2015-16 Daily Work

AP Government and Politics

83. May 20 - Day 5 of 13 days. Submission of Film analysis.  Sr. Steps Photo. - Good Bye.... 

82. May 18 - Debriefing on 2016 FRQ's - Day 4 of 13 Days.

81. May 16 - NPR Current Events. Current Events quiz. Day 3 of 13 Days viewing from 54:12 to 1:32.58. Assignment: Add to your running summarization and role analysis for day 3.  Each entry should be about 200-300 words.  Stay in touch with current news events and be prepared to discuss.

80. May 12 - NPR Current Events. Current Events quiz. Day 2 of 13 Days viewing (from 27:50 - 54:21).  Assignment: Add to your running summarization and role analysis for day 2.  Each entry should be about 200-300 words. Stay in touch with current news events and be prepared to d discuss.

79. May 10 - Debriefed after National Exam. Began looking at foreign policy and viewing 13 Days in class. Assignmment: Complete a brief (200 -300 word) summary of the segment of 13 Days that was viewed in class.

78. May 6 - Re-Read Civil Rights Gender issues, discussed several significant Supreme Court cases related to Women's Civil Rights.  Round Robin quiz. Review session for national exam using Quizlet Live. Assignment:  Please Please Please review for Tuesday's National Exam to be given at 8 a.m. Tuesday May 10 in the Study Hall.  Quizlet class folder with vocabulary.  Class Lecture Notes.

77. May 4 - Worked on Civil Rights - Women and Equal Rights, 60 second Civics episodes: 1425, 1426, 1427, 1428, 1429, 1439, and 1440. Special emphasis on Voting Rights Act of 1965. Assignment: Prepare for quiz over Women and Equal Rights.

76. May 2 - Took practice multiple choice exam [avgrs41], worked on Quizlet court cases, and briefly discussed the differences between Civil Liberties and Civil Rights.  Assignment: Continue to diligently study Civil Liberties and Civil Rights.

75. April 28 - Political Economy discussion, with heavy emphasis on Fiscal Policy. Worked on Amendments on Quizlet Live.  Assignment - 1 - Create a set of Quizlet cards using the court cases on this Key Court Cases List.  2 - Read and create a set of reading notes on pp. 100-130.  Anticipate a quiz over the readings.

74. April 26 - Mr. Saygers visited to take care of pre-test bureaucracy matters. Concluded with discussion on Monetary and Fiscal policy. Assignment: Political Economy (specifically: Fiscal Policy, Monetary Policy, and Regulatory Policy)

73. April 22 - Cleaned up any last questions about Public Policy.  Test on Public Policy.  Assignment: Read carefully and take notes on pp. 500-511. Notes will be graded.

72. April 20 - Review How Public Policy is made. In-depth reading and analysis of Education policy, Welfare policy, and Environmental policy. Assignment: Test over Public policy next class period.

71. April 18 - Warm Up with "roles of the president" quizlet.  Worked through a brief lecture/recitation of how public policy is put into place. Quizlet Live with public policy vocabulary.  Finished class with 96 true/false statements from the readings on pp. 470-488.  Assignment: Read each of the public policy pages listed below:

1. Welfare

2. The Environment

3. Social Security

4. Crime and Law Enforcement

5. Education

70. April 14 - 15 minute silent reading period. Test over the Judicial Branch. Assignment: Read carefully pp. 470-488 in the text, and the two page article on How Public Policy is Made. 

69. April 12 - Quizlet Live Review of Latin Law Terms, Unit 2, Unit 4, and Unit 5 vocabulary.  Read carefully and analyzed the Supreme Court Notes. Assignment: Test over the Judiciary Branch in our next class.

68. April 8 - Reviewed and discussed the Senate Confirmation hearings of justices Alito, Roberts, and Breyer. Quizzed over the procedures of federal judge confirmations.  Reviewed the federal court system and factors that influence federal judge confirmations. Watched briefly Youtube videos about judicial activism vs. originalism. Assignment: Review carefully unit five notes, and begin reviewing for a minimum of 30 minutes for the national exam.

67. April 6 - Covered in detail:  Everything you need to know about appointing a Supreme Court Justice. Work on Judicial Branch personnel and organization. Extensive discussion on the "Rule of Law".  Assignment: Watch carefully and be prepared to discuss: Samuel Alito: Supreme Court Nomination Hearings, John Roberts: Supreme Court Nomination Hearings, and Stephen Breyer: Supreme Court Nomination Hearings. Pay specific attention to the similarities in the questions asked of the nominees. Be prepared to write a brief summary of what goes on at a confirmation hearing.

