Reminder: Parent Conferences are tomorrow 12:30-3:00; 4-7 pm.

AP Review Session #3 is after school in Room 49. The focus will be on elections and campaigns. Come one, come all.....

There will be no review session tomorrow due to conferences.

1. 2002 AP Released Exam - Students took the latest AP MC released exam for a test grade. As usual, grades will be adjusted AP style.

Answers for all questions were immediately reviewed and discussed in class. Students also completed a 10 Things I need to remember …” sheet.

6 more days to the AP exam....

AP Review session #2 focusing on political parties, interest groups and media after school in Room 49 until about 4:45.

Review sheets for all areas of the APGOV outline were handed out.

1. Current events - USSC ruling yesterday on voter identification laws

2. Focus: Economic Policymaking / Federal Budget

Class discussion on the budget timeline, big players in the executive & legislative branches regarding budget.

7 more days to the AP exam.....

Review Session #1 after school today in Room 49. The focus will be on the constitutional underpinnings and federalism.

1. Handed back 1994 AP exam results from Friday. Students reviewed the exam and completed a “10 Things I need to remember …” sheet to adjust their test scores upward.

2. Handed out the table of FRQ's since 1999; class predictions on this year's FRQ topics....

Be prepared to discuss economic policy making and the federal budget for tomorrow's class.

Complete the CH. 18 Study Guide handed out in class last week to prepare for class.

1. 1994 AP Practice Test - Students completed the MC portion of the exam for a grade. (Grades will be adjusted upward on Mon. after students complete their “10 Things…” sheets.)

2. National Budget Simulation - Students finished completing the National Budget Simulation activity worked on during yesterday's class in the lab.

Students turned in their completed budget printouts and the 6 reflection questions once the budget was finished.

Click here to access the online National Budget Simulation activity.

1. AP Forum Debrief Session - feedback, comments, suggestions, etc. for next year's AP Forum?

2. Lab: National Budget Simulation Activity

To kick off the chapter on Economic Policymaking and the federal budget, students participated in the National Budget Simulation activity. As the President's chief economic advisors, students were given the task to put together a federal budget given certain parameters.

In class you didn't get yesterday's dates - here they are again:
4/16- Forum preparation day (it's the only one this week - make it count!)
4/18: Test on Foreign Policy - mult. choice and essays
4/21: Class visits for courses attending the AP Forum
4/22: Dress rehearsal for the Forum/Plan on staying after school to help set up the LMC
4/23: AP Forum- all hours

Bring materials to class tomorrow to prepare for the AP Forum - all prepared responses should be completely done, timed and run through by each person in class tomorrow.

1. Handed back extra credit & handed out 3 supplemental readings for this week's Socratic seminar on foreign policy.

2. Reviewed key information regarding the formation of Foreign Policy. Click here to see a Powerpoint presentation on the foreign policy.

Welcome back from Spring Break!

There are only 3 more weeks before the AP exam...there's lots to do and so little time.

Upcoming calendar dates to mark down:
4/16- Forum preparation day (it's the only one this week - make it count!)
4/18: Test on Foreign Policy - mult. choice and essays
4/21: Class visits for courses attending the AP Forum
4/22: Dress rehearsal for the Forum/Plan on staying after school to help set up the LMC
4/23: AP Forum- all hours

Handed out the Policymaking Study Guide

1. Class visitation sign-ups for 4/21

2. Another practice AP exam - 60 multiple choice questions
Students completed a diagnostic exam as another review strategy to prepare for the AP test.

Read Chapter 20 on foreign policy in Wilson. Make sure to be completing the questions on the Policymaking Study Guide.

Reminders: Last Aquinas Lecture is tonight for extra credit. Essay test is tomorrow on Bureaucracy. Students will have 50 mins. to complete 2 AP-style questions.

1. Activity: Guest Speaker - Ms. O'Connell from the Sierra Club spoke about energy issues to help students prepare for the AP Forum on energy in April.

Review Chapter 15 in Wilson on Bureaucracy for tomorrow's essay test.

Also, the extra credit assignment for the Bureaucracy Unit is due before Spring Break as well as the project sponsored by Rep. Glenn Stiel.

Reminders: Guest speaker on Monday from the Sierra Club. Don't forget to do extra credit assignments that are due next week.

