April 14-June 4 - American Government Required Work. PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE ASSIGNMENTS MAY LEAD TO NO CREDIT FOR THIS COURSE THAT IS REQUIRED FOR GRADUATION.
Monday Mar. 23-27 - Week 2 of Extended Spring Break - Assignment: Federal Courts Activities Part 2, Gideon v. Wainwright - 1963, McDonald v. City of Chicago - 2010, Judicial Branch Quizlet Stack
Monday Mar. 16-20 - Week 1 of Extended Spring Break - Assignment: History has chosen us to live in this time by Joe Boyle - Must Read!!! Federal Courts Activities Part 1, U.S. vs. Lopez - 1995 - Quiz, McCulloch vs. Maryland - 1819 - Quiz, Judicial Branch Quizlet Stack
Monday March 16 through Monday April 14, 2020
No School Due to COVID-19 Pandemic
Friday Mar. 13 - Extensive discussion about current events. Orientation as to how we will proceed sharing information over the next three to four weeks. In-depth review of key vocabulary related to the bureaucracy. Worked our way through types of agencies, explanations of how and why bureaucracies grow, influences on bureaucratic behavior, and ways that the bureaucracy can be checked. Quiz over the bureaucracy. Assignment: Begin working on Chapter 6 in the Wolfford text. The material is on the Judicial Branch. You will also want to check the main class webpage Monday morning for next week's detailed lesson.
Wednesday Mar. 11 - NPR news. Discussed types of bureaucratic agencies and how they have quasi-legislative and quasi judicial powers. Assignment: Quiz over the Bureaucracy. (predominently the material covered in the Wolfford text.
Tuesday Mar. 10 - Open question period over Bureaucratic Agencies, followed by a quizlet check up of the agencies. Read carefully and answered comprehension questions from 10 Questions and Answers About America's Big Government. Assignment: Read carefully pp. 170-181 in the Wolfford text. (Quiz next class is likely)
Friday Mar. 6 - Introduction to Engle v. Vitale (1962). Discussed key vocabulary associated with the Bureaucracy. Quizzed over the Bureaucracy vocabulary. Studied Bureaucratic Agencies with Quizlet Live. Assignment: Read carefully pp. 160-169 in Wolfford. It would also be wise to study the Bureaucratic Agencies Stack. (hint hint).
Wednesday Mar. 4 - Introduction to The Bureaucracy. Viewed various political cartoons and spent some time figuring out what the "point/joke" was in each. Viewed a brief video introducing the bureaucracy. Began notes on The Bureaucracy. Assignment: Work hard and be able to be successfully tested over the Bureaucracy Quizlet Stack for next class meeting.
Tuesday Mar. 3 - Test over the Executive Branch. Assignment: Begin work on the Bureaucracy Quizlet Stack.
Friday Feb. 28 - Finished American President. Examined the character issue and the personal space or lack of personal space of the office. Assignment: Prepare for a test over the executive branch. Article 2 of the Constitution, Chapter 4 of Wolfford, and the Quizlet terms associated with the executive branch are all fair game.
Thursday February 27, 2020 - No School Due to Ice and Snow
Wednesday Feb. 26 - Continued watching for examples of the roles of the president in the American President. Asssignment: Be prepared for a few (5-8) questions over Citizens United v. FEC (2010).
Monday - Feb. 24 - Open question period led to some discussion about Brown v. the Board of Education and the concept of affirmative action. In-depth examination on the Growth of Presidential Power. Continued watching The American President. Assignment: Begin studying Citizens United v. FEC (2010) .
Thursday - Feb. 20 - Reviewed two commonly missed questions from the Legislative Branch test. Finished roles of the president. Began American President film. Assignment: Read and continue to study Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954).
Wednesday - Feb. 19 - Defined de jure and de facto. In-depth analysis of the roles of the president. Explained and discussed Chief Legislator, Chief Executive, Commander in Chief, Chief Diplomat, and Chief of State. Assignment: Review the roles of the president. Begin studying Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas (1954).
