Government / Honors Government Mr. Lehr Room

Why are you in school? Jobs? Work? Social order? Control? Indoctrination? Society cares about its kids? Or…

Why are you in school? “ …(E)xperience hath shewn, that even under the best forms, those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny; and it is believed that the most effectual means of preventing this would be, to illuminate, as far as practicable, the minds of the people at large,...” -Extract from Thomas Jefferson's “Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge,” Dec. 1778

Why are you in school? “ I think by far the most important bill in our whole code is that for the diffusion of knowlege among the people. no other sure foundation can be devised for the preservation of freedom, and happiness.” - Extract from Thomas Jefferson to George Wythe, 13 Aug. 1786

Why are you in school? “A constitutional democracy is in serious trouble if its citizenry does not have a certain degree of education and civic virtue.” -Phillip E. Johnson

Preview of Course What kind of government does America have? What were the circumstances that created American Democracy? What is the United States Constitution, and why is it important? What is the Bill of Rights, and why is it important? How does American Democracy work to control government power?

Preview of Course What are the differences and similarities between federal, state, and local government? What factors shape public policy? How can an average person affect public policy? Why do political parties exist? How do you know which political party is right for you?

Keep it R.E.A.L. NO FOOD IN CLASS. Help keep the room rodent and cockroach free! NO GUM IN CLASS. Irresponsible students have made it necessary to have a “no gum” policy. NO CELL PHONES DURING THE CLASS PERIOD. at ALL TIMES your phone should be OFF and AWAY. Phones taken are NOT RETURNED during class. TARDY AND ATTENDANCE POLICIES ARE STRICTLY ENFORCED. FOUR (4) Hall Passes Per Semester unused passes are Extra Credit Participation Points.

Yes, Notebook Required! How to have Notebook Success in this class: Three-ring binder (single or multi topic) Complete, organized, always in your possession in class Cornell Notes used.

Grading Policy Projects/Tests (40%) Quizzes, tests, extended assignments, work samples. Semester Final (10%): Assignments (20%): Practice and processing assignments that usually have an on-time due date within a day or two of being assigned. These can be in-class or homework assignments. Current Events (15%): Usually assigned as homework, but may include work done in class, video notes, etc. Current Events are on-time assignments, and cannot be accepted after the due date. Participation/Punctuality (15%): Based on attendance, punctuality, and notebook checks; also, part of every classroom interactive activity will get a score which goes in this category. This credit can’t be made up.

Quality of Work Work will not be graded if: illegible (see exemplar writing style on the class wall), missing your FULL name/Period #/Date, assignment torn or messy, if required to be typed or in some other specified format, but isn’t, random doodling or drawing on the paper (assignments are not scratch paper). Any of the above will go into a “No Name” folder which will be kept secured with Mr. Lehr.

Late Work Late work is a BIG DEAL and a big problem, especially missed tests/quizzes. This year I’m tightening my Late Work policies to make it harder or impossible to turn in late work or makeup late tests.

DAY 2 Objectives Review / Update Syllabus Review Reminder of CE Due 9/11 Intro Activity Chip Game?

Opening Activity Can the group Alpha itself? Arrange yourselves alphabetically by last name: A Z

Essential Question “Why should you care about power, politics and government ”

The Chip Game You will be playing a game in which you trade colored “chips” (cards). The rules are: 1.For each round of the game, you will have 2 minutes to trade your chips. All trades including those in progress must stop when the time is up. 2.After trading, the student with the most points will be asked to make a rule for the next round of trading. That rule will apply only to the next round.

The Chip Game Point Values for the chips: Red = 100 points Yellow = 50 points Blue = 25 points Green = 10 points Total your points!

The Chip Game - Debrief What happened to you during the game? What happened in the class during thegame? What do you think the game was about? Based on your experience, how would you define power? How is power related to this class?

Preview Activity To evaluate power in your own life, complete a personal power assessment. Use Cornell Notes format 1. On a clean piece of paper, make a list of all the individuals, institutions, and circumstances that have power over you. For each item, write a brief description of how it has power over you.

Preview Activity, cont. 2. Now make a list of all of the individuals, institutions, and circumstances in which you have power. For each one, briefly describe how you have power. 3. Create a simple illustration that represents you and how you feel about power in your life. 4. Below your illustration, summarize in two or three sentences how you feel about power in your life.