The Judicial Branch, Day 3 - Class Recap

Looking down the National Mall, from the top of the Washington Monument. The United States Supreme Court building is behind and to the left of the Capitol Building. Photo taken in 2010.

Dear class,

We finished looking at the Supreme Court landmark cases today, then I passed out Mock Trial prep materials. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. Selected for today because of it being Spirit Week next week at Westview. Lyrics (which I'll bet you have no idea what they are just listening to the song) here.

AGENDA 4/30/15:
News Brief – Saul/Ben
Finish Landmark Cases
Mock Trial Prep
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Look at your grade and improve it, if possible! Next news brief: Kirstin.

News Brief: Saul and Ben had the news brief today and talked about these stories, respectively:

BaltimoreSun.com - After protests, Baltimore curfew meets resistance. A very challenging week in a variety of ways in Baltimore!

OregonLive.com - Portland makes Uber and Lyft legal -- for now. This was obviously a story I had heard a lot about recently, given my mom's opinion on the ride sharing services.

Kirstin was assigned to do the next news brief.

Landmark Case Reading: We finished going through these today:

Google Drive: Landmark Supreme Court Decisions Handout

The assignment that went along with the reading is here:

Google Drive: Landmark SCOTUS Cases Assignment Sheet

Please make sure you have your completed notes for these very important cases! It was interesting to get to talk about stuff like Japanese internment camps in the United States during World War II!

Mock Trial Prep: The rest of the class was devoted to preparing for mock trials, which we will do next class. This was a very complicated process to explain, but students in class got it, I think! If you missed class, you are going to need to come see me in person to get your case forms and the assignment sheet.

Be prepared to finish these at the start of next class, and then do the four mock trials! Have a great weekend! :-)

The Judicial Branch, Day 2 - Class Recap

Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay, which was a prison for federal criminals. Photo taken in 2011.

Dear class,

Today was another deep dive into various different Supreme Court cases, to see how the Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government impacts our day to day lives. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Confessions, Pt. 2" by Usher. Selected for today because a confession could be a part of the judicial system. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/28/15:
News Brief – Ben
Finish Teen Cases
SCOTUS Overview
Landmark Case Reading

Homework: Read the blog. Look at your grade and improve it, if possible! Next news brief: Saul.

News Brief: Ben had the news brief today, but was not in class today, so I selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Baltimore riots: Security beefed up, cleanup starts after looting, fires. We talked about the continuing unrest about another black male being killed as a part of a police interaction. We also talked about this story: CNN.com - Supreme Court justices skeptical of redefining marriage. This is a major case because it has the chance to change the whether or not same-sex marriage is legal across the United States.

We also checked in about the weekend.

Sual was assigned to do the next news brief.

Finish Cases Teens Should Know: This was from last class - we finished and then went over the answers:

NYTimes Upfront - 10 Supreme Court Cases Every Teen Should Know

The assignment was to, on a separate sheet of paper, read and write the answers to the following questions for a minimum of five out of the ten cases.

1) What was the issue?
2) Describe the judge’s decision and explain their reasons why.
3) Do you agree or disagree with the judge’s decision? Explain your reasons why or why not.

SCOTUS Overview: We did not get to this, because of the interesting conversation about the cases, but here's the information! I might go over it next class:

Google Drive: Supreme Court Information

Landmark Case Reading: This was definitely a reading and work heavy day. That's kind of what the Supreme Court is all about, though - lots of legal papers and decisions to look at, in order to understand the law. Here was the reading:

Google Drive: Landmark Supreme Court Decisions Handout

The assignment that went along with the reading is here:

Google Drive: Landmark SCOTUS Cases Assignment Sheet

That was it for the day! Thank you so much for your focus and hard work! Next class, we will finish up the Supreme Court landmark cases, then start looking at conducting a mock trial. :-)

The Judicial Branch, Day 1 - Class Recap

The United States Supreme Court building, in Washington, D.C. Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your focus today, before a nice long three day weekend! I have a ton of grading to do - I hope that you are either catching up on work or getting some rest! Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum. Selected for today because of the Executive Branch test, and the possibility you were hoping for some divine intervention in doing well on it. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/23/15:
News Brief – Dean/Bailey/Raul/Yeli
Executive Branch Test
Judicial Branch
10 Cases

Homework: Read the blog. Have a great long weekend - you have earned it! Next news brief: Ben.

