Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!

Hi Seniors:

Happy 2011! If you haven't checked your e-mail recently, please do so ASAP. If you have lost the study guide for the final exam, you can download another copy of it right here.

Have a safe New Year's Eve :)

-Micah

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Lesson 52 and 53: December 14th-16th

Tomorrow (4th period) or Thursday (3rd and 5th period), each bureaucracy group will be expected to give a 5-7 minute presentation about their assigned department. You have the entire class period today to create a Powerpoint or Keynote presentation and to get ready to present. You will NOT have any class time to prepare on the day of presentations -- just today. Presentations should cover/include all of the following information:

1. Basic history of the department and anything unusual about its establishment.

2. Department's mission or objectives.

3. What are some of the largest or most important agencies in this department?

4. What role did this department (or it's agencies) play in responding to our three most recent major national crises (9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico)? You do NOT need to find information on all of these, but you do need to find at least five ways your department has assisted in times of crisis. State Department: You may want to look at the earthquake in Haiti also if you're struggling to find examples.

5. How is the work of your department visible to Americans in everyday life? Please find at least two examples of advertising or publications created by your department or its agencies. There are a bunch of examples below so you can see the kinds of things you should be looking for. You may NOT use my examples in your presentation.

Homeland Security TV
ad on forest fires from Forest Service
lead paint as milk in a baby bottle
swine flu prevention from CDC
"55 saves lives" campaign in 1970s to drive 55
Tinkerbell energy
 conservation
speeding
crash test dummies
Yosemite Park

Reminder: If you miss class on Wed/Thurs. without talking to me in advance and you cannot provide a doctor's note (that says that there was a medical emergency, not that you had a scheduled appointment), you will receive a zero for the quiz and the presentation. The same is true if you are late to class and the quiz has already started.


HW:
1. Send me an e-mail with your Powerpoint or Keynote file as an attachment.
2. Be ready for your presentation when you walk into class tomorrow (4th) or Thursday (3rd and 5th)
3. Study for the Ch. 14 quiz, which you will take at the beginning of class tomorrow (4th) or on Thursday (3rd and 5th)

Monday, December 13, 2010

Lesson 51: Monday, December 13th

Today's objectives:
By the end of today's lesson, students will be able to explain the complexity of the federal budget and some of the factors that go into crafting the budget.

Agenda:
National Budget Simulation online
(the instructions/worksheet are here if you need them)

HW:
Periods 3 and 5: Continue working on Ch. 15 notes and vocab cards (due Thursday); the Ch. 15 quiz will also take place on Thursday.

Period 4: Continue working on Ch. 15 notes and vocab cards (due Wednesday); the Ch. 15 quiz will also take place on Wednesday. (You will have AP Gov during 2nd period this Wednesday and AP Env. Sci. during 4th period this Thursday due to Jen's availability to give feedback for your AP ES project.)

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Lesson 50: Thursday, December 9th

Today's objectives:
By the end of today's lesson, students should be able to explain the three ways that the White House is structured and the benefits/drawbacks of each of these methods of organization. In addition, students will have analyzed the role that federalism plays in the functioning of the bureaucracy.

Agenda:
1.    White House management structures activity
2.    Lecture: the Executive Branch
3.    Work time for Task 3

HW: Begin note-taking and vocab cards for 2nd half of Ch. 14

Lesson 49: Tuesday, December 7th

Today's objective:
By the end of today's lesson, students will have analyzed the relationship between Congress and their bureaucratic department.

Agenda:
1. Group work time on Task 2 of the bureaucracy project
2. Individual work time on note-taking and creating vocab cards for p.441-453 (the first half of Ch. 14).

HW: Finish taking notes and creating vocab cards for p.441-453 (due on Thursday).

Monday, December 6, 2010

Lesson 48: Monday, December 6th

Today's objectives:
By the end of today's lesson, students will be able to identify the various roles the President is expected to play in American political culture and will prepare to do research on how their Cabinet Department interacts with the legislative branch.

Agenda:
1) Quiz on Chapter 15
2) Roles of the President activity in project teams
3) Begin reading, outlining, and creating notecards for p.441-453 of Chapter 14.

HW: See #3 above. This assignment is due on Thursday.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Lesson 47: Thursday, December 2nd

Today's objectives:
By the end of today's lesson, each student will have detailed knowledge of one federal cabinet department.

Agenda:
1) Student choose heterogeneous groups for the upcoming project and rank their top five choices of cabinet departments
2) Begin reading and creating notecards for the final part of Ch. 15
3) Groups begin doing research online about their assigned cabinet departments

HW: Finish reading and creating notecards for Ch. 15 --> use your study guide and get ready for the quiz on Monday.