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.

Hello everyone,

Our last day before over a week of not seeing each other, due to Thanksgiving Break (and I will have a sub next class). It was a good day today. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Confessions, Pt. 2" by Usher. Selected for today because a confession can be part of a court case, within the judicial branch we are studying! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/23/15:
News Brief – Ahmed
Landmark Cases
Citizenship Paper Preview
Shibboleth

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

News Brief: Ahmed had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: TheGuardian.com - Argentina president-elect pledges radical policy changes in shift to right. I enjoyed how Ahmed made this relate to the United States government by saying that President Obama called to congratulate the newly elected president, as part of his duties as chief diplomat of the U.S. government.

We also checked in about the weekend, Thanksgiving break, and what was going on outside of class.

Laila volunteered to do the next news brief.

Landmark Cases: Here was the reading again to review (I gave each student one case to analyze):

Google Drive: Landmark Supreme Court Decisions Handout

The assignment that went along with the reading is here:

Google Drive: Landmark SCOTUS Cases Assignment Sheet

We went through each case, as students reported out about their case, and everyone else wrote out the overview and lasting impact. These are super important Supreme Court decisions in a variety of ways. Knowing them is a big part of being an American citizen!

Citizenship Paper Preview: Because I will be out next class, the Tuesday after break, I gave the class a heads up about the assignment you will be working on in class, which is this:

Google Drive: Citizenship Paper Assignment

Basically, in order to continue to assess the Knowledge LT of citizens and their government, this is sort of a one day assignment. You will be researching in N210 Computer Lab and writing your response. I anticipate that you will be able to finish in one class, so please either complete it in class and hang on to it, or finish it as homework after class, so next Thursday, when I see you next, you can turn it in to me.

Shibboleth: In keeping with the theme of Thanksgiving, and our work looking at various branches of the United States government, we closed class before the break by watching this episode of The West Wing, which had to do with Thanksgiving, immigration, school prayer, direct democracy, and representative democracy. There were no notes or any other requirement - it was just a relaxing way to end the class and go out to Thanksgiving Break. Here's the funniest scene of the episode, in my opinion:

That was it for the day! Thank you so much for your focus and hard work! See you next week. Enjoy your Thanksgiving break!

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 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Princess of China" by Coldplay and Rihanna. Selected for today because a monarchy is an example of a form of government. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/19/15:
News Brief – Jesus
Review Executive Test
Cases Teens Should Know
Landmark Cases

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

News Brief: Jesus had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - ISIS video threatens New York City; mayor says city won't be intimidated. This is an ongoing story, and I tried to bring everyone up to speed on what is happening, in terms of the Paris investigation, Syrian refugees, and the response of the U.S. government and governors around the country. Lots to talk about, for sure!

We also checked in about the weekend and what was going on outside of class.

Ahmed volunteered to do the next news brief.

Review Executive Test: I think generally, this went well for students. We went through the correct answers in class (including one that I marked incorrectly on the scantron!) and talked about lots of things, such as Bill Clinton being impeached for lying about having an affair when he was President. It honestly blew my mind that everyone had not heard about that. The times, they are-a changin'.

Cases Teens Should Know: Before we moved on, we watched this video, explaining a bit morea about how the Judicial Branch works:

The reading was from last class (this time, I had the copies done correctly) - 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.

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 (I gave each student one case to analyze, and we will go through them next class):

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 prep a little for Thanksgiving break. :-)

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 effort on the test and with the in class work today! 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: "Paris, Tokyo" by Lupe Fiasco. Selected for today because of the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris last week. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/17/15:
News Brief – Natalie B.
Executive Branch Test
Judicial Branch Overview
Cases Every Teen Should Know

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in any missing work ASAP! Next news brief: Jesus.

News Brief: Natalie B. had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: NBCNews.com - Lawmakers, Activists Underwhelmed by SeaWorld Plan to End Orca Show. We talked about how the government might have a role in protecting animals, and the declining profits at SeaWorld after the Blackfish documentary came out.

We also talked about this story: CNN.com - More than half the nation's governors say Syrian refugees not welcome. We went into detail about the Paris attacks and what happened there. I talked a bit about my own experience in Paris (as my girlfriend is from there), and showed a map of where the attacks happened. This was in an attempt to provide some context for what happened and why. It is important that we continue learning about what is going on in the world, as it relates to our government!

Jesus 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. Thirty questions, multiple choice. Not too bad, I hope! Thanks, as always for your effort on this! It seemed like most students felt okay about how it went.