News Brief: There were actually a ton of news briefs being turned in today - so many that I am not going to recap them all! Dean and Bailey had a particularly disturbing story from Southern Oregon about a murder.

Ben was selected to do the next news brief.

Executive Branch Test: I hope that you studied and did well on this! I will try to have the grades entered in later today. Forty questions, multiple choice. Not too bad, I hope! Thanks, as always for your effort on this!

Judicial Branch: To start out our look at the judicial branch, I showed this video to the class:

I thought this was a good overview of the structure of the federal court system in the United States. Next, I led students through a fill in the blank overview of the judicial branch. Here it is again, if you want to go over it to study for the test:

Google Drive: Judicial Branch Overview

10 Supreme Court Cases: After going over the introduction to the unit, I passed out this reading:

NYTimes Upfront - 10 Supreme Court Cases Every Teen Should Know

The rest of class was devoted to reading the cases, and following these directions: On a separate sheet of paper, read and write the answers to the following questions for a minimum of five out of the ten cases.

1) What was the issue?
2) Describe the judge’s decision and explain their reasons why.
3) Do you agree or disagree with the judge’s decision? Explain your reasons why or why not.

Next class, we will finish this, discuss, then move on to some more case studies.

Thanks! See you next time! Have a great weekend! :-)

The Executive Branch, Day 5 - 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 the unit and 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: "Nocturne in C-Sharp Major" from The Pianist. Selected to be the beautiful prelude music to our cabinet meeting. No lyrics, but listen to the song here.

AGENDA 4/21/15:
News Brief – Courtney
Cabinet Simulation
Study Guide
Work Time

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

2) 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. 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)!

A test question you will see (thanks for checking the blog!) is: All of the following are duties of the President EXCEPT:

A) Receive Ambassadors. B) Judge the Supreme Court. C) Give a State of the Union Address. D) Ensure that laws are faithfully executed.

If you want to, guess in the comments and I will tell you if you are right!

Finally, review the Legislative Branch, because that will be on the test, as well.

Next news brief: Dean.

News Brief: Courtney had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - U.S. warships to monitor ships traveling from Iran. This would probably be an example of the Executive Branch in action, as President Obama is Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States. Thanks, Courtney!

Dean was selected to do the next news brief.

Cabinet Simulations: I really enjoyed listening to everyone talk about their departments, problems, and possible solutions! Although it appears many students did not have their packets or papers done (please turn them in to me as soon as possible), I was pleased to hear some knowledge and response to my questions as the President! If you are interested in seeing my typed notes, here they are.

Study Guide/Work Time: Here is the study guide for the test, which will be 40 multiple choice questions (for LT5). Again, ignore the Political Spectrum section at the bottom. It will be the Legislative Branch, as well.

Please make sure to ask me if you are at all confused about anything! Thank you so much for your hard work!

The Executive Branch, Day 4 - Class Recap

This week marked the 150th anniversary of when President Abraham Lincoln was shot in Ford's Theatre, in Washington DC. This is a picture of the Presidential box and stage in Ford's Theatre today. Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

Class today was mostly devoted to working on the cabinet project, which will be due next class. I would expect that you have some homework to do. 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: "Beach Chair" by Jay Z and Chris Martin. Selected for today because of the beautiful weather outside! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/17/15:
News Brief - Raul
Grade Update
Cabinet Departments
Computer Lab S210

Homework: Read the blog. The Cabinet project is due next class. Be prepared to present your ideas in the class! Please turn in your Citizenship Paper as soon as possible, if you have not! Next news brief: Courtney.

News Brief: Raul forgot to do the news brief (this is bad times, everyone who is forgetting, because it goes as an F in the gradebook until it is turned in). There are lots of people in the class who need to do this, so please use follow the directions on the assignment sheet and be ready to present it ASAP.

Courtney was selected to do the next news brief.

Grade Update: I passed back all of the graded citizenship papers that I had turned in (which was like 6 total, so the rest of the class has an N grade on it until it is turned in). I also noted that the grades in StudentVUE and by student ID number on the board in the room are updated, so if you need to raise your grade by progress reports, you know what you need to do. Please come see me if you need help or support in any way!

