USG+3

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Welcome to Mr. Litecky's US GOVERNMENT //wiki//!
This page will act as our guide through this semesters journey towards gaining a basic understanding of US Government, and your role as a responsible citizen. Homework assignments, online links and readings will all be posted on this site. Check back often and ask questions in class as they arise.

=For Friday, September 7th complete the following & turn in:=

1) Internet Worksheet #1: Major & Minor Political Party Platforms

Take the following online Political Spectrum Quizzes & **print out your results to turn in**. 2) [|www.idealog.org] - click on "Run IDEAlog" and follow instructions 3) http://www.madrabbit.net/webrabbit/quizshow.html 4) http://typology.people-press.org/typology/

**For Monday, September 10 view the following and complete the class handout:**
1)

For Wednesday, September 12th create a power point quiz using the template provided.
You are responsible for creating a power point quiz in which you show your understanding of the difference between "liberal" and "conservative" statements.

- Mix your liberal & conservative questions up -- DO NOT make the first 6 Liberal and the second 6 Conservative) - Fill out your text first (statement & reason why) then look for your pictures. - Each slide MUST include a picture that depicts the issue. (example: Abortion-- a picture of "Roe v. Wade") - Your quiz should include 12 statements (6 liberal & 6 conservative) along with a description if WHY your statement falls into either category. - Use the "22" statement sheet from last Friday's class and your lecture notes as a reference -- but attempt to look further than the issues discussed in class. - After downloading the template save it to your documents folder on the TG server, or a jumpdrive. - Upon completion you must turn in a printed out copy of your slides. On your copy to hand in CIRCLE the correct answer. - This assignment must be COMPLETED on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14th. Copies of slides turned in -- PPT must be saved on the server or a jumpdrive-- NO EXCEPTIONS.



Tuesday, September 17, 2007
Complete the following Political Cartoons activity. Directions can be found on the link. This assignment is due on Friday, September 21st.

Thursday, October 11, 2007
Follow the directions provided on the link to the "[|Pre-Founding Fathers]." Assignment is due, Monday, October 15th.

Friday, October 26, 2007
Use the following links to compare the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Link for #1: The Articles of Confederation - http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_arti.html Link for #2: Comparing the AOC v Constitution - http://www.usconstitution.net/constconart.html Link for #3: The Constitution - Outline & Text - http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html Link for #4: Constitution FAQs: - http://www.usconstitution.net/constfaq.html Link for #5: Constitution Topics - http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop.html

Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Follow the directions from "[|The Impact of Congress"] worksheet that was distributed in class. The following simulation will give you an idea on what role the federal and state governments play in your everyday life. Visit the following in the module: HOME, SCHOOL, TOWN, and finally WORK. List your findings on the handout distributed in class.

http://congress.indiana.edu/learn_about/launcher.htm#impact

Monday, November 12, 2007
In this task you will use the following links to learn more about Congressional Leadership. This assignment must be completed and turned in by Wednesday, November 14th. House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/ House Majority Leader: http://www.majorityleader.gov/ House Minority Leader: http://republicanleader.house.gov/ Speaker of the House Role: http://speaker.gov/about?id=0003 The US Senate: http://www.senate.gov/index.htm Senate Leadership: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/a_three_sections_with_teasers/leadership.htm Senate Organization: http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/e_one_section_no_teasers/org_chart.htm Senate Facts and milestones: http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Facts_Figures.htm Women in Congress Online exhibit: http://womenincongress.house.gov/ Veto Threat: http://cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=cqmidday-000002622428 Override Update: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/06/politics/politico/thecrypt/main3463027.shtml http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gLK2ZBJw9ho_fz3BXADSg1EngOkQD8SOKLOG0

