Semester Finals - Class Recap

Sunset over Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a great semester, everyone! Thank you for your hard work! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was our last day of actual class for the semester (as it was our scheduled final, next class will be a study hall). We had our final test, reflection on the year, and then talked about life for a while. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
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: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. Selected for today because I always choose this song for the last day of class, since I am so thankful to get to teach you all. Thank you! Lyrics (some of which I read aloud in class) are here.

AGENDA 6/18/18:

News Brief – Lucas
Final Test
Reflection
School's Out

Homework: Read the blog (if you want)! Have a great summer! Let me know if I can help you at any point in the future! :-)

---

News Brief: Lucas had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - 'We will not apologize': Trump DHS chief defends immigration policy. We discussed this story for a bit in class, before moving on.

I talked in class about the importance of following the news and trying to stay up to date with what is happening in your city, state, country, and world. Knowledge is power! Try to stay plugged in to what is going on, if you can!

Final Test: As promised, this was a cumulative multiple choice final on the work we have done this semester. I anticipate having the grades submitted later this week (final grades are due on Wednesday at 3:00 PM).

Reflection: The last part to the test was a reflection short answer about how the semester went in Government - what you learned, what you will put into practice in your life, and what you will remember five years from now. I look forward to reading these!

School's Out: The end of class was set aside for study time.

Thank you all so much for being so wonderful to work with. If I don't see you tomorrow on the last day of finals, take care of yourselves and I hope to see you around! Have a great summer! :-)

Semester Finals - Class Recap

Sunset over Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a great semester, everyone! Thank you for your hard work! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was our last day of class for the semester. We had our final test, reflection on the year, and then talked about life for a while. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
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: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. Selected for today because I always choose this song for the last day of class, since I am so thankful to get to teach you all. Thank you! Lyrics (some of which I read aloud in class) are here.

AGENDA 1/30/18:

News Brief – Tyler
Final Test
Reflection
Study Time

Homework: Read the blog (if you want)! Let me know if I can help you at any point in the future! :-)

---

News Brief: Tyler had the news brief today but was not in class, so I filled in and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Train carrying Congress members hits truck. We discussed this horrific story for a bit in class, before moving on.

I talked in class about the importance of following the news and trying to stay up to date with what is happening in your city, state, country, and world. Knowledge is power! Try to stay plugged in to what is going on, if you can!

Final Test: As promised, this was a cumulative multiple choice final on the work we have done this semester. I anticipate having the grades submitted later this week (final grades are due on Monday at 8:00 AM, but I anticipate having them done before then).

Reflection: The last part to the test was a reflection short answer about how the semester went in Government - what you learned, what you will put into practice in your life, and what you will remember five years from now. I look forward to reading these!

Study Time: The end of class was set aside for study time.

Thank you all so much for being so wonderful to work with. Take care of yourselves and I hope to see you around! Have a great rest of the year! :-)

Finals Prep - Class Recap

Delicate Arch in Utah. A bridge between this semester and next! Photo taken in 2014.

Hi everyone,

Our last class together before semester finals was today, so we did some preparation! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
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.

Soundtrack: "Final Hour" by Lauryn Hill. Selected for today because we are in our final hours before finals! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 1/29/18:

News Brief – Zoe
Jeopardy Review
Surveys
Study Time

Homework: Read the blog! Study for your final test! Finals are next class, on Wednesday. Next news brief: Tyler.

---

News Brief: Zoe had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: NYTimes.com - Andrew McCabe Steps Down at F.B.I. in Widely Expected Move. We talked about this story and a little bit about what else is happening with the government.

The next news brief was assigned to Tyler.

Jeopardy Review: Another fun session of Jeopardy with the class! This was to review content for the final, next class. If you want to see the slides again, here they are:

Google Drive - Government Jeopardy Final Review

Congratulations to Team 1 for coming out on top of the competition! I hope everyone had fun playing.

Surveys: At the end of class, it was study time, as well as helping some of my Diversity and Social Justice students out by taking some of their surveys for their final project. Here are the surveys:

Google Forms - Nathan's Survey

Google Forms - Quinn's Survey

Google Forms - Jenna's Survey

Google Forms - Brendan's Survey

Google Forms - Jay's Survey

Google Forms - Katelyn's Survey

Study Time: Here is the Study Guide that I passed out in class, if you missed class or wanted to see it again:

Google Drive - Government Semester Final Study Guide

See you on Wednesday, for finals! Good luck on all of them! :-)

State and Local Government, Day 8 - Class Recap

The famous "White Stag" building sign in downtown Portland. Photo taken over Winter Break, 2015.

Hi everyone,

It is a busy last week before finals week! Here's what happened in class:

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: "A Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke. Selected for today because of the connection to the Civil Rights Movement in the lyrics.

AGENDA 1/25/18:
News Brief – Marian, Kayla, and CJ
Lift Ev'ry Voice
Discussion
Study Time

Homework: Read the blog. Continue studying for finals! Next news brief: Zoe.

News Brief: Marian had the news brief today and selected an article about this story: BBC.com - President Trump predicts 'tremendous increase' in UK-US trade.