 66. April 4 - 27 Amendments Quizlet work. Built and exchanged a six question Round Robin. Notes over the Judicial Branch.  Assignment: Read carefully and be prepared to discuss: Everything you need to know about appointing a Supreme Court justice.

Spring Break - March 25 - April 3

 65. March 23 - Open question period over Judicial Branch readings and notes. Watched Chief Justice Roberts discuss the origin, nature, and importance of the Supreme Court. Tackled difficult vocabulary associated with the Judicial branch. Assignment: read carefully and take written notes over pp. 452 (Getting to Court) to 464. Begin to review for national exam.  There are many quizlets available online that address the entire course. Be proactive and find some resources to help you review the material.

64. March 21 - Lecture - Recitation over the Judicial Branch introductory concepts. Assignment: Read carefully pp. 446-452 in the Wilson Text. Prepare for a quiz over the lecture notes/reading assignments since 3/17/16. 

63. March 17 - Test over the Bureaucracy.  Assignment: Read carefully and take detailed written notes on pp. 438-446 of the Wilson text.  Read carefully Federalist #78. Completely answer the questions on this Reading Guide for Federalist #78. You should print your completed reading guide and have it available at the beginning of class. 

62. March 15 - Open discussion about first time voting experiences of eligible voters in the class. In-depth examination of iron triangles with some specific examples. Bureaucracy check up questions. Assignment: Next class test over the Bureaucracy.

61. March 11 - Cleaned up any loose ends with the Growth of Bureaucracy project. Assignment: Continue to review notes in Unit 4.3 The Bureaucracy.

60. March 9 - 20 minute reading period over the Daily 202 for March 9, 2016. Whip it around x 2. Lecture Recitation over the Growth of the Bureaucracy. Assignment: Complete Podcast assignment and review all notes in Unit 4.3 that are in the notes folder inside the class folder in Google Drive.

Bring your pocket Headphones to class.

59. March 7 - Guest Speaker, Jacob Carlen. Began working on bureaucracy podcasts and quizzes. Assignment: Complete three podcasts from your column on the podcast page.  (including quizzes).

Bring your pocket Headphones to class.

58. March 3 - Brief review of Bureaucracy Project and structure of the bureaucracy. 40 minute work session on the Sorting Out the Bureaucracy Activtity.  Assignment: Finish script and email the finished 2 minute podcast.  Have all items linked to the class table.

Bring your pocket Headphones to class.

57. March 1 - Defined Bureaucracy, Lecture recitation over the structure of the bureaucracy. In-depth analysis of the Sorting Out the Bureaucracy Activtity.

56. February 26 - Test over the Executive Branch.  Graded all notes from the Executive Branch - Assignment: Read carefully and take notes over pp. 408-414.  Sorting Out the Bureaucracy Activtity.

February 25 - No School - Ice and Snow

55. February 23 - Finished American President - discussed the day to day life of the President and the history behind Camp David.  Assignment: Look at and study  the slides on the daily life of the President. (choose the slide option). Prepare for a test next class meeting over the executive branch. An Excellent Study Guide.

54. February 19 - American President video.

53. February 17 - Reviewed the roles of the president, carefully examined the imperial presidency and congress' response to the imperial presidency. Began American President and viewed the first 21 minutes.  Assignment: Be prepared to list two or three specific examples of the imperial presidency and two or three specific examples of Constitutional Presidential roles shown in the first 21 minutes of the video.

February 12 - No School - Teachers In-service Day

February 15 - No School - President's Day

52. February 11 - Open question period over executive office of the president reading assignment. Examination of a diagram of the Executive Office of the President. Lecture - recitation over Powers of the Executive Branch Constitutional and Non-Constitutional.  Roles of the President lecture recitation. Assignment: Carefully study : The Imperial Presidency. The immediate goal is to have a test over the executive after two class periods.

51. February 9 - Current Events (NPR) with emphasis on the New Hampshire Primary projections. Open question period over the assigned reading. Executive Branch Quizlet  Round Robin Quiz. Assignment: Read carefully and take written notes on pp. 394-401.

50. February 4 - Open question period. Watched the Nixon resignation speech and departure from the White House the next day on YouTube. Graded notes pp. 378-88. Completed items 1-4 on the Agenda for Feb. 4. Please note the assignment at the bottom of the Feb. 4 agenda. Be certain to be able to state how a bill becomes law. 

