Government, Day 5 - Class Recap

The Statue of Liberty in New York, which is a symbol of immigration to the United States. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Photo taken in 2011.

Dear class,

Welcome to your Thanksgiving break! Thanks for doing your homework and checking in on the blog to see what we are up to. Today was the last day of our unit on government. After the break, we will move on to what is probably my favorite unit of the year - I'm excited! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 18: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.

Soundtrack: "Kings and Queens" by 30 Seconds to Mars. Selected for today because of the connection to monarchy, and this song gets me fired up because it reminds me of watching ESPN tennis tournaments. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/24/14:
News Brief – Mary
Finish "Who Rules?"
Government Test
Shibboleth

Homework: Read the blog. Have a great Thanksgiving! Next news brief: Brenden.

News Brief: Mary had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - Suicide bomber kills 45 at Afghanistan volleyball game. We found Afghanistan on the world map (in the Middle East) and talked about the upcoming extra long weekend.

Brenden was selected to do the next news brief.

Who Rules?: Before the government test, I wanted to give the class time to review the reading and answers in the packet:

Google Drive - Who Rules? Reading and Questions

I gave about five minutes before the test for study of the Cornell Notes, as well.

Government Test: I do not think this was especially difficult, if you have been in class and following along with what has been going on the last few days! I will grade these over the weekend and have them entered into the gradebook by next Tuesday (which is a progress reports date).

Shibboleth: After the test, we watched most most of an episode of the TV series "The West Wing," which had to do with Thanksgiving, illegal immigration, school prayer, direct democracy, and representative democracy. There were no notes or any other requirement - it was just a relaxing way to end the class after the test and go out to Thanksgiving Break. Here's the funniest scene of the episode, in my opinion:

I remain quite thankful for all of you! Have a wonderful break - see you next week. ;-)

Government, Day 4 - Class Recap

The White House, in Washington, D.C., which is typically seen as a symbol of the leadership of the United States government, because the President lives there. Photo taken in 2010.

Dear class,

I enjoyed seeing the skits today about the various forms of government around the world that we are studying! Hopefully, combined with the reading and notes, you now have a good idea about how each system works. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 18: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 2:  I can use language and style that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" from The Lion King. Selected because of the connection with monarchy (which is mentioned in the lyrics)!

AGENDA 11/20/14:
News Brief – Sierra
DBQ/Review Cornell Notes
Government Skits
Who Rules?

Homework: Read the blog. Study for forms of government test next class. Next news brief: Mary

News Brief: Sierra had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - ISIS comes to Libya. We found Libya on the world map (in Africa!) and talked about other news of the day, like President Obama probably issuing an executive order regarding immigration tonight. I played the VICE "Beyond the Headlines" news clip for today, as well.

Mary was selected to do the next news brief.

DBQ/Review Cornell Notes: First, let's talk about the DBQ for the culture unit. I was finally able to grade all of your DBQs from the culture unit, along with the collection of evidence. This was the first time doing an essay like this in high school, so it is understandable that there is room for improvement with almost everyone! I tried to go over some of the key points as to how I assessed the learning targets and how they could be improved. Specifically, make sure that your Collection of Evidence for the culture unit is completely done!

Next, we went back and looked at our Cornell Notes from the Forms of Government PowerPoint last class. Specifically, I asked everyone to make sure to follow the guidelines listed in the process document, by highlighting important information, thinking of "outside the box/notes" questions, then writing a three to five sentence summary of the material at the bottom. This should really help you prepare for the test next class! Keep reviewing your notes! :-)

Government Skits: As I mentioned above, I really enjoyed these, even if they were very brief. The groups did a good job of thinking of how to present each of the main ideas! Here was the packet that this was based on (a few of the types were not on the PowerPoint, like Oligarchy and Anarchy, so make sure to review them and what some of the benefits and drawbacks of each system are):

Google Drive - Types of Government Readings

Just look at the readings from A-G, because you do not need to know the economic structures that are later in the packet, yet.

