GOVERNMENTWelcome to Government. Your instructor is James Walters. You can find
assignments on the right side of this page. The Downloads page has a PDF of the course Information, Jeopardy games and other useful files. The Study Skills page has ideas to maximize your study time. The History Blog has a brief description of what happened during each class period as well as further information and occasional extra credit opportunities. Websites |
Reading Schedule and Assignments 2018Reading assignments should be read and studied by the date posted.
Assignments are due by the date posted. Memorization - you can find these in your textbook
TEXTBOOK READING ASSIGNMENTS Be prepared for frequent quizzes after the due date for each chapter. August 21 Chapter 1 August 28 Chapter 2 September 4 Chapter 3 September 11 Chapter 4.3 & 4 September 25 Chapter 5 October 2 Chapter 6 October 5 Chapter 7 October 9 Chapter 8 October 23 Chapter 9 October 30 Chapter 16 November 6 Chapter 17 November 13 Chapter 11 November 27 Chapter 12 December 4 Chapter 13 December 11 Chapter 14 ASSIGNMENTS Assignments -
Quiz Thursday 23 August - Organization Chart & First Government Leaders Quiz Tuesday 28 August - Preamble memorization Test Chapters 1-2 Thursday 6 Sept. Prepare answers for the test questions we discussed in class on Tuesday. Chapter 2 Assignment: Origins of American Government Friday 7 September - Download the Word file from the Downloads Page. Use your textbook to write thoughtful responses to each prompt and question. Unit 1 Test - Thursday, 27 September. Short answer questions - 99 points. How a Bill Becomes a Law - due by Friday, 12 October 2018. Describe, in your own words, the process by which a bill becomes a law. Be sure to cover each step. You can turn in a handwritten or printed paper. Link to the House Ways and Means Committee Press Release: Brady on House Passage of Bipartisan Ways and Means Opioid Legislation.
Test Unit 1 - Friday, 19 October 2018 This test covers what we have learned in Chapters 5, 6 & 7:
Quiz Chapter 9 Presidential Leadership - Friday, 2 November 2018
Supreme Court Cases - due by Wednesday, 7 November 2018. Write thoughtful responses to the five questions and prompts at the end of each case study. Please print your paper in MLA format.
Evaluating Presidents - class presentations on Tuesday, 13 November.
Supreme Court Cases The following web sites may be useful in your research: Supreme Court: Powers & limitations, forces shaping decisions. If you missed class on Friday, 30 November, complete the following in your notes:
FINAL TEST - Thursday, December 20 10:30 - noon
2017-2018 School Year Test Friday 8 September - Chapters 1 & 2
Friday, 29 September - Write or type answers to these questions: 1.Identify the two calendars used by the Senate. 2.Explain how the Senate uses unanimous consent. 3.Explain how the Senate uses the filibuster. 4.How did Lowell Weicker’s staff help a constituent? 5.What are the duties of an administrative assistant? 6.What are the duties of a legislative assistant? 7.Explain what caseworkers do. Supreme Court Cases - Powers of the Federal Government We began this assignment in class on Wednesday. Complete it in class on Friday 29 September and turn in. McCulloch v. Maryland 1.What was the central issue of this case? 2.What is a strict constructionist? 3.What did they argue in this case? Identify the party. 4.What is a loose constructionist? 5.What did they argue in this case? Identify the party. 6.Which side won the lawsuit in a state court? 7. Which side won the lawsuit in the Supreme Court? 8.Who was John Marshall? 9.Explain his opinion in your own words. Gibbons v. Ogden 1.What was the central issue of this case? 2.What was Gibbon’s argument? 3.What was Ogden’s argument? 4.Which side won this lawsuit in state court? 5.Which side won this lawsuit in the Supreme Court? 6.What larger principle of law was established from this case? Chapter 6 Assignment - Friday, 29 September Complete the following assignment and turn it in with the above Supreme Court cases assignment.
Supreme Court Cases - 4 October, in class. Read the article about four cases the Supreme Court will hear this term. Discuss the case with your group and be ready to share your ideas on Friday. Quiz 7.2 - 6 October. Supreme Court case discussion How A Bill Becomes a Law - 13 October Print this assignment, written in sentence/paragraph MLA format. Roughly two pages in length. Describe the process by which a bill becomes a law, including the following steps:
Six Presidency Questions - 10 October. Students answered these questions at the beginning of class, then turned in their paper. 1.What are the three constitutional requirements to be president? 2.What are three informal requirements? 3.Who are the first four officers in the line of succession to the presidency? 4.Why do presidential candidates spend more time in states with large populations? 5.How can a third party candidate affect the outcome of the election? 6.Explain how a third party candidate affected the 2000 election. (See the Wikipedia article.) Chapter 8 Handout: The Presidency - due by Tuesday, 17 October. You can write or print your answers. Please turn in a hard copy. Chapter 9 Expansion of Presidential Powers - Write a three paragraph essay - (1) economics (2) military (3) other - in your notes, based on the notes you took in class on Tuesday. Find supporting details online: dates, people, documents, events, etc. This is in preparation for the test over Chapters 8 & 9. The Federal Budget - in class on Friday, November 3
Because of the test on Nov 7 you can postpone your reading of Chapter 11 Test Chapters 16 & 17 - Political Parties & Elections and Voting, Tuesday, November 7 Quiz Chapter 11 - 14 November.