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:

Agriculture: Raul and Ivan
Commerce: Ashton
Defense: Dean and Bailey
Education: Courtney and Sophia
Energy: Kirstin
Health and Human Services: Evita and Gabriela
Housing and Urban Development: Julia and Bryant
Interior: Simone and Kelsey
Justice: Aldo and Dorian
Labor: Elijah and Zoey
Transportation: Ben and Thomas
Treasury: Katlyn and Kayla
Veteran’s Affairs: Ella and Ethan
Homeland Security: Chris and Colton

If you missed class or are not on this list, you need to choose a y department to start your project.

Computer Lab S210: We spent the rest of class in the lab. This will be due next class!

See you next week! Have a great weekend! Enjoy the sun!

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,

Today, we started the Cabinet Project. The Presidential Cabinet is a very important part of how the Executive Branch functions. 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: "Karma" by Alicia Keys. Selected for today because your attendance and focus with getting your work done will really help you be successful in class. If you are not consistently here and completing work, well, what goes around comes around! ;-) Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/15/15:
News Brief - Yeli
Planning Night
Cabinet Departments
Computer Lab S219

Homework: Read the blog. Study the cabinet descriptions reading. 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)! Continue working on Cabinet project. Please turn in your Citizenship Paper as soon as possible, if you have not! Next news brief: Raul.

News Brief/Election Review: Yeli had the news brief today, but was not in class, so will need to make it up ASAP. Instead, Katlyn mentioned that she saw my mom on the news, talking about this story: KATU.com -  Senate approves Fritz-Fairchild Act on cable barriers for interstates. This is obviously a story that my family and I care a lot about. What happened to my dad was preventable and should not have occurred. Hopefully, the rest of Oregon will have safety barriers on the Interstate highways soon, too.

We also talked about how today is Tax Day - when taxes are due to be collected for last year's income.

Raul was selected to do the next news brief.

Planning Night: The counselors asked us to give all of the juniors in our classes a heads up about the college and career planning night next week. Here is that information:

Post High School Planning Night Agenda

It is next Tuesday, April 21st, from 7:00-9:00 (if you are interested in playing sports in college, there is a session from 6:00-7:00, too).

Cabinet Departments: For this section, we finished going over what the various different departments are responsible for. We also watched this video, so everyone could see what it looks like in real life:

We will be doing a similar sort of activity in class, with me playing the role of the President and the class taking on the various department heads!

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:

Agriculture: Raul and Ivan
Commerce:
Defense: Dean and Bailey
Education: Courtney and Sophia
Energy: Kirstin
Health and Human Services: Evita and Gabriela
Housing and Urban Development: Julia and Bryant
Interior: Simone and Kelsey
Justice: Aldo and Dorian
Labor: Elijah and Zoey
Transportation: Ben and Thomas
Treasury: Katlyn and Kayla
Veteran’s Affairs: Ella and Ethan
Homeland Security:

If you missed class or are not on this list, you need to choose an empty department to start your project.

Computer Lab S219: We spent the second half of class in the lab. We will also spend much of next class in the lab, and the cabinet project assignment will likely be due next Tuesday.

See you on Friday!

The Executive Branch, Day 2 - Class Recap

As Dr. Franco announced, today is President Thomas Jefferson's birthday! This is inside the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

Today was a pretty heavy reading and notetaking day, for which I apologize. I'm confident that everyone who was in class has some good notes to study for the upcoming 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: "God Moving Over The Face of The Waters" by Moby. Selected for today because although some people believe the President is all powerful, they are definitely not. This was an instrumental song with no lyrics. Listen to it again if you want here.

AGENDA 4/13/15:
News Brief – Colton
Executive Branch Overview
The Presidency
Cabinet Departments

Homework: Read the blog. Know what you need to do in order to improve your grade. Turn in citizenship paper assignment ASAP. Next news brief: Yeli.

News Brief: Colton had the news brief today and talked about this story: NYTimes.com - Judge Refuses to Let Obama’s Executive Actions on Immigration Proceed. This is an example of why the President does not just get to decide whatever they want on anything. It is an interesting case study on the power of the Executive Branch vs. the Judicial Branch! Thanks Colton (who still needs to hand in a write up). Yeli was selected to do the next news brief. There are also many students who have not turned in their news brief write up yet, despite being assigned it.

