Judicial Branch, Day 4 - Class Recap

The flag of the United States, before the Holiday Bowl football game in 2008. Next class, we will have an interesting mock trial on saying the Pledge of Allegiance in class.

Hi everyone,

Since it was a shorter day today (being Wednesday), we mostly treated it as a work day to prepare for the Mock Trials next class. 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: "My Generation" by The Who. Selected for today because the mock trial cases had to do with your generation. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/29/17:
News Brief – Lucas
Mock Trial Prep
Mock Trials
Debrief

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in any missing work! Next news brief: Jun.

News Brief: Lucas had the news brief today and talked about this story: OregonLive.com - Former Bank of Oswego CEO, CFO convicted of conspiracy. We talked for a bit about this in class (an interesting local story!) before moving on to discuss what is happening with us and in the government (especially as it relates to North Korea and what to do with the latest missile test there.

Jun was assigned to do the next news brief.

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 at the start of next class, and then do the four mock trials! See you then!

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: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. Selected for today because of the teen spirit evident in a few of the cases we have been talking about in class. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/27/17:
News Brief – James
Cases Teens Should Know
Landmark Cases
Mock Trial Prep

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

News Brief: James had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: NYTimes.com - Congress Returns to Intense Pressure to End Secrecy Over Sex Harassment. I talked briefly in class about all of the items on the agenda list to do for Congress, before moving on.

Lucas was assigned to do the next news brief.

Cases Teens Should Know: This was a continuation from last week, where we looked at some interesting cases from the Supreme Court:

Google Drive - 10 Supreme Court Cases Every Teen Should Know

The directions were: 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.

We finished going through these cases and talked about each one. A particularly interesting link I shared with students was this one:

KATU.com - After School Satan Club holds first open house in Portland

Thanks for your effort here! Keep this overview for the future!

Landmark Case Reading: We also went through these today, as I assigned one case to each student, then we went through them together in 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

Please make sure you have your completed notes for these very important cases! It was interesting to get to talk about stuff like Japanese internment camps in the United States during World War II!

Mock Trial Prep: We barely had the chance to start this today, so we will continue with it next class! Thanks, everyone!

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 a fun pre-Thanksgiving class day, spent reviewing the Executive Branch and watching an episode of the TV show "The West Wing" to get ready for the break. 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 11/20/17:
News Brief – Grace
Review Executive Test
Shibboleth
Cases Teens Should Know

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

News Brief: Grace had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - US threatens to close Palestinian office in Washington. An interesting article, for sure! Thanks, Grace!

We also checked in about the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend and what was going on outside of class.

James 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!

Shibboleth: To end class, we watched an episode of the TV series "The West Wing" on Netflix, 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 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!

Cases Teens Should Know: Before we moved on, we watched this video, explaining a bit more about how the Judicial Branch works:

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!

That was it for the day! Thank you so much for your focus and hard work! Next class, we will finish up the cases. Have a great Thanksgiving Break! :-)

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 effort on the test and with the in class work today! 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: "Princess of China" by Coldplay. Selected for today because a princess is a monarch, which is a form of government. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/16/17:
News Brief – Ava
Executive Branch Test
Judicial Branch Overview
Cases Every Teen Should Know

Homework: Read the blog. Turn in any missing work ASAP! Next news brief: Grace.

News Brief: Ava had the news brief today and selected this article to talk about: CNN.com - How a school custodian saved students from the California shooter. We discussed this story and the ongoing uproar over gun violence in the United States, before moving on to talk about the upcoming weekend.

Grace was selected 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 before the weekend. Thirty questions, multiple choice. Not too bad, I hope! Thanks, as always for your effort on this! It seemed like most students felt okay about how it went.

Judicial Branch: To start, 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 later on in the unit (probably after Thanksgiving):

Google Drive: Judicial Branch Overview

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

Google Drive - 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.

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! :-)

Executive Branch, Day 6 - Class Recap

The Washington Monument, in Washington, D.C. Named after our first President, George Washington! Photo taken in 2010.

Hi everyone,

I enjoyed playing the role of the President today and hearing all of the various different policy proposals for the federal government! Next class, we will finish up with the unit and take the Executive Branch 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 branches of U.S. government.
Critical Thinking and Reasoning LT 3: I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Research LT 5: I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "Paris, Tokyo" by Lupe Fiasco. Selected for today because it's a really good song, and also, the Department of State has to talk with countries all around the world. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/14/17:
News Brief – Harrison
Cabinet Simulation
Study Guide
Executive Review

Homework: 1) Read the blog. Congratulations for doing this!

2) Study for the executive branch test:

Review the key terms and readings on the Study Guide. For instance, The Presidency reading will help. Also, study the cabinet descriptions reading. You might want to download the pdf and then rotate the page (because it is in landscape format). Or, just turn your head, I guess)!

