Ms. Pius’ Government Class

I have been getting a lot of questions about how to figure out your grade. I purposefully hid your letter grade on Student Connect because it is still calculating grades as A-E, even though you can only receive an A, a G, or an N. I didn’t want to cause even more confusion.

For the individual assignments:

• 2 means that the assignment was completed and of passing quality
• 1 means that the assignment was attempted, but needs revision to be of passing quality
• 0 means that the assignment was not attempted

These grades are simply to communicate to you and your families how you are progressing. Remember that grades will be different this semester. You will only receive an A, G, or an N.

If you look at Student Connect…

• and you received 2s on at least 75% of the assignments, you are on track to get an A in the course.
• and you received mostly 1s and 2s on 60-74% of the assignments, you are on track to get a G in the course. You will receive credit for the course, but it will not count towards your GPA.
• and if you receive mostly 0s and 1s on your assignments, you are on track to get a N in the course. You will have to retake the course during the summer or in night school.

Guiding Questions for Chapter 9

Note: You do not have to answer these questions. They are just questions we will be exploring this week.

• Do interest groups help or harm democracy?
• Which interest groups do you believe have the most impact on our society?
• Which of the direct and indirect approaches that interest groups use are most effective?

Monday: Chapter 9 Vocabulary

Define the following vocabulary terms:

1. Interest group
2. Public policy
3. Public affairs
4. Trade association
5. Labor union
6. Public-interest group
7. Lobbying
8. Lobbyist
9. Amicus cruaie brief
10. Grass-roots pressures

Tuesday: Introduction to Interest Groups

1. Watch a short video by Ms. Memminger.
2. Read through the short PowerPoint.
3. Select an interest group that appeals to you and do some research.
4. Write a short argumentative paragraph about how the interest group has helped or harmed American society.

Wednesday/Thursday: Interest Groups and Lobbying

1. Watch two YouTube videos. You can access them by clicking where it says “Interest Groups and Lobbying” from above.
2. Write a three paragraph response answering the following questions:

• What is the relationship between interest groups and lobbying?
• How does lobbying work, and how effective is it?
• IN YOUR OPINION, is lobbying a fair practice? Explain your position

Friday: Coronavirus pandemic breeds Washington lobbying boom

• Click on the link above.
• When you get to the iLearn page. Scroll to the very bottom. You are looking for the last assignment in the Chapter 9 box. See the image below if you are confused.
• Read and annotate the current event article.

Today’s Schedule

As a reminder, 1st and 2nd Hour have their required Google Hangouts today. We are required to take attendance.

• 1st Hour: 1:00 PM- 1:40 PM
• 2nd Hour: 2:00 PM- 2:40 PM

Accessing the Google Hangout

To get into the Google Hangout, please follow these instructions:

• Go to meet.google.com.
• Click “Join or Start Meeting”.
• A box will appear asking for a meeting nickname. You need to type: PiusGovernment

Google Hangout Norms

1. Sign on to the Google Hangout on time.
2. Try to find a quiet place to participate so that you can concentrate.
3. Keep your microphone on mute, unless invited to speak.
4. If you have a question or a comment to add, write your comment/question in the chat area.
5. Use the chat area only for questions/comments that apply to the the Google Hangout.
6. You are NOT required to turn on your camera, but it is encouraged.
7. Be respectful in your clothing choices.
8. Promptly exit the meeting when the meeting time is over. Your instructor will be the first one on and the last one out of the meeting.

Make sure you are enrolled in our Government class on iLearn!

To double check if you are signed up:

1. Go to the class page: https://moodle.dearbornschools.org/course/view.php?id=3431
2. If you can see assignments, you are enrolled!
3. If you cannot see assignments, you need to enter the enrollment code. For first hour, the enrollment code is 8dzakw. For second hour, the enrollment code is 4yuvn7.

Assignments for the Week

Click on the underlined links in each heading to see the assignment on iLearn.

Monday: Unit 7 Vocabulary

• Absentee Voting
• Ballot
• Caucus
• Closed Primary
• General Election
• Hard Money
• Open Primary
• Polling Place
• Political Action Committee (PAC)
• Soft Money

Tuesday: The Electoral Process

Open the pdf on Electoral Process, read the first 2 pages and then on a separate doc answer parts A-F.

