Rights of the Accused - Class Recap

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

Dear class,

Thanks for checking in on the blog! We continued looking at the Bill of Rights together today, and diving into what the main ones mean.

Here's what happened:

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: "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. Selected for today for the philosophy of government because the song talks about a king. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/8/17:
News Brief - Veronica
Review Constitution Test
Gun Nation
Rights of the Accused

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Tanner.
--
News Brief: Veronica had the news brief today but was not in class, so I filled in and selected this story to talk about with the class: CNN.com - Obama irked and exasperated in response to Trump's wiretapping claims, sources say. We discussed this story and the process for wiretapping. I also fielded some questions about the new healthcare plan offered by the Republicans in the House of Representatives.

We also talked a bit about the upcoming weekend, before moving on.

Tanner was selected for the next news brief.

Review Constitution Test: This was from last class. I passed back the tests, which had the grades marked on the top of each side. If this test went poorly, never fear, because there will be a retake in a few classes on the Bill of Rights and the branches of government. Please make sure to review the material!

Gun Nation: This was the "Gun Nation" episode of the "30 Days" documentary series. I asked students to note Pro and Con arguments for gun rights, as well as what students thought should happen now with gun rights in America. I think this episode does a really good job of looking at both sides of the debate, and is pretty powerful. I enjoyed our conversation afterwards. Thanks for your participation with this, everyone!

Rights of the Accused: To end class, we started looking at the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. I then passed out this packet (or students accessed it on Google Classroom), which was about various different cases regarding privacy and rights:

Google Drive - Fourth Amendment Protections Packet

Before the end of class, we finished the 8 cases. We ended there for the week, and will pick back up next time there. Thanks, everyone. :-)

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 day in class today about the Second Amendment to the Constitution and looked at the political spectrum. Here's what happened:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
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 branches of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Say It Right" by Nelly Furtado. Selected for today because I was hoping students would have right answers on the Constitution test, and because we are continuing to learn about the Bill of Rights. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/29/16:
News Brief - Quinn
Constitution Test
Political Spectrum
Second Amendment

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Alex B.
--
News Brief: Quinn had the news brief today and selected this story to talk about with the class: NYTimes.com - Hillary Clinton Wins South Carolina Primary. We discussed this event from the past weekend, and looked forward to tomorrow's "Super Tuesday" primary election, which will go a long way in determining the Democratic and Republican nominees for president.

We also talked a bit about the weekend, before moving on.

Alex B. volunteered for the next news brief.

Constitution Test: As promised! I hope that this went well for everyone. I will try to have them entered in the gradebook ASAP. The first 10 questions were about the philosophy of U.S. Government, and the second 10 questions were about the branches of government/checks of power.

Political Spectrum: I went over the political spectrum in class, which was most of this PowerPoint:

Google Drive - Political Spectrum PowerPoint

Please be familiar with the various different philosophies on the political spectrum, and where they are on the line from left to right, in relation to each other!

Here's the link to the Political Compass test I showed at the end of the PowerPoint. Try it yourself!

Second Amendment: To continue our look at the Bill of Rights, we started watching the "Gun Nation" episode of the "30 Days" documentary series. I asked students to note Pro and Con arguments for gun rights. We will finish watching this next class, and move on to looking in depth at some of the other amendments.

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!

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 and Second Amendments - 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 two amendments to the United States Constitution. 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 10/7/14:
News Brief - Jocelyn
First Amendment
Tinker v. Des Moines
Second Amendment

Homework: Read the blog! Next news brief: Logan.
--
News Brief: Jocelyn had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - High court refuses to rule -- and gives tacit victory -- on same-sex marriage. This was a super interesting story that happened yesterday - with at least 5 (and possibly up to 11) states now having legal same sex marriage, due to the United States Supreme Court declining to rule on lower court cases that gave same sex couples those rights. We talked about how this is made possible by the Constitution and the process for judicial review. Really interesting discussion! Logan was selected next for the news brief.

First Amendment:  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
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Indecision Political Humor,The Daily Show on Facebook

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. After this, we tried to identify what the most crucial part to the First Amendment is. Was it freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, or petition?

Tinker v. Des Moines: 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.

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. At the end of class, we started looking at the political spectrum, which was the first few slides of this PowerPoint:

Google Drive - Political Spectrum PowerPoint

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 Second Amendment - Class Recap

The African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, DC. Look at what the soldiers are holding: guns!

Hello class,

Only one day this week of seeing you! 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: “Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns 'n' Roses. Selected for today because we talked about the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which is about the right to bear arms (guns). Lyrics here.

AGENDA 3/12/14:
News Brief
The Second Amendment
Gun Nation (Pro Gun vs. Anti Gun arguments)
Quiz Retake/Study for Test

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

News Brief: Dawnte was not in class today, so we skipped this section. Back to back days of no news briefs! Sad times. I hope you are still following current events involving the United States government!

The Second Amendment: I passed out a sheet of paper that identified some of the issues at debate with the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. We talked as a class a bit about these, then watched:

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.

Quiz Retake/Study For Test: This was the last class before progress reports are due, so I wanted to give everyone an opportunity to retake the first quiz, which hit the philosophies of government learning target. There will also be a test, probably next Friday, on the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights and some different scenarios involving them.

Have a great weekend!