Thursday - Feb.13 - Quizzed over Article 2 sections 3 and 4. Examined the debates surrounding the establishment of the executive branch. Examined the Constitutional and "non-Constitutional" requirements and expectations of the executive branch. Assignment: Read carefully Wolfford 137-146. Examine the Executive Office of the President website from the Government Manual.
Wednesday Feb. 12 - Quizzed over Article 2 sections 1 and 2. Debated the wording of each question. Eventually decided to throw out the last question due to poor wording. Assignment: Study Article 2 sections 3 and 4 of the U.S. Constitution. Read carefully pp. 131-136 in the Wolfford text.
Monday Feb. 10 - Test over the Legislative Branch. Reviewed Shaw vs. Reno (1993). Briefly addressed the Executive Branch. Assignment: Read carefully pp. 119-130 in Wolfford. Be prepared for a quiz over Article 2 sections 1 and 2.
Thursday February 6, 2020 - No School Due to Ice and Snow
Wednesday Feb. 5 - Shaw v. Reno (1993) study session. Prepared questions regarding Shaw case for next class. Assignment: Prepare for a test over the Legislative Branch, Article 1, and Chapter 3 in Wolfford.
Tuesday Feb. 4 - Intense analysis of Congressional leadership positions and Congressional committees. Assignment: Be reviewing Quizlet for Congress.
Friday Jan. 31 - Intense analysis of Baker v. Carr. Assignment: Study these Web Pages: Leadership in Congress., The Importance of Committees, Who is in Congress?. There is a reasonable chance of a test coming next week.
Wednesday Jan. 29 - Brief open question period. Discussed mandatory spending, descretionary spending, OMB, Budget process, and impoundment. Took a check up quiz over Iron Triangles, current events, and powers of Congress. Assignment: Read carefully Baker v. Carr 1962 on pp. 103-106 in Wolfford. Be prepared for a quick write on the case Baker v. Carr.
Tuesday Jan. 28 - Analyzed iron triangles and amicus curiae briefs. Analyzed why lobbying isn't like ketchup. Took Article I Section 9-10 quiz. Studied a few Latin vocabulary terms associated with government: Ante, subpoena, per curium, habeas corpus, pro bono, stare decisis, writ of mandamus. Assignment: Read carefully in Wolfford pp. 96-102. Stop at Influences on Congress. Be prepared to answer a few questions over the reading.
End of 1st Semester and 2nd Quarter
Friday Jan. 24 - Discussed the current events surrounding the current impeachment proceedings in the U.S. Senate. Quizzed over U.S. Constitution Article 1 Sections 7-8. Spent a good deal of time analyzing and answering questions about section 7 and procedure. Cleaned up veto, veto override, and pocket veto. Elaborated on the "elastic clause". Examined the demographic make up of the 116th Congress. Assignment: read carefully and prepare for a quiz over Article 1 Sections 9 and 10 of the U.S. Constitution. Read pp. 85-96 in the Wolfford text. There may be a question or two from the Wolfford text on the next classroom quiz.
Wednesday Jan. 22 - Quizzed over U.S. Constitution Article 1 Sections 5-6. Broke down an additional five key vocabulary terms. Assignment: read carefully and prepare for a quiz over Article 1 Sections 7 and 8. Continue to pay very close attention to the current events surrounding the impeachment proceedings as they are happening in the U.S. Senate. Be able to identify the key developments.
Tuesday Jan. 21 - Quizzed over reading of Article 1 sections 1-4. Broke down five key vocabulary terms. Began analyzing Article 1 section 5. Assignment: Complete reading and studying Article 1 section 5 and 6. Prepare for a quiz over those to sections tomorrow. Read carefully pp.85-86 on Leadership.
