computer lab tomorrow, party politics project and test

We're all set for the computer lab tomorrow, so please meet me in 321 6th period (you don't need to come to the room first).

Your party politics and government project is due Friday after vacation.  The project description is here, and  here's the sign up page.

Your test on party politics (Washington and Adams' presidencies, the emergence of the first political parties and today's parties) will be the second week of January.

Due next Monday and Tuesday

Due Monday 12/17:  Research on the cabinet (the assignment can be found here) and create a symbol for one of the first political parties (Federalists or Republicans).  The symbol must be creative, clear, colorful, reflective of the values and ideals of the party and generally show unique thought and effort.  Explain your symbol in 2-3 sentences on the back of the page you draw it on.  Worth 5 points and due next class. 

Due Tuesday 12/18:  Find a political cartoon from the past year that somehow reflects the ideals (in either a positive or negative way) of one of the two major political parties today.  

Please have the following printed and ready for class on Tuesday (you may include all of these on the same page);

·         A clear, printed copy of the cartoon 

·         The source of the cartoon (name of the website and URL or publication information and the date it was printed/published).  The date is necessary to establish the context of commentary it's making.

·         Explain in 3-4 sentences how it reflects the ideals of the political party, whether it's making a positive or negative comment about that party and why you chose it (other than it was the first image that came up on a Google search).  Please type if possible.  

 

upcoming assignments

Due Thursday:  2 pages of notes on p. 168-178.

citizenship test answers and note about lunch tomorrow

See last Tuesday's post for study questions for tomorrow's test.  Also, since lunch is during 5th period tomorrow rather than 4th, please take 1st lunch.

Here are the answers to the citizenship test you took in class today.

due Friday 12/7

Please research the verdicts of the cases you read about in class (www.oyez.org is a good source for this, but you may use another source if you can't find it on oyez).  Please have a short summary (2-3 sentences or bullet points) of the reasoning behind the verdict for each case.  Also, choose another case that you found to be of interest and summarize the facts of the case and the decision.
Here is the timeline of later amendments from class today.

upcoming due dates and study questions for next week's test

Due Thursday 12/6:  reflection on mock congress activity

Using your experience in the three day simulation as a basis for answering this (though you may also consider how Congress itself works, if you wish), what works well about the legislative (law-making) process?  What could be better (how could this process be improved)?

Also, what clarifying questions or further questions did this raise for you about the legislative process?

Please write clearly and thoughtfully, and organize your response effectively.  Between one and two double spaced typed pages is a sufficient length.  Due at the start of class Thursday 12/6.  

Here are two answer keys for the "guide to the Constitution" activity (thanks to Emily and Will for these!)

Other upcoming dates to be aware of:

Your government test (on the history behind the writing of the Constitution, the document itself, the bill of rights, and the fundamental principles of American government) is next Tuesday (12/11).  The format will be the usual (multiple choice and an open response question).

American Government study questions:

1.       What were the strengths and weaknesses of American government under the Articles of Confederation?

2.       Why was Shay’s Rebellion one of the ten days that unexpectedly changed America?

3.       What were the main issues discussed at the Constitutional Convention?  Who were the major players in the writing of the Constitution?  What key compromises were reached?

4.       What main issue divided Federalists and anti-Federalists?  How was this dispute resolved?

5.       What rights are guaranteed by the bill of rights, and why are these necessary for democracy to function effectively?

6.       What are the strengths and weaknesses of the current system of government? (In what ways is democracy in America both a blessing or a curse?)

committee assignments for Monday and further directions

Here are your committee assignments for Monday.  Please remember to research two facts total (either in support of or against) on the topics of bills you're committee will be working on in class on Monday.  You only need two total facts, not two facts for each bill.  Please have the source information written down for each, and be sure it's reliable (not Bob's blog!!).

I did have to pick and choose between your proposed bills to do this.  If your bill wasn't chosen, it's not a reflection on the quality of the bill or your ideas, but rather to get some variety in the activity and keep the procedure as simple as possible.  

