I will continue looking at your reflections and grade them for the communication target.

European Influences: In order to progress up to the Declaration of Independence, we first had to look at some of the key ideas that influenced the foundation of our country. This was a four page reading and some associated questions, that I gave work time in class for, then we talked about it together. If you missed class, or lost your copy, here they are again to see:

Google Drive - European Influences on the United States Government Reading

Google Drive - European Influences Reading Questions

Use this reading and your answers to study for the upcoming quiz!

Declaration of Independence: At the end of class, we looked at the Declaration of Independence (which is what started the United States) and tried to put the first couple of paragraphs of it into our own words, like a break up letter. These were pretty funny - thanks for your effort! Next time, we will look into the document with more detail, check out the Articles of Confederation, then try and create your own new country, using the information that you've learned about so far in class.

Thanks for your work and effort in class, and for doing your homework in reading the blog! :-)

Forced Choice, Day 2 - Class Recap

This is what the inside of the United States Capitol building dome looks like, in Washington, D.C. The Capitol is where Congress meets to debate legislation!

Hi everyone,

Today, we wrapped up the Forced Choice activity, which took most of class. There were some really valuable discussions and insights that were shared about how we think the world should operate! Here's the class recap for the day:

Learning Targets: 
Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

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.

Soundtrack: "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones. Selected for today because I was playing "devil's advocate" for the different issues we were debating. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/6/15:
News Brief – Kelsey
Forced Choice
Reflection
European Influences

Homework: Read the blog. Keep working on the European Influences handout and questions. The next news brief is assigned to Ella.

News Brief: Kelsey selected this article to talk about today: CNN.com - What will Putin do if U.S. arms Ukraine? We talked about the interesting decisions that the United States needs to make with Ukraine and Russia, and specifically, how President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry will respond. Thanks, Kelsey! Ella, you are next up.

Forced Choice: Again, a continuation of the activity that we started last class. This time, we hit a variety of questions from 5-10, here:

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. Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere.

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. I agree with the death penalty for convicted murderers.

9. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

10. Democracy is always the best form of government for anywhere in the world.

I had the class answer the questions and choose YES or NO to each of them. Then, we split up the class so that two sides were facing each other. With each question, students moved to the side they felt best represented their opinion on the matter.

Today's class was interesting! One of the discussion points had to do with the cost of the Death Penalty, and I said I would link to an article about how it costs the taxpayers of Oregon roughly 10 times more to prosecute death penalty cases, over a murder without a death penalty possibility. Here is that article: OregonLive.com - Can Oregon Afford the Death Penalty?

Super interesting!

Reflection: The prompt at the end of class (the rest of the time was just for writing) was this: 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?

The learning target that is being assessed for this one is: Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.

European Influences: When everyone was done with the reflection, the rest of class was devoted to continuing to look at the European Influences in the United States Government. Here are the links to this again:

Google Drive: European Influences Reading Handout

Google Drive: European Influences Reading Questions

We will finish this together next class and continue looking at the foundations of the United States government. See you next week!

Forced Choice, Day 1 - Class Recap

Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is where the United States Constitution was debated and signed. We did some debating today in class and will continue to do so next time!

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the excellent discussions today in class and for reading the blog! Here's what happened:

Learning Targets: 
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.

Soundtrack: “Waiting on the World to Change" by John Mayer. Selected because the issues we were talking about today could change the world. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/4/15:

News Brief – Sophia/Ashton

European Influences

Forced Choice

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

News Brief: Both Sophia and Ashton were absent from class today, so I filled in again and talked about the vaccine debate in the United States, which was brought to national prominence again by an outbreak of measles (an entirely preventable disease, if people get their vaccinations) in Disneyland. Here's an article about this story: CNN.com - CDC: 102 measles cases in January, most stemming from Disney outbreak.

European Influences: I just wanted to pass this out, so that students who want to work ahead can see what we will be doing after the debate. Here are the two handouts that go along with these (we will come back to them later).

Google Drive - European Influences on the United States Government Reading

Google Drive - European Influences Reading Questions

Use this reading and your answers to study for an upcoming quiz!

Forced Choice: One of my favorite activities of the year. I had the class answer the following questions and choose YES or NO to each of them. Then, we split up the class so that two sides were facing each other. With each question, students moved to the side they felt best represented their opinion on the matter. The questions were:

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. Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere.

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. I agree that the death penalty should be an option for convicted murderers.

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 only made it through question 4 today, so I will pick and choose next class as to which questions we will discuss and debate, before writing a reflective piece about the experience. I love these discussions and I think we did a great job of following the Ground Rules that we established at the beginning of the year. Thank you for your participation! Be ready to keep talking next time. If you have any further thoughts, please post them in the comments!

Philosophy of Government, Day 2 - Class Recap

The ball of yarn that we used in class today for the Class Unity Activity! Thanks for participating in this!

Dear class,

I enjoyed getting to know you all a bit better today! We had a productive time with the yarn activity and learning more about the philosophy of government. 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: "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus. Selected for today because we used a ball of yarn to talk about our family background! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/2/15:
News Brief - Ashton
Class Unity Activity
Crash Course Government
Philosopher Reading

Homework: Finish the philosophy reading and questions if you did not in class. Read the blog and post a comment (if you have not already). Sophia has the next news brief.

News Brief: Ashton was not present today in class, so we talked a little bit about the Super Bowl and our weekends, then moved on. Sophia was randomly selected to do the next news brief.

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.

Crash Course Government: When we returned to the class, we watched this video (which had a LOT of concepts, I know) as another introduction to Government:

Philosopher Reading: For the last part of class, I passed out this reading about the four philosophers and a handout to answer with the reading, that asked you to summarize the different ideas for the purpose of government, the role of government in people's lives, and ideas that are included in the current U.S. government. Here they are again if you lost your copy or missed class today:

Google Drive: Philosophers of Government Reading

Google Drive: Philosophers of Government Handout

We finished class by discussing the reading and the philosophers. Not the most amazing material, I know. We do need to learn it, and at least we had some fun getting up and outside the classroom for a bit! See you next class!