Who Rules?: The rest of class was devoted to your groups going through this worksheet packet, designed to be a review before the forms of government test:

Google Drive - Who Rules? Reading and Questions

The first page has a good overview of the types and classifications of governments that we are studying. The following pages are practice, to help compare and contrast the systems of government. We will finish this next class (our only class before a week long break for Thanksgiving) and then take the test. Please study and ask questions if you are at all confused! :-)

Government, Day 3 - Class Recap

The Parliament of Barbados, in the Caribbean. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

We went into more detail as to what government is and looks like in various systems around the world. Lots of content to check out! Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 18: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 2:  I can use language and  style that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: "Princess of China" by Coldplay and Rihanna. Selected for today because a monarchy is a type of government, and a princess is a type of royalty in a monarch's family. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/18/14:
News Brief – Nick
Debrief Forced Choice
Forms of Government
Group Activity

Homework: Read the blog. Study for possible forms of government quiz next class (see below for PowerPoint). Next news brief: Sierra

News Brief: Nick had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: TheGuardian.com - Four killed in attack on Jerusalem synagogue. We are going to go in depth into the roots of this story next semester, but I talked a little about the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and the importance of Jerusalem to three different major religions. I played the VICE "Beyond the Headlines" news clip for today, as well.

Sierra was selected to do the next news brief.

Debrief Forced Choice: This was when we talked about how the activity went and the answers to these questions (a one page written reflection was due in class today): What was the most difficult or controversial question for you? Why? How do these sorts of questions relate to the study of government?

I really like the debate format in forced choice (obviously, or I wouldn't spend the majority of two days on it), so thank you for your participation and reflection!

Forms of Government: This was a PowerPoint presentation that went over various basic forms of government. Students took Cornell Notes on the lecture. Here's the file for review (again, there will be an upcoming quiz on forms of government):

Google Drive - Forms of Government PowerPoint

As with most presentations I create (this one is from 2008), the pictures are almost entirely mine! :-)

Group Activity: After the content instruction, I split up the class into seven groups. The rest of class was devoted to going over one of the following forms of government with the group (if you missed class, just pick one to do and bring next class) - both reading the front side and completing the back, along with thinking of a short skit idea for how to demonstrate the form of government to the class next time.

Google Drive - Types of Government Readings

Just look at the readings from A-G, because you do not need to know the economic structures that are later in the packet, yet.

Next class, we will do the skits, then talk about each form of government. See you then!

Government, Day 2 - Class Recap

School was canceled yesterday due to snow - nothing like this (in 2008, outside my house), though! 

Dear class,

What a wild week it was! It was so nice to see you on back to back days here at school, since yesterday's A day was canceled by the ice/snow forecast. Again, I really enjoyed the discussion today in class.  Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 18: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 2:  I can use language and  style that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: "Let it Go" from the movie Frozen. Selected for today because of the ice (at least, at my house!) that canceled school yesterday. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/14/14:
News Brief – Zacary T.
Forced Choice
Reflection
Forms of Government

Homework: Read the blog. Finish your Forced Choice reflection (see below for assignment). Catch up on any late/incomplete/missing work. Next news brief: Nick

News Brief: Zacary T had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: Space.com - European Probe Survived Comet Landing with Luck and Great Design. We also checked out some of the hilarious responses to Beaverton Schools Superintendent Jeff Rose on twitter: KPTV.com -Beaverton students on superintendent who canceled class: 'Not all heroes wear capes'. I played the VICE "Beyond the Headlines" news clip for today, as well.

Nick was selected to do the next news brief.

Forced Choice: We finished this today - it is one of my favorite activities of the year. I had the class answer the following questions and choose YES or NO to each of them. Then, we split up the class so that two sides were facing each other. With each question, students moved to the side they felt best represented their opinion on the matter. These are difficult ethical questions and I am glad that we have the type of classroom culture that students feel able to talk about them! The questions were:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being listened to without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.
3. Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere.
4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.
5. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.
6. The government of a country should be able to make decisions most of the people do not support.
7. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?
8. There is only one true, correct, religion in the world.
9. A ban on all guns would reduce crime in the United States.
10. Democracy is always the best form of government for anywhere in the world.

We debated to questions 4-6 today. I love these discussions and I hope that they are engaging and interesting for students, too. It's great to hear people in class say that they are talking about these questions with friends and at home, as well!

Reflection: With about 15 minutes left in class, we stopped the debate, so I could give the assignment, which is important, because we spent most of two days on this activity.

This is due next class: Write a one page reflection on the activity. What was the most difficult or controversial question for you? Why? How do these sorts of questions relate to the study of government?