Wednesday: Dollars and Votes: The 2012 Election

Watch the video called Dollars to Votes: 2012 Election
Answer the questions in the Google Doc.

Thursday/Friday: Crash Course- Election Process

Watch the Crash Course video. In 2 paragraphs, answer the following questions:

• What do you find most interesting about the election process?
• What do you find most confusing about the election process?

Hello!

Dearborn Public Schools has officially adopted a learning plan that will continue through the end of the year.

What will students be expected to do each day (and week)?

• I will post the week’s assignments to the blog at 11am on Monday morning.
• You will be completing daily assignments. All assignments for my class will be due at 11:59PM on Sunday night.
• You will be expected to attend one Google Hangout per week. The Hangout session will be no longer than 40 minutes.

When will the Google Hangouts be?

Hangouts will be arranged according to class period. If you are in a 3rd hour class, you are expected to attend the Hangout for 3rd hour.

Monday and Fridays are reserved for office hours. During these times, you can arrange to get one-on-one help through Google Hangouts. I will also be available to answer any email questions during these times.

How will you get into the Google Hangout?

The morning of your class’s Google Hangout, I will send out an email (to your @dearbornschools.org email) with the link. You can video in on your phone or computer.

Does the work “count” for a grade?

YES! For second semester, you will receive an A, G, or a N.

• To earn an A, you must engage in at least 75% of the remote lessons and hangouts, and submit and earn a passing grade on at least 75% of the assignments.
• To earn a G, you must engage in 60-74% of the remote lessons and hangouts, and submit and earn a passing grade on at least 60-74% of the assignments. A “G” means that you will get credit for the class, but it will have no impact on your GPA.
• To earn a N, you must engage in less than 60%  of the remote lessons and hangouts, and submit and earn a passing grade on less than 60% of the assignments. An “N” means that you do NOT receive credit. You will have to take retake the class.

Hello! I hope everyone had a good week. We are going to be moving on Chapter 6. This week’s assignments will be due at 8pm on Sunday, April 5–you have 1 week to complete the assignments. Spring break is April 6-11, and you will have no work assigned during this time.

Chapter 6 Guiding Questions

• How have the voting rights changed over the course of American history?
• What are the qualifications for voting, and how have they changed over time? 
• How did the U.S. fulfill the promise of the 15th amendment?
• What factors influence voter behavior?
• 
  

Monday:

• iLearn assignment link: https://moodle.dearbornschools.org/course/view.php?id=3431#section-3
• You will watch a short video clip from the movie, Selma (1 minute!).
• You will examine three different literacy tests that Blacks and poor people in the South were required to take before given the write to vote.
• You will write a reflection (1-2 paragraphs) answering the prompt: In 1-2 paragraphs, do you think that people should still be given literacy tests in order to register to vote today? Be sure to explain your position. 

Tuesday:

• Review the PowerPoint (Link)
• On a sheet of paper, draw a timeline with a starting date of 1789 and ending at 2020.
• As you go through the PowerPoint, add the dates that each of these groups won the right to vote: a) non-property owning white men, b) black men, c) women, d) Native Americans.
• Along with each date, write the name of the group and how they won the right to vote (a law, a Constitutional amendment, etc.)
• When you are done, take a picture of your timeline and post it here on iLearn.

Wednesday/Thursday:

1. Create a copy of the webquest for yourself by clicking here.
2. There are three websites that you will examine.
3. Click on the URL for the website and answer the questions beneath the appropriate URL.
4. When you are done, submit your completed assignment here on iLearn.

Friday:

1. Read the following article (link).

2. Write a two paragraph response to the article answering these two questions (1 paragraph per question):

-According to the article, why/how could the coronovirus impact who someone would vote for? Provide an example from the text to support your answer.

-In the article, it means that Bernie Sanders (and many Democratic candidates) support “Medicare for All” which is type of universal healthcare that covers the costs of essential healthcare for all residents, with costs covered by a single public system. Basically, through our  (increased) taxes, the government would provide healthcare to all citizens (regardless of their income or age).