Education committee:  Redate, Greta, Yana, Imani, Maureen 

Proposed bill:  raising the minimum drop out age for high school students from 16 to 18

Legal age limits committee:  Jack, Kate M, Marissa, Catherine, Kate C

Proposed bill:  raise the minimum age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 19 in all states

Energy committee:  Ian, Mitchell, Isaac

 Proposed bill: increase the tax on imported oil 

Public welfare committee:  Julia, Savannah, Erin, Emily

Proposed bill:  cities/towns must build or designate road lanes specifically for bike traffic

Healthy living committee:  Zach, Will D, Will S, Alex 

School lunches must be served between 11pm and 1 pm.

Marijuana legalization committee:  Nick, Max, Emmit
Proposed bill:  would legalize marijuana in the following ways:

-people over the age of 21 can obtain a license to open a dispensary

-people over 21 can farm 25 square feet of marijuana for personal use or to sell

-people over 18 can buy from a dispensary to use for medical purposes

-companies can farm industrial hemp less than a 3% THC content (THC is the active drug in marijuana) to use for paper, ropes, or other products that cannot be smoked

For Tuesday, you will be researching each of the other bills (other than the one being discussed in your committee) and finding one fact for each that reflects your opinion on the bill (whether you think it should or should not be passed).  Include the source information.

For Thursday, you will need to reflect on the entire mock Congress process.  Details to follow.  

  

Due Thurs 11/29 and Fri 11/30

Due tomorrow (Thursday 11/29):
the second column of the Bill of Rights chart, and the third column on amendments 1-3 if you sit in the two rows by the door, amendments 4-6 if you sit in the middle two rows, and 7-10 if you sit in the two rows by the window (according to the new seating plan).

Due Friday (11/30):
Read through these primary sources and write a short (1 paragraph response) about which you think are the strongest and weakest arguments of this group, what your overall opinion is about the second amendment, and whether or not these opinions swayed you at all from your original stance.

Please refer to the excerpts specifically by name and/or author's name, refer to at least one document for each side of the argument and reference at least one of the longer (paragraph long) documents.

Here's the bill of rights chart from class today.

due Wednesday 11/28

Due tomorrow:  the handout from class (either Benjamin Banneker or Abby Adams primary source document) - please answer the questions on the back and the additional questions from class:  what arguments does the author make for equal treatment in the new government, and how valid are these arguments?

due Tuesday 11/26

Due Tuesday after break (11/27) and worth 5 points:

Please read through the "Constitution handbook" thoroughly--you are responsible for the information presented here--and, based on your reading, creating a thoughtful bumper sticker that either supports or critiques the ideas presented in the reading.  Please stay away from the well-known format ("honk if you love democracy!" and "I break for checks and balances," etc.).  Though we all know and love them, let's try to be original with this.

To create the bumper sticker itself, simply fold an 8 x 10 piece of white paper in half vertically and cut down the middle.  You will only need half the page for your creation, which needs to be thoughtful in its message and neat and colorful in its presentation.  It should use the space well and any writing and images should be clear and legible.

Also due Tuesday:  this guide to the Constitution (11/27)

due Monday 11/19

(Please remember your debate prep for tomorrow - read the handout and answer the 3 questions).

The Best (and Worst) of American Government:  Current Events Assignment

For this assignment, please find a current news story from within the past 2 months that you think reflects either one of the benefits of the American democratic system OR one of the drawbacks of it.  Please choose a news story reported by a reputable mainstream media outlet (i.e. not a general source of information, like Wikipedia, and not Bob’s blog or any other questionable source).  

Summarize the article in 1-2 paragraphs, then write a 1-2 paragraph analysis of the article.  In your analysis, consider the following:
-how does this newsworthy event demonstrate either the best or worst of the American democratic system?
-why did you choose this particular topic?
-what further questions does it raise for you, or what topics does it introduce that you’d like to know more about or understand better?

Your response needs to be 1-2 double spaced, typed pages.  You do not need to include a printout of the article, but you do need to include the publication information (the name of the publication/media source, the date it was reported, the name of the article and the author) somewhere in your response.  

This assignment is due Monday 11/19 and is worth 10 points (2 homeworks) for 2nd quarter. Please have it printed and ready to hand in at the start of class.

due the week of 11/13-11/16

For Wednesday's class (11/14) please read and take two pages of notes on p. 159-168 (you may skip the section on "the background of the Constitution")

due Friday 11/9

For Friday 11/9, please read to the end of chapter 4 in Brinkley and take 2 pages of notes.

homework for Monday 11/5

Your American Revolution test is Wednesday 11/7.  Please see earlier post with study questions.

