State and Local Government, Day 3 - Class Recap

Another beautiful place in our amazing State of Oregon: the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn. Photo taken in 2015.

Dear class,

Busy times! Seniors have about a week left in class with us, and today was our last day of in class work on the State and Local project. Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 1: I can demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between citizens and their governments.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.
Research LT 5: I can effectively conduct and apply research. 

Soundtrack: "Battlefield" by Jordin Sparks. Selected for today because the end of the year can feel like a series of battles. Keep working hard, everyone! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 5/31/17:
News Brief – Colleen
State/Local Project
Work Time
Grade Check

Homework: Read the blog. Your State/Local final project is due to be turned in and presented next class! Seniors: your final for the class is next Tuesday! Next news brief: Kendall.

News Brief: Colleen had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Appeals court upholds block on Trump's travel ban; administration to appeal to Supreme Court. We discussed what has happened with the travel ban and the next step of taking it to the Supreme Court. We also talked about President Trump tweeting about "covfefe" last night: NYTimes.com - What’s a ‘Covfefe’? Trump Tweet Unites a Bewildered Nation.

We also talked about the weekend, and in particular, the attacks on the MAX train in Portland, as well as how important it is to speak up against prejudice and hate in our community, while also recognizing that free speech is a foundation of our country.

State/Local Project: We kept working on this project, which is a two page paper, with at least three MLA citations, about a local issue that you care about. Here's the handout:

Google Drive: State and Local Government Final Project

We went through this together again, and then continued working on it in class.

Work Time/Grade Check: The rest of class was spent working on Chromebooks, researching for the State and Local project and writing about an issue that you care about in our local community as I checked in with students about grades. Next class, you will be presenting about your problem and turning your paper in. Thanks for your hard work, everyone!

State and Local Government, Day 2 - Class Recap

As we continue to work in class on the State and Local project, here is a picture I took in 2014 of Oregon's only National Park: Crater Lake.

Hi everyone,

We began our last major project for the year in today's class! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 1: I can demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between citizens and their governments.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.
Research LT 5: I can effectively conduct and apply research. 

Soundtrack: "Joker and the Thief" by Wolfmother. Selected because it was sort of a pump up song for the long weekend ahead. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 5/25/17:
News Brief – Nate
Class Feedback
State and Local Project
Grade Check/Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Continue working on your State/Local final project! Make sure you have your Citizenship Paper turned in, along with any missing work so I can grade it on Friday! Next news brief (just find an article related to government - no write up needed): Colleen.

News Brief: Nate had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: USAToday.com - China protests U.S. Navy patrol through South China Sea. We talked about this story in class, as well as the famous "Nine Dash Line" that China claims as a part of its territory. After this, we checked in about the weekend and what people were up to over the next four days. Colleen helpfully volunteered for the next news brief.

Class Feedback: Last class, I asked students to provide me with some feedback about how class is going - what is going well, and what can be improved, both for the class, and for me as a teacher. Here are the (very interesting!) results that we went through:

Google Drive - Period 8 Class Feedback PowerPoint

Thanks for your thoughts, everyone. Let's end the year well together!

State/Local Project: After the news brief, we talked about the State and Local government reading and assignment from last class:

Google Drive - State and Local Government Readings/Questions
I then went through the final assignment for the class, which is a two page paper, with at least three MLA citations, about a local issue that you care about. It will be due in class *probably* next Friday, and you will probably be asked to give a short (like a minute or two) presentation. Here's the handout:

Google Drive: State and Local Government Final Project

We went through this together, and then worked in class on the Chromebooks.

Grade Check/Work Time: The rest of class was spent in class, working on researching for the State and Local project and writing about an issue that you care about in our local community. When I was checking in with students, it appeared that most had a great start as far as selecting issues and beginning to work on the project. Next class, we will continue working on this. Please let me know if you have any questions about what to do! See you on Wednesday!

State and Local Government, Day 1 - Class Recap

The beach at Puerto Vallarta, on Christmas Eve, 2015.

Hello everyone,

We started our last major unit of the year today, on state and local government! Here's what happened in class today:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 6: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own" by U2. Selected for today because we are nearing the end of the school year and I am hoping to give you support to finish the year strong!

