February 1, 2017

Welcome to our AP Government class blog! Our activities on the blog will be in the green box located below. Read the activity and follow its instructions. When you are ready to answer the questions required, scroll down to the bottom of the blog page and click on add comment. Type your answers in the box that pops up and at the end of your answers, include your name. You MUST have your name in the comments box or you will NOT receive credit for your work. This is just like putting your name on your paper! ALSO, you must click anonymous from the drop down boxes listed below the comments box, since the comments are submitted to me for review and not published. If you leave the box for Google ID checked, your answers will be lost in space for all eternity (until you redo it!). If you have ANY questions, please let me know! Tip: If you have any doubts or fears about losing your work, do as I do, and copy and paste your answers into a Word document, Notepad, e-mail to yourself, etc., so you have an electronic copy as backup. I will be posting to the class blog on a weekly basis from now on, so stay tuned and check back frequently!

Be reminded that you lose participation points when you are caught on YouTube, Facebook, and similar sites. You may listen to music on a site like www.grooveshark.com that does NOT have videos. If music starts to interfere with your ability to complete your work or stay on task, you will lose that privilege.

Activity:

AP Government –Here are the objectives for today: I can read two articles about the recent Supreme Court nominee. I can identify possible media biases by comparing articles about a topic from different news sites. I can summarize my findings in a one paragraph summary on the class blog. Tasks: RIGHT CLICK on the following link to go to CNN and find an article about the Supreme Court nominee. Read the article, then, RIGHT CLICK on the following link to go to Fox News and find an article about the Supreme Court nominee. Then, in the comments section of the class blog, write a 1 paragraph summary of your findings. Do the journalists seem biased in favor or against the nominee and the administration? Does each news site provide fair and balanced coverage of the topic? Submit your paragraph in the comments section of the class blog. 

December 12, 2016

Welcome to our AP Government class blog! Our activities on the blog will be in the green box located below. Read the activity and follow its instructions. When you are ready to answer the questions required, scroll down to the bottom of the blog page and click on add comment. Type your answers in the box that pops up and at the end of your answers, include your name. You MUST have your name in the comments box or you will NOT receive credit for your work. This is just like putting your name on your paper! ALSO, you must click anonymous from the drop down boxes listed below the comments box, since the comments are submitted to me for review and not published. If you leave the box for Google ID checked, your answers will be lost in space for all eternity (until you redo it!). If you have ANY questions, please let me know! Tip: If you have any doubts or fears about losing your work, do as I do, and copy and paste your answers into a Word document, Notepad, e-mail to yourself, etc., so you have an electronic copy as backup. I will be posting to the class blog on a weekly basis from now on, so stay tuned and check back frequently!

Be reminded that you lose participation points when you are caught on YouTube, Facebook, and similar sites. You may listen to music on a site like www.grooveshark.com that does NOT have videos. If music starts to interfere with your ability to complete your work or stay on task, you will lose that privilege.

Activity:

AP Government –Here are the objectives for today: I can identify key elements of the Magna Carta. I can discuss key aspects of the English Bill of Rights. I can write a reaction that compares and contrasts the English governing documents with the governing documents of the United States. Tasks: RIGHT CLICK on the following link to go to a copy of the Magna Carta translated from Latin into English. After you have skimmed the document, write a 1 paragraph reaction in MS Word or Google Docs of what you learned from the translation and from the Lesson 5 packet comparing what you have learned about the Magna Carta and the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. If you need to review the Constitution and Bill of Rights, right click here on them. Provide an explanation in the comments section on the class blog. Then, RIGHT CLICK on the following link to look at the English Bill of Rights. Review the document and write a 1 paragraph reaction to what you think of that document, compared to the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights. When you are done, copy your reactions and paste them in the comments section of the class blog. 

November 14, 2016

Welcome to our AP Government class blog! Our activities on the blog will be in the green box located below. Read the activity and follow its instructions. When you are ready to answer the questions required, scroll down to the bottom of the blog page and click on add comment. Type your answers in the box that pops up and at the end of your answers, include your name. You MUST have your name in the comments box or you will NOT receive credit for your work. This is just like putting your name on your paper! ALSO, you must click anonymous from the drop down boxes listed below the comments box, since the comments are submitted to me for review and not published. If you leave the box for Google ID checked, your answers will be lost in space for all eternity (until you redo it!). If you have ANY questions, please let me know! Tip: If you have any doubts or fears about losing your work, do as I do, and copy and paste your answers into a Word document, Notepad, e-mail to yourself, etc., so you have an electronic copy as backup. I will be posting to the class blog on a weekly basis from now on, so stay tuned and check back frequently!