We also talked about Hillary Clinton declaring her candidacy for President on Sunday. I showed her opening campaign video and website, and later in class did the same for a major Republican candidate: Senator Ted Cruz from Texas.

Executive Branch Overview: We briefly went over this again because there were so many students absent last class. Here are the answers to the sheet I passed out to start the unit:

Google Drive - Executive Branch Overview Notes

We went over this together in class, as we learned about the basics of the executive branch. These are just the basics!

The Presidency: I passed this out at the end of last class and we did not really go through it, so today was devoted to answering the questions (separate sheet of paper in class) and reading through the aspects that make up the presidency:

Google Drive - The Presidency Reading

A lengthy time in class with this, I know. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Cabinet Departments: At the end of class, I asked for small groups to summarize the various different cabinet departments that make up the Executive Branch along with the presidency. Here's the overview, which will help you study for the upcoming test.

Google Drive - Cabinet Departments Overview

We will finish this next class and then start the cabinet department project! :-)

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 to review what we did today! 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: "You've Got A Friend" by Carole King and James Taylor. Selected because many of the legislative branch tests did not go well, but you can always come see me to retake them at lunch or during the latter periods of the day! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/9/15:
News Brief – Bailey
Review Legislative Branch Test
Executive Branch Overview
Electoral College

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in citizenship paper assignment ASAP. Next news brief: Colton (Bailey, too).

News Brief: Bailey had the news brief today, but did not remember to bring one in, so we talked about the story of a man in South Carolina being shot in the back by a police officer - the video of the incident came out and the officer is being charged with murder. Here is that story: CNN.com - South Carolina cop shoots unarmed man: A timeline.

Review Legislative Branch Test: As I said above, this did not seem to go very well for most 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.

Executive Branch Overview: The next 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

We went over this together in class, as we learned about the basics of the executive branch.

Electoral College: On the back side of the sheet was a look at what the electoral college is all about. To help with understanding this, I played two videos:

NYTimes.com - Electoral College 101 

This was a fun and silly way to look at the electoral college in a third grade classroom, in a vote of colored pencils vs. markers.

And this was the actual chaos that happened on election night in 2000, when Florida was first declared to be a Gore victory, then for Bush, then months went by before a true victor was decided (Bush, by winning Florida by a few hundred votes, won the election).

Here is the reading that we ended class with, after the Earthquake/Fire Drill. 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! See you next week!

The Legislative Branch, Day 7 - Class Recap

The United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Photo taken in 2010.

Dear class,

Today was our last day on the legislative branch unit of our class this year! We also did a one day assignment on citizenship. 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: "This Time is the Last Time" by Mae. Selected because we finished watching the end to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington today in class. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/7/15:
News Brief – Elijah
Finish MSGTW
Citizenship Paper
Computer Lab S219

Homework: Read the blog. Grades updated on board - know what you need to do to improve! Finish citizenship paper if you did not in class! Next news brief: Bailey.

News Brief: Elijah had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: OregonLive.com -Oregon Senate passes $7.255 billion education budget. This is a super fascinating look at what is going on in the Oregon legislative branch right now. Specifically, the Democrats were not willing to devote more money to schools, while the Republicans were wanting to find more. It is possible that additional revenue/taxes might come in to the state budget and this could be altered. As far as Beaverton goes, it seems like the local taxes that have recently passed will help soften the blow of this not being as much as the district hoped for.

Finish Mr. Smith Goes To Washington: We finished watching the classic film Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939), which is all about the legislative process. Here is a link to the entire movie if you wanted to watch it again, or if you missed class and wanted to see the end: Archive.org - Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.

Citizenship Paper: This is meant as a short assignment, just so be able to demonstrate proficiency again with LT 1 and the Research target. Here's the assignment, due at the start 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. Thank you for your hard work on this!

Computer Lab S219: The rest of class was spent in S219, working on the citizenship paper. If you did not finish this today in class, it is homework. Get it in to me as soon as you can. Thank you!

