United+States+Government

=Welcome Seniors to your final year here at TGHS. = =Get used to coming to this "wiki" for many different activities, assignments and outside readings associated with our class. =

Here is another copy of our class syllabus for your reference. This is the same one that was distributed the first day of the semester.

//**Student Assignment Posting Pages:**// In an effort to go GREEN we will be posting several of our class assignments online. Period 7 Period 8 **
 * Period 6

=**The End - Tuesday, January 5th - Tuesday, January 12th**= This is it Class of 2010, get done with this and you are in the clear!

**Assignment Overview**: Your task is to design a deck of playing cards highlighting key aspects of the foundations of our government, the US Constitution, the Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch and the Judicial Branch. It is alright to discuss with classmates the layout & plan for this project but this is an __INDIVIDUAL__ student assignment. Duplicate cards between classmates will earn a score of ZERO.

1) For the first suit **SPADEs** (be sure it has 13 total cards):
 * Remember,** of the things you believe are especially important for everyone to know about our US Government, select:
 * The foundations of American Government - remember the "guys," and what they believed in. Also remember the early documents that the U.S. Constitution was based on.

2) Then:
 * 13 items/terms/positions/roles directly related to the Legislative Branch - in the **HEART** suit (one must show the location of the branch in the Constitution)
 * 13 on the Executive Branch - in the **DIAMOND** suit (one must show the location of the branch in the Constitution)
 * 13 on the Judicial Branch - in the **CLUB** suit (one must show the location of the branch in the Constitution)
 * The design of your jokers are up to you, remember they should be in good taste.
 * Design your card box appropriately - including an image and your name

1. Make a list of things as listed above (could be select people, facts, duties, dates, powers, anything you see as important to know). 2. Write a brief definition for each of the things you selected. 3. Rank the things you listed, 1-13 for each list. 4. Determine what suit will represent each category. 5. Access the template for your desired suit. (WHEN WE ARE IN THE LAB) 6. Enter the necessary information for each card. a. You may play with fonts and colors if you wish but keep the sizing and layout of each card the same. b. You will need to find a quotation or graphic for each card. If you select a picture, carefully delete the text in the box which reads, “Put your picture or quotation here” and then paste your picture into the textbox. You should also then paste the URL onto the photo credits page. 7. Determine and create the layout for the back of your cards. 8. Using a color printer, print your cards onto heavier paper. 9. Run a test to see which way to load paper into your printer so you can accurately print the backs of your cards. 10. Reload the card sheets into your printer and print the backs of your cards.
 * Directions**

These are directions for creating both: 1. Click once on the picture so the black lines are around it and there are small black squares in the corners. 2. Under FORMAT select PICTURE 3. Under the LAYOUT tab you can try either SQUARE or IN FRONT OF TEXT (if one doesn't work the way you want it to, the other will)
 * //About images for the card backs and box://**

// Also, in class Friday I will be sharing directions for making lines invisible - something I recommend once you get your images for the backs positioned the way you want them. //


 * When you have created your lists for the cards in the different suits, use the card templates provided.

IMPORTANT DAYS - //** Wed, Jan 6 **: Begin finding photos for your first suit, complete one suit if possible **Fri, Jan 8** : Work day, finish suits three and four **Mon, Jan 11** : Wrap up work day, demo box creation IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS __MONDAY__ IS THE LATEST DAY THEY CAN BE ANSWERED... PLEASE PLAN AHEAD! **Mon, Jan 11** : (or sooner): Print off cards on your own, IN COLOR & ON CARDSTOCK!!!
 * //Tues, Jan 5th://** //Create card lists, decide what information will go on what suit of cards, have lists completed for Wednesday.//
 * Thurs, Jan 7 **: Work day, finish suit one & suit two
 * TUESDAY, JANUARY 12th**: Cards due, automatic loss of 25 points if not done & turned in on Tuesday. If not turned in on Wednesday, January 13th - you will earn a ZERO out of 100 for the assignment score.//

=Wednesday, December 16th, 2009= On Thursday, December 17th, we will be having our "Branch Exam" in U.S. Government. Attached in PDF format is the study guide that was distributed in class. Students also received a note card that they may use on the exam - please email Mr. Litecky's TG address if you were absent on the review day for further instructions.