Be reminded that you lose participation points when you are caught on YouTube, Facebook, and similar sites. You may listen to music on a site like www.grooveshark.com that does NOT have videos. If music starts to interfere with your ability to complete your work or stay on task, you will lose that privilege.

Activity:

AP Government –Here are the objectives for today: I can explain the difference between a primary election and a general election relating to elections and campaigns. I can explain why incumbents have an advantage when they are running for re-election. I can identify one news story about the recent elections and summarize it. Tasks: do a google search for Wilson Chapter 10 Elections and Campaigns to find the definitions for primary election and general election and write the definition of each in the comments box on the class blog. Then, google incumbency effect and read about WHY incumbents seem to be very successful when running for re-election. Provide an explanation in the comments section on the class blog. Then, RIGHT CLICK on the following link to find a news story about the recent elections. Read ONE article and write a summary of it in the comments section of the class blog. 

May 19, 2016

Welcome to our AP Government class blog! Our activities on the blog will be in the green box located below. Read the activity and follow its instructions. When you are ready to answer the questions required, scroll down to the bottom of the blog page and click on add comment. Type your answers in the box that pops up and at the end of your answers, include your name. You MUST have your name in the comments box or you will NOT receive credit for your work. This is just like putting your name on your paper! ALSO, you must click anonymous from the drop down boxes listed below the comments box, since the comments are submitted to me for review and not published. If you leave the box for Google ID checked, your answers will be lost in space for all eternity (until you redo it!). If you have ANY questions, please let me know! Tip: If you have any doubts or fears about losing your work, do as I do, and copy and paste your answers into a Word document, Notepad, e-mail to yourself, etc., so you have an electronic copy as backup. I will be posting to the class blog on a weekly basis from now on, so stay tuned and check back frequently.

We got married on May 18, 2016!

Activity:

Be reminded that you lose participation points when you are caught on YouTube, Facebook, and similar sites. You may listen to music on a site like www.grooveshark.com that does NOT have videos. If music starts to interfere with your ability to complete your work or stay on task, you will lose that privilege.AP Government –Here are the objectives for today: I can read articles about racial integration in Lansing and identify trends and make comparisons with other Michigan communities. I can make predictions about the future of racial integration in Michigan in the future. Tasks: Click on the following link to read an article from the Lansing State Journal about racial integration in Lansing. When you are done reading the article, write a one paragraph response as to whether or not you agree with the findings and statements from the article. Do you accept and believe everything you read? Why or why not? Do you think the future of Lansing will be more integrated or less integrated? What do you feel will be the future of our country regarding civil rights? Are people being treated more equally over time? Are things getting better? When you are done, click on the following link to read another article, this one from theGrio.com about interracial relationships in Lansing. After reading the article, write a 1 paragraph response in the comments section of the blog. How does this information compare with that of the previous article? Is it reliable? What do you think this article says about Lansing or the future of race relations in America? Are things getting better everywhere?

March 23, 2016

Welcome to our AP Government class blog! Our activities on the blog will be in the green box located below. Read the activity and follow its instructions. When you are ready to answer the questions required, scroll down to the bottom of the blog page and click on add comment. Type your answers in the box that pops up and at the end of your answers, include your name. You MUST have your name in the comments box or you will NOT receive credit for your work. This is just like putting your name on your paper! ALSO, you must click anonymous from the drop down boxes listed below the comments box, since the comments are submitted to me for review and not published. If you leave the box for Google ID checked, your answers will be lost in space for all eternity (until you redo it!). If you have ANY questions, please let me know! Tip: If you have any doubts or fears about losing your work, do as I do, and copy and paste your answers into a Word document, Notepad, e-mail to yourself, etc., so you have an electronic copy as backup. I will be posting to the class blog on a weekly basis from now on, so stay tuned and check back frequently!

Be reminded that you lose participation points when you are caught on YouTube, Facebook, and similar sites. You may listen to music on a site like www.grooveshark.com that does NOT have videos. If music starts to interfere with your ability to complete your work or stay on task, you will lose that privilege.