AGENDA 5/23/17:
News Brief – Kendall
12 Angry Men/Class Feedback
State and Local Government
Final Project

Homework: Read the blog. Next news brief: Nate.

News Brief: We started off class by talking about this story (Kendall was not in class, so I filled in): BBC.com - Manchester bomber named by police. We talked about this horrific story, which is obviously still developing as of the writing of this post. We talked about the response of the United States government, as well. Nate was selected to do the next news brief.

12 Angry Men/Class Feedback/Judicial Branch: We finished 12 Angry Men in class and had a quick discussion about it, before I asked the class to provide me with some feedback on how class is going, in terms of what is positive and what we can improve on. Here were the questions I asked students to answer:

What do you like about this class? What do you think you as students are good at?

What does this class (you, as students) need to improve at?

What do you like about Mr. Fritz as a teacher? What is Mr. Fritz good at as a teacher?

What does Mr. Fritz need to improve at as a teacher?

I appreciate your responses and will put together a PowerPoint with your anonymous feedback for next class. We also reviewed the answers to the Judicial Branch test.

State and Local Government: For the next part of class, I passed out a reading with questions about our last major unit of the year, on state and local forms of government (also on Google Classroom):

Google Drive - State and Local Government Readings/Questions

We went through the most of the answers during class - keep this, as it will be helpful for understanding what is going on in our last unit of the year.

Next class, we will start the final project of the year, on state and local government! See you then!

Citizenship Paper - Class Recap

I will not be at school today, due to helping to coach Westview at the state tournament! Photo taken in 2011.

Dear class,

Today we worked on a one day assignment on citizenship (what it is, how you get it, responsibilities of a citizen, and the naturalization process). Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:
Knowledge LT 1: I can demonstrate an understanding of the interplay between citizens and their governments.

AGENDA 5/19/17:
News Brief – Nathaniel
Citizenship Paper
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Finish citizenship paper if you did not in class! Next news brief: Kendall.

News Brief: Nathaniel had the news brief today and hopefully selected an interesting story to talk about.

Kendall has the next news brief.

Citizenship Paper: This is meant as a short assignment, just so be able to demonstrate proficiency again with LT 1 and the Research target. Here's the assignment (also linked to on Google Classroom), due at the start of next class:

Google Drive: Citizenship Paper Assignment

Again, I am just looking to see that you can identify and explain the basics of rights and responsibilities as a United States citizen. Thank you for your hard work on this!

Work Time: The rest of class was spent working on the citizenship paper. If you did not finish this today in class, it is homework. Get it in to me as soon as you can by uploading it to Google Classroom. Thank you! Enjoy your weekend!

Judicial Branch, Day 7 - Class Recap

Inside a subway station in Washington, DC, where the three branches of our federal government are based.

Dear class,

We finished the judicial branch today in class, with wrapping up the movie and taking the test! Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "The Final Countdown" by Europe. Selected for today because it is very close to the end of the year!

AGENDA 5/17/17:
News Brief – Darius
Judicial Branch Test
12 Angry Men
Class Feedback

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in any late/incomplete work. Be good for the sub on Friday! Next news brief: Nathaniel H. (then Kendall on Tuesday).

News Brief: Darius had the news brief today and talked about this story: NYTimes.com - For Voting Rights Advocates, Court Decision Is ‘Temporary Victory’. This is an important ongoing news story that directly relates to what we have been talking about in class, with the judicial branch. Also, we talked about the election results last night and what is happening with the federal government right now. We also talked about what was going on outside of class, before moving on.

Nathaniel H. was assigned to do the next news brief (Kendall will have it on Tuesday).

Judicial Branch Test: As promised, 40 questions, multiple choice. will hope to get these grades get entered ASAP. Thank you for your effort on this!

12 Angry Men: After the test, we finished watching one of the most critically acclaimed movies ever: 12 Angry Men (1957). This is a great way to wrap up the judicial branch unit, as we learn more about the jury process through watching this film. I know it is old and black and white, and I was glad to see that students were paying close attention. Here is the film note-taking assignment, if you missed class or lost your copy:

Google Drive: 12 Angry Men Film Questions

We have about 18 minutes left, which we will finish next week. We will start our last unit on State and Local government soon - next class, you will be working on a citizenship paper with a substitute as I am at the state tennis tournament. Thanks, everyone! See you next week!