= = = = =Wednesday, December 9th, 2009=

Tomorrow we will be prepping for our in class court cases, but today we will be examining the process of jury selection, the goal of this simulation is to select an EXCELLENT jury - read the cases carefully and make intelligent decisions in choosing from the "pool."

// Record the following on a piece of notebook paper to turn in at the end of class from your experiences in the simulation. //

1) Describe what may have happened at an ancient TRIAL BY ORDEAL? 2) What is the significance of the MAGNA CARTA to modern day courts? //**From "Pick Twelve"**// 3) What does the term VOIR DIRE mean? 4) What is considered when looking for the ideal juror? 5) What trail did you choose? 6) What side did you choose to select jurors for (plaintiff, defense; prosecution, defense) **//From YOU!//** 7) How many attempts did it take to create your "EXCELLENT" jury? 8) What challenges/problems/ or issues did you experience in the jury selection process?
 * // From "The Jury System" introduction: //**

= = =**[|The Jury Game]**= This is a game/simulation which displays the challenges of selecting a jury for either a criminal/civil trial.

=Friday, December 5th, 2009= Yesterday it was interesting to hear some of you talk about the different things that you already seem to know about the Judicial Branch - thanks in part to the overwhelming number of TV courtroom/crime dramas.

Using the links below complete the worksheet distributed at the beginning of class.

Link #1 (Supreme Court decision): [] Link #2 (background) : []

= = =**THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19th, 2009 **= = = Examine the site [|Death and Taxes] and answer the following questions in your notebook.

1. Describe what the Federal DISCRETIONARY Budget is... 2. How much will the Safe schools and Citizenship program cost in 2010? 3. American Embassy security, construction, and maintenance will be given this amount for the 2010 fiscal year... 4. How much money has the Department of Homeland Security budgeted to spend on the "boarder fence" program in 2010? Is it an increase or decrease from previous years? By how much? 5. How much money will be spent on the global war on terror (counterterrorism) in 2010? 6. The postal service cost to operate in 2010 will be... 7. This branch of NASA will suffer from the greatest amount of cuts from the previous years budget. How much will be spent on looking for other signs of life or new planets? 8. The State Department gives this foreign country the most aid. (Country and Amount) 9. According to the map - what amount of money has been alloted to the US Secret Service in 2010? 10. For every $1 billion spent, what does every taxpayer pay on average? 11. In terms of the federal budget, what are the three largest areas that money is spent? **

Wednesday, November 11= In case you were gone, today in class we examined what Executive Privilege is, and some notable times in American history when it was used...media type="custom" key="4783137"

=Monday, November 9th, 2009=

For today's class: 1) Complete & post your "Toondoo" assignment to your name on the ASSIGNMENT POSTING PAGES. 2) Partner up & take on a classmate in the [|Presidential Election Game]. (Be patient it may take a moment to load)

POSTING INSTRUCTIONS 1. Log into ToonDoo and pull up your completed cartoon. 2. Copy to your desktop by taking a picture/screenshot using 'Shift + Apple + 4' //THIS IS IMPORTANT -- DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PICTURE NAMED "Picture 1" -- RENAME THE PICTURE ON YOUR DESKTOP SOMETHING UNIQUE AND ORIGINAL -- YOU MUST DO THIS!!!// 3. Log into our class wiki 4. Find your class period, click on it 5. Find your name (first name + last initial), click on this 6. Click on 'Edit this page' 7. Put todays date at the top of your page - along with the title - __**8 ROLES OF THE PRESIDENT**__ 8. Click the "tree" (images and files) icon in the edit menu bar 9. Click "Browse" under "Upload New File" 10. Find the picture on your computer, wherever you put it- again you MUST HAVE RENAMED THE PIC ON YOUR DESKTOP! 11. Click "Upload" 12. Find the image in the box of uploaded images (shaded light yellow) and double click on it. 13. Close the uploaded image box. 14. Click "Save" for the page.
 * THIS IS HOW YOU WILL POST YOUR TOONDOO ON YOUR INDIVIDUAL WIKI PAGE**

=Wednesday Nov. 4th & Thursday Nov. 5th, 2009= In class last Friday you worked with a partner on identifying on the 8 Roles of the President, and now today you are going to display that you alone understand what those roles actually mean.