A test question you will see (thanks for checking the blog!) is: All of the following are duties of the President EXCEPT:

A) Receive Ambassadors. B) Judge the Supreme Court. C) Give a State of the Union Address. D) Ensure that laws are faithfully executed.

If you want to, guess in the comments and I will tell you if you are right!

Next news brief: Ava.

News Brief: Harrison had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: Newsweek.com - BERNIE SANDERS CALLS ON TRUMP TO HELP IRAN AFTER DEADLIEST EARTHQUAKE OF 2017. We talked in class for a bit about this, and how obviously it is a horrific story. Thanks, Harrison.

Ava was selected to do the next news brief.

Cabinet Simulations: I really enjoyed listening to everyone talk about their departments, problems, and possible solutions! Although it appears many students did not have their packets or papers done (please turn them in to me as soon as possible), I was pleased to hear some knowledge and response to my questions as the President! Here are the questions students were answering as a part of this activity:

1) What is your department?
2) What is a problem your department is facing?
3) What are your possible solutions to the problem?
4) How much money will it cost?

It was great to have this discussion in class, and I'm sure everyone is better prepared for the test as a result of going through the various different departments.

Study Guide/Executive Review: Here is the study guide for the test, which will be 30 multiple choice questions (for LT5). Ignore the Political Spectrum section at the bottom.

Please make sure to ask me if you are at all confused about anything! Thank you so much for your hard work!

Executive Branch, Day 5 - Class Recap

The American Cemetery in Normandy, France. Selected for today because Veterans Day is this week.

Hi everybody,

Today was the last work day in class for the Cabinet Project. 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.
Critical Thinking and Reasoning LT 3: I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
Communication LT 1: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Research LT 1: I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "If You're Out There" by John Legend. Selected for today because it was a theme song of President Obama's in 2008. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/9/17:
News Brief - Zoe
Election Review
Cabinet Project
Work Time

Homework: Read the blog. Complete the Cabinet project assignment and be ready to present with your partner in a classroom cabinet meeting next class. Next news brief: Harrison.

News Brief: Zoe had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to bring in: OregonLive.com - US makes it more difficult to travel to Cuba, blacklists many large military-run businesses. We talked for a bit in class about this story and why Cuba travel has been opened and then restricted again in the past couple of years. We also checked in about the weekend before moving on.

Harrison has the next news brief.

Election Review: I went over the results from the 2017 election briefly at the start of class. Here are the links that I showed:

CNN.com - 2017 Election Results

OregonVotes.gov - PCC Bond Results

Twitter.com - @Taniel 2017 Election Results

For a bit of summary, Democrats in general did very well. It is usually the case that the political party out of power (in this year and next, it is the Democrats, as the Republicans control all aspects of the Federal Government) wins a lot, as Americans seek balance in government. Also, nothing motivates people to vote like feeling they need to in order to have a say. Next year, many of the students in the class will be able to vote! I hope that you do so!

Cabinet Project/Work Time: Here's a link to the cabinet project (advising the President) that we worked on in class today:

Google Drive - Presidential Cabinet Assignment Handout

Here are the sign ups for each of the cabinet positions:

Agriculture: Gibelli and Alexis
Commerce: Trinity and Marie
Defense: Calvin and Zoe
Education: Elena and Emma
Energy: Lucas
Health and Human Services: Tyler and Paul
Housing and Urban Development: Marian and Srey
Interior: Hunter and Harrison // Grace
Justice: Seraiah and Nina
Labor: James and Ernesto
Transportation: Bara and Nic
Treasury: Edgar and Christian
Veteran’s Affairs: Olivia and Jacqueline
Homeland Security: Vinh and CJ
Environmental Protection Agency: David and Sarah
US Mission to the United Nations: Yovanka and Erick
State: Avery and Jun

If you missed class, please see where you are on the list and what you are doing! Remember that I am mostly concerned with your 1-2 page paper for Team Member A or B that is near the end of the packet, along with the presentation.

This is due to be presented next class, so I hope you worked hard and do not have much homework (if any) left to complete. If you do, and are confused or need help, please let me know and I will try to get back to you ASAP! See you on Tuesday!

Executive Branch, Day 4 - 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 to a shortened week, with Veterans Day on Friday! Here's what happened in class:

Learning Targets:
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: "The Final Countdown" by Europe. Selected for today because it is the final countdown (of hours!) until the 2017 election tonight! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 11/7/17:
News Brief – Elena
Election Night
Grade Updates
Cabinet Project

Homework: Read the blog. Watch the election night coverage tonight! Next news brief: Zoe.

News Brief: Elena had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: NYTimes.com - U.S. Report Says Humans Cause Climate Change, Contradicting Top Trump Officials. This was a super important release of data and conclusions about the role humans are having on the environment. Thank you for highlighting this, Elena!

Zoe was selected to do the next news brief.

