Day 16

Day 16

Learning Targets: Students will be able to...

• Describe the different structures, powers, and functions of each house of Congress.
• Explain how congressional behavior is influenced by election processes, partisanship, and divided government.

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All Class: Legislative Simulation

Here are your tasks for today:

1. Introduce legislation
2. Work in committees
3. Debate and Vote
4. Conference

Remember the rules:

1. No electronic devices may be used during the simulation.
2. You MUST follow the process of how a bill becomes a law, or face a restart.
3. ALL bills, regardless of outcome should be turned in by the end of the session.

Close - Bill turn in

Day 15

Day 15

Learning Targets: Students will be able to...

• Describe the different structures, powers, and functions of each house of Congress.
• Compare political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors
• Explain how the structure, powers, and functions of both houses of Congress affect the policy-making process.

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Opener: Which House?

Below are a list of headlines regarding US Congress.  For each of the headlines, determine whether this event would take place in the US House of Representatives or the US Senate.

1. Members of Congress file charges of impeachment against the US President
2. Congress is asked to confirm a new member of the US Supreme Court
3. The Budget Committee proposes increasings funding for the Army and Navy
4. A bill that would create a new tax on vaping products will be discussed on the floor today
5. Here's what this member of Congress has said after her first two-year term in Congress.

Activity #1:  Legislative Branch Mini-Lecture

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ho43wp-kh7S9ibTf3-uNuD9tOO0hCN7EsSb7voF5mHU/edit?usp=sharing

Activity #2 - Congressional Session Prep

Each of you will act as a member of Congress in an upcoming class simulation.  In this simulation your goal is to pass at least one bill (created by you or your classmates) into a law.  This bill may alter or add any classroom rule, policy, or procedure provided that it does not violate the Constitution.  In your case, the Constitution is NKCSD district or OPHS policy.  For this exercise, we must assume these policies are "supreme".

Here is the order in which we will proceed:

1. House and Senate assignments
2. Selection of leadership for each house (Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader)
3. Committee assignments (Minimum of 3 members per committee)
1. Committee on Classroom Procedures
2. Committee on Rules and Consequences
3. Committee on Assessments and Grading
4. Committee on Projects and Group Work
4. Authoring of bills by all member of congress

Close - N-50 - Committees

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Day 14

Day 14

Learning Targets: Students will be able to...

• Describe the different structures, powers, and functions of each house of Congress.
• Compare political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors

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Opener: Quick-write - In your notebook

The US Constitution lists 18 powers granted to Congress (Article I, Section 8).  Choose one power that you consider to be the most critical to governing a nation and craft a 2-3 sentence claim (run-on sentences allowed) that explain why that power that you have listed is the most crucial power granted to Congress.

Activity #1:  Legislative Branch Intro

Login to EdPuzzle and join the class if you have not already:

https://edpuzzle.com/join/suvajga

Watch either of the two assigned videos dealing with Article I and Congress.

As you are watching the video, record your response to each question in your notebook as statements of fact.

For example:  

• Question:  "How old must a citizen be to run for office in the House of Representatives?" 
• Answer:  "25 years old"
• Statement of Fact (recorded in your notebook):  "A citizen must be at least 25 years old to run for the House of Representatives" 

Activity #2 - Congress in the headlines

Do a quick internet search for "Congress" in Google News, or search in popular news media webpages and record at least 3 headlines in your notebook that you think relate directly to the powers granted to Congress in Article I of the Constitution.

Close - N-50 - Bicameral Legislature

https://www.thoughtco.com/why-we-have-house-and-senate-3322313

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Day 13

Day 13

Learning Targets: Students will be able to...

• Explain how societal needs affect the constitutional allocation of power between the national and state governments.
• Articulate a defensible claim/thesis. 
• Explain how the appropriate balance of power between national and state governments has been interpreted differently over time.

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Opener: Exam AAR

Quickly answer the following questions:

1. On a scale of 1-10, how prepared did you feel for the exam before your took it?
2. Which component of the exam did you feel was more difficult? The written response, document based questions, or knowledge based questions?
3. What best helped you prepare? What will you do differently for the next assessment?

Activity #1:  Test Corrections

Using the provided Test Correction Worksheet, address the items that you missed on the Unit 1 exam.  Each correctly addressed item can earn you as much as 50% of the points that you lost.

