The Week of August 24, 2020: Students will engage in a relationship building exercise on Monday, August 24. On Thursday, August 27, students will review the course website and the class procedures. Students will then be assigned to read text pages 6 - 10 covering the basic definitions government, characteristics of states, and the general functions of governments. A worksheet from that reading will also be assigned.
The Week of August 31, 2020: Classes this week will cover information from Unit 1 power point slides 1 - 15 and text pages 6 - 12. Various theories of how governments rule will be the focus this week. The Unit 1 / Section 1 worksheet needs to be submitted on Thursday, September 3.
The Week of September 8, 2020: This week the class will continue with power point slides 8 - 15 on Wednesday, and on Thursday of this week, we will begin coverage of power point slides 16 - 23 and text pages 14 - 19. Details of the reading and worksheet assignments can be found under the "Assignments / Due Dates" pull-down tab on this web page.
The Week of September 14, 2020: The government class will complete our coverage of Unit 1 by looking at Unit 1 Power point slides 26 - 33. These power point slides correspond with text pages 14 - 19. The Unit 1 / Section 2 worksheet must be submitted on Monday, September 14. The Unit 1 test will be administered during class on Thursday, September 17.
The Week of September 21, 2020: The class will embark on our Unit 2 journey, which is historical perspective of the formation of the American governmental system. The background to the War for Independence, the first government under the Articles of Confederation, and the formation of the Constitution will be emphasized. To begin, the class will look at the types of colonies established by England.
The Week of September 29, 2020: This week the government class will investigate the grievances the colonies had against the King of England and the motivations for declaring independence. There will be an assignment associated with this, which is listed and explained under the "Assignments / Due Dates" pull down tab.
The Week October 5, 2020: This week, the class will look at an analyze the Articles of Confederation and the American Constitution. It is important that students understand the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles and how the Constitution was able to remedy those weaknesses.
The Week of October 12 AND the Week of October 19, 2020: The work analyzing the Constitution will continue during these weeks. The Unit 2 test is scheduled for Monday, October 26.
The Week of October 26, 2020: The Unit 2 test will be Monday of this week. On Thursday, the class will begin Unit 3, which is an in-depth look at Constitutional principles and amendments.
The Week of November 2, 2020: Constitutional principles will be the focus this week. These principles include popular sovereignty, federalism, checks and balances, separation of powers, limited government, the rule of law, and judicial review.
The Weeks of November 9, November 16, and November 23, 2020: During these weeks, students will be learning the 27 amendments to the constitution. This work builds upon the summer assignment.
The Weeks of November 30, December 7, and December 14, 2020: Students will take the Unit 3 test on Monday, November 30. The test was originally scheduled for November 23, but had to be postponed as a result of the change in schedule due to the county "Stay at Home" order. In any event, students will be learning about the Ohio Constitution during these last few class periods of the year. Comparisons will be made between the Ohio and American constitutions as stipulated by the official Ohio learning standards.
The Weeks of January 4 to February 1, 2021: Government students will be engaged in studying about the American judicial branch of government (Unit 4). The functions of the court system, along with its operation procedures will be identified. Significant Supreme Court cases, involving individual rights, freedom of speech, press, and religion, and other historically significant cases will be analyzed.
The Weeks of February 1 to March 1, 2021: The focus during these weeks will be on the legislative branch of the federal government; namely, the House of Representatives and the Senate. Government students will learn about the procedures, processes, and powers of the legislative branch. Specific details will include coverage of the various roles and operations of members of each house and the details of the legislative process.
The Weeks of March 1to March 19, 2021: Unit 6, the Executive Branch, will be covered during this time period. Students will learn the organizational structure of the executive branch as well as the basic functions and roles of those involved in the executive branch. Students will also learn about the electoral process and the distinction between the popular vote and the votes in the Electoral College.
The Week of March 22 to March 26: Students will use this week to review old material as we begin our final preparations for the state-mandated AIR test at the end of the year. There still is not a designated date for the government test, but you will know as soon as I can. Thanks for your understanding.
The Weeks of April 5 to April 16: Students will be engaged in learning about how the Executive Branch functions (Unit 7) with specific focus on the role of the government bureaucracy and government funding.
The Week of April 19 to April 23: Fiscal and Monetary policies will be discussed this week. Students will learn about inflationary and recessionary periods in the American economy and the steps that congress and the Federal Reserve Board would take to remedy such periods.