49. February 2 - Feb. 2 Agenda with Assignment

48. January 29 - Read as a large group pp. 364-378. Detailed examination of the qualification requirements of the president. 15 question quiz over the reading assignment.  Assignment: Review Article II of the United States Constitution.

47.  January 27 - When FOMO meets JOMO explanation, Gerrymandering explanation, Legislative Branch Test.  Assignment: Read carefully pp. 364-378.

46. January 25 - Finals of the Quizlet Vocabulary Tournament. Small group work on released College Board questions regarding Congress. Quick Write Quiz. NPR audio (big group). Assignment: Prepare for 4.1 Test on Congress. Know the Pew Notes, the textbook readings, and materials covered in class.

45. January 21 - Warmed Up with "whip it - around" using Congress Websites. Worked on My Big Campus Topics. Assigned FRQ's that are due next class. Completed part 1 of the Vocabulary Tournament.  Assignment: Complete your assigned FRQ.  Prepare to answer any of the FRQ's that you were not specifically assigned by group to answer next class.  Test will take place January 27 or next class after that date.

44. January 19 - Discussed in-depth the structure and leadership of the legislative branch.  Spent time on expressed powers, implied powers, and inherent powers. Briefly addressed powers denied. Explained impeachment process.  Assignment: prepare pp. 340-358 and Unit 4.1 for a quiz next class.  We will also be finishing our vocabulary tournament.  Big test over the legislative branch is not far off. Tentatively scheduled for January 25. (Day 40 on the syllabus)

End of the First Semester

43. January 13 - Read pp. 335-340, and discussed the demographic make up of Congress. Reviewed legislative branch vocabulary and began a vocabulary tournament. Assignment: Study Unit 4.1 notes and read carefully pp. 340-350. There will be a reading check up quiz to begin the 3rd grading period.

January 12, 2016 - NO School due to snow and icy roads

42. January 8 - 15 minute current events reading period using the 202. Discussed Federalist 26, Quiz over notes on Congress. Quiz over Federalist 26 and the congress notes.  Read about the membership of congress.  Assignment: Complete readings 335-340 for next class.

41. January 6 - Reviewed items about the Founders' intentions regarding the legislative branch.  Covered Overview of Congress items I, II, and III.  Assignment: Read Federalist 26. Be prepared to share what are the main selling points Hamilton is making. Also there is 100% chance that there will be a quiz next class.  The items discussed in class in regard to Congress will be the focus of the quiz along with several questions about Federalist #26 and textbook readings as per the syllabus.

40. January 4 - Review of exam. Reviewed details about the Lobbying Project. Read Article I of the Constitution. Picked apart troubling vocabulary and or phrases in Article I. Unit 4.1 Notes over the founders intentions for the legislative branch. Assignment: read carefully pp. 326-335. prepare for a reading quiz along with a few questions from the notes.

Winter Break - December 19, 2015 - January 3, 2016

39. December 18 - Semester Exam - Assignment: Be certain to keep up on your Lobbying Project. There are no required My Big Campus postings between December 17 and January 6.  You may however complete 2 posts in a single Wednesday to Wednesday cycle over break to replace a week where you did not post or to replace a posting requirement for January 7 through 13.

38. December 14 - Completed round robin on third parties, Large group reading session on media impact on the political process. Reviewed for exam. Assignment: Read and study carefully the Unit 3 notes on: Who are the Mass Media?, Media and Public Opinion, and Effects of the Media on Politics. Prepare for the semester exam which is scheduled for Friday December 18.

37. December 10 - Quiz on PACs and Functions of Political Parties. Super-PAC article from Washington Post. Brief discussion on Third Parties.  Assignment: Construct 4 multiple choice and 4 True/False questions from page  12 of the Unit 3 notes on Third Parties.  These questions will be part of a Round Robin on Monday. Also read very carefully pp. 13 and 14 and be prepared to discuss in a small group your readings.

36. December 8 - [2 hour delay due to fog] - Quick (well.... semi-quick) run through a quizlet on the Constitutional Underpinnings. Notes on PACs and Political Parties. Assignment: Prepare for quiz over Functions of Political Parties and Rise of Political Parties from Unit 3 notes.

35. December 4 - Current Events (San Bernardino Shooting), Successful Lobbying Practices,  Political Parties Kahoot. Assignment: pp. 298-305. 