Example

Missed Item Number __14__

Terms, documents, phrases, or ideas being tested_Popular Sovereignty, Declaration of Independence, “it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it”

Full Statement of Fact: The phrase “it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it” in the Declaration of Independence demonstrates the principle of Popular Sovereignty by supporting the right of citizens to change or overthrow corrupt government

Activity #2 - Correction reflection

How many of the items that you missed came from....

• The N-50
• Document Analysis (ASAP+)
• In class group work 
• The provided review packet

Close - Test Correction Turn in

Day 12

Day 12

Learning Targets: Students will be able to...

• Explain how societal needs affect the constitutional allocation of power between the national and state governments.
• Articulate a defensible claim/thesis. 
• Explain how the appropriate balance of power between national and state governments has been interpreted differently over time.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Opener: ELECTORAL COLLEGE

One of the most common topics for an amendment to the US Constitution is to abolish the Electoral College.

WHAT IS THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE? WHY DOES IT EXIST?

Activity #1:  PROGRESS CHECK

This diagnostic test will give you an idea of which components of Unit 1 you should most actively review.

LOGIN TO https://myap.collegeboard.org/login

Take the Unit 1 Progress Check - Both MCQ and FRQ Part A

Activity #2 - UNIT 1 REVIEW PACKET

Complete items 1-13 by the end of class.

Close - REVIEW PACKET TURN IN

Day 11

Day 11

Learning Targets: Students will be able to...

• Explain how societal needs affect the constitutional allocation of power between the national and state governments.
• Articulate a defensible claim/thesis. 
• Explain how the appropriate balance of power between national and state governments has been interpreted differently over time.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Opener: Where does this excerpt come from? What do the bolded words mean?

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Activity #1:  Federalist #10 ASAP+

Federalist Paper 10 - James Madison

Written by James Madison, this essay defended the form of republican government proposed by the Constitution. Critics of the Constitution argued that the proposed federal government was too large and would be unresponsive to the people.

In response, Madison explored majority rule versus minority rights in this essay. He countered that it was exactly the great number of factions and diversity that would avoid tyranny. Groups would be forced to negotiate and compromise among themselves, arriving at solutions that would respect the rights of minorities. Further, he argued that the large size of the country would actually make it more difficult for factions to gain control over others. 

Among the numerous advantages promised by a well constructed Union, none deserves to be more accurately developed than its tendency to break and control the violence of faction…  By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community…  The causes of faction cannot be removed, and that relief is only to be sought in the means of controlling its effects…  If a faction consists of less than a majority, relief is supplied by the republican principle, which enables the majority to defeat its sinister views by regular vote…  A pure democracy, by which I mean a society consisting of a small number of citizens, who assemble and administer the government in person, can admit of no cure for the mischiefs of faction…  The influence of factious leaders may kindle a flame within their particular States, but will be unable to spread a general conflagration through the other States.

1. What did Madison mean by factions?  Are factions unavoidable?  What would we call a faction today?

2.  Explain how Madison believed a large republic would protect its citizens from factions better than a small democracy.

3.  Are Madison’s views on our federal government controlling factions true today?  Why or why not.  

Entire text of Fed 10 here:

https://billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-documents/primary-source-documents/the-federalist-papers/federalist-papers-no-10/

Activity #2 - Edpuzzle 

Join link:

https://edpuzzle.com/join/suvajga

suvajga

Close - N-50 - Concurrent Powers - https://legaldictionary.net/concurrent-powers/

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Day 10

Day 10

Learning Targets: Students will be able to...

• Explain how societal needs affect the constitutional allocation of power between the national and state governments.
• Articulate a defensible claim/thesis.
• Explain how the appropriate balance of power between national and state governments has been interpreted differently over time.

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Opener: Enumerated (numbered) powers are listed in the US Constitution, while others are "implied" (Elastic Clause), but some are "Denied".

What powers should the US Government never be given? Is there any part of your life that they can't regulate?

Activity #1 - Articles and Clauses Organizer

Using your provided copy of the US Constitution, Google, and/or the video links below complete the provided Articles and Clauses Organizer provided.  

If you need to you can print an additional copy from here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gZ9WdhvgncrWz2Cyug9SXALoK1MxhbP-5YCRB6Q9jjI/edit?usp=sharing

Supremacy Clause

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN44uDqMzuI

Necessary and Proper Clause

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsudHmV-B_Y

Commerce Clause

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPGiE1ptAXo

Full Faith and Credit

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics/us-gov-foundations/us-gov-relationship-between-the-states-and-the-federal-government/v/article-iv-of-the-constitution

Amendment Process

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics/us-gov-foundations/us-gov-ratification-of-the-us-constitution/v/article-v-of-the-constitution

Entire US Constitution

https://constitutionus.com/

Activity #2 - Present your case for your clause/amendment.  