Before this health crisis, would you have supported such an idea? Now that we are in the midst of this crisis, would you be more or less interested in voting for someone who supports “Medicare for all”? Be sure to explain your answer.

Hi, everyone! I am going to keep the class going. We all need to continue on. If you cannot complete any of these assignments, or do not have access, that is okay. Right now our mental and physical health of both ourselves and our loved ones is most important. I will not overload you, and the class will be practically the same, except we won’t do quizzes.

Chapter 5

Guiding Questions:

1. Which ideology is better, Liberal or Conservative? (Evaluation)
2. Why do American citizens tend to not vote for third parties? (Analysis)
3. What party do you believe has impacted America the most throughout history? (Evaluation)
4. Which of the positions within a political party do you think have the most effect on winning a campaign? (Evaluation)

If you are not already enrolled in the US Government iLearn course, please use these codes:

• 1st Hour: 8dzakw
• 2nd Hour: 4yuvn7

• Monday/Tuesday: Chapter 5 Vocabulary – The vocabulary can be typed and submitted on iLearn or you may handwrite it, take a picture, and upload it to iLearn.
• Wednesday: One Big Party? (see reading AND fillable PDF on iLearn) – First, complete the reading. Then, download the fillable PDF and complete the worksheet. Save your changes to the worksheets, and then submit in on iLearn. If you have trouble, let me know.
• Thursday, Pt. 1: Copy down this image of the political spectrum on a piece of paper. Watch this video. As you watch the video, add the following political parties where you think they would belong on the political spectrum: Democrats, Republicans, Green Party, and Libertarians. In class, we have talked about how liberal Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden are compared to each other, as well as Trump. On your political spectrum, write the following names where you think they would belong: Sanders, Biden, and Trump. After you have watched the video, draw a stick figure where you think you would belong on the political spectrum. Take a picture of your completed political spectrum and upload it here.
• Thursday, Pt. 2: Complete the Political Typology quiz. In one paragraph, answer the following questions on iLearn: Where do you fall on the political spectrum? Are you surprised by your results? Why or why not? Please type your responses and submit them on iLearn (they can be typed right on iLearn or you can upload a document.)
• Friday: Use the article to fill out these questions. When you are done with the questions, download the file and upload it to on iLearn.

During our time away from school, you will be preparing for the Social Studies M-STEP exam by working on the High School Social Studies M-Step Review on iLearn. The course covers every standard from World History, US History, Government, and Economics. Each day, I will tell you which standards you are going to be working on. For each standard, there is a short reading, a link to a YouTube video, a Quizlet deck, and a 5 questions quiz. You must get 4/5 questions correct on the quiz to get credit for the standard. You can retake the quiz as many times as needed. I will be checking the week’s modules for completion at 8pm on March 22.

To enroll in the course, please follow these steps:

1. Go to moodle.dearbornschools.org.
2. Enter this enrollment code: 4pxswb

The assignments for this week are as follows:

• Monday: Government, Conceptual Foundation: 1.1 Nature of Civic Life, Politics, and Government
• Tuesday: Conceptual Foundation: 1.2 Alternative Forms of Government
• Wednesday: Government, C2 Origins and Foundations-2.1 Origins and 2.2 Foundations (This is a longer section, so you will have 2 days to complete it.)
• Thursday: Government, C2 Origins and Foundations-2.1 Origins and 2.2 Foundations
• Friday: C3 Structure and Function of Government 3.1 to 3.4

Over the course of the next 3 weeks, we will be expected to stay in contact with students and families. I have created a Remind for our Government class. Please see the directions below to enroll in the Remind.

Given Gov. Whitmer’s announcement yesterday, we will not be having classes until April 13. During the time off, we encourage you to study for your upcoming SAT and M-STEP tests. You can use Khan Academy to study for ELA and Math.

To study for the Social Studies M-STEP, we encourage you to work on the High School Social Studies M-Step Review . To enroll in the course, please follow these steps:

1. Go to moodle.dearbornschools.org.
2. Enter this enrollment code: tjw35f
3. There are questions for each standard for World History, U.S. History, Economics, and Government, along with a reading, YouTube video, and a Quizlet Deck to review vocabulary.
4. If you do not want to work on all of it, I recommend focusing on Government or Econ (whichever class you are currently taking).