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!