Choose 1 of the articles or clauses assigned above, and quickly write a 2-3 sentence explanation of why you believe that that part of the US Constitution is the most important or critical.

Close - N-50 - Concurrent Powers 

https://legaldictionary.net/concurrent-powers/

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Days 9-10

Days 9-10

Learning Targets: Students will be able to...

• Explain how societal needs affect the constitutional allocation of power between the national and state governments.
• Articulate a defensible claim/thesis.
• Explain how the appropriate balance of power between national and state governments has been interpreted differently over time.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Opener: The framers of the Constitution realized that if the US was to survive as a nation, it must strengthen the central government and bring the states into "a more perfect union".

In order to meet this end, the US Constitution has several "clauses" that ensure that the federal government has the ability to to bring the states into compliance.

In your notebook, explain at least 2 things that the national government is better suited to do than state or local government.

Activity #1 - Make an ASERTion!  Each of you will receive an assigned amendment or clause, 

which you will summarize and argue for as the most important clause or addition or change to the US Constitution.  To make certain that their ASERTion is valid, you must make a valid Argument, Support that argument with terms, specific details and examples, Explain how your evidence supports your argument, Refute other claims or criticisms, and then restate your Thesis.  You 

will have 35 minutes in which to research and prepare your ASERTion. 

You will have 2 minutes to make your case!

Group Assignments:

1's - Article 5

2's - Necessary and Proper Clause (Art 1, Sec 8, #18)

3's - Commerce Clause (Art 1, Sec 8, #3)

4's - Supremacy Clause (Art 6, #2)

5's - Article 6 (#1 and #3)

6's - Full Faith and Credit

Supremacy Clause

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN44uDqMzuI

Necessary and Proper Clause

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsudHmV-B_Y

Commerce Clause

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPGiE1ptAXo

Full Faith and Credit

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics/us-gov-foundations/us-gov-relationship-between-the-states-and-the-federal-government/v/article-iv-of-the-constitution

Amendment Process

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-government-and-civics/us-gov-foundations/us-gov-ratification-of-the-us-constitution/v/article-v-of-the-constitution

Entire US Constitution

https://constitutionus.com/

Activity #2 - Present your case for your clause/amendment.  

While another group is presenting their argument you should  TAKE DETAILED NOTES that note (1)the name of the clause or article, (2)what it does, and (3)why it matters.

For each clause or section of the Constitution, every student in the audience must record the following in their notebook:

1. Name of the clause or section
2. What this clause does to strengthen the federal government
3. Why this clause is so important in keeping the states united

Close - N-50 - Implied Powers (Necessary and Proper/Elastic Clause)

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Day 8

Learning Target:  

Students will be able to ...

• Explain the constitutional principles of separation of powers and “checks and balances.”
• Explain the implications of separation of powers and “checks and balances” for the U.S. political system.
• Explain how the author’s argument or perspective relates to political principles, institutions, processes, policies, and behaviors.

Opener:  Brutus No. 1 ~ ASAP

Judge Robert Yates, a former delegate at the Constitutional Convention from New York, provides an Anti-Federalist argument against the ratification of the new Constitution.  Using the pen name “Brutus,” Yates publishes his papers in direct opposition to the Federalist Papers, written under the pen name “Publius” which were also published in New York City defending the Constitution.  He introduced his own first essay with the observation that “the most important question that was ever proposed to your decision, or to the decision of any people under heaven, is before you.”

Activity #1:  Brutus #1 - Follow-On Questions

Go to: http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/brutus-i/

After you have completed your ASAP analysis of Brutus No. 1, answer the questions below in your notebook.

1. Why does the last paragraph of Article 1, Section 8, and Article 6 of the Constitution scare Yates so much? Explain your answer.

2. What does Yates say about Congress's power to tax?

3. Why do you think having a standing army scared Yates and other Anti-Federalists so much?

4. What does Yates fear will happen to the role of state governments? Give examples from the reading that support your answer.

5. Does Yates believe that a free, democratic government can work with such a large country? What historic examples does he use when explaining his answer?

Activity #2:  Nifty Fifty - Anti-Federalist

LD:  Those who opposed the US Constitution and the idea of a strong national government, and instead favored state and local government authority
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Close:  Turn in your notebooks!