Thursday Jan. 16 - Tested over Media - Interest Groups - Political Parties. Assignment: Read carefully pp. 76-84 in the Wolfford text. Read carefully Article 1 sections 1-4 of the U.S. Constitution. Pay very close attention to current events surrounding the impeachment proceedings as they are happening in the U.S. Senate. You should be able to identify the key people and the procedural questions that evolve during the impeachment.
Wednesday Jan. 15 - Quick survey from Mr. Brashear and Miss Pierce. Quick open question period over Media Vocab. Media Vocabulary Quiz. Assignment: Test over Media, Political Parties, and Interest Groups.
Monday Jan. 13 - Open questions about Media and the Government. Reviewed roles of the media. Watched an interview clip with President Trump and Chris Wallace on Fake News and the Media. Walked through the prompt: Does the media influence public opinion? . Reviewed Media Vocabulary. Assignment: Be prepared for Media Vocabulary Quiz.
Thursday Jan. 9 - Open questions regarding the reading. Emphasis on roles of the media, editorial boards, Federal Communications Commission, Associated Press, Free Press, horse race coverage, decline of substance reporting in favor of image and slogans. Discussion of using social media instead of the mainstream media (pros and cons). Briefly discussed the validity of reporting. Assignment: Study carefully the Media Vocabulary Stack and be able to answer the questions at the end of the Media chapter.
Wednesday Jan. 8 - Worked in Wolfford Chapter on the Media. Covered specific concepts of seditious libel, Zenger Case, free press, and the different roles of the media in relation to government. Assignment: Read the remainder of the chapter on The Media in Wolfford. Be certain to check the table of contents as to its location. It seems that we have multiple editions in our classroom.
Tuesday January 7 2020 - Opening Day at the New Building. Assignment: Lobbying Project due next class meeting.
Winter Break - No School
December 21-January 6
Thursday Dec. 19 - Discussed goal setting. Worked through some issues on the Lobbying Project. Specifically emphasized checking sharing settings. Consumed Political Parties: What they are and what they do. Assignment: Consume current events related to American Government, especially information about the impeachment proceedings. A great place to find current events resources is here. Consider the role of political partisanship in the proceedings. Your main focus over break is to make progress on the Lobbying Project. The Lobbying Project is due the first day of class after the holiday break. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Wednesday Dec. 18 - Reviewed expectations as related to the Lobbying Project. Open question period over pp. 472-477 and specifically ways that minor/third parties influence elections. Assignment: YOU MUST BRING THE WOLFFORD TEXT NEXT CLASS. (no exceptions). You should also have the title page of the Lobby Project linked to your name on this table. Proposed Goal, Who is being lobbied, and approximate timeline.
Monday Dec. 16 - Extensive Open question period over the reading and materials related to Political Parties. Graded almost everyone's notes. Worked on Political Parties Quizlet. Assignment: Read carefully pp. 472-477. In your notes on Political Parties, complete the graphic organizer "Reflect on the Essential Question" at the bottom of p. 478.
Thursday Dec. 12 - Wrapped up interest groups and spent time answering questions from the Wolfford text. Assignment: Read carefully 452-472 on Political Parties. Take a set of handwritten notes to be graded at the start of next class.
Wednesday Dec. 11 - Examined lobbying. Discussed access. Worked on the differences between interest groups and political parties. Examined briefly the relationship between interest groups and the courts (p.540). Assignment: Answer Free Response Question #1 on p. 554 of the Wolfford text.
Monday Dec. 9 - Worked on Quizlet vocabulary for Chapter 15 in Wolfford. Graded reading notes from 519-534. Collected what are the reasons for the growth of interest groups. Learned about the reasons for joining interest groups. Assignment: Read carefully pp. 535-549 from the Wolfford text and take hand written notes over the reading.
Thursday Dec. 5 - Reviewed vocabulary terms associated with interest groups, political parties, and the media. Closely examined the reasons for growth of interest groups. Assignment: In 250-300 words, create a handwritten addressing "what are the reasons for the growth (number and size) of interest groups in the United States". Read and take handwritten notes over pp. 519-534 in the Wolfford text.
