You have just joined the Senate and/or House of Representatives...

Act like you are not in Congress. And you are proposing your own Bill. If you could create your very own law, what would it be? What would it look like?

Now's your chance...

You can write a bill for the NATION or the STATE - your choice.

• RESEARCH [whether your bill proposal already exists or not - if it does, could you improve on the existing proposals or modify yours to handle a more specific issue? OR show that yours is completely unique...]
• WRITE IT [using the form provided in class, write your Bill; you must also number it to the most current (at the time) number of either Senate (S) or House of Representative (HR) Bill number]

The rubric and assignment description sheet will be passed out this week in class or you can obtain another copy here. The writing format is also located here, in case you lost yours, or wish to use a .doc file. [NOTE the number needs to be changed to the 115th Congress]

This assignment is not due until Wednesday, March 8th - so you have time to think and work on it. Be creative - and persuasive!

Civil Rights!

We are not quite finished with studying the CIVIL RIGHTS found in our Constitution.

But as we study them, we will take time to analyze the BILL OF RIGHTS and CONSTITUTIONAL CLAUSES of the Constitution along the way...

We will also explore our ELECTION processes...

And then we get to have some fun and explore how GOVERNMENT and ECONOMIC POLICIES provide us with our CAPITALISTIC way of life.

U.S. Constitution...
Remember you MUST have your own copy of the U.S. Constitution in each and every class!
I told you to COUNT ON A CONSTITUTION CHECK (10 point quiz)...are you ready?....

    

Civil Rights & Liberties!
Count on a test in the next two weeks over what we have discussed in class.

VOCAB QUIZZES
Don't forget the WEEKLY VOCAB quizzes on Wednesdays! Notecards are still allowed!

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2016 - 2017 ASSIGNMENT CALENDAR

GUEST SPEAKER ESSAYS - 50 points!

Here are the requirements, in case you need a reminder:

• An essay of explanation for the government position/job/role
  Those essays will be divided among the class. The due dates are on the THURSDAY prior to the guest speaker's arrival.
  NOTE: old handouts may have this assignment noted at 20 points. Since we divided the assignment up with the class, the points are now worth 50 points per essay!
• EVERYONE will be required to provide three questions you wish to ask each guest speaker (due on the Thursday before the guest speaker arrives - you may use the essays provided by students in the class, or your own research)
• YOU MUST HAVE YOUR SOURCES CITED!
• YOU MUST ALSO HAVE A RUBRIC ATTACHED TO YOUR ESSAY!
  
  Here's the .jpg of the rubric, in case you SHARE or EMAIL your assignment. Click here for a copy.

If you lost your Instructions and Rubric for the ESSAY for the Guest Speaker Essay, click on the link. If you wish to have JUST the Rubric, click here.

EVERYONE must provide QUESTIONS for each Guest Speaker the THURSDAY before their visit. Here's the rubric again.
(And remember, No - you do not have to have a rubric attached to your questions)

FOR THIS MONTH
(One more is coming this next month...March 2nd...)

• Secretary of State, Lawrence Denney  - Thursday, February 23

CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARIES
Here is your second Constitutional Commentary link, in case you lost the handout.

Remember, your CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY for BILL OF RIGHTS 1-3 is due Tuesday, February 28!

NOTE this one is due on the last TUESDAY!!!

• Constitutional Commentary 6 - Due Tuesday, February 28

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO ALWAYS INCLUDE A RUBRIC WITH EVERY ESSAY!
Remember to always site your sources using MLA style.

IF YOU SHARE/EMAIL YOUR ASSIGNMENT - you must attach a .jpg of the rubric.

You must also include a FEDERALIST PAPER in your research. Without it you will receive a ZERO! (You should know this requirement by now - no exceptions!)

YOU MUST HAVE A FEDERALIST PAPER IN YOUR RESEARCH! 

Did I mention....you need a FEDERALIST PAPER???



THE VOCAB REWARD!  
IT'S NOW MANDATORY without extra points, folks.
You MUST use up to FIVE TERMS, or I will delete 1 point per term to your final percentage score!

• YOU MUST UNDERLINE THE TERM
• YOU MUST WRITE OUT A DEFINITION
• YOU MUST INCLUDE IT IN YOUR ESSAY IN CONTEXT

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Your weekly reading is located at:
 John Locke's Two Treatises of Government.

FEBRUARY
6  -  Chapter 5 - Of Property
13 - Chapter 6 - Of Paternal Power
21 - Chapter 7 - Of Political/Civil Society
27 - Chapter 8 - Of the Beginning...

