The Legislative Process, Day 6 - Class Recap

Inside the United States Capitol Building dome, where the U.S. Senate is located. Picture taken in 2010.

Hello everyone,

We are now finished with legislation and will be moving on to the executive branch next class! Hopefully, the in class test today went well for everyone. Here's what we did:

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: "Miss Misery" by Elliott Smith. Selected because of the Smith connection, again. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/15/14:
News Brief
Finish MSGTW
Study for Test
Legislation Test

Homework: Turn in any late/missing work by next Wednesday for progress report grades. Read the blog! Next news brief: Marco.

News Brief: Cameron had the news brief today and chose this article to talk about: TIME.com - Obamacare Will Be Billions Cheaper Than Expected. Another good look at a really huge piece of legislation that took quite a lot of effort to pass and be signed by President Obama. Thanks, Cam!

Finish Mr. Smith Goes To Washington: We did manage to finish this today in class and go over the answers on the worksheet. This movie is a classic - especially the filibuster scene, which we watched today! If you were not able to see the film in class (or missed parts of it), you can check it out here:

Mr Smith Goes To Washington (1939) 

Study for Test: After the movie, I gave the class a few minutes to go over the study guide again, as well as answer any questions that students had about the legislation material.

Legislation Test: The rest of class was devoted to working on the legislation test. I hope that everyone studied and did well on it! I will have them graded and back to you next class. See you then!

The Legislative Process, Day 5 - Class Recap

In the film Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, the title character spends some time at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. I took this picture in 2011.

Hello everyone,

Today was almost entirely filled with Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, and we still have a bit left for next class! We will definitely be taking the legislation test, though, so please be studying up!

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: "Just Crusin'" by Will Smith. Selected because of the "Smith" connection! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/11/14:
News Brief
Finish Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
Debrief
Test/Study for Test

Homework: Study for the legislation test (here is the study guide). Read the blog! Next news brief: Cameron.

News Brief: Dawnte had the news brief today and chose this article to talk about: Newsweek.com - Key Part of Obamacare Is Working, Poll Says. This sparked a conversation about what, exactly, "Obamacare" is, and I related some personal experiences with it, since I was needing to sign up for health insurance before becoming employed full time here at Westview.

Finish Mr. Smith Goes To Washington: We actually did not finish today! About 15 minutes left or so, then we will take the legislation test next class. Be prepared! Here is a copy of what I passed out in class:

Google Drive - Legislation Test Study Guide

Here is the chart of how a bill becomes a law that you will have to know (click to become bigger)!

Keep studying, please! See you next Tuesday!

The Legislative Process, Day 4 - Class Recap

The view over Queenstown, New Zealand. This place was stunningly beautiful and reminded me of the good life that we have when we learn about the world! Photo taken on February 3, 2014.

Hello everyone,

Plenty of content packed in to today, with a possible test next class. Please be ready for it - see below to help get prepared!

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: "Good Life" by OneRepublic. Selected because we are hoping to promote good lives for everyone through this project. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 4/9/14:
News Brief
Finish Town Hall
Divided Washington
Study Guide for Test
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington

Homework: Study for the legislation test (here is the study guide). Read the blog! Next news brief: Cameron.

News Brief: The news brief slipped Kenny's mind today - please remember one in the future!

Finish Town Hall: Mel, Emi, and Hailey were our candidates and they were asked questions about their views on specific legislation, coming from the audience of students that had roles to play. The whole point of this was that candidates have to say what they believe in ways that appeal to the most amount of people, in order to win an election.

Divided Washington: This was an article from a New York Times Upfront magazine, dated October 2011. It sounds identical to an article that could probably be written today, about the current government situation. Here is a version without all the nice photos and graphics: NYTimes Upfront: Divided Washington. This article was to help everyone understand what is currently going on in our government and some methods and reasons for why nothing seems to be getting done.

Study Guide for Test: The legislation test is upcoming! Here is a copy of what I passed out in class:

Google Drive - Legislation Test Study Guide

Here is the chart of how a bill becomes a law that you will have to know (click to become bigger)!

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 skipped the first 30 minutes or so, which do not really relate to the class. Next time, we will hope to finish the film, go over the film questions (I do not have an electronic copy, so pick one up in class), then take the legislation test.

See everyone on Friday. Please be prepared!