Wednesday Dec. 4 - Approximately 1/4 of the class missing due to DECCA field trip. Reviewed winner take all, majority/plurality, electoral college, impacts on voter participation, and differences in types of elections. Assignment: Continue to review and complete flashcards and learn for Interest Groups.
Monday Dec. 2 - Discussed Red Diesel. Open question period over the reading from pp. 519-528. Quick check up on Campaign Finance Vocabulary retention. (ouch). Graded handwritten notes from the reading assignment. Consumed videos explaining Federalist #10. Began small group work on Federalist 10 reading guide. Assignment: Work on flashcards and learn for Interest groups. I should be able to see a green check mark when you have completed your work. It would also be incredibly wise to brush up on the notes listed here. (hint:quiz)
Tuesday Nov. 26-29 - No School - Parent teacher conferences/thanksgiving break
Friday Nov. 22 - Quiz over the Campaign Finance Reform reading. Critically analyzed Citizens United v. FEC (2010). Assignment: Read pages 519-528 in the Wolfford text. You need to produce a set of handwritten notes from the reading upon entering the classroom at our next class. You also need to be thinking about an item that you would like to lobby for between December 1 and January 6.
Wednesday Nov. 20 - Introduction to Campaign Finance Reform. Assignment: Read carefully and be prepared to answer questions over Campaign Finance Reform. Complete a table with the information requested in question 6 located on p. 510 of the Wolfford text.
Tuesday Nov. 19 - Test over Political Beliefs and Behaviors (minus campaign finance). Assignment: Study carefully pp. 508-510 in the Wolfford text for tomorrow's class. It would be incredibly wise to have knowledge of how to answer the six questions posed in the reading. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2009)
Friday Nov. 15 - Extensive discussion about the current impeachment hearings taking place in the House of Representatives. Extensive discussion about the Electoral College. Assignment: Prepare for a test next class meeting on Political Beliefs and Behaviors. Remember that the Campaign Finance portion listed on the syllabus will NOT be part of the test.
Wednesday Nov. 13 - Reviewed the Impeachment Process and defined terms related to that concept. Traced the path to the presidency. Assignment: Electoral College Assignment Part 1
Tuesday Nov. 12 - No School - Ice and Snow
Monday Nov. 11 - Veterans' Day Lesson. - Assignment: Be certain to have your letter to a veteran ready to be turned in at the beginning of our next class.
Thursday Nov. 7 - Open question period over the following topics: Gerrymandering, Census, Apportionment, re-apportionment, Ohio Congressional Districts, Packing, Cracking, pork barrel legislation, Federal Capital Outlays, incumbents, various strong/weak candidate races, 2019 Americanism test. Assignment: Glance through the National Pig Book. Be able to reference a few items that you are surprised about. Know the seven steps on the path to the presidency.
Wednesday Nov. 6 - Quiz over Primaries. Broke down the reasons why primary elections exist. Also analyzed the difference between caucuses and primaries. Assignment: Know the material about Congressional elections.
Tuesday Nov. 5 - No School - Teacher In-Service Day
End of 1st Quarter
Friday Nov. 1 - Lengthy Discussion over the Wilson readings pp. 257-266. Chatted about goal setting, and the merits of democracy. Assignment: Be certain to be able to differentiate between Open Primaries, Closed Primaries, and Blanket Primaries. You also must be able to correctly identify which type of primary the State of Ohio utilizes in 2019.
Wednesday Oct. 30 - Analysis of factors impacting voter behavior and various ways to participate in government. Assignment: Read carefully in the Wilson text pp. 257-266. Be able to answer questions on the reading. (The questions may come in the form of a quiz.)
