December 8, 2015

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 – *Take home tests should be turned in today to Mr. Krause! *Have definitions for Chapter 12 done by tomorrow. *Matching and Multiple Choice Quiz on Friday! Here are the objectives for today: I can define selective attention and personal knowledge. I can explain how the media often shows bias in favor of or against a candidate. Tasks:

1.      Use your textbook, or notes, or a google search to define the terms “selective attention” and “personal knowledge”. Type your definitions in the comments box of the class blog.

2.      Then, explain why and how news media show favor towards a candidate or bias against a candidate in the press.

3.      Is this fair? Explain the value of opinion in the press and the value of objectivity.

When you are done, find a recent poll showing the current standings for the Republican and Democratic candidates for president for the 2016 election. List who is in the top two and share their percentage of how many Americans would vote for them if the election were today. Type your answers in the comments section of the class blog.