The Legislative Branch, Day 4 - Class Recap

A picture that I took on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa (the tallest building in the world) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates during Spring Break. I used my dad;s camera (a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which is super nice) and a 15mm fisheye lens to make it look like the world was a city. Fun effect!

Dear class,

Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you enjoyed the week off from school. Now there is plenty of work for all of us to get back to! Here's what we did today 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.

Soundtrack: "Jai Ho" by A.R. Rahman. Selected for today because I was in India over Spring Break, and this song is from Slumdog Millionaire, which is a movie set in India.

AGENDA 3/30/15:
News Brief
Spring Break
Bill Simulation
Washington's Gridlock

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

News Brief: I had the next brief today, because it was a long Spring Break. Here's the article that I chose to talk about: NYTimes.com - Iran Backs Away From Key Detail in Nuclear Deal. This week is the latest deadline for a diplomatic agreement between Iran and some major powers in the world - especially the United States, when it comes to Iran's nuclear program. Iran says that it is for peaceful energy purposes, while many in the world believe they are trying to make a nuclear bomb. In any case, these are very high stakes negotiations!

Dorian was assigned the next news brief.

Spring Break: I asked the class if there was anything interesting or noteworthy that happened over Spring Break. It is always nice to check in with everyone about what you are up to outside our classroom! As part of this, I showed a few photos from my trip to Dubai, India, and Nepal. It was a lot of travel and I am still gaining my feet back! Still, I love exploring the world and teaching about it, too!

Bill Simulation: This took the rest of class to do, especially as we combined with Ms. Nelson's class again. Our class simulated the House of Representatives. I broke the class up into two different committees, then two different sub-committees within those committees. We debated various different proposals in the sub-committees, which then put forth the best idea to the committees, which then selected one for debate with the other half of class.

The two proposals that we took upstairs were about school dress codes and school starting times. It ended up that the dress code was passed, but vetoed by Ms. Nelson, then the Congress overrode the veto. We also heard various proposals from Ms. Nelson's class, which acted as the Senate. Great job by Chris for being Speaker of the House! :-)

That was it for today. Thanks for your participation! Welcome back!

The Legislative Branch, Day 3 - Class Recap

My Spring Break is full of 18,841 miles worth of flying! Portland to Seattle to Dubai to Delhi, India to Kathmandu, Nepal. Plus various activities on the ground in those places, too. This was from the $400 round trip ticket to India that I bought last October. It will be a fun adventure! If you want, follow along on Twitter and/or Instagram!

Hi everyone,

Welcome to Spring Break! I am very excited, as I hope you are, too! Today was a change of plans, in that we did not do the Congressional simulation, due to Ms. Nelson not being at Westview today. So, we continued to work on the Reps in Congress packet and made bill proposals. Here's what we did in the last class before the break:

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.

Soundtrack: "Roam" by The B-52's. Selected for today because of my encouragement to explore the world around you, even if you are staying at home during Spring Break! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/19/15:
News Brief – Evita
Spring Break
Reps in Congress
Computer Lab S210

Homework: Read the blog. Have a great Spring Break! Finish the Oregon representatives handout. Make bill proposals.

News Brief: Evita had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: OregonLive.com - Child care subsidies would be available to more parents under House Bill 2015. We talked about the importance of childcare for both children and parents, and had a short discussion about whether or not it was worth paying more taxes for.

I also talked about this story from today, where President Obama brought up the concept of mandatory voting (people over 18 who did not vote would be subject to fines or even possibly jail time): CNN.com - Obama: Maybe it's time for mandatory voting. This is super interesting to me as a teacher. I wonder what it would do to our democracy! Obviously, increased participation is good (we have a very low rate right now). However, if uninformed/apathetic people were forced to make decisions, would that really help us? It's hard to know!

There is no assigned next news brief for the class after Spring Break, because I thought it would be hard to remember to do. :-)

Spring Break: I wanted to check in and see what everyone was looking forward to as far as Spring Break. I have been particularly looking forward to this Spring Break for a long time. It should be a really fun one! That said, if I expect you to work, I will also be here for you in answering emails and comments when I can!

Reps in Congress: Next, it was time to learn more about who serves Oregon as representatives in Congress at the federal level. Here is the handout that I passed out in class:

Google Drive - Oregon Representatives in Congress Handout

The main point here is to know who our representatives are and what they believe. There was another page to start, which was on the demographics of the 114th Congress - pick that up in class, if you missed it.