Judicial Branch, Day 6 - Class Recap

The exterior of the Colosseum in Rome. At the end of gladiator fights, the loser would famously be judged by the emperor. Photo taken summer 2014.

Dear class,

It is always great to see you! I enjoyed watching the first part of 12 Angry Men today. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Happy" by Pharrell Williams. Selected for today because we are getting close to the end of the year, and student were probably happy to watch a movie today in class. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 5/15/17:
News Brief – Nicole
Finish Mock Trials/The National Judiciary
Juries
Study Guide
12 Angry Men

Homework: Read the blog. Study for the Judicial Branch test next class! Turn in any late/incomplete work - know your grade and how to improve it. Next news brief: Darius.

News Brief: Nicole had the news brief today, but was not in class, and due to time constraints, I moved on without talking too much about the voluminous amounts of news.

Darius was assigned to do the next news brief.

Finish Mock Trials: We wrapped up the mock trials today by looking at Elk Grove v. Newdow - a case about the Pledge of Allegiance. Students turned in their mock trial materials for a behavior target grade at the end of this.

The National Judiciary: I passed out this handout, so students could read and review them to prepare for the upcoming test. The test will be on this reading, as well as the Supreme Court cases that we have been studying.

Google Drive: The National Judiciary Readings and Questions

Juries/Study Guide: Next, I also passed out this study guide (the juries reading was on the back side) for preparation:

Google Drive: Judicial Branch Test Study Guide

Google Drive: Reading on Juries for Judicial Branch Test

One of the questions on the test will be (thanks for checking the blog!): In this case the U.S. Supreme Court declared that no one accused of a crime has to stand trial in any court in the land without benefit of counsel unless he or she specifically refuses it.
A. Dred Scott v Sanford C. Gideon v Wainwright
B. Plessy v Ferguson D. Brown v Board of Education

If you aren't sure, guess in the comments and I will tell you what the answer is!

12 Angry Men: To finish class, we started watching one of the most critically acclaimed movies ever: 12 Angry Men (1957). This is a great way to wrap up the judicial branch unit, as we learn more about the jury process through watching this film. I know it is old and black and white, and I was glad to see that students were paying close attention. Here is the film note-taking assignment, if you missed class or lost your copy:

Google Drive: 12 Angry Men Film Questions

We will take the Judicial Branch test and then finish watching 12 Angry Men! See you then.

Judicial Branch, Day 5 - Class Recap

The flag of the United States, before the Holiday Bowl football game in 2008, which the Oregon Ducks won over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Today, we had an interesting mock trial on saying the Pledge of Allegiance in class.

Hi everyone,

I really enjoyed the discussions and debates the the mock trials brought up today, and I had the sense that most students did, too. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Money" by Pink Floyd. Selected for today because you frequently need a lot of money to participate in the judicial branch by hiring a lawyer.

AGENDA 5/11/17:
News Brief – Anakin
Mock Trials
The National Judiciary
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Get any late work in ASAP to improve your grade. Next news brief (no write up needed, just talk about it): Nicole.

News Brief: Anakin had the news brief today and talked about this story: CNN.com - Trump: I was going to fire Comey regardless of DOJ recommendation. We talked about what a huge story this is and why this was such a controversial decision, to fire the FBI director (which, as the head of the executive branch, the president can do). We also checked in about the upcoming weekend and I showed my ballot for the upcoming election. I registered Kendall to vote in class, as well! Here is the link if you are 17 or older and you are not registered yet.

Nicole was assigned to do the next news brief.

Mock Trials: We had a really excellent discussion on the issues: school segregation, drug searches at school, and saying the Pledge of Allegiance in class. Please complete the rest of your mock trial packet, if you did not in class! Here are the actual results of the cases, with audio of the arguments, if you are interested:

Case #1: Oyez.org - Morse v. Frederick

Case #2: Oyez.org - Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1

Case #3: Oyez.org - Safford Unified School District v. Redding

We finished 3 out of 4 cases within the class! Thank you for participating in this - I thought it was a pretty cool activity and I was glad to see students engaged in trying to answer these important legal questions. We will finish this and then move on next class. Have a great weekend!