Wednesday Schedule:

1^st hour:           9:35-10:22 am                         C lunch:           1:15-1:40 pm

2^nd hour:          10:27-11:04 am                       6^th hour:           1:45-2:22 pm

3^rd hour:           11:09-11:46 am                       7^th hour:           2:27-3:05 pm

4^th hour:           11:51-12:28 pm                                              

5^th hour:           12:33-1:10 pm

Activity:

AP Government –Here are the objectives for today: I can research a Landmark Supreme Court Case and identify the key information from it. I can identify the name of the court case, the year it was decided, the Court’s decision (vote), the key facts of the case, the issues of the case (what law and/or part of the Constitution in question), and the holding (Court’s explanation and any precedent that is established). Tasks: Do a google search for the court case Bush v. Gore (2000). Sites such as oyez, lexisnexis, GavinPSmith.com, and Wikipedia usually give good overviews of court cases. Use the information from one or more of the sites you find to complete the Case Brief you received in class yesterday. If you don’t have one, you may type one or write it on a blank sheet of paper. When you are done, look through some of the search results to find the majority opinion and any concurring or dissenting opinions. What is the purpose of these written opinions? Will there always be a written opinion? Be prepared to explain!  

March 15, 2016

Welcome to our AP Government class blog! Our activities on the blog will be in the green box located below. Read the activity and follow its instructions. When you are ready to answer the questions required, scroll down to the bottom of the blog page and click on add comment. Type your answers in the box that pops up and at the end of your answers, include your name. You MUST have your name in the comments box or you will NOT receive credit for your work. This is just like putting your name on your paper! ALSO, you must click anonymous from the drop down boxes listed below the comments box, since the comments are submitted to me for review and not published. If you leave the box for Google ID checked, your answers will be lost in space for all eternity (until you redo it!). If you have ANY questions, please let me know! Tip: If you have any doubts or fears about losing your work, do as I do, and copy and paste your answers into a Word document, Notepad, e-mail to yourself, etc., so you have an electronic copy as backup. I will be posting to the class blog on a weekly basis from now on, so stay tuned and check back frequently!

Be reminded that you lose participation points when you are caught on YouTube, Facebook, and similar sites. You may listen to music on a site like www.grooveshark.com that does NOT have videos. If music starts to interfere with your ability to complete your work or stay on task, you will lose that privilege.

Activity:

AP Government –Here are the objectives for today: I can identify and explain the vocabulary terms relating to the Judiciary. I can identify the key elements of the case Marbury v. Madison and explain Judicial Review.  Tasks: click on the following link to finish your definitions in your notebook for Chapter 16 -  The Judiciary. Then, click on the following link to see last week’s Saturday Night Live skit about the Presidential Elections. Then, choose one news story about the Primaries taking place today. Summarize it in one paragraph in the comments tab on the class blog. When you are done, finish reading and annotating the Marbury v. Madison handout. The annotations are due by Thursday and we will be discussing it in class at that time and be having an assignment related to Judicial Review, so know that concept, which was established by this case. 

March 4, 2016

Welcome to our AP Government class blog! Our activities on the blog will be in the green box located below. Read the activity and follow its instructions. When you are ready to answer the questions required, scroll down to the bottom of the blog page and click on add comment. Type your answers in the box that pops up and at the end of your answers, include your name. You MUST have your name in the comments box or you will NOT receive credit for your work. This is just like putting your name on your paper! ALSO, you must click anonymous from the drop down boxes listed below the comments box, since the comments are submitted to me for review and not published. If you leave the box for Google ID checked, your answers will be lost in space for all eternity (until you redo it!). If you have ANY questions, please let me know! Tip: If you have any doubts or fears about losing your work, do as I do, and copy and paste your answers into a Word document, Notepad, e-mail to yourself, etc., so you have an electronic copy as backup. I will be posting to the class blog on a weekly basis from now on, so stay tuned and check back frequently!

Be reminded that you lose participation points when you are caught on YouTube, Facebook, and similar sites. You may listen to music on a site like www.grooveshark.com that does NOT have videos. If music starts to interfere with your ability to complete your work or stay on task, you will lose that privilege.

Activity:

AP Government –Here are the objectives for today: I can review my understanding of the US Presidency. I know the qualifications for President. I can explain the president’s role in how a bill becomes a law. Tasks: click on the following link to click on the tabs at the top to review vocab and items related to Chapter 14 – Presidency. Take the test and report your results in the comments section of the class blog. Then, list the requirements for being President of the United States in the comments section of the class blog. Finally, Explain what happens if a president doesn’t sign a bill, vetoes a bill, etc. Explain the president’s role in making bills into laws. I will give students credit for their Ch. 14 definitions if they have them today. If not, I need them by Monday, and expect the Ch. 14 quiz on Wednesday of next week.