Bill of Rights/Supreme Court - Gun Control - 27 November We will read an article from NY Times Upfront, define terms, watch a brief video, answer questions and discuss the issue in class. Quiz Chapter 12 - Tuesday, November 28 Supreme Court Cases - Student Teaching - Wednesday and Friday, December 7 & 8 and Monday, Dec. 11. Fake News - due by Friday, 12 January. Read the NY Times UpFront article, take the quiz, then read two news articles - see the handout for suggested sources. Use the handout and take notes on the trustworthiness of the articles, then write a paper based on your notes. Semester Test - Thursday The test includes:
Marbury v. Madison McCulloch v. Maryland Plessy v. Ferguson Gitlow v. New York Korematsu v. United States Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Abingdon School District v. Schempp Gideon v. Wainwright Griswold v. Connecticut Miranda v. Arizona Loving v. Virginia Roe v. Wade Assignments 2016-2017 Quiz Wednesday, September 1 - Preamble memorization Reading - Tuesday 6 September Chapter 1 Reading - Tuesday 13 September Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Assignment Origins of American Government - Wednesday 21 September: download the Word document from the Downloads page, add your answers, then submit your paper through this web site on the Turn in Assignments page. Quest Chapter 2 - Wednesday, 21 September. (Remember that quizzes and tests in this class are cumulative.) Reading - Friday, 23 September Chapter 3. We will begin a Constitution Scavenger Hunt in class today. Constitution Scavenger Hunt due - Friday, September 30 (You can download the Word document on the Downloads page.) Quiz Chapter 3 - Tuesday 27 September Test Chapter 3 - Friday 30 September Election Assignment - Thursday 6 Oct. Choose one of the issues in the election that is most important to you. Go to the candidates' official websites and read what Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump say about that issue. Write a one paragraph summary of each of their ideas. Then write a third paragraph stating your views on this issue. You may include in that the ways in which you agree or disagree with each candidate. Turn this in as a Word document of PDF through this website. Chapter 8 Reading Assignment - read Chapter 8 by Friday, October 7. We answered these questions in class using textbooks and devices. Write your answers in your notes. 1.What are the three constitutional requirements to be president? 2.What are three informal requirements? 3.Who are the first four officers in the line of succession to the presidency? 4.Why do presidential candidates spend more time in states with large populations? 5.How can a third party candidate affect the outcome of the election? 6.Explain how a third party candidate affected the 2000 election. (See the Wikipedia article.) Quiz Chapter 8 - Friday 7 October Chapter 8 Handout - due by Monday, 17 October. You can write or print your answers. Read Chapter 9 by Tuesday, 18 October. Test Chapters 8 & 9 The Presidency - Friday 21 October. The study guide is available on the Downloads page. Monday 24 October
Tuesday 25 October
Wednesday 26 October
Friday 28 October - Be prepared to discuss the chapter and take a quiz. Friday 4 November - Read and study Chapter 17. Answer the following questions. Those of you who are in class on Friday will have the entire time to complete this assignment.
Tuesday 8 November - Watch news coverage of the election this evening. Wednesday 9 November - If you didn't turn in your thoughts on winning the presidency on Tuesday, please do so today. Friday 11 November - Quest over Chapter 17 Tuesday 15 November - Read and study Chapter 11 The Federal Court System Wednesday 16 November - page 310 #3-5; page 317 #1, 4-5 Wednesday 30 November - Read and study Chapter 12 Supreme Court Decision Making. Plan on a quiz today. Tuesday 6 December - Read and study Chapter 13 Constitutional Rights Friday 9 December - Quiz over Chapter 13. Friday 6 January 2017 - Fake News. Complete this in conjunction with the article about Fake News in the NY Times Upfront Magazine. Assignment
Monday 9 January - Read and study Chapter 20 Taxing and Spending (this is the last chapter we will study this year!) Wednesday 11 January - Quiz over Chapter 20: terms and lecture notes Tuesday 17 January - Final Test (137 points)
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