If nothing was difficult for you to answer, maybe pick one that you felt most passionately about. We will do a short debrief on the activity next class, then move on to learning about the basics of government around the world.

Thanks! Have a great weekend!

Government, Day 1 - Class Recap

On the roof of the Bundestag building in Berlin, Germany. This is where the government of Germany meets. Photo taken in 2013.

Hi everyone,

Welcome back from your long weekend! I really enjoyed the discussion today in class. I'm sure it was a nice change from all of the writing students have had to do in the last few days for the class! Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 18: I can explain how and why world societies organize themselves and how power is established and maintained.
Communication LT 2:  I can use language and  style that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: "The War Was in Color" by Carbon Leaf. The reason I chose this song for today is because it is all about a veteran describing war to his grandson. We had Tuesday off of school because of Veteran's Day and it is important that we honor the service of those in our armed forces. Lyrics (which I read part of in class) here.

AGENDA 11/12/14:
News Brief – Jacki
Forced Choice
Debrief
Forms of Government

Homework: Read the blog. Catch up on any late/incomplete/missing work. Check the weather! :-) Next news brief: Zacary T.

News Brief: Jacki had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: CNN.com - India: 11 women die, 62 more hospitalized after being paid to be sterilized. I played the VICE "Beyond the Headlines" news clip for today, as well, which also had this news story featured.

I also showed the class this story from last week: OregonLive.com - ODOT signs $7 million deal for I-5 safety barrier where crossover crash killed Steve Fritz, Cary Fairchild. This is an example of our state government at work. Nobody should have to lose someone like my family lost my dad - we hope that the new barriers will be a big help in preventing crossover accidents in the future.

Zacary T. was selected to do the next news brief.

Forced Choice: One of my favorite activities of the year. I had the class answer the following questions and choose YES or NO to each of them. Then, we split up the class so that two sides were facing each other. With each question, students moved to the side they felt best represented their opinion on the matter. These are difficult ethical questions and I am glad that we have the type of classroom culture that students feel able to talk about them! The questions were:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being listened to without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.
3. Same-sex marriage should be legal everywhere.
4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.
5. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.
6. The government of a country should be able to make decisions most of the people do not support.
7. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?
8. There is only one true, correct, religion in the world.
9. A ban on all guns would reduce crime in the United States.
10. Democracy is always the best form of government for anywhere in the world.

We only made it to question 3 today, so I will pick and choose next class as to which questions we will discuss and debate, before writing a reflective piece about the experience. I love these discussions and I think we did a great job of following the Ground Rules that we established at the beginning of the year.

Thank you for your participation! Be ready to keep talking next time.

Culture, Day 10 - Class Recap

I am going to bet that many students wrote that one of the ways culture both reflects and shapes society is through religion. This is a church in Budapest, Hungary, in 2013. I just loved the lighting here! No special effects!

Dear class,

Hooray! You are finally done with the DBQ final essay for the culture unit! I really appreciated how focused everyone seemed to be today in class, and I am excited to start looking into how everyone did. Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain how culture both reflects and shapes society.
Critical Thinking LT 1:  I can explain multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
Communication LT 2:  I can use language and  style that is appropriate to the content area.

Soundtrack: "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited. Intended as a pump up song to write the DBQ essay today in class! Here's a link to the version I played in class, from ESPN's "Jock Jams" CD.

AGENDA 11/6/14:
News Brief/Election Review – Kelsey
Culture DBQ Essay

Homework: Read the blog. If you did not turn in your culture unit work today (or missed class), you need to get all of this in to me as soon as possible:

1) Cornell Notes on Culture definitions/iceberg PowerPoint
2) Surface culture worksheet (National Geographic photos PowerPoint)
3) Nacirema writing (neatly written or typed, 200 words minimum)
4) Time for School Notes/Answers
5) USA Culturegram activity
6) Culture unit reflection and preparation worksheet.

Next news brief: Jacki

News Brief: Kelsey had the news brief today and chose this story to talk about: TheLocal.se -Stockholm palace to get 'warm pink' paint job. We found Sweden on our world map packet (in Europe), then moved on to election news.