This is your task: create a cartoon using the website [|TOONDOO.com] in which you create scenarios displaying 3 of the 8 roles of the President.Think about what we did in class with the flash cards, and look at your class notes as a reference.

Looking on ANY of the below major news outlets home page should give you plenty of news about President Obama, then think of how his actions reflect any one of the 8 roles.
Your finished product should display ACTUAL current events from the sources below.

[|CNN] [|MSNBC] [|FOX News] [|CBS] [|ABC] [|The Associated Press]

Save your "toon" to Toondoo website- we will post them in class Thursday (Nov 5h) under your name on the assignment posting page. (If you get done early, I will help you post your assignment)

**I F YOU ARE A FIRST TIME TOONDOO USER: **
1. Go to [|toondoo.com] 2. Click "Register" 3. Create your username and password AND provide an email address for them (__you will not receive spam__) 4. Sign in to toondoo and begin!


- Click "Create Your Own" - Select a 3 panel cartoon. - CREATE! (you can upload your own pictures/images if you need/ want) - you can save your cartoon, and wait to publish it until you are done.

//Here is an example of what you may create, this is a nice job - BUT I want you to really try hard to depict actual current topics facing President Obama - this example stops short of telling the reader what event is being depicted.//

**Friday, October 30th, 2009** =** Today's assignment focuses on the staff of President Barrack H. Obama. **=

Fill out the handout distributed in class using the following links.

a. [|Click here to see the staff members of President Obama] b. [|Click here to learn about Obama's Chief of Staff] c. [|Use this link] to get the information required under "Executive Office of the President" on your "Obama Staff" sheet.

For those who have misplaced the sheet that I gave you at the beginning of class - here is another copy [|Obama Staff.doc]

For your information...This link calculates the National Debt... media type="custom" key="4521498"

media type="youtube" key="mEJL2Uuv-oQ" height="344" width="425"

=__Wednesday, October 21, 2009__=

You WILL be able to use notes on the exam.
= This is what you need to have in order to be in good standing for the Exam. You may use ALL of the following! Spend some time organizing your notes and you will do great! = =1) CLASS NOTES (see attached PowerPoints if needed)= =2) Internet Assignments (//Specifically the Congressional Leadership assignment from Monday, Oct. 12th//)= =3) Complete the handout "Expressed vs Implied" Powers from todays class= =4) Copy the Checks & Balances Diagram somewhere in your notebook=



Exam Format:
//1) Recognizing the different steps of a bill becoming a law 2) Display a very basic knowledge of individuals in Congress, vocab & terms relating to the Leg. Branch 3) Be able to display the checks and balances associated with the Legislative Branch 4) Have an understanding of the Expressed and Implied powers of Congress.//

=__Thursday, October 15th, 2009__= We will break from our class notes today and complete // two // exercises __in our notebook__ before escaping to a homework-free three day weekend.

Task #1:

Task #2: Try your hand redistricting in the following simulation... [|The Redistricting Game] Be patient and READ & FOLLOW directions. Take time to understand what you are trying to accomplish!

There are five "missions," it your assignment to complete each of them. Follow the directions for each mission. After each mission is COMPLETE, write in your notebook under the Gerrymandering description what challenges or successes you had in your attempts at redrawing congressional districts.

= =

__Monday, October 12th, 2009__
So much for** " sizzling " last Friday... so sad ** = = In this task you will use the following links to learn more about Congressional Leadership. Title this assignment CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP and answer the following questions in your notebook. Keep your answers in your notebook. Completion of this task is ESSENTIAL in preparation for your unit exam!