For Monday 11/5, please do the following:

1.  Read through the song lyrics and look at the artwork in the packet.  In the margins, make 5 relevant, meaningful connections between the images or the song lyrics and the key events or major themes of the revolutionary war era.  These connections may be brief (a sentence or two each) but need to be meaningful (i.e. not "George Washington is in one of the pictures, and he was a key figure of the revolution.").  You may want to (but don't necessarily have to) consider how the events or ideas are depicted in the images, and what they tells us.  You may click here to see the digital version of the images, in case they aren't apparent on photocopy.  (There may be additional images in the PowerPoint that aren't on the sheet that you may disregard).

2.  Also, look back at your list of rights the colonists believed that they and, on a separate page, choose any 3 of those rights we listed and cite a specific example of a time when they were deprived of that right.

Each assignment above is worth 5 points.

Revised due dates

Since we don't have school tomorrow (Monday), may not have it Tuesday, and don't have class Wednesday (it's a B day), I've revised your due dates as follows to account for any potential power outages, and to allow you enough time to get your assignments done (and done WELL!):

On Thursday 11/1, your site visit project is due, as is your battlefield news report.
Have the webquest on early Americans and organizer (timeline or pyramid) done by Friday 11/2.
Your American Revolution test will be Wednesday 11/7

webquest directions

Please be aware of all the due dates this week (see last post):

Here's the link to the document with the webquest directions.  Please do this first; then, using the remaining time to work on your battle project.

Due the week of 10/22-10/26 and 10/29-11/2

Due Tuesday 10/23:  Declaration of Independence (read and answer the questions that accompany it, except question 6) and read and takes 1.5 pages of notes on pages 124-131.
If you need it, you may find the Declaration assignment here.  

Due Wednesday 10/24:  2 pages of notes on pages 131-141

Due Thursday:  advantages/disadvantages organizer (3 points for each box) based on your reading of "The Crisis" and 1776 excerpts

Due Monday 10/29:  in-class news presentation based on a battle or area of battle

Due Tuesday 10/30 (note the changes from Monday):  site visit project.  You also need to bring your completed webquest about the revolutionary era people to class Tuesday.

Your American Revolution test will be Friday 11/2.  It will cover chapter 4 in Brinkley and about 1/2 of chapter 5 (up to page 141).  Study questions are here:

American Revolution study questions are below.  Remember that you need to be able to substantiate your answer to each question with supporting facts/details. 

1. What characteristics define the American identity as it began to emerge in the 18^th century?  How did the formation of an American identity play a role in the revolution?
2. What were the main causes and results of the 18^th century wars for empire in North America?  (Focus especially on the French and Indian War)?
3. How did the British government (and Britons themselves) view the colonies and their inhabitants?  What effects did this have on the relationship between the colonies and the mother country? 
4. What natural rights did the colonists believe they had, and why did they believe they had them?  In what ways were they violated?  How did they react to these perceived violations? 
5. Why did Boston become a focal point for revolution? 
6. Who were the key players (people) in the revolution, and what impact did they have?  How were many of them prototypical early Americans?
7. What did key primary source documents and images created during the period attempt to do?  What do they reveal about the colonists’ motives and attitudes?  
8. Why was George Washington a good choice to lead the Continental Army?  
9. At the war’s beginning, which side seemed most likely to win?
10. What military (and overall) strategies did each side use to try to win the war? 
11. How was colonial morale at various points in the war?  What were the highest and lowest points? 
12. How did the road to and the course of revolution play out different in the northern, middle and southern colonies, respectively? 
13. Was the revolution inevitable? (What key events lined the “road to revolution?”) 
14. How would you interpret the major themes of U.S. history (U.S. is vs. are, liberty vs. security and the meaning of freedom) in the context of this period?  (The first theme is especially significant)

due dates for the week of 10/15-10/19

Here is a description of the American Revolution site visit project, and here is the Google doc in which you need to sign up.