Tuesday Oct. 29 - Analysis of the political situation of being the District of Columbia. Reviewed concepts related to public opinion, political socialization, and voter turnout. Covered new concepts related to political participation and factors affecting voter behavior. Assignment: Be certain to be able to list ways other than voting for citizens to participate in government. Be certain to be able to identify the factors which affect voter behavior.
Friday Oct. 25 - Open question period. Analyzed U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Briefly discussed demographic factors involved in voter turnout. Completed flashcards on Citizen Beliefs and Opinion Polls. Assignment: Read pp. 425-437 in the Wolfford text.
Wednesday Oct. 23 - Analyzed questions 1, 2, and 3 on page 361 and collected them for a grade. Began work on key vocabulary terms Citizen Beliefs and Public Opinion Polls. Assignment: Read carefully Voter Turnout. Be prepared to answer a few questions about Voter Turnout.
Tuesday Oct. 22 - Discussed briefly the idea behind anonymous accounts in social media. Spent the entire class period reading and analyzing Political Socialization in the Wolfford text. Assignment: Complete questions 1, 2, and 3 on page 361. (DUE WEDNESDAY OCT 23).
Friday Oct. 18 - Analyzed the Political Polling assignment. Discussed student, teacher, and parent rights and responsibilities as related to school and applied the concepts to government. Quick write quiz on abuses of political polls. Assignment: read carefully about political socialization in the Wolfford text pp. 356-369.
Wednesday Oct. 16 - Examined the concept of margin of error. Reviewed the political polling assignment. Assignment: Be 100% certain that your political polling assignment is your best work. Quiz over Political Culture, Political Ideology, Public Opinion, and Political Polling.
Tuesday Oct. 15 - Extensive talk about historical attempts to limit voter participation. Extensive examination of local issues including tax levies, Wood County Board of Elections, and expanding democracy. Broke down political ideology, public opinion, and began looking at political polling. Assignment: Complete this work on political polling.
Friday Oct. 11 - No School - Teacher In-service Day
Thursday Oct. 10 - Extensive discussion of the Trust and Distrust in America. Analyzed the demographic factors that impact Trust/Distrust of the Government tables. Began some discussion about Political Polling. Assignment: Read carefully the lecture notes on Political Polling. Read carefully pp. 184-196 in the Wilson text.
Wednesday Oct. 9 - Media Bias Chart. Open question opportunity. Visit from Mr. Lucius and discussion about trust in government and Political Culture. Assignment: Read carefully pp. 162-178. Complete Reading Trust and Distrust in America.
Monday Oct. 7 - Visit from Mr. Saygers about paying for the AP Exam. November 8 is the deadline. Round Robin Quiz over reading in Wilson Text pp. 79-85. Read lecture notes carefully over Political Culture. Passed back and discussed Test #1 results. Assignment: Read carefully pp. 66-94 in the Wilson text. Read carefully pp. 31-50 on Trust and Distrust in America. Be prepared to answer a few recall questions from the Political Culture Lecture notes.
Thursday Oct. 3 - Test #1. Assignment: First begin reading the first 30 pages of "Trust and Distrust in America". Be prepared to summarize what you have read. Secondly, read carefully about political culture on pp. 79-85. Prepare a seven questions for a round robin based on the reading. The questions are to be correctable true/false only. At least three of the questions must be false.
Wed. Oct. 2 - Open discussion about grants and specifically how local governments raise revenue. Examined property taxes in Rossford. Examined the concepts tied to judicial activism, checks and balances. Briefly discussed the current events surrounding the impeachment inquiry happening in the House of Representatives. Assignment: Prepare for the first test of the quarter that will be administered next class meeting.
Mon. Sept. 30 - Lengthy discussion about Federalism, forms of federalism, layer cake/marble cake analogy, supremacy clause, necessary and proper clause, enumerated powers, implied powers, inherent powers, judicial activism, how supreme court justices are nominated/confirmed, and various grants. Introduced Federalist 51 reading/small group activity. Assignment: Prepare your group for success on the Federalist 51 Reading Assignment. Become best friends with this Constitutional Underpinnings Quizlet stack. Begin preparing for Thursday's first major test of the 2019-20 school year.