1a) Who is the [|Speaker of the House]? 1b) What is his/her political party? 1c) What is his/her home state? 1d) What is the role of Speaker of the House?

2a) Who is the [|House Majority Leader]? 2b) What is his/her political party? 2c) What is his/her home state? 2d) What is the role of House Majority Leader?

3a) Who is the [|House Minority Leader]? 3b) What is his/her political party? 3c) What is his/her home state? 3d) What is the role of House Minority Leader?

4a) Who is the [|House Majority Whip]? 4b) What is his/her political party? 4c) What is his/her home state? 4d) What is the role of House Majority Whip?

[|Senate Leadership] [|Definition of Senate Leadership Roles] 5a) Who is the President of the Senate? 5b) What is his/her political party? 5c) What is his/her home state? 5d) What is the role of the President of the Senate?

6a) Who is the President pro tempore of the Senate? 6b) What is his/her political party? 6c) What is his/her home state? 6d) What is the role of the President pro tempore of the Senate ?

7a) Senate Majority Leader 7b) What is his/her political party? 7c) What is his/her home state? 7d) What is the role of the Senate Majority Leader?

8a) Senate Minority Leader 8b) What is his/her political party? 8c) What is his/her home state? 8d) What is the role of the Senate Minority Leader?

9a & 10a) Minnesota's presence in the Senate... who represents us? 9b & 10b) What is his/her political party? 9c & 10c) What is one committee or subcommittee he/she is on? [|Members of the 111th Congress]



=__Wednesday, October 7th__= Today we are going to continue leaning some basics of the legislative branch of the United States.

You must complete one task using the Center on Congress website, and please do so in your notebooks.

__Task #1: The Impact of Congress on Everyday Life__ - On the **FRONT** of your paper use the following [|Pop-Up] website and move through the virtual town and list 40 ways Congress & Government impact our everyday lives. Be sure to browse around the home, the school, the music shop & the factory.

__Wednesday, September 30th__

** In addition to the documents examined in class, I would also like you to be familiar with the US Bill of Rights from the Constitution. Please look over the first ten amendments and be able to provide 4 modern day examples of 4 specific amendments in modern societ y. **

[|Bill of Rights]

Example: After every Vikings game, Petey the Packer gathers fans outside the Metrodome and has a "I hate #4" rally. All persons at the rally are dressed in green and gold, and they set ablaze (in a controlled fire) as many Brett Farve jerseys and Helga horns as they can. This is an example of the 1st amendment because individuals have the right to assembly, freedom of speech & demonstration.

__Thursday, September 18th__

Identifying "spin" and "bias" in the media is the purpose of todays task.

The second part of your end of unit activities is to be done alone and posted on your individual student page (where you posted your cartoon).

Scan through the following media outlets that many Americans receive their news and information from. Your task is to identify 1 news story that show a liberal bias, and 1 that show a conservative bias. View the short news clips so you understand the topic that they are discussing and EMBED them onto your student page below your cartoon assignment.

Underneath the embeded video you will write a short summary of what the topic of the clip is, and how you view it is liberal or conservative.

Think critically when reading the news and how the different issues from your sheet yesterday appear in the news frequently.

[|msnbc.com] [|cbsnews.com] [|foxnews.com] [|cnn.com]

=__Thursday, September 10th__=

Political Cartoon Activity:



Directions: Using “[|Daryl Cagle’s Professional Cartoonists Index],” collect one liberal and one conservative political cartoon. Follow the directions below to copy each cartoon onto a slide in Zoho Show (you might find it helpful to print them). On the slide, explain your cartoon and its bias. You can see a sample of the assignment here: [|SAMPLE ONE] & [|SAMPLE TWO]. Link your Zoho slideshow onto the page linked below by the end of class Monday, September 14th.

[|CONSERVATIVE vs. LIBERAL] beliefs can be found on this link. Use this link to serve as a reference to distinguish between the two perspectives.