Due Monday 10/15:  human rights assignment (see below)
Due Thursday 10/18:  notes on pages 108-115
Due Friday 10/19:  notes on pages 115-123

The American Revolution:  Human rights current event assignment

Just as we’re beginning to study the rights the American colonists believed they had (and were then denied) prior to the American revolution, the goal of this assignment is to make you more aware of human rights issues around the world today.

For this assignment, you need to find an article from within the past year that highlights a human rights issue anywhere in the world.  This might be a political rights issue, not something more basic (such as lack of food, water, shelter, etc., unless there’s a political component to that deficit).  Choose an article that is long and “meaty” enough for you to form an opinion about it. 

Please read the article and write a 1-2 page, typed and double-spaced response that addresses the following:

1.      Provide a brief summary of the article (1 paragraph is sufficient)

2.      Briefly explain why you chose it

3.      What does it make you realize about your life as an American living in the U.S. today?

4.      What do you think the purpose of this assignment was? (There are multiple right answers—be thoughtful!)

Additional notes:

·         Please organize your response effectively.  It does not need to be an essay, but should also not be a really long paragraph. 

·         You do not need to include the article, but do mention the title and source/publication info in your response. 

·         Grading will be based on the thoughtfulness of the article choice, the thoughtfulness of your response, and the fluidity and clarity of your writing. 

Out of 10 points; due Monday 10/12

due next week (Tuesday 10/9-10/12)

Due next week:

Answers to the Crevecoeur reading are due Wednesday 10/10.  The reading is here and the questions you need to answer (either print them or copy them into your notebook) are as follows:

1.  According to Crevecoeur, what characteristics do Americans possess?  Why do they possess these traits (what experiences have helped form them)?  Provide several examples from the reading as evidence.

2.  According to Crevecoeur, how are Americans different from Europeans, and how is life in America distinctly different from life in Europe?

3.  This piece was written in 1780, but could it have been written earlier than 1780? Are the traits described the same as those Americans possess today?  Explain:  

We'll be moving on to chapter 4 in Brinkley:  for Friday 10/12, please read pages 98-107 (the first two pages of the chapter, with the timeline and image of the Boston Massacre, are included in this, so definitely pay attention to them).  Please read carefully and be very mindful of detail in this chapter and the next.

Presidential debate extra credit

For up to 5 points of extra credit, please watch at least 10 minutes of the presidential debate tonight and respond to the following prompt in about 1 typed double spaced page that is *well organized* (not one gigantic paragraph):  

Focus on one issue or two specific issues the candidates are asked about.  Did the candidates' responses to the question(s) or position they presented on the issue(s) influence your support for them?  (Did each of the candidates' responses change your opinions of them?).  Explain.  

Due in class tomorrow (Thursday 10/4)

due the weeks of 9/24-9/28 and 10/1 to 10/5

Please remember that you have guided reading due Monday 9/24 on chapter 3 (see earlier post).

Due tomorrow (Tuesday 9/25):  Please complete the "mysteries of history" reading and summarize the article in 5-6 bullet points, all of which should aim to answer the question posed in the article title.

Due Friday 9/28:  one fact that supports an argument for one of the mock town meeting warrant articles (to be explained in class on Tuesday).  Here are the warrant articles we'll discuss, and here's the overview of town meeting I gave you in class (if you read this document, disregard the warrant articles at the end, since we're changing them

Due Tuesday 10/2:  your colonies project.  Here's the project description I shared with you in class last week.

Due on Wednesday 10/3:  you will have a set of short documents to read, annotate and analyze in preparation for class discussion.  (I'll give these out on Tuesday 9/25 in class).

On Friday 10/5, I will be testing you on Brinkley chapters 1-3.  Test format:  part 1 will consist of objective questions (likely multiple choice) and part 2 will be a written response section.  Here are some questions to help you review (you need to be able to answer them thoroughly and with ample, significant, relevant supporting details):

Exploration and Colonization Study Questions:

1. What defined the cultures of the native peoples of the Americas? 
2. The Europeans who encountered natives of the Americas viewed them as uncivilized – is this a fair analysis? 
3. What motivated explorers in the age of exploration?  What were the various motivations for colonization, from both the perspective of the colonists and the monarchies of Europe that promoted colonization?
4. How did the colonies of the various colonial powers differ?  What distinctive features and traits did colonies have, both individually and by region?  (Focus especially on the English colonies)
5. What successes and failures did the early colonists experience?  (Was colonization of North America a success or a failure overall?)
6. How would you characterize native/colonial relations and interactions?
7. What themes or trends emerged that would define the future American republic? 
8. How would you interpret the three themes of early American history (US is vs. are, liberty vs. security, meaning of freedom) in the context of this period?  