CJ also brought in a news brief and selected an article about this story: NYTimes.com - Trump Says He Is Open to a Path to Citizenship for ‘Dreamers’.

Finally, Kayla talked about this story, as well: NYTimes.com - School Shooting in Kentucky Was Nation’s 11th of Year. It Was Jan. 23.

Thanks for the interesting conversation, everyone! Zoe has the next news brief (no write up required).

Lift Ev'ry Voice/Discussion: We finished watching an excellent recent documentary from OPB, called Lift Ev'ry Voice. If you want to watch again, share, or get caught up, it is here:

OPB.org - Portland Civil Rights: Lift Ev'ry Voice

Here is the worksheet that goes along with the documentary:

Google Drive - Lift Ev'ry Voice Documentary Questions

I think it is super important that we understand our own history regarding race in Portland, especially as I think there are some common assumptions that are just not true. As such, I was glad to see that almost everyone was glued to this in class. Thanks for your focus and willingness to learn about our own history! It was great to hear student responses after the film about what they learned.

Study Time: The rest of class was devoted to study time for the upcoming final next week. Here is the study guide for the final (part multiple choice, part short answer reflection) that I passed out in class:

Google Drive - Government Semester Final Study Guide

Next class, we will be playing Jeopardy to review these concepts and then have one last study session before finals. Thanks for your effort here!

Semester Finals - Class Recap

Sunset over Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a great semester, everyone! Thank you for your hard work! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was our last day of actual class for the semester (as it was our scheduled final, next class will be a study hall). We had our final test, reflection on the year, and then talked about life for a while. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
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: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. Selected for today because I always choose this song for the last day of class, since I am so thankful to get to teach you all. Thank you! Lyrics (some of which I read aloud in class) are here.

AGENDA 6/20/17:

News Brief – Ja'Quay
Final Test
Reflection
School's Out

Homework: Read the blog (if you want)! Have a great summer! Let me know if I can help you at any point in the future! :-)

---

News Brief: Ja'Quay had the news brief today but was not in class, so I filled in and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - The tour company that took Otto Warmbier to North Korea halts trips for Americans. We discussed this horrific story for a bit in class, before moving on.

I talked in class about the importance of following the news and trying to stay up to date with what is happening in your city, state, country, and world. Knowledge is power! Try to stay plugged in to what is going on, if you can!

Final Test: As promised, this was a cumulative multiple choice final on the work we have done this semester. I anticipate having the grades submitted later this week (final grades are due on Friday at 3:00 PM).

Reflection: The last part to the test was a reflection short answer about how the semester went in Government - what you learned, what you will put into practice in your life, and what you will remember five years from now. I look forward to reading these!

School's Out: The end of class was set aside for study time.

Thank you all so much for being so wonderful to work with. If I don't see you next class on Thursday, take care of yourselves and I hope to see you around! Have a great summer! :-)

Finals Prep - Class Recap

Delicate Arch in Utah. A bridge between this semester and next! Photo taken in 2014.

Hi everyone,

One more week until our last class together before semester finals and I say goodbye to everyone! Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
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.

Soundtrack: "Talk" by Coldplay. Selected for today because we continued talking about the role of government through playing Jeopardy. Lyrics here. 

AGENDA 6/16/17:

News Brief – Autumn
Jeopardy Review
Finals Questions?
Study Time

Homework: Read the blog! Study for your final test! Finals are next class, on Tuesday. Next news brief: Ja'Quay.

---

News Brief: Autumn had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: ABC.com - Student freed by N. Korea is in a state of unresponsive wakefulness, doctors say. We talked about this story and a little bit about the state of health of the young man, as well as United States policy towards North Korea.

The next news brief was assigned to Ja'Quay.

Jeopardy Review: Another fun session of Jeopardy with the class! This was to review content for the final, next week. If you want to see the slides again, here they are:

Google Drive - Government Jeopardy Final Review

Congratulations to Team 1 for coming out on top of the competition! I hope everyone had fun playing.

Finals Review: Here it is (at least, the first page), if you missed class or wanted to see it again:

Google Drive - Government Semester Final Study Guide

See you on Tuesday, for finals! Have a great weekend!

Last Day of Semester - Class Recap

Congratulations, everyone! You are done with Government for this semester! Photo taken at Niagara Falls in 2010.

Dear class,

I really loved being your teacher this semester! You all were fantastic at working hard and keeping class an enjoyable place to come to in the morning. Thank you! Here's what happened in class today:

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: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. I always choose this song for the last soundtrack of a class I am teaching, because I remain so thankful for all of you! I read part of the lyrics at the start of class.

AGENDA 1/27/16:
News Brief – Lili
Divided States of America
Appreciation

Homework: Have a great rest of the year! Consider forecasting for Diversity and Social Justice next year! Say hi to me in the halls! :-)

News Brief: Lili had the news brief today and selected an article about President Trump's tweets regarding military service. Here's a recent story about that: CNN.com - Donald Trump, who never served in the military, goes after Senate veterans.