Judicial Branch, Day 4 - Class Recap

During today's class, we went down to the auditorium to hear George Nakata (Ethan's grandfather!) speak about his experience with being in a Japanese-American internment camp during World War II.

Hi everyone,

Welcome back from your weekend! I really enjoyed going to hear from Mr. Nakata today! Here's what happened today:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Oye Como Va" by Carlos Santana. Selected for today because of last weekend being Cinco de Mayo (remembering a famous Mexican victory over the French) and because Carlos Santana is an amazing Mexican-American guitarist. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 5/9/17:
News Brief – James
Guest Speaker
Mock Trial Prep
Present Cases
The National Judiciary

Homework: Read the blog. Look at your grade and improve it, if possible! Next news brief: Anakin.

News Brief: James had the news brief today and talked about this story: OregonLive.com - N.J. man accused of plotting to detonate bomb in NYC to help ISIS, authorities say. We talked about the ongoing war against ISIS and how President Trump might expand the war in Afghanistan soon, as well. The next news brief was assigned to Anakin.

If you are 17 and not already registered to vote, here's the online enrollment form:

Oregon Secretary of State: Voter Registration

Yay for participating in our democracy! :-)

Guest Speaker: After the news brief section, we talked for a bit about the landmark Supreme Court ruling of Korematsu v. United States, which basically legalized the government putting Japanese-Americans in internment camps during World War II. As I said in class, Korematsu has never been officially overturned, which leads to the question as to whether a president could do a similar thing now. I also showed students a map of the Japanese Exclusion Zone on the West Coast during World War II and the different internment camps.

After this quick start to class, we spent the rest of the day in the auditorium, listening to Mr. George Nakata. I hope you found this interesting! We will get back to our mock trials next class. Thanks!

Judicial Branch, Day 3 - Class Recap

Looking down the National Mall, from the top of the Washington Monument. The United States Supreme Court building is behind and to the left of the Capitol Building. Photo taken in 2010.

Dear class,

We finished looking at the Supreme Court landmark cases today, then I passed out Mock Trial prep materials. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different levels of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Duel of the Fates" from Star Wars. Selected for today because it was May the Fourth yesterday.

AGENDA 4/5/17:
News Brief – Ziggy/Tsering
Finish Landmark Cases
Mock Trial Prep
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Look at your grade and improve it, if possible! Next news brief: James.

News Brief: Ziggy and Tsering had the news brief today. Ziggy selected this article to talk about: NYTimes.com - Police Account Changes in Killing of Texas 15-Year-Old. Later in the day, it came out that the police officer was charged with murder.

Tsering chose an article about this story to talk about: NYTimes.com - The Trumpcare Disaster. I tried to give my analysis of what happened with the House of Representatives voting to approve the new healthcare bill, and my understanding of what is in it. Very interesting stuff! We will continue to monitor the progress of the bill as it next goes to the Senate.

James was assigned to do the next news brief.

Finish Landmark Cases: I skipped over this in the interest of time because I had to get to coaching tennis (my deep apologies for this). We will come back to it next class.

Mock Trial Prep: The rest of the class was devoted to preparing for mock trials, which we will do next class. This was a very complicated process to explain, but students in class got it, I think! If you missed class, you are going to need to come see me in person to get your case forms and the assignment sheet.

Be prepared to finish these (though we are likely to go hear Ethan's grandfather speak during Period 8), and then do the four mock trials! Have a great weekend! :-)

Judicial Branch, Day 2 - Class Recap

Alcatraz Island, San Francisco Bay, which was a prison for federal criminals. Photo taken in 2011.

Dear class,

Today was another deep dive into various different Supreme Court cases, to see how the Judicial Branch of the U.S. Government impacts our day to day lives. Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 2: I can demonstrate an understanding of the role of governments in current issues.
Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Confessions, Pt. 2" by Usher. Selected for today because a confession could be a part of a criminal investigation, which involves the judicial branch. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 5/3/17:
News Brief – Ziggy (Mr. Fritz)
Review Executive Test
Cases Teens Should Know
Landmark Cases

Homework: Read the blog. Look at your grade and improve it, if possible! Next news brief: Tsering.

