The Judicial Branch, Day 3 - Class Recap

This past weekend, the Oregon Ducks won the Pac-12 Championship! So I will be going to the Rose Bowl again, with my mom and brother, on January 1st! :-)

Hi everyone,

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: "Black" by Pearl Jam. Selected for today because it was the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack over the weekend. Pearl Jam/Pearl Harbor. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/9/14:
News Brief – Alfredo
Landmark Case Reading
SCOTUS Overview
Mock Trial Prep

Homework: Read the blog. Next news brief: Keegan and Gaby.

News Brief: Alfredo was late and missed the opening part to class, so we moved on after a quick introduction.

Keegan and Gaby were assigned to do the next news brief.

Landmark Case Reading: We had a lock in drill to start the day, then kept working on these. 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

We went over the cases as a class - the assignment should be used as a study guide for the upcoming judicial branch test before the break.

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 (second time in a row that I have said this):

Google Drive: Supreme Court Information

Mock Trial Prep: Near the end of class, I passed out different court cases for students to review. Coming up (probably next week), we will have a mock trial in class. This is a somewhat complicated process, which I explained in class. If you missed class, you need to come and ask for a packet - there are four different options. Be working on your lawyer and judge briefs, those of you that were in class!

Thanks - see you on Thursday!

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: "My Generation" by The Who. Selected because we talked about various different Supreme Court cases that our generation should know about, with students being impacted. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/5/14:
News Brief – Jerick
Finish Teen Cases
SCOTUS Overview
Landmark Case Reading

Homework: Read the blog. Next news brief: Alfredo

News Brief: Jerick had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - 12-year-old with air gun dies in Cleveland police shooting. This is yet another tragic story about use of deadly force by police officers. We talked about it, and also the protests last night here in Portland, which resulted in the Trail Blazers game being impacted. A very interesting, important discussion to be having about our government right now!

Alfredo 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,

Welcome back! Now we have a fast paced dash to Winter Break for the next few weeks. We have a lot to pack in, for sure! 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 we are beginning the judicial branch unit, which involves looking at the courts. One part of a good court case might be a confession! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 12/3/14:
PRIDE Lesson
News Brief – Simzaid
Review Tests/Grades
Judicial Branch
10 Supreme Court Cases

Homework: Read the blog. Next news brief: Jerick

PRIDE Lesson: We started the class off (as every class at Westview did) by looking at what makes a community. I showed a clip from the movie Freedom Writers, then we brainstormed what a community is made up of. At the end I said again how thankful I am for the community here at Westview, especially after my dad was killed. Thank you all for being there for me! :-)

News Brief: Simzaid had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Michael Brown's stepfather sorry for outburst in Ferguson protests. We talked a bit about this (being a major story right before break, too), and how it might be related to the U.S. government.

Jerick was selected to do the next news brief.

Review Tests/Grades: I passed back literally everything that has been turned in, meaning I am totally up to date with grades. We went over the Executive Branch test, as well as your cabinet project grades. Be sure to know where you are at and what you can do to improve your grade, if needed! Generally, people are doing okay, it seems like.

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! :-)