Extra credit opportunity -- due Wednesday 10/3 (note the change from Tuesday)

Some of you  have raised some very thoughtful questions already this year...many of which I haven't had a very clear answer to!  So, for extra credit, you may choose to research an answer yourself.  Please provide a 1-1.5 page typed, double-spaced, well-organized response that clearly states the question/topic of research, provides an answer and lists (and briefly describe) the sources used.  Please consult at least 3 sources.  Also, be prepared to share your findings with the class on a date to be determined.

The first opportunity to do this must be based on something from the age of exploration or colonial settlement in the Americas, and needs to be completed by Wednesday October 3rd (note the change from Tuesday--you may have the extra day to do this if you want, since we won't be able to talk about it in class until Wednesday anyway).  I'll give you 5 extra points for a write-up/short presentation that meets the criteria above.      

readings for next week (9/18-9/21) and Monday 9/24

Please remember your notes for tomorrow (see previous post).
Due next week:

p. 33-45 for Tuesday 9/18
p. 45-54 for Thursday 9/20
p. 56-63 for Friday 9/21

Please remember the rule of thumb of taking 1 page (one sided) of handwritten notes for every five pages of reading.

Due Monday 9/24
In lieu of notes on chapter 3, please complete this guided reading sheet instead.  You may choose to print it or copy the prompts into your notebook.  This will count as two homeworks (10 points).  Please be thorough in your answers (which can be in note/bullet point form rather than sentences).

Due Thursday and Friday

For Thursday 9/13, please read pages 3-22 in the Brinkley book and create a timeline of events based on the reading.  The events you choose can be specific or related to more general periods (i.e. you don't need a specific date for each event--some may be more general time periods, which is fine).  The items you choose to include should reflect the larger themes and trends of the reading, so please explain what happened and how it's significant.

For Friday 9/14, please read pages 23-30 (to the end of the chapter) and take 1.5-2 pages of handwritten notes.  Really focus well on what you're reading--the settlement of the Americas is an important topic.

due Tuesday 9/11 and Thursday 9/14

For tomorrow (Tuesday), please remember to bring a thoughtful and relevant prop for your skit.  You'll have about 15 minutes at the start of class to finish up writing your skits before you present them.

For Thursday, please read pages 3-23 in the Brinkley text and create a timeline of 10 key events from the chapter.  These can be specific dates or more general if there's something you think you should include but can't find a specific date for it.  For each event, record the name of the event, its date, a brief summary and its significance (what larger themes or ideas does it reflect?).  I'll give you a template timeline in class tomorrow (Tuesday), but you can also just make your own on a piece of notebook paper if you're looking to get started tonight.

first 2 homework assignments - due Monday 9/10

Due Monday 9/10:

Assignment 1:  Please read chapter 1 in the red book (the Enduring Vision) and
1.  Take three pages of handwritten notes based on the reading.  This is a general guideline you will be following for the year (1 page of handwritten notes for every 5 pages of reading in the textbook), unless I tell you otherwise.
2.  Also, after you've read, please write down what you consider five key themes or "big ideas" in the chapter.  These need to be phrased as full sentences.
3.  Please return the book to me on Monday.
This will count as a double homework assignment (10 points total).

Assignment 2:  please read over and have your parents sign the syllabus, and return the smaller sheet with the signatures to me on Monday 9/10.  This assignment is worth 5 points.

For those of you who are curious about where those monuments/locations in the slideshow are located, here's the PowerPoint I showed you with the answers.

class syllabus

Here it is for future reference.

Note to members of last year's class:  I'm reusing this blog address, so you'll probably want to "unfollow" this blog.  Otherwise, you'll continue to get alerts when I update the blog.