34. December 2 - Current Events, Quick Write on Lobbying - What are Political Parties and How Do They Work. - Assignment: Make 100% certain that you have read 212-229 in the text. Also take a look at the Lobbying Project 2015-16.

 33. November 30 - Vocabulary tournament for review. Vocabulary quiz over Unit 3 vocabulary. Assignment: Read carefully pp. 212-229 on the Functions of Political Parties and the Rise of Political Parties.

Thanksgiving Break November 25 - 29

32. November 23 - Finished Special Interest Group Presentations. Quiz over Special Interest Groups. Kahoot for extra credit on next quiz. Assignment: Read everything associated with lobbying in your text book. It may be in your best interest to look up some lobbying videos on YouTube. Special Interest Group Quizlet.

31. November 19 - Current Events (Daily 202) - Individual Presentations on Special Interest Groups. Coverage of Tactics of Interest Groups and Reasons for Joining Interest Groups. Assignment: Prepare Day 26 on the syllabus for next class.

30. November 17 - Debriefing on Current events in France and the U.S. in reaction to the Paris Attacks. Individual presentations on Special Interest Groups.  Assignment: Continue to study Interest groups. You are to have great understanding of the Unit 3 notes on interest group tactics and the reasons for joining interest groups. Quiz next class.

29. November 13 - Interest group presentation questions, Current Events (SIG's in the News), Kahoot, Notes on Types of Interest Groups. Assignment: Slide presentations must be done Saturday and linked to class table. Two minute podcast on your assigned Special Interest group must be recorded and emailed before class on Tuesday 11/17/15.

28. November 11 - Veterans Day Work - Field Trip to the median to visit World War 1 Memorial. Worked on Special Interest groups. Broke down Federalist #10. Assignment: Work on SIG presentation slides and podcasts.

27. November 9 - Began work on Unit 3. Special Interest Groups.  Examined why SIG's exist. Assignment: Find a copy of Federalist #10. Answer the nine reading guide questions for Federalist #10.

26. November 3 - Cleaned up any last minute questions about the Political Beliefs and Behaviors test.  Unit test 2. Assignment: Prepare Day 24 on the syllabus for our next class. You should also begin work on the Special Interest Group Project.

25. October 30 - Warm Up with 8 questions as daily work in 15 minutes. Broke down details of Campaign Finance, examined opensecrets.org and discussed the influence of campaign donations on the political process.  Assignment: Prepare for Unit 2 test that will be given next class period.

24. October 28 - In-depth discussion over property tax and its collection procedure. Re-examined Presidential Path to the Presidency with dates for the 2016 Presidential Election. Examined carefully the Electoral College.  Assignment: Read and comment directly on the Path to the Presidency: Should the U.S. keep the Electoral College? Also be prepared for a  test to follow on unit two on Tuesday 11/3/15

23. October 26 - Congressional Elections, Wood County Board of Elections, Wood County Auditor, Presidential Elections. Worked briefly on timing of the 2016 Presidential Election.  Assignment: Prepare day 22 on the syllabus.

22. October 22 - Current Events (NPR), Round Robin work on Factors Affecting Voter Behavior and Congressional Elections.  Worked on the Daily 202. Assignment: Take a photo of yourself (with classmates if you would like) outside enjoying the leaves this weekend. Post your photo on your MY BIG CAMPUS wall for 5% bonus on the next in-class quiz.

21. October 20 - Open question session over unit 2. In-depth discussion over Factors Affecting Voter Behavior and Congressional Elections. Many many questions about caucus and primary elections. Assignment: Review all previous notes and readings from Unit 2. Prepare Day 21 on the syllabus.

End of the First Quarter

20. October 16 - Completed five 60 Second Civics Podcasts. 1256, 1189, 1167, 1231, and 861. Silent reading of The Daily 202. Quiz over political socialization, voter turnout, political participation and factors affecting voter behavior. Celebrated.  Assignment: Prepare Day 20 on the syllabus.

19. October 14 - Open question period. Check up over previous topics in Unit 2. Spent some quality time with Voter Turn out.  Assignment: Prepare for a quiz over Voter Turnout and the first portions of Factors Affecting Voter Behavior. Day 19 on the syllabus.

Week 8

18. October 9 - Current Events (NPR and Daily 202), check up quiz over last three discussions, small group work on political polling assignment, lecture/recitation over voter turnout. Assignment: Prepare day 18 on the syllabus.

17. October 7 - In depth look at Public Opinion and Political Socialization. Assignment: Be certain to have answers to the political polling assignment and be prepared to share your answers in a small group setting. Prepare day 17 on the syllabus.