Monday, Nov. 26, 2007
Your unit exam will consist of information from the following. Once again you will be allowed to use a note card that is distributed in class. 1. Legislative Branch Review (save to disk, enable macros & play the game): [| LBRev07.ppt] 2. 10 Questions, Legislative Branch quiz (if an ad pops up, click "Skip this ad"): http://www.infoplease.com/quizzes/articles1/1.html 3. Checks & Balances review (and a good overview of Legislative Branch basics) first: http://pbskids.org/democracy/mygovt/capitol2.html 4. Checks & Balances review second (be aware, a few of these are outside the scope of our unit, we only focus on the Legislative Branch related information): http://www.quia.com/rr/92742.html 5. Legislative Branch Vocabulary (most of which should look familiar...) http://www.rcs.k12.va.us/csjh/woody/civics7.htm

General Exam Topics: Basics of House, Senate, Congress (Congressional requirements, duties, who our Senators are, etc) Districts & Gerrymandering Process of a Bill to become a law Expressed & Implied powers Non-Legislative Powers Legislative Branch Crossword puzzle (questions are great to review) Congressional leadership Committees Checks and Balances

=Wednesday, December 5th, 2007= For our Executive Branch unit your task is to ALONE examine a specific department of President Bush's cabinet. Your task is to research, write, and present your findings on that department. Complete the assignment using the following directions:

1) Chose ONE department from the following link:[| http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/cabinet.html]. Limit two students per department. Sign up sheet is on the white board.

2) From the above link, or the online textbook, write a one paragraph description of the purpose or duties of the specific department.

3) From the above link write a one paragraph biography on who the Secretary of the department is. This should be done in your own words- be sure to include how long the individual has held their current position, what their previous jobs were, education, or other items of interest.

4) Using the search engine of your choice, research and report on THREE issues that faced this specific department in 2007. - In your own words you will write a 1-2 paragraph description of each issue. - Your description should include when this issue took place (or when it was dealt with), what made it newsworthy, what happened (or what is currently going on) - Display understanding, and be prepared to answer questions relating to your issues.

You will be graded on this task based on your ability to write, and share with the class your understanding of the duties of different departments within the Presidents cabinet. The expectation is that when you share with the class you have little reliance on notes, or your paper, and you display the ability to process and analyze the functions of the different departments.

On //**TUESDAY, DECEMBER 11th**// you will turn in your paper (typed, double spaced, 5 paragraph minimum) and be prepared to present your findings.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 17th, 2007
Judicial Branch Online Assignment:

After clicking on Link #1, use the drop-down menu below "Choose a court case from this menu, then click Submit." to learn about the following cases. Note the case title and what was decided on a //slice// of paper entitled, __"Landmark Cases."__ Then, for the two cases you find most interesting, click on Link #2, click on the title of your court cases (listed on the left side of the screen), read the background information about the case and write a one paragraph analysis on the back of your paper.

Answer the following question for the responses on the back of the page. //Why is this specific landmark case still very important to society in 2007-2008?//

Plessy v. Ferguson Brown v. Board of Education Marbury v. Madison Gideon v. Wainwright Miranda v Arizona Tinker v. Des Moines U.S. v. Nixon

Link #1: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/supreme_court/supreme_court.cfm Link #2: http://www.landmarkcases.org/

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=THURSDAY, JANUARY 3rd, 2008=

The end is near seniors- hang in there. The race for the White House is heating up, and it is difficult to not be bombarded by the mass media about the candidates, primaries, caucuses, platforms, etc... The last few weeks of US Government this semester will be dedicated to voting, elections, and the process in which our country selects a President.

This coming November it is my hope that you take a break from your bad decision making to play a role in who becomes the next President of the United States. Hopefully this activity will give you a very basic understanding of what is happening around the country now, and in the months leading up to the November election.