It's similar to what we did before

Every Monday, you will be expected to provide three paragraphs on a sheet of paper: A SYNOPSIS of the chapter An EXPLANATION of how this fits America (if it does) A paragraph explaining "So What?..." - why is this important to you?

Here is the rubric for weekly reading compositions. (it's the same rubric used last semester)
REMEMBER - your Reading will be due each Monday (except on four day weekends - then its due on Tuesday)! We will discuss in class - make sure your answers are in FULL SENTENCES!

---

Here is what is required for the month of February:

• Vocabulary #10 - February 2
• Vocabulary #11 - February 16

In case you lost your VOCABULARY LIST, you can download a new one here.

Civil Rights!

Freedom comes with responsibility.
Giving your citizens liberty can cause some people's liberty to be hindered or even denied. Our Founding Fathers realized certain safety features were needed in our republic to ensure the minority was not neglected or denied their rights.

We will analyze how civil rights are apart of our nation, just as much as freedom for all. 
Plan on becoming "lawyers" this month as we explore certain Supreme Court cases that established rights for citizens who may have been overlooked otherwise...

...or not. We'll see as we look into this.

U.S. Constitution...
Remember you MUST have your own copy of the U.S. Constitution in each and every class!
COUNT ON A CONSTITUTION CHECK (10 point quiz) ONE OF THESE DAYS SOON....and you won't know when....NO, I have not forgot...

    

MIDTERM!!!
You will be expected to know ALL information from class notes from day one.
You will also be expected to know all your vocabulary terms for Vocabulary #1 - #9.

It will be a big one - 100 POINTS!!!

If you need another copy of the STUDY GUIDE, you may get one here.

MIDTERM is scheduled for Wednesday, January 25th.

---

2016 - 2017 ASSIGNMENT CALENDAR

GUEST SPEAKER ESSAYS - 50 points!

Here are the requirements, in case you need a reminder:

• An essay of explanation for the government position/job/role
  Those essays will be divided among the class. The due dates are on the THURSDAY prior to the guest speaker's arrival.
  NOTE: old handouts may have this assignment noted at 20 points. Since we divided the assignment up with the class, the points are now worth 50 points per essay!
• EVERYONE will be required to provide three questions you wish to ask each guest speaker (due on the Thursday before the guest speaker arrives - you may use the essays provided by students in the class, or your own research)
• YOU MUST HAVE YOUR SOURCES CITED!
• YOU MUST ALSO HAVE A RUBRIC ATTACHED TO YOUR ESSAY!
  
  Here's the .jpg of the rubric, in case you SHARE or EMAIL your assignment. Click here for a copy.

If you lost your Instructions and Rubric for the ESSAY for the Guest Speaker Essay, click on the link. If you wish to have JUST the Rubric, click here.

EVERYONE must provide QUESTIONS for each Guest Speaker the THURSDAY before their visit. Here's the rubric again.
(And remember, No - you do not have to have a rubric attached to your questions)

FOR THIS MONTH
(Here are the dates the Guest Speaker will visit us)

• EPA, Ed Moreen  - January 12
• DHS, James Withrow & DEA, Jon Wiseman - January 19

CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARIES
Here is your second Constitutional Commentary link, in case you lost the handout.

Remember, your CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY for Articles 6 & 7 is due Thursday, January 26th!

• Constitutional Commentary 5 - Due January 26

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO ALWAYS INCLUDE A RUBRIC WITH EVERY ESSAY!
Remember to always site your sources using MLA style.

IF YOU SHARE/EMAIL YOUR ASSIGNMENT - you must attach a .jpg of the rubric.

You must also include a FEDERALIST PAPER in your research. Without it you will receive a ZERO! (You should know this requirement by now - no exceptions!)

YOU MUST HAVE A FEDERALIST PAPER IN YOUR RESEARCH! 



THE VOCAB REWARD!  
IT'S NOW MANDATORY without extra points, folks.
You MUST use up to FIVE TERMS, or I will delete 1 point per term to your final percentage score!

• YOU MUST UNDERLINE THE TERM
• YOU MUST WRITE OUT A DEFINITION
• YOU MUST INCLUDE IT IN YOUR ESSAY IN CONTEXT

---

Your weekly reading is located at:
 John Locke's Two Treatises of Government.

JANUARY
9 - Preface, Chapter 1 - Introduction
17 - Chapter 2 - State of Nature
23 - Chapter 3 - State of War
30 - Chapter 4 - Of Slavery

It's similar to what we did before

Every Monday, you will be expected to provide three paragraphs on a sheet of paper: A SYNOPSIS of the chapter An EXPLANATION of how this fits America (if it does) A paragraph explaining "So What?..." - why is this important to you?