The Legislative Branch, Day 6 - Class recap

The United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. This is where the House of Representatives and Senate meets to debate legislation. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Test day today in class! I hope that everyone studied and did well. Judging by the amount of "when is the retake?" questions that were asked, this was possibly not the case. 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: "Good Friday" by The Black Crowes. Selected because it was Friday, it was good, and it actually is Good Friday. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/3/15:
News Brief – Ethan
Filibusters/Gerrymandering
Legislative Branch Test
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Homework: Read the blog. Have a great, safe weekend. Next news brief: Elijah.

News Brief: Ethan had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: NYTimes.com - California Imposes First Mandatory Water Restrictions to Deal With Drought. A very important story for our region of the world, especially as California tries to deal with an extremely long drought. We talked about the Governor of California taking these executive actions to try and help, and that while most water usage in the state is agricultural/farming, this will ask everyone to reduce by 25%.

Gerrymandering/Filibusters: These are two of the more quirky vocab words we talked about last class with the Washington's Gridlock article, and so I wanted to go into more depth on them. I talked about redistricting and gerrymandering contributing to inaction in Congress. Here's an interesting article about the most gerrymandered congressional districts in America.

We also talked about the filibuster as a tactic to stall debate. Most of the times now, people don't have to stand and talk - as long as they have enough support (40+ votes, which is almost guaranteed for both sides in the Senate), they can just threaten it and possible legislation won't be voted on. Here's an example of a funny filibuster that I showed part of in class (from Parks and Recreation):

I hope you enjoyed this!

Legislative Branch Test: Pretty much exactly as I described it on the blog for last class, right? I will have these graded and back to you as soon as I can. It will probably be this weekend! We will go over the results next class.

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington: To end the class, we started watching the classic film Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939), which is all about the legislative process. We just watched the last 30 minutes or so (we ended with about 8 minutes left), which, to be fair, is the best part to the movie. We will try to finish it next class. :-)

The Legislative Branch, Day 5 - Class Recap

Today's town hall had various students running for office. Here's a very real candidate: my mom, running for Portland City Council in 2012!

Dear class,

Another interesting day, especially with the town hall meeting! 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: "Come Together" by The Beatles. Selected for today because

AGENDA 4/1/15:
News Brief – Dorian
Washington's Gridlock
Town Hall
Review for Test

Homework: Read the blog. Review for Legislative test, which is next class. Here are some resources to help you with this:

The second page of this handout, charting how a bill becomes a law, will be on the test. You will need to fill in the blanks with what happens on each side of Congress, then what happens when it gets to the President.

You will need to know: the political spectrum (from left to right: radical, liberal, moderate, conservative, reactionary). the number of representatives in each branch of Congress, and the eligibility requirements for them. The main job of each of the three branches of the U.S. government - legislative, executive, and judicial. The checks that each of the three branches have. Powers that the branches have, as given by the Constitution. Different scenarios with rights, as given by Amendments to the Constitution.

Next news brief: Ethan

News Brief: Dorian had the news brief today and selected this article about this story to talk about to talk about: 

Washington's Gridlock: I think this is an important story to learn about, with why many people are very frustrated with the United States government, in that not much of consequence seems to get done. Here is the reading we did in class (pick of the questions sheet in class if you missed it):

Google Drive - New York Times Upfront: Washington's Gridlock

As part of the article, I talked about redistricting and gerrymandering contributing to inaction in Congress. Here's an interesting article about the most gerrymandered congressional districts in America. 

Town Hall: We had three candidates in front of the class, representing three different parts to the political spectrum.  Everyone else in the class was responsible for writing questions for the candidates, representing different non-governmental organizations and advocacy groups for some of the more controversial questions in the country - gun control, immigration, taxes, and the death penalty. This hits LT3: I can demonstrate an understanding of how individuals and non-governmental institutions interact with each other and the government in shaping politics.

Here was the assessment I used for LT3, after the Town Hall:

Google Drive - Town Hall Review Questions

If you missed class today, please do your best to try and complete these questions using your own opinions and thoughts.

Review for Test: Please study for the legislative branch test (some multiple choice, some fill in the blank, some short answer) and let me know if you have any questions I can answer about it. Look above in the homework section for links that will help. Thanks! See you next class!