Judicial Branch: To start, 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 later on in the unit (probably after Thanksgiving):

Google Drive: Judicial Branch Overview

10 Supreme Court Cases: After going over the introduction to the unit, I passed out this reading (which was copied incorrectly, so we were only able to do a few of the cases - I will pass out the full reading next class):

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! :-)

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 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.
Critical Thinking and Reasoning LT 3: I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Research LT 5: I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "If You're Out There" by John Legend. Selected for today because it was a song that President Obama used to campaign, and we are in the Executive Branch unit. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/13/15:
Wildcat News Brief – Nathan
Cabinet Simulation
Study Guide
Executive Review

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: Natalie B.

News Brief: Nathan had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: USAToday.com - Fast-food workers strike, seeking $15 wage, political muscle. We had a good mini debate in class about this, and what the impact of a $15 minimum wage would be. On the one hand, higher prices. On the other, a livable wage for workers. Thanks, Nathan

Natalie B. was selected to do the next news brief.

Here is Wildcat News from today, if you missed class or wanted to see it again:

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! Here are the questions students were answering as a part of this activity:

1) What is your department?
2) What is a problem your department is facing?
3) What are your possible solutions to the problem?
4) How much money will it cost?

Study Guide/Executive Review: Here is the study guide for the test, which will be 30 multiple choice questions (for LT5). Again, ignore the Political Spectrum section at the bottom.

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

Executive Branch, Day 4 - Class Recap

The American Cemetery in Normandy, France. Selected for today because Veterans Day is tomorrow.

Hi everybody,

Today was the final work day in class for the Cabinet Project. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.
Critical Thinking and Reasoning LT 3: I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Research LT 5: I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "The War Was in Color" by Carbon Leaf. The reason I chose this song for today is because it is all about a veteran describing war to his grandson. We have Wednesday off of school because of Veterans Day and it is important that we honor the service of those in our armed forces. Lyrics (which I read part of in class) here.

AGENDA 11/10/15:
News Brief - Ashley
Cabinet Project
Computer Lab N210

Homework: Read the blog. Complete the  Cabinet project assignment and be ready to present with your partner in a classroom cabinet meeting next class. Next news brief: Nathan.

News Brief: Ashley had the news brief today, but was absent from class, so we skipped this section. Sorry, everyone!

Nathan volunteered to do the next news brief.

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: Gabe and Tristen W.
Commerce: Jesus and Jace
Defense: Reilly and Nathan
Education: Lizette and Ezrie
Energy: Keir and Ahmed
Health and Human Services: Natalie B. and Finn
Housing and Urban Development: Janet and Emma
Interior: Jon and Hector
Justice: Giovanny and David // Ellimay and Natalie S.
Labor: Saggad and Nhi
Transportation: Amogh and Laila
Treasury: Tristen H. and Alex
Veteran’s Affairs: Dru and Morris
Homeland Security: Katie and Madelin
Environmental Protection Agency: Istanbul and Ashley
US Mission to the United Nations: Kaytie and Lindsay

If you missed class, please see where you are on the list and who your partner is!

Computer Lab N210: This is due to be presented next class, so I hope you worked hard and do not have much homework (if any) left to complete. If you do, and are confused or need help, please let me know and I will try to get back to you ASAP! Enjoy Veterans Day off, and I will see you on Friday.

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 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.
Critical Thinking and Reasoning LT 3: I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Research LT 5: I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited. Intended as a pump up song for Friday, the Cabinet Project, and the playoff football game tonight! Here's a link to the version I played in class, from ESPN's "Jock Jams" CD.

AGENDA 11/6/15:
Wildcat News Brief - Amogh
The Presidency
Cabinet Project
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. Next news brief: Ashley.

News Brief: Amogh had the news brief today, and selected this article to talk about with the class: TIME.com - President Obama: Bomb on Russian Jet a ‘Possibility’. This relates to the U.S. government as we are trying to help figure out what happened. We talked about possible reasons why, if this theory about the bomb turns out to be true, ISIS would want to bring down an airliner full of Russian people (possibly in retaliation for Russia beginning airstrikes against ISIS in Syria).

Ashley was selected to do the next news brief.

Here's Wildcat News for the day if you missed class, or wanted to see it again:

The Presidency: We finished going through The Presidency reading and questions:

Google Drive - The Presidency Reading

These are the questions that go along with the reading:

Google Drive - The Presidency Questions

Cabinet Departments: For this section, we went over what the various different presidential cabinet 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: Gabe and Tristen W.
Commerce: Jesus and Jace
Defense: Reilly and Nathan
Education: Lizette and Ezrie
Energy: Keir
Health and Human Services: Natalie B. and Finn
Housing and Urban Development: Janet and Emma
Interior: Jon and Hector
Justice: Giovanny and David // Ellimay and Natalie S.
Labor: Saggad and Nhi
Transportation: Amogh and Laila
Treasury: Tristen H. and Alex
Veteran’s Affairs: Dru and Morris
Homeland Security: Katie and Madelin
Environmental Protection Agency: Istanbul and Ashley
US Mission to the United Nations: Kaytie and Lindsay

If you missed class, please see where you are on the list and who your partner is!