1. Read the following articles on the process of becoming the president. BRIEFLY describe the process 3-4 sentences. http://www.enchantedlearning.com/vote/presidential_elections.shtml http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/election/primary.html

2. Today the Presidential Caucuses in Iowa will take place. Next week will be the New Hampshire primaries. What does this mean? Read the article below and A) define what a caucus is, B) what a primary is, and C) what is the difference between the two. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/26/AR2007122601074.html

- This link has a solid (but brief) explanation of the Iowa caucus, it should provide a great example (You might find the video interesting too) http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17261569

3. Using the second link link for #2, click on the "election 2008" interactive map. Pick Minnesota and three other states you like. Do they have caucuses or primaries? When will they be? How many delegates does the state have for Democrats? Republicans? What happened in these states in the last election it lists?

4. Who is running for president? Use this link to get yourself started. Note the names and parties of the candidates (you should have at least 4 for both parties). http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/

5. Use the following link to learn more about the upcoming election: a. Who is expected to win in New Hampshire? (Both Rep & Dem) b. Under "Candidate Schedules," see what the candidates campaign schedules look like. c. Under "Money Race," who has earned the most money? The least? How much money is being raised? etc. d. Visit individual candidate sites (or view candidate videos). What do you find to be their major message? e. At least from the headlines, which candidates are doing well? Which are not? How can you tell? (Both Rep & Dem)

http://online.wsj.com/public/page/election2008.html?mod=2_1309

=Monday, January 7th, 2008= Let's shake out the cobwebs of the past weekend and take on a simulation what it would be like to be a Presidential candidate making a run at the White House. Grab a partner from class, one computer and square off to see who will become the next POTUS. You will be asked to choose your political party, platform along with several other important decisions that go into an election. Good luck...

http://www.ciconline.org/elections


 * This game requires certain software to play, if you are having problems on the school computers use the following directions from the technology help desk: //Make sure that Firefox is not started. Go into the Applications folder and right-click on Firefox (Apple-i), choose get info from popup. In the window that opens, check Rosetta. Close that window, start Firefox. That's it. This only applies to the new laptops, not the e-macs.//

=Tuesday, January 7th, 2008= Today marks the first PRIMARY of the 2008 Presidential campaign. Try to have a sliver of awareness tonight, and tomorrow morning to what went down in New Hampshire in the primary.

Today in class you will have time to complete what you started last Thursday, and ALSO complete #5 from that assignment. The question has been modified to reflect the New Hampshire primary.

=Thursday, January 9th, 2008= In a week you will have complete your time in room 111 for you career at TGHS. Beyond reducing your instructor to tears for insulting his lack of "matching," questioning what is for lunch on a given day, or dealing with overactive bladders - hopefully you will take something from this class. Today's activity will help you understand your role as a voting member of American society.

Voting activity: Vote '08! Complete the following on a new slice of paper.

1. Find your polling place! If the election was today, where would you go? Write the information on your sheet of paper. http://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/

2. The Minnesota Secretary of State - what does her office do/what is it responsible for? Learn this information and then write an overview of this office and add the current Secretary of State's name after the job description - paraphrase what you learn! Please be sure to figure out what else the Secretary of State does beyond voting! http://www.sos.state.mn.us/home/index.asp?page=2

3. Voting in Minnesota This link takes you to all of the information related to voting in state a election. a. Who is eligible to vote in Minnesota? Add the voter registration information into your paper. b. How does one register to vote? Print a voter registration ballot. (you might have to do this in the library...) c. What is absentee voting and how would one go about doing such a thing? http://www.sos.state.mn.us/home/index.asp

4. Off to school - now what? a. Where are you going to school next year? Google the state in which you will reside come the fall of '08, and look for voter rights in that state. How does that state differ from Minnesota. Even if you are attending an instate school like TG2 (St Thomas), the U of M, UMD, pick out your dream school that is not found in the land of 10,000 lakes. Tell me: 1) school/state, 2) how will you be able to vote in the fall.

5. The Electoral College - remember, it takes 270 to Win... Play "270 to Win" - what states do you think the Democrats will win? What states do you think the Republicans will win? Look at the past several elections and make a determination. Print your map and see how your predictions hold... http://www.270towin.com/