Here is the rubric for weekly reading compositions. (it's the same rubric used last semester)
REMEMBER - your Reading will be due each Monday! We will discuss in class - make sure your answers are in FULL SENTENCES!

---

Here is what is required for the month of January:

• Vocabulary #8 - January 5
• Vocabulary #9 - January 19

DEMOCRATIC AMERICA!

We will continue analyzing the SIX BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY that sums up how America was formed and how it is organized/governed today (...or at least it is supposed to be...).

Following the AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR, the 13 Colonies, now individually governed States, had to develop their own system of government and unity. Those "CONSTITUTIONS" were based on the fundamentals of Democracy...which eventually will be included in the U.S. Constitution...

U.S. Constitution...
Remember you MUST have your own copy of the U.S. Constitution in each and every class!
COUNT ON A CONSTITUTION CHECK (10 point quiz) ONE OF THESE DAYS SOON....and you won't know when....

In Class Reading...

As we continue our analysis of EARLY AMERICAN government, we will be spending time reading the following early documents:

• Declaration of Independence

    

There will be a TEST over the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE the Wednesday before the Christmas Break. You will be asked to WRITE OUT the entire PREAMBLE, and offer an explanation (one paragraph) for one portion of the PREAMBLE. 
We will review this in class...but you may want to prepare early.

It will be a big one - 100 POINTS!!!

---

2016 - 2017 ASSIGNMENT CALENDAR

GUEST SPEAKER ESSAYS - 50 points!

Here are the requirements, in case you need a reminder:

• An essay of explanation for the government position/job/role
  Those essays will be divided among the class. The due dates are on the THURSDAY prior to the guest speaker's arrival.
  NOTE: old handouts may have this assignment noted at 20 points. Since we divided the assignment up with the class, the points are now worth 50 points per essay!
• EVERYONE will be required to provide three questions you wish to ask each guest speaker (due on the Thursday before the guest speaker arrives - you may use the essays provided by students in the class, or your own research)
• YOU MUST HAVE YOUR SOURCES CITED!
• YOU MUST ALSO HAVE A RUBRIC ATTACHED TO YOUR ESSAY!
  
  Here's the .jpg of the rubric, in case you SHARE or EMAIL your assignment. Click here for a copy.

If you lost your Instructions and Rubric for the ESSAY for the Guest Speaker Essay, click on the link. If you wish to have JUST the Rubric, click here.

EVERYONE must provide QUESTIONS for each Guest Speaker the THURSDAY before their visit. Here's the rubric again.
(And remember, No - you do not have to have a rubric attached to your questions)

FOR THIS MONTH
(Here are the dates the Guest Speaker will visit us)

• Department of Labor, Samuel Wolkenhauer  - December 1
• Kootenai County Judge Clark  - December 8
• Idaho Tax Commission, Lee Ely  - December 15 

CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARIES
Here is your second Constitutional Commentary link, in case you lost the handout.

Remember, your CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARY #3 for the month of NOVEMBER deadline was moved to Wednesday, November 30th!

• Constitutional Commentary 4 - Due December 15 (before the break)

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO ALWAYS INCLUDE A RUBRIC WITH EVERY ESSAY!
Remember to always site your sources using MLA style.

IF YOU SHARE/EMAIL YOUR ASSIGNMENT - you must attach a .jpg of the rubric.

You must also include a FEDERALIST PAPER in your research. Without it you will receive a ZERO! (You should know this requirement by now - no exceptions!)

YOU MUST HAVE A FEDERALIST PAPER IN YOUR RESEARCH! 



THE VOCAB REWARD!  
IT'S ABOUT TO BECOME MANDATORY without extra points, folks.
For every VOCABULARY term you use, up to FIVE TERMS, I will add 1 point to your final percentage score!

If more of you do not use this advantage for you (and tool to learn your Vocab) I will make this mandatory for the remainder of the year (with NO points)...

---

If you still need a link to the reading it is at:
 Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America.

YOU ONLY HAVE TWO MORE CHAPTERS OF THIS READING DUE
(Chapters 5a and 5b - we will pass over the other chapters)

Your analyses have been excellent so far! In case you need a reminder what is due:

Every Monday, you will be expected to provide three paragraphs on a sheet of paper: A SYNOPSIS of the chapter A COMPARISON with America of today A paragraph explaining "So What?..." - why is this important to you?