Thurs. Sept. 26 - Discussion about the impeachment process. Open question session with many questions about how states are directly involved in the federal government process. Listened to 60 second civics clip on federalism. Assignment: Watch any four the videos on this list of federalism videos. Be certain that you can share what you watched with other students (hint take some notes while you watch the clips)
Wed. Sept. 25 - Diagramed the formal amendment process. Demonstrated how a free response question on the formal amendment process would be graded. Spent some time examining the structure of the U.S. Constitution. Assignment: Listen carefully to Episodes 35, 36 and 37 of 60 Second Civics. Use the page search function to find the episode number. Be prepared to share a 25-40 word summary of each podcast.
Mon. Sept. 23 - Open question period over readings from Days 7 and 8 on the syllabus. Reminded everyone that additional grades have been entered into Power School. Consumed two video clips about formal and informal amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Introduced the Formal Amendment. Assignment. Assignment: Complete Day 9 on the class syllabus. Complete the Formal Amendment Diagram Assignment prior to entering class.
Thurs. Sept. 19 - Extensive review of the Principles of the U.S. Constitution. 21 Question Quiz. Assignment: Complete Day 8 on the class syllabus.
Wed. Sept. 18 - Lecture/recitation over the Articles of Confederation, Annapolis Convention, Shay's Rebellion, Constituional Convention, delegates to the Constitutional Convention, and Great Compromise. Took specific time to examine how the legislative branch favors the Senate and specifically how some citizens have more power than others based on what state they live in. Assignment: Prepare for quiz over Principles of the Constitution #1-4. Complete Day 7 on the syllabus.
Mon. Sept. 16-
Thurs. Sept. 12 - Open question period. Spent a great deal of open question period examining Montesquieu and the concept of the separation of powers. Briefly examined the second amendment. Explained the concept of republic and why the founders chose that form of government. Quizzed over the first four days of class. Assignment: Complete Day 5 on the syllabus
Wed. Sept. 11 - Round Robin on Ideological Gaps Based on Education. Quick discussion of mobocracy and the efforts of the founders to defend against it. Assignment: Complete Day 4 on the syllabus and prepare for a quiz over the items listed on the syllabus for days 1-4 inclusive.
Mon. Sept. 9 - Current Events (NPR). Open questions regarding the readings for day 1 and day 2. Extensive discussion over the constitutional convention, unitary-confederal-federal forms of government. Assignment: Construct six multiple choice questions based on the headlines from "A Wider Ideological Gap Between More and Less Educated Adults". Be certain to read the assignment on Day 3 of the class syllabus.
Thurs. Sept. 5 - Mr. Saygers visited and chatted about the AP Central Log In Process. Open question period. Lesson on Majority, Minority, Plurality, Super Majority, Coalition. Reviewed the political spectrum, and discussed results of Political Spectrum Quiz 1 and Political Typology Survey - Pew. Required all students to share the results directly to ccox@rossfordschools.org. There should be three total graphic results. Deadline for submission is 11:59 p.m. on 9/5/19. Assignment: Complete day 2 on the syllabus. Read and be able to discuss intelligently "A Wider Ideological Gap Between More and Less Educated Adults". It would also be wise to begin studying Quizlet Stack on Constitutional Underpinnings.
Wed. Sept. 4 - Opening Day Procedures, text books reviewed, quizlet sign in. Chromebook procedures. Assignment: Read carefully pp. 1-14 in Wilson. Join @rhs_soc_studies on Twitter and post with hashtag to earn extra credit. Cover your Wilson textbook. Complete the poitical spectrum surveys. Political Spectrum Quiz 1 and Political Typology Survey - Pew. Record your results from Quiz 1 on a Google Doc and bring it to class.