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 Friday

See you next week!

Executive Branch, Day 2 - Class Recap

Inside the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

Today, we heard from Deputy Jamie Hallford, our Student Support Officer here at Westview, and also went through more introduction to the Executive Branch. 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: "Born in the U.S.A" by Bruce Springsteen. Selected for today because the song is typically seen as representing patriotic themes, but a closer look at the lyrics (as we did in class) show that the song is really about a deep dissatisfaction with American culture and government.

AGENDA 11/4/15:
News Brief – Nhi/Saggad
Deputy Hallford
CRLE Forms
Review Legislative Test
The Presidency

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

News Brief: Nhi had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about in class: CNN.com - Muslim teen Ahmed Mohamed creates clock, shows teachers, gets arrested. This was an article we had discussed in class previously, but it was good to revisit, as I updated everyone with the news that Ahmed is moving to Qatar, because he was given a prestigious scholarship there.

Saggad talked about the recent development in Syria, where the United States is sending up to 50 ground combat/special forces troops. Here is an article about that: CNN.com - Syria: Obama authorizes boots on ground to fight ISIS.

I selected Amogh to do the next news brief, in the interests of time, because Deputy Hallford had arrived in the room.

Deputy Hallford: Much of the rest of class was devoted to Jamie Hallford, who is the officer here at Westview. Here are all the questions that were handed in, that he went over:

Google Drive - Questions for Deputy Hallford

Jamie talked about his experience with being the Student Support Officer here for the past five years. Hopefully, you enjoyed hearing him talk with the class, because I always do!

CRLE Forms: As a part of the guest speaker coming in, students filled out a Career Related Learning Experience form (I believe you need to have 4 of these completed as a graduation requirement). I did turn all of these into the counseling office, and the counselor didn't say anything about needing a resume as well, so I think you are good to go! I will try to have my mom come in near the end of the semester for a second opportunity, as well.

Review Legislative Test: We went through the test from last class together, and I pointed out where students tripped up. Grades have been updated on that back wall and in Student VUE, so please know where you are at and what you need to do in order to improve, if possible!

The Presidency: To start this last section, I played this video from Election Night 2000, when nobody really knew who won the election for President:

At the end of class, we went through The Presidency reading and questions:

Google Drive - The Presidency Reading

These are the questions that go along with the reading:

Google Drive - The Presidency Questions

We ended around question 9 or so, and will pick back up next class, then start the Executive Branch project, which involves selecting a cabinet department to research. See you on Friday!

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.

Hi everyone,

Today was the Legislative Branch test in class, as well as the start of our unit on the Executive Branch. 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: "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. Selected for today because this past weekend was Halloween. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/2/15:
News Brief – Istanbul
Legislative Test
Executive Branch Overview
The Presidency
Questions for Deputy Hallford

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

News Brief: Istanbul had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about in class: CNN.com - Chipotle closes dozens of stores in Washington and Oregon in E. coli scare. This story obviously impacts us, as a few students were worried that they might have E. coli in class! The government has food safety inspectors and can advise companies about shutting down operations in order to protect consumers. Thanks, Istanbul! Nhi was drawn as the next news brief.

We also checked in about the weekend and what people were up to. I have to say, my freshmen are much more eager to share than your class. I wonder why? :-)

Legislative Test: I was generous in the lead up to this, as I went over basically the exact questions from the test and gave some study time before I passed it out. I should have grades for it available by next class (fingers crossed).

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

As part of going through this, I explained that the 2000 Presidential Election was decided by the Electoral College, not the popular vote (Gore got the most votes in the country, but still lost the election). We will look more into this soon.

The Presidency: Here is the reading that we ended class with. It is not homework to complete (unless you missed class), but be familiar with the basics, as a future test will be based on it!

Google Drive - The Presidency Reading

These are the questions that go along with the reading:

Google Drive - The Presidency Questions

I am fully aware that this was not the most interesting class as far as new content goes. I think it will be more engaging soon!

Questions for Deputy Hallford: At the end of class, we made some questions for Jamie Hallford, who is the officer here at Westview. Here are all the questions that were handed in:

Google Drive - Questions for Deputy Hallford

Next class, Jamie will come in and answer your questions, and talk about his experience with being the Student Support Officer here. In the past, this has been an awesome experience in learning more about law enforcement (directly related to the Executive Branch) and filling out a Career Related Learning Experience form (I believe you need to have 4 of these completed as a graduation requirement). I am looking forward to it! See you next class.