1. TEST: Bureaucracy - 50 multiple-choice questions; students were able to use their notes on the test

Reminders: ACLU presentation at Wealthy St. Theater tonight

Test tomorrow on Bureaucracy - 50 multiple choice questions

1. Bureaucracy Overview - Click here to see the powerpoint slides from today's pseudo-lecture.

Mark your planners: Test on Chapter 15 will be on Fri., 3/28: 50 multiple choice questions • Essay test on Bureaucracy on Mon., 3/31. Don't forget about the upcoming extra credit assignments as well!

1. Handed back assignments & explained the Extra Credit assignment for the Bureaucracy Unit.

2. Reviewed the essay test using the AP rubric / Review of general writing tips

3. Students completed the “10 Things…” from Monday's test; reviewed student questions

4. Video Clip: The Federal Workplace

1. Collected extra credit summaries of last night's lecture at Aquinas College

2. Library: "Carousel" Activity on Bureaucracy

To try to replicate certain characteristics of bureaucracy, the students participated in a rotation activity to learn about bureaucracy. Students were given a chance to be both bureaucrat and "customer" as they rotated through different stations learning about different aspects connected the bureaucracy.

Reminder: Extra Credit presentation at Aquinas College tonight with another speaker sponsored by the World Affairs Council.

Meet directly in the back section of the LMC tomorrow for class. You will be given limited time to set up your stations for the "Carousel" activity on Bureaucracy.

1. Practice AP Test: The College Board released a practice test of multiple choice questions last week. Students completed it for a grade. The grade will be adjusted according to AP standards after students complete the " 10 Things I learned...." sheet on Wed., 3/26.

2. Handed out the student notesheet that will be filled out during tomorrow's "Carousel" activity on Bureaucracy.

Finishing preparations for tomorrow's "Carousel" activity on Bureaucracy.

How's the reading coming on Chapter 15 in Wilson?

Reminders: Several extra credit opportunities are coming up during the next week. There will be a practice AP exam on Monday in class. It will consist only of 60 multiple-choice questions. This one will count for a grade - however, grades will be adjusted.

"Creating a Bureaucracy to Study Bureaucracy" Activity:
Students worked in library on researching the assigned task for the Bureaucracy Project.

1. AP Writing Session: Students were given the rubric from one of the essays on yesterday's test and 3 student responses from the real AP exam. As a class, students scored each of the essays applying the rubric. Debriefed lessons learned about writing AP essays.

2. Introduction to Bureaucracy:

To kickoff the unit on bureaucracy, the class is going to "Create a bureaucracy to learn about bureaucracy." Students signed up in one of 8 groups to complete this task.

Then, remaining class time was in the library to begin researching and putting this task together.

Click here to see the "Create a bureaucracy to learn about bureaucracy"assignment.

Work on researching the assigned task for the Bureaucracy Project.

Keep reading and notating Chapter 15 in Wilson. It will prove to be useful as you work on the project assigned today.

1. Handed out graded assignments turned in this week

2. Unit Test: Public Opinion & Political Participation

• Multiple Choice
• 2 FRQs (past AP questions on this unit)

3. Handed out study guide on Bureaucracy

Reminders: Test tomorrow on Public Opinion and Political Participation. Review the study guide. The test is 30 multiple choice and 2 free-response questions AP style.

1. Students who attended the World Affairs Council presentation shared comments with class / Collected Extra Credit write-ups who attended

2. Shared responses on Voter Perspectives Activity

3. Mini-Lesson: How to write the FRQs

Passed out the 2007 Free-Response items, writing guide and tips.

Reviewed how the College Board structures scoring rubrics sharing the rubrics for all of the 2007 FRQs.

STUDY! STUDY! STUDY! for the test....

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

1. Collected Persuasive Speech rewrites

2. Handed out readings by James Ceaser/Andrew Busch, "Red Over Blue" ; Frances Fox Piven/Richard Cloward, "Why Americans Still Don't Vote"

3. Mini-Lesson: Voting and Political Participation

Click here to see the Powerpoint notes.

Click here to see the US Census Bureau data on the 2004 Presidential Election.

• What does the data reveal about voting in the presidential election of 2004? How does this data compare to Wilson's assertions in Chapter 8?