16. October 5 - Ten minute silent reading session pp. 162-178 in the text. Open question period, Examined the assignment on Political Polling. Read literally word for word How are Polls Conducted. Assignment: Prepare answers to the political polling assignment and be prepared to share your answers in a small group setting. Prepare day 16 on the syllabus.

Week 7

15. October 1 - Ideology and Public Policy

14. September 29 - Introduction to Unit 2 - Political Beliefs/Political Behaviors. Political Culture lecture - recitation.

Week 6

13. Sept. 25, 2015 - Test on Constitutional Underpinnings and Current Events (Silent News Reading session). Assignment: None- enjoy Homecoming 2015.

12. Sept. 23, 2015 - Open question period regarding federalism. Explained concept of expedition. Examined specific cases of expedition. Examined the 11th amendment. Examined key questions about government and specific checks and obstacles. Assignment: 1st Major Test will occur next class.  Be prepared.  A complete set of lecture notes for Unit 1 are available here: Constitutional Underpinnings Notes.

11. Sept. 21, 2015 - Worked through Federalism questions, provided major amount of time to work in class on Federalism Activities 2, 3, and 4.  Concluded with 10 articles on current Federalism in the news.   Assignment: Day 11 on the syllabus.  

Week 5

No School Sept. 18, 2015 - Teacher In-Service Day

10. Sept. 16, 2015 - Open question session, Wood County Board of Elections Website Tour, Voter Registration bonus offer, Major inquiry into Federalism. Assignment: Federalism Quizlet and Activities 2, 3, and 4.

9. Sept. 14, 2015 - Viewed parody of Republican Party Debate, Cleaned up picktochart presentaions, Round Robin w/ 6 passes of three short answer questions on picktochart. Spoke briefly about federalism and examined a Venn-Diagram of the subject.  Assignment: Day 9 on the syllabus. 60 Second Civics #2174-#2177. Prepare for a quiz over audio and the reading assignment.

Week 4

8. Sept. 10, 2015 - Video Clip of Jefferson and Hamilton debating the merits of a national debt and the natural differences between the states, along with John Adams suggesting a compromise (Federalism), Current Events (NPR), Brief reading of lecture notes on Principles of the Constitution.  Remaining time working on Infographics for presentation.  Assignment: Prepare for Day 8 on the syllabus and have your info-graphic complete and shared on this document. (Link it). Info-graphic should be available by link no later than midnight Friday 9/11/2015.

7. Sept. 8, 2015 - Sunrise at Philadelphia reading, Answered the six critical thinking questions at the end of the article. Examined carefully the Unit 1 info-graphic assignment and rubric.  Info graphic is to be completed by end of the school day on Friday. Assignment: Day 7 on the syllabus for next class.

Week 3

6. Sept. 3, 2015 - Current Events from the Washington Post, Listened to two podcasts from 60 minute Civic on the establishment of Constitution. Worked in Federal Groups on Federalist #51. Worked through fundamentals of the Constitution power point. Assignment: Day 6 on the syllabus for next class.

5. Sept.1, 2015 -

Week 2

4. August 28, 2015 - Lengthy lecture/discussion on the establishment of democracy and the origins of the American Republic.    Assignment: Build a 15 multiple choice question round robin using the information from Friday's lecture: Democracy in the U.S. and Origins of American Republic.   Complete the Roster Builder.

3. August 26, 2015 - Roster builder followed by open question period over concepts from the readings. Completed power point on key principles of democracy and democratic government. Watched a brief video clip on the rule of law.   Assignment:  In addition to your syllabus reading assignment, watch and understand the following short videos

• Constitutional Principles: Consent of the Governed

• Constitutional Principles: Separation of Powers

• Constitutional Principles: Rule of Law

• Constitutional Principles: Representative Government

2. August 24, 2015 - Current events via the Washington Post.  Blogged and commented on My Big Campus. PowerPoint on fundamentals of U.S. Government. Assignment:  Complete an additional blog comment and take care of reading on Day 2 of the syllabus.

Week 1

1.  August 20, 2015 - Welcome to AP Gov.  Procedures, accounts built in My Big Campus and Google Drive. Assignment: Complete the Political Spectrum survey at: http://www.gotoquiz.com/politics/political-spectrum-quiz.html . Paste the resulting graphic along with the scores on your my big campus announcement page.  Complete reading pp. 1-14 in Wilson.