News Brief: Ziggy had the news brief today, but was not in class, so I filled in and selected an article about this story to talk about: NYTimes.com - Legal Fight Could Make Kentucky Only State With No Abortion Clinic. This was an interesting story that directly related to what we were investigating later in class with major Supreme Court rulings, such as Roe v. Wade. Lots to talk about, for sure!

We also checked in about what was going on outside of class.

Tsering was assigned to do the next news brief.

Review Executive Test: I think generally, this went well for students. We went through the correct answers in class and talked about the test overall. There will be more opportunities for this learning target in the future, for sure!

Cases Teens Should Know: The reading was from last class - we finished and then went over the answers:

NYTimes Upfront - 10 Supreme Court Cases Every Teen Should Know

The assignment was to, on a separate sheet of paper, read and write the answers to the following questions for a minimum of five out of the ten cases.

1) What was the issue?
2) Describe the judge’s decision and explain their reasons why.
3) Do you agree or disagree with the judge’s decision? Explain your reasons why or why not.

As part of going through these cases, I showed this article about all of the states that currently allow corporal punishment at schools (like hitting students with paddles for misbehaving):
BusinessInsider.com - These Are The 19 States That Still Let Public Schools Hit Kids. Eye opening for many students, I think!

Also, here is a recent article related to after school clubs featuring a certain religion: KATU.com - After School Satan Club holds first open house in Portland.

Landmark Case Reading: This was definitely a reading and work heavy day, but we did get to go outside and enjoy the weather for the last part of class! That's kind of what the Supreme Court is all about, though - lots of legal papers and decisions to look at, in order to understand the law. Here was the reading (I gave each student one case to analyze, and we will go through the rest of them next class):

Google Drive: Landmark Supreme Court Decisions Handout

The assignment that went along with the reading is here:

Google Drive: Landmark SCOTUS Cases Assignment Sheet

That was it for the day! Thank you so much for your focus and hard work! Next class, we will finish up the Supreme Court landmark cases and prepare for some mock trials! :-)

Judicial Branch, Day 1 - Class Recap

The United States Supreme Court building, in Washington, D.C. Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your focus today, as we took the Executive Branch test and then moved on to learning a bit about the Judicial Branch! Here's what happened today in class:

Learning Targets Addressed:

Knowledge LT 5: I can demonstrate an understanding of the principles, structures, and functions of different branches of U.S. government.

Soundtrack: "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum. Selected for today because of the Executive Branch test, and the possibility you were hoping for some divine intervention in doing well on it. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 5/1/17:
News Brief – Arafat
Executive Branch Test
Judicial Branch Overview
10 Cases

Homework: Read the blog. Work on improving your grade, if possible! Next news brief: Ziggy.

News Brief: Arafat had the news brief today and selected this story to bring in: TIME.com - Trump Says U.S. 'Can't Allow' North Korea's Missiles to Improve. We talked about this story and about the ongoing situation with North Korea and what the United States is trying to do. Thanks for the discussion!

Ziggy was assigned to do the next news brief.

Executive Branch Test: I hope that you studied and did well on this! I will try to have the grades entered in soon. Thirty questions, multiple choice, then the political spectrum. Not too bad, I hope! Thanks, as always for your effort on this!

Judicial Branch: To start out our look at the judicial branch, I showed this video to the class:

I thought this was a good overview of the structure of the federal court system in the United States. Next, I led students through a fill in the blank overview of the judicial branch. Here it is again, if you want to go over it to study for the test:

Google Drive: Judicial Branch Overview

10 Supreme Court Cases: After going over the introduction to the unit, I passed out this reading:

NYTimes Upfront - 10 Supreme Court Cases Every Teen Should Know

The rest of class was devoted to reading the cases, and following these directions: On a separate sheet of paper, read and write the answers to the following questions for a minimum of five out of the ten cases (I had one half of the room do the first five, and the other half do the second five).

1) What was the issue?
2) Describe the judge’s decision and explain their reasons why.
3) Do you agree or disagree with the judge’s decision? Explain your reasons why or why not.

Next class, we will finish this, discuss, then move on to some more case studies.

Thanks! See you next time!  :-)