1. Read the supplemental readings handed out today in class on voting in the U.S. (sorry, they can't be hyperlinked....)

2. Complete the Voter Perspectives Activity applying the information from the text in the analysis.

Reminders:
Re-writes on Persuasive Speech Assignments are due on Monday.

Test on Chapters 7 & 8 on public opinion and political participation will be on Wed., 3/19. It will be 30 multiple choice questions and 2 free- response questions.

1. Handed out Rep. Steil's legislative proposal extra credit assignment - due no later than April 3.

2. Socractic Seminar Activity:

• Ground Rules for the seminar reviewed
• 40 min. seminar
• 5-min. debrief: what went well?

1/2 Day schedule

1. Collected signed parent syllabus forms and Analyzing Poll data assignment for a homework grade

2. Returned Persuasive Speech Assignments. Students may do a re-write. Rewrites are due on Mon., 3/17 & the two grades will be averaged.

3. Presented Rep. Steil's "Make Michigan Better" legislative competition. For extra credit, students may submit a legislative proposal to Rep. Steil. Guidelines will be handed out in class tomorrow. Proposals are due to Mrs. Baker by April 4, 2008.

4. Analyzing Poll Data -Looking at yesterday's assignment…

• How did the poll data and demographic information impact the decisions that you made as campaign manager?
• Do you think that polls can limit campaigns?
• What are the moral and political effects of polling? (See gold handout) Which ones on the list do YOU consider the greatest dangers? Why?

Read all 3 articles handed out in class this week and Chapter 7 in Wilson to prepare for tomorrow's Socratic seminar. Create 3 questions for 2 of the articles following the guidelines on Socratic seminar sheet.

Review how the Socratic Seminar will be graded.

1/2 Day schedule

1. Handed out the following materials:
APGOV syllabus

Parent Letter

Study guide for public opinion and political participation unit, & readings on public opinion (sorry, can't be linked here)

2. Handed back "10 things..." sheets

3. Collected Extra Credit write-ups from Monday's lecture at AQ

4. Introduction to Public Opinion Unit

• 5-min. mystery
• What is public opinion? Formation? How does polling work? Problems with measuring public opinion?
• Click here to see the Powerpoint slides on polling.
  
• Activity: Analyzing Polling Data

Complete the Analyzing Polling Data activity for tomorrow's class.

Read the green handouts of the articles given out in class for Friday's socratic seminar.

No Class - ACT/MME testing

Extra Credit Lecture tonight at Aquinas at 6:00.

1. Current Events - MI primary re-do: vote by mail option

Click here to read the latest on the Michigan & Florida fix.

2. Collected late Persuasive Speech Assignments for a late penalty

3. Handed back 1999 Practice AP test given in class last week. Scoring ranges were reviewed.

Students completed the "10 List" from the 1999 test. Click here to see the "10 Things I should know..." List.

Begin reading and notating Chapters 7 & 8 in the Wilson textbook.

Bring in a public opinion poll from a news source, magazine, etc. to analyze on Wed., 3/12.

Activity: AP Forum Presentation Assignment

Last day to work on persuasive speeches outlining their assigned approach on the Energy problem outlined in the National Issues Forum.

Click here to see a copy of the persuasive speech assignment.

Speeches and bibliographies were handed in at the end of class.

Activity: AP Forum Presentation Assignment

Back in the Library today, students continued preparing their 3-4 minute persuasive speeches outlining their assigned approach on the Energy problem outlined in the National Issues Forum.

Click here to see a copy of the persuasive speech assignment.

Work on your persuasive speech assignment.

Speeches will be collected at the end of class tomorrow.

Mrs. Baker will be on a Model UN field trip for the rest of the week.

Activity: AP Forum Presentation Assignment

To prepare for the AP Forum, students were assigned to compose a 3-4 minute persuasive speech outlining their assigned approach on the Energy problem outlined in the National Issues Forum.

Click here to see a copy of the persuasive speech assignment.

Students will be given class time for the rest of the week to complete this assignment.

1. Practice AP Exam: Students completed the 1999 AP Government multiple-choice exam for an activity grade. Test was taken in 45 minutes.

Debrief: What did you notice about the exam? Types of questions? Etc.

None

Welcome to 3rd trimester!

Click here to see today's Classroom Expectations Powerpoint Slides.

1.Class roster & name placards
2. Student Information Sheets completed
3. Overview of APGOV course outline

1. Get a 3-ring binder for law class.