Here is the rubric for weekly reading compositions. (you do not need to attach this rubric)
REMEMBER - your Reading will be due each Monday! We will discuss in class - make sure your answers are in FULL SENTENCES!

WE WILL BEGIN JOHN LOCKE'S TWO TREATISES OF GOVERNMENT AFTER the Christmas Break - there will be NO READING due the Monday after the break (ignore the Calendar - we will move all the reading ahead on week).

---

Here is what is required for the month of December:

• Vocabulary #6 - December 1
• Vocabulary #7 - December 15

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope you guys have a great time with your family!

READING UPDATE, you do NOT have reading due the day you return. Enjoy your break - we'll start up again when you guys get back....

EARLY AMERICA!

Our English heritage was established through the Magna Carta, the Petition of Rights and the English Bill of Rights. During the colonial period when Salutary Neglect allowed us to govern ourselves, certain basic PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY were developing - long before we were a nation of our own.

Following the AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR, the 13 States (ex-Colonies) built a "firm league of friendship" in the CONFEDERATION - built on the precepts of the Articles of Confederation.

U.S. Constitution...
Remember you MUST have your own copy of the U.S. Constitution in each and every class!

In Class Reading...

As we continue our analysis of EARLY AMERICAN government, we will be spending time reading the following early documents:

• Declaration of Independence
• Articles of Confederation
• Federalist Paper 45 - James Madison's viewpoint
• Glenn Beck's Translation of Federalist Paper 45 - a commentary on the commentary!
  [FROM Beck, Glenn and Joshua Charles. The Original Argument. Threshold Editions, 2011.]

    

---

2016 - 2017 ASSIGNMENT CALENDAR

GUEST SPEAKER ESSAYS - 50 points!

Here are the requirements, in case you need a reminder:

• An essay of explanation for the government position/job/role
  Those essays will be divided among the class. Remember we moved the due date to the THURSDAY prior to the guest speaker's arrival.
  NOTE: old handouts may have this assignment noted at 20 points. Since we divided the assignment up with the class, the points are now worth 50 points per essay!
• EVERYONE will be required to provide three questions you wish to ask each guest speaker (due on the Thursday before the guest speaker arrives - you may use the essays provided by students in the class, or your own research)
• YOU MUST HAVE YOUR SOURCES CITED!
• YOU MUST ALSO HAVE A RUBRIC ATTACHED TO YOUR ESSAY!
  
  IF YOU SHARE/EMAIL YOUR ASSIGNMENT - you must attach a .jpg of the rubric. Click here for a copy.

If you lost your Instructions and Rubric for the ESSAY for the Guest Speaker Essay, click on the link. If you wish to have JUST the Rubric, click here.

EVERYONE must provide QUESTIONS for each Guest Speaker the THURSDAY before their visit. You may email them to Mr. Johnson, or just write them out.For the Guest Speaker Questions, here is the rubric.
(you do not have to have a rubric attached to your questions)

FOR THIS MONTH
(Here are the dates the Guest Speaker will visit us)

• Senator Bob Nonini - November 10
• Department of Labor, Samuel Wolkenhauer  - December 1

CONSTITUTIONAL COMMENTARIES
Here is your second Constitutional Commentary link, in case you lost the handout.

• Constitutional Commentary 3 - Due November 17 (before the break)

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO ALWAYS INCLUDE A RUBRIC WITH EVERY ESSAY!
Remember to always site your sources using MLA style.
IF YOU SHARE/EMAIL YOUR ASSIGNMENT - you must attach a .jpg of the rubric.

You must also include a FEDERALIST PAPER in your research. Without it you will receive a ZERO! (last month I was lenient....not this month...)

YOU MUST HAVE A FEDERALIST PAPER IN YOUR RESEARCH! 



THE VOCAB REWARD!  
WHY ARE YOU NOT USING THIS????
For every VOCABULARY term you use, up to FIVE TERMS, I will add 1 point to your final percentage score!
I am surprised no one is taking advantage of this.
I may have to make it mandatory (with NO points)...

---

If you still need a link to the reading it is at:
 Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America.

Your analyses have been excellent so far! In case you need a reminder what is due:

Every Monday, you will be expected to provide three paragraphs on a sheet of paper: A SYNOPSIS of the chapter A COMPARISON with America of today A paragraph explaining "So What?..." - why is this important to you?

Here is the rubric for weekly reading compositions. (you do not need to attach this rubric)
REMEMBER - your Reading will be due each Monday! We will discuss in class - make sure your answers are in FULL SENTENCES!

---

Here is what is required for the month of November:

• Vocabulary #5 - November 10
• Vocabulary #6 - December 1