Make Bill Proposals: Here are the questions I want you to answer for your bill proposals, before next class:

1. What are you proposing?
2. Who will it impact?
3. When will it begin or end?
4. Where (which states) will be impacted?
5. Why should this bill pass?
6. How much will it cost?

We will have an interesting simulation where one of the government classes is the House of Representatives, and the other is the Senate!

Computer Lab S210: For the rest of the class, we were in the computer lab, working on the Oregon representatives handout and bill proposals.

Have a wonderful Spring Break, everyone! See you later this month!

The Legislative Branch, Day 2 - Class Recap

This image of the US Capitol Building is actually the background for this blog! Photo taken in 2010.

Dear class,

Today, we talked about the long weekend and your overall excellent Bill of Rights Quiz scores! We also started up with looking at the Oregon congressional delegation. Here's the recap for 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.

Soundtrack: "World Peace" by Rihanna. Selected for today because I am wishing the juniors peace for their ACT tomorrow. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/16/15:
News Brief – Joselyne
Reps in Congress
Make Bill Proposals
Computer Lab S219

Homework: Read the blog. Finish the Oregon representatives handout. Make bill proposals. Next news brief: Evita.

News Brief: Joselyne had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: FoxNews.com - Police arrest Missouri man, 20, in shooting of two officers in Ferguson. Obviously, Ferguson has been a huge ongoing presence in the news. This relates especially to the debate about guns that we have been looking into in class!

Evita volunteered for the next news brief.

Oregon Representatives: Next, it was time to learn more about who serves Oregon as representatives in Congress at the federal level. Here is the handout that I passed out in class:

Google Drive - Oregon Representatives in Congress Handout

The main point here is to know who our representatives are and what they believe. There was another page to start, which was on the demographics of the 114th Congress - pick that up in class, if you missed it.

Make Bill Proposals: I apologize that I did not do this before we went to the Computer Lab, but here are the questions I want you to answer for your bill proposals, before next class:

1. What are you proposing?
2. Who will it impact?
3. When will it begin or end?
4. Where (which states) will be impacted?
5. Why should this bill pass?
6. How much will it cost?

We will have an interesting simulation where one of the government classes is the House of Representatives, and the other is the Senate!

Computer Lab S219: For the rest of the class, we were in the computer lab, working on the Oregon representatives handout.

Thanks for your work on this! See you next class!

Bill of Rights Test and Legislative Branch - Class Recap

The United States Capitol Building, which is where Congress (the Legislative Branch of the US) meets. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Another quiz today! I hope it went well for everyone. Thanks again for your hard work! We also got started with a unit on the legislative branch. Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Knowledge LT 1: I can demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between citizens and their governments.
Knowledge LT 4: I can explain how different ideological movements and philosophies shape politics.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "At the Beginning" from Anastasia. Selected for today because we are the start of a new unit: the Legislative Branch. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/11/15:
News Brief - Bryant
Finish Death Penalty
Bill of Rights Test
Legislative Branch Overview

Homework: Read the blog. Study how a bill becomes a law handout - be prepared to write your own bill next class! Next news brief: Joselyne.

News Brief: Bryant, Yeli, Aldo, and Chris all need to do news briefs, because they have yet to turn it in to me, or speak about an article in class. Please come prepared!

Finish Death Penalty: To start the class, we finished reading the article about the death penalty (which specifically relates to the Eighth Amendment's ban on "cruel and unusual punishment"), which I passed out last class. Afterwards, I asked a few students to talk about their thoughts on the debate and what it makes them

Bill of Rights Test: We prepared for this the past few classes, as well as a bit before the class. Thank you for giving your best effort on this! We will go over the results together next class.

Legislative Branch Overview: This was a handout that went through some of through some of the specifics of the legislative process, like what the legislative branch does and who makes it up. After this pre-assessment opportunity, we looked more in depth at the Legislative Branch, using a handout (see below). Please review the flow chart on page two, specifically. You will eventually be tested on that and we are going to work through that process together in a simulation next week:

Google Drive - How a Bill Becomes a Law Handout

Please make sure to review this! Thank you - see you next week!

Bill of Rights Review - Class Recap

The Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro station in Washington, D.C. Most subway stations in D.C. look like this! Photo taken in 2010.

Dear class,

I had fun today with Jeopardy and learning more about the Bill of Rights! 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: "Marry the Night" by Lady Gaga. Selected for today because, due to setting our clocks forward an hour, it was so dark out this morning! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/9/15:
News Brief - Zoey
Amendment Review
Jeopardy
Death Penalty

Homework: Read the blog! Study for upcoming quiz on amendments and rights. Next news brief: Bryant.