1. Go to [|Zoho Show] and register for the program 2. Write down your username and password (in your US Gov. notebook would be a good place, we'll probably use it in the future) 3. Log into Zoho Show. 4. The program will automatically open a new blank show for you. Create a title and subtitle, include your first name, last initial and hour on your title slide. 5. Save your slideshow. (Click “Save,” name the file, and click save. 6. In another tab or window, open Cagle’s Cartoonist Index. 7. Find a cartoon that has a conservative bias/slant (you can look around by topic from the splash page or you can search for donkey or elephant if you wish). 8. Save the cartoon on your desktop. (If on a PC, right click, select “Save image/picture” name it, and save it to your desktop. – If on a MAC, press the Control key & Click on the cartoon, select “Save Image as,” give it a name, and save it to your desktop.) 9. Repeat steps 7 & 8 for a cartoon with a liberal bias/slant. 10. Add a slide (suggested layout: Title with 2 text boxes). 11. Click the icon that looks like a mountain with a sun (between the bold “T” and the “Edit Background” button on your Zoho screen – see below, picture a). 12. Click “Browse” and use the menu that pops up to find one of the cartoons you just saved to your desktop. 13. Once you find it, click “Open” and once the file name shows in the Zoho box to the left of the “Browse” button, click the “Insert” button. Your cartoon should show up on your slide. 14. You can click on the cartoon and resize it, move it around on your slide, etc. 15. Give your slide a title and write your explanation of the slide and its bias (you can change the font size if necessary). 16. Save your show. 17. Repeat steps 11-17 for the second cartoon you saved to your desktop. 18. When your slides are finished, click "PUBLISH” (near the top LEFT of the Zoho page). 19. A box will appear-- make sure the top TWO boxes are checked and click on MAKE PUBLIC AND CONTINUE. 20. KEEP THIS WINDOW OPEN and open another window or tab to our class wiki, litecky111.wikispaces.com, log in. 21. Go to the assignment posting page the corresponds with your class period & click on your name. 22. Click “Edit This Page” 23. Above any of the already added names and “Custom” boxes, type your first name and last initial, then click the button that looks like a TV (see below, picture b). 24. Paste the URL (it is very long! from the open window on the ZoHo page) into the box that shows up on your screen. 25. Click “Save” and that menu should disappear, leaving you with the original edit screen. 26. You should now see your name as you typed it and a box that says “Custom” next to it. Click the Save button. 27. You will see your Zoho Show on our wiki – Congratulations! You are published!

We have two tasks to complete today in Lab 109.
**First**, all students will complete registration for our classroom Wiki Account. __Wiki Registration Directions__
 * For you to be able to publish to our wiki, a two-part registration process is required. If you do this successfully, you will only do it once. If you have an account with another teacher’s wiki, skip steps 1- 6 below, begin at #7. *

Read and follow the directions carefully. Check each step off as you do it to guarantee you did not miss any of the steps.

Step 1.– Be sure you have an email address. If you do not have an email address, go to gmail.com and set one up. 2. Go to [|www.wikispaces.com] 3. Pick a username. This should be the first two or three letters of your first and last names and then the last two digits of the year you were born, e.g. Mary Anderson born in 1986 would be: marand86 4. Select a password. This should be a password you will remember. 5. Write down your username and password in your agenda book or US Government notebook. 6. Enter your email address – you can use your family address if you do not have siblings who have a wiki account already. No spam will come to your email account. (If you do not have an email address, see step 1. ) 7. Check your email to verify your registration. 8. Go to our wiki: litecky111.wikispaces.com 9. Click “Join this space” (left side of margin) 10. In the message box, type you full name & hour 11. Click the Request Membership button & wait for Mr. Litecky to approve your request.**


 * Second ****, ** take the following online surveys to get an idea of where you fit into the political spectrum ** . **

write in your note book the results of your findings**. 1) [] 2) [] 3) []
 * Take the following online Political Spectrum Quizzes &**