Obviously, this was a big story here in Oregon on Tuesday night. We talked a lot about Measure 91 in class, including the next steps for when the law goes into effect and what it does. I showed this tweet that has a map of how counties in Oregon voted on Measure 91. We also went over the full election results for the rest of the ballot measures and candidates here in Oregon. I showed another tweet, with a map of county results for Measure 88 (which would have given undocumented immigrants access to get driver's cards).

Nationally, here's a map of how the U.S. Senate became Republican controlled due to a series of wins last night.

There was obviously a LOT to talk about - I'm glad everyone was so interested in what was going on with the election! :-)

Jacki was selected to do the next news brief.

Culture DBQ Essay: The rest of class was devoted to writing your essay for the culture unit final DBQ. If you missed class, you will need to make this up with me in a Study Hall or after school. It is a timed write, and unless it is a requirement that I give you extra time as a part of an agreement, it was due in class - this is a skill that you will help you in the future with DBQ tests and timed essays.

The DBQ was due at the end of class, along with all the other work from the culture unit (as listed above in the culture section). Particularly, I wanted to see this right after the DBQ:

Google Drive - Culture Unit Reflection and Preparation

The rest of your culture unit work was stapled underneath the essay and reflection. I will work on getting these graded over the long weekend. It might take a while, though! I want you to know that I do read and appreciate everything you write as an assessment of your learning!

Thanks again for all of your hard work today! See you next class.

Culture, Day 9 - Class Recap

A clock in a park in Hanoi, Vietnam. Next class will be a timed write for your DBQ essay final! Today, students took a look at the documents and began to think of possible responses for the essay. Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

I apologize that I was a few minutes late in arriving to class today! That has never happened to me in six years. A huge backup on my drive in today (over 30 minutes longer than it usually takes me) was the cause. As I said in class, a minor inconvenience for me and for you, but now I really know that an accident can be the worst day in someone's life, so I am just hopeful it was not too bad.

Today was your first chance to look at the DBQ unit final on Culture. Next class, you will be writing an essay on the prompt "How does culture both reflect and shape society?" Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
Knowledge LT 16: I can explain how culture both reflects and shapes society.

Soundtrack: "What Goes Around.../...Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake. Selected for today because students started on the DBQ today in class, and will be writing the actual essay for the final culture test next class. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/4/14:
News Brief – Alex D.
Dancing
DBQ Analysis
Work Day

Homework: Read the blog. Have a plan of action in mind for writing the DBQ essay in class. Bring ALL of your culture unit work (to be turned in next class as a collection of evidence for LT6):

 1) Cornell Notes on Culture definitions/iceberg PowerPoint
2) Surface culture worksheet (National Geographic photos PowerPoint)
3) Nacirema writing (neatly written or typed, 200 words minimum)
4) Time for School Notes/Answers
5) USA Culturegram activity
6) Culture unit reflection and preparation worksheet.

Next news brief: Kelsey

News Brief: Alex D. had the news brief today and chose this story to talk about: CBSNews.com - A "much wiser" Mark Owen speaks out. We found Afghanistan (where Owen was when he was fighting abroad) in the world map packet and also shared some stories from the weekend and other current events, like the upcoming election (on Tuesday). Here's a link that will probably have results at 8:00 PM on Tuesday. Kelsey was selected to do the next news brief.

Dancing: Since I knew today was going to be a lot of silent in class work on the DBQ, I wanted to at least have some fun in showing this video, which is one of my favorite ever:

I just love how dancing (part of surface culture) can be used to show the common humanity across the entire world. :-)

DBQ Analysis: Since this is your first DBQ in high school, I wanted to give as much preparation time as possible. So today was spent analyzing the actual documents on the test and writing out answers to five of the eight document questions. Next class, you will use three of the five documents you analyzed in order to construct your essay (due in class).

Again, I think this is going to be a really helpful resource for you in planning what to write (especially the graphic organizers on pages 8 and 9):

Google Drive - How to Write a Document Based Question 

Remember as well to have this work sheet completed (except for the last two questions, which are done after the DBQ is graded), as well:

Google Drive - Culture Unit Reflection and Preparation

Work Time: The rest of the class was devoted to work time on looking at the test (I am not posting it online, obviously) and analyzing your culture unit documents to try and answer the question of: How does culture both shape and reflect society? This is what you will be doing next class as the final!