News Brief: Zoey brought in the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - Sen. Bob Menendez: 'I am not going anywhere'. This is interesting in that it is a case of the Justice Department (actually part of the Executive Branch) enforcing laws against the Legislative Branch and accusing one of its members of wrongdoing. Basically, Senator Menendez, who represents New Jersey, is accused (or will be soon) of selling political favors. Thanks, Zoey!

Bryant was selected to do the next news brief.

Amendment Review: Since the quiz will be next class, I wanted to go over the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution again. I wanted students to write in their own words what each amendment was, and the importance of them. To help with that, I showed some of the TIME magazine online videos on the Bill of Rights. If you wanted to see them again, here's a link to the First Amendment.

Jeopardy: To review some of what we have learned so far in the class, we played Jeopardy to review the main concepts. Here's a link if you wanted to see the presentation again:

Google Drive - Constitution Jeopardy Review Jeopardy PowerPoint

If you are wanting clarification on anything, please let me know!

Death Penalty: At the end of class, we went through looking at an article looking at the death penalty in the United States. This has to do with the Eighth Amendment and the right against cruel and unusual punishment. Here's the article if you missed class (we got about three pages in):

Google Drive: The Death Penalty Debate

Next class, you will be taking the Bill of Rights quiz (know the amendments and how they apply to you!) and then beginning the Legislative Branch unit.

Talk with Deputy Hallford - Class Recap

Today, we had a conversation with the police officer on duty at Westview, who has the job of watching everything like an eagle to make sure all runs smoothly! Photo taken in 2008.

Hi everyone,

I hope that you, like me, really enjoyed our time with SSO Deputy Hallford today during class! 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: “Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado. Selected for today because we learned more about your rights, in talking with Deputy Hallford. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/5/15:
News Brief - Thomas
Talk with Jamie
Death Penalty
Amendment Review

Homework: Read the blog! Study for upcoming quiz on amendments and rights. Next news brief: Zoey.

News Brief: Thomas did look an article, but needs to do his write up for it (also, Yeli, Chris, and Aldo all have current events to do). The story Thomas selected to talk about was this one: CNN.com - Hillary Clinton asks State to release emails: What you need to know. Basically, what happened is that Hillary Clinton used her own email server (not a public email address) while she was Secretary of State (which has the job of relationships with other countries). This is a big deal for many who believe that her emails should be open, so that the public knows how the government is working. An interesting story, for sure!

Zoey was selected to do the next news brief.

Talk With Jamie: After the news brief, we went up to Ms. Nelson's room, where we combined classes to talk with Deputy Jamie Hallford about his job, and your rights as students. I thought this was a very interesting conversation! I appreciated your focus, and I know that the Career Related Education forms you filled out (you need to do one for every year of high school) will be helpful for many of you. Later in the year, I am hoping my mom will be able to come in and talk with our classes about her job, too! Thanks again for your participation and focus, everyone. Have a great weekend!

Second Amendment - Class Recap

Bunker Hill, in Boston. Scene of a famous gunfight! Photo taken in 2011.

Dear class,

After learning a bit more about the rights of the accused today, we went back and learned a bit more about the issues surrounding the Second Amendment. 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: “I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley. Selected for today because of our look at the Second Amendment and gun rights. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/3/15:
News Brief - Yeli
Gideon/Mapp
Gun Nation
Questions for Jamie

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Thomas.

News Brief: Yeli was not in class today (neither was Chris, who also needs to do one), and Aldo did not have his news brief done, either, so we had a general check in time. I talked for a bit about the Israeli Prime Minister delivering a speech to the U.S. Congress today. Here's an article about that, if you are interested: CNN.com - Netanyahu warns Congress: Deal will lead to Iranian nuclear bomb.

Thomas was selected to do the next news brief.

Gideon/Mapp: This was the two cases we did not get to last class, in this handout:

Google Drive - Rights of the Accused Handout

We went through the answers to these two cases (important for knowing your rights). Here are the overviews for what happened at the Supreme Court again: Gideon v. Wainwright and Mapp v. Ohio.

Gun Nation: This was an episode of the television series "30 Days" from Morgan Spurlock. In it, a person who is pro-gun control lives with a very pro-gun family for 30 days. I thought it did a nice job of presenting both sides of the debate. After the episode, we talked as a class about the issues, and students turned in a pro/con list about gun rights, as well as a short reflection.

Questions for Jamie: At the end of class, I gave time to make questions for Jamie, who is the police officer on duty here at Westview. We will be going up to Ms. Nelson's room to combine our classes and ask questions! See you then!