Election Night: Because today is election day for 2017, I made sure to go through what is happening and when to expect results. We went through a few websites for this:

1) The PCC bond measure, which was the only vote on the ballot in the Portland area:

OregonLive.com - PCC's $185 million bond measure for job training centers heads to mailboxes

2) What is going on nationally, with various votes for Governor and representatives:

NBCNews.com - Election Day 2017: What You Need to Know

3) Finally, here is an even more detailed look at some races that might have a big impact in various different states:

Twitter.com - @Taniel Election Night 2017

Lots going on, for sure! We will check back in on the results on Thursday.

We also talked about the recent mass shooting at a church in Texas - I showed this article with some interesting facts and graphs:

NYTimes.com - How to Reduce Shootings

Grade Updates: I passed back the grades I had for all work that has been turned in to me so far. I encourage students to revise their work or retake tests if needed to improve their grades! Come see me if you are confused, so I can walk you through what you need to do.

Cabinet Project: This was continued from last class. We will also work on this on Thursday, before the actual Cabinet Simulation on Tuesday of next week. Here's a link to the cabinet project (advising the President) that we looked at in class today:

Google Drive - Presidential Cabinet Assignment Handout

Here are the selection students made:

Agriculture: Gibelli and Alexis
Commerce: Trinity and Marie
Defense: Calvin and Zoe
Education: Elena and Emma
Energy: Lucas
Health and Human Services: Tyler and Paul
Housing and Urban Development: Marian and Srey
Interior: Hunter and Harrison // Grace
Justice: Seraiah and Nina
Labor: James and Ernesto
Transportation: Bara and Nic
Treasury: Edgar and Christian
Veteran’s Affairs: Olivia and Jacqueline
Homeland Security: Vinh and CJ
Environmental Protection Agency: David and Sarah
US Mission to the United Nations: Yovanka and Erick
State: Avery and Jun

Continue to work on this, please! See you on Thursday! :-)

Executive Branch, Day 3 - Class Recap

Then Senator Barack Obama when he visited Portland near the start of his Presidential campaign in 2007.

Dear class,

Today, we started the Cabinet Project. The Presidential Cabinet is a very important part of how the Executive Branch functions. 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.
Critical Thinking and Reasoning LT 3: I can apply understanding of ideas and concepts to a new context or problem.
Communication LT 5: I can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
Research LT 5: I can effectively conduct and apply research.

Soundtrack: "Get Ready for This" by 2 Unlimited. Intended as a pump up song for the long weekend and the Cabinet Project! Here's a link to the version I played in class, from ESPN's "Jock Jams" CD.

AGENDA 11/2/17:
News Brief - Srey
Review Legislative Quiz
The Presidency
Cabinet Project

Homework: Read the blog. Study the cabinet descriptions reading. You might want to download the pdf and then rotate the page (because it is in landscape format). Or, just turn your head, I guess! Continue working on the Cabinet project. Next news brief: Elena.

News Brief: Srey had the news brief today, and selected this article to talk about with the class: NYTimes.com - Terror Attack Kills 8 and Injures 11 in Manhattan. Srey talked about this story and some of the details of what happened in this horrific story, as we discussed what happened and President Trump's reaction. We also checked in about the upcoming long weekend, before moving on.

Elena has the next news brief.

Review Legislative Quiz: Because we did not have time to do this last class (due to Deputy Haley visiting), we reviewed the quiz and went over the answers (as students that had not taken it yet were doing so out of the room). There will be plenty more opportunities to improve your quiz scores in the future!

The Presidency: We finished going through The Presidency reading and questions today in class:

Google Drive - The Presidency Reading

These are the questions that go along with the reading:

Google Drive - The Presidency Questions

Cabinet Departments: For this section, we went over what the various different presidential cabinet departments are responsible for. We also watched this video, so everyone could see what it looks like in real life:

We will be doing a similar sort of activity in class, with me playing the role of the President and the class taking on the various department heads!

Cabinet Project: Here's a link to the cabinet project (advising the President) that we looked at in class today:

Google Drive - Presidential Cabinet Assignment Handout

Here are the selection students made at the end of class:

Agriculture: Gibelli and Alexis
Commerce: Trinity and Marie
Defense: Calvin and Zoe
Education: Elena and Emma
Energy: Lucas
Health and Human Services: Tyler and Paul
Housing and Urban Development: Marian and Srey
Interior: Hunter and Harrison
Justice: Seraiah and Nina
Labor: James and Ernesto
Transportation: Bara and Nic
Treasury: Edgar and Christian
Veteran’s Affairs: Olivia and Jacqueline
Homeland Security: Vinh and CJ
Environmental Protection Agency: David and Sarah
US Mission to the United Nations: Yovanka and Erick
State: Avery and Jun

We will continue working on this next week! Thanks for your hard work! :-)