I hope that you are continuing to follow the news, especially with the upcoming votes for the presidential nomination this year!

Divided States of America: The rest of class was spent continuing to watch the recent documentary from Frontline/PBS. Here it is to watch if you wanted to see all the way until the end.

PBS.org - Frontline: Divided States of America

Appreciation: Thank you all so much for your hard work! See you around! Be informed and educated citizens! :-)

Finals - Class Recap

One more step on the bridge to the second semester, completed! Photo taken in New Zealand in 2014.

Dear class,

Today was finals for your period! I hope they went well and that you are looking forward to our last day together on Thursday. Here's what happened in class today:

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: "Lucky Star" by Madonna. Selected for today because I searched for "luck" in my iTunes and this is one song that came up, for good luck on finals. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 2/7/17:
News Brief – Alessandra
Final Test
Reflection
Divided States of America

Homework: Read the blog! Good luck on the rest of your finals! See you next class! Next news brief: Lili.

News Brief: Alessandra had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: Politico.com - Trump's travel ban: What's next in the legal fight? We talked about this continuing story in terms of the judicial branch interacting with the executive branch. Today, the travel ban (which has been stopped for the time being) goes before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Definitely interesting to continue to follow!

Final Test: This was 100 questions, multiple choice. I think it took a bit longer to complete than in past years, but that is okay. I am looking forward to seeing how everyone did! Grades are due by February 21, I believe. I will likely have them entered later this week, however.

Reflection: As the test was winding to a close, I passed out a final reflection prompt, about how the class went, what you learned, and what you will remember (if anything) five years from now. I always enjoy reading these, as well.

Divided States of America: Next class, we will be finishing by watching the rest (or as much as we can) of this documentary about what is going on with our political system. Here it is again if you want to review or watch ahead:

PBS.org - Frontline: Divided States of America

Thanks everyone! See you next class for one more day together! :-)

Finals Prep, Day 2 - Class Recap

It was announced yesterday that Jay Z and Beyonce are expecting twins, so here's a picture I took of him in London in 2013.

Hi everyone,

Today was the last day before finals, next week! As such, I did not introduce any new content and I allowed students to work on whatever they wanted as we watched a documentary in class. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
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.

Soundtrack: "So Many Tears" by 2Pac. Selected for today because the documentary was about the tearing apart of America by political lines.

AGENDA 2/2/17:

News Brief – Shanye
Divided States of America
Finals Prep
Questions?

Homework: Read the blog! Study for your final test! Next news brief: Alessandra

---

News Brief: Shayne had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Berkeley: 'Masked agitators' sparked violence before Milo Yiannopoulos talk. As I said in class, there is SO MUCH news right now with the federal government, that it is hard to keep track of. We discussed this story, along with the nomination that President Trump made to the Supreme Court, and various other stories, before moving on.

The next news brief was assigned to Alessandra.

Divided States of America: This is a PBS Frontline documentary that just came out a couple of weeks ago, on how politics (especially involving President Obama and President Trump) have really divided our country. We watched a fair amount of Part 1 today in class (again, students also had this time to study anything they wanted to), and might finish up the rest after finals. Here it is to watch if you are interested:

PBS.org - Frontline: Divided States of America

I hope you found this interesting!

Finals Prep/Questions: Here it is (at least, the first page), if you missed class or wanted to see it again:

Google Drive - Government Semester Final Study Guide

See you on Tuesday, for finals! Have a great weekend!

Semester Finals, Class Recap

Sunset over Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a great semester, everyone! Thank you for your hard work! Photo taken in 2011.

Hi everyone,

Today was our last day of class for the semester. We had our final test, reflection on the year, and then talked about life for a while. Here's what we did today in class:

Learning Targets: 
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: "Thankful" by Kelly Clarkson. Selected for today because I always choose this song for the last day of class, since I am so thankful to get to teach you all. Especially this year, which was a pretty challenging one, with my dad being killed - it was so helpful to be able to come to class and work with you. Thank you! Lyrics (some of which I read aloud in class) are here.

AGENDA 6/16/15:

News Brief – Hannah
Final Test
Reflection
School's Out

Homework: Read the blog (if you want)! Have a great summer! Let me know if I can help you at any point in the future! :-)

---

News Brief: Hannah had the news brief today and selected an article about this story to talk about: CNN.com - Disney alligator attack: Investigators search for answers. We checked in about this story and about the upcoming summer, as well.

I talked in class about the importance of following the news and trying to stay up to date with what is happening in your city, state, country, and world. Knowledge is power! Try to stay plugged in to what is going on, if you can!

Final Test: As promised, this was a cumulative multiple choice final on the work we have done this semester. I anticipate having the grades submitted later today, but it could possibly be later in the week.

Reflection: The last part to the test was a reflection short answer about how the semester went in Government - what you learned, what you will put into practice in your life, and what you will remember five years from now. I look forward to reading these!

School's Out: The end of class was set aside for study time.

Thank you all so much for being so wonderful to work with. Take care of yourselves and I hope to see you around! Have a great summer! :-)