Friday, January 27, 2012

WORLD HISTORY TEST POSTPONED!

The unit 6 honors world history test has been postponed until Thursday, February 2nd. Unit study guides are due Wednesday, February 1st!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

AP Macro Unit 5 test

Your unit test is scheduled for Tuesday, January 31st! Test questions will come from chapters 19 and 21 in your textbook, as well as the handouts you have received.

Honors Government Unit 1 Test

Your first unit test is scheduled for Tuesday, January 31st! Your unit study guide will be due on Monday, the 30th.

Honors World History Unit Test

Unit 6 test is scheduled for Tuesday, January 31st! Make sure you are reviewing your notes and handouts.

Honors World History power point presentations

A reminder that your power point presentations are due this Thursday and Friday--no exceptions! Power points should be 5-8 slides, and your presentation should take approximately 3-5 minutes.

Monday, January 9, 2012

Honors Government Remediation and Retesting

U.S. Government Remediation/Reassessment Plan:


• Every student will be allowed the opportunity to show proficiency for each standards-based, summative, assessment.

• If a student scores less than a 70% on the unit test, they have the option of retaking that test after completing the following remediation plan.

o Step one – the student must complete the chapter assessment for each chapter in the unit (or an applicable assignment as designated by the teacher).

o Step two – the student must bring the completed chapter assessments with them to one of the two reassessment tutoring/review sessions, 7:30-8:10am or 3:35-4:15pm, offered for that particular unit by a United States Government Teacher.

 If ALL Unit assessments are not completed (or attempted to be completed) at the time of the review session, the reassessment will NOT be allowed.

 These dates can be found on the teacher’s blog and course syllabus.

 Student must stay and participate for entire review session.

o Step three – the student will be reassessed the day following the review session, again either in the morning or afternoon.

• The higher of the two scores will be counted, and the maximum grade that can be earned is a 70%.

• **Remediation Assignment is subject to change depending on student needs. **

Honors Government Syllabus

Honors American Government






Course Syllabus

Text: United States Government,Democracy in Action by Richard C. Remy, You will need to bring it to class each day unless told otherwise.



YOU MUST PASS THIS CLASS TO GRADUATE!!!!!!

Content of the Course: This is a survey course in United States government. Our study will include the origin of governments, comparative systems, and American history. There will be extensive examination of the U.S. Constitution. The three branches of the U.S. government (executive, legislative, and judicial) will be studied from their establishment to how they function today.



Unit 1-Foundations of American Government

Chapter 1-People and Government

Chapter 2-Origins of American Government



Unit 2-The Constitution and Federalism

Chapter 3-The Constitution

Chapter 4-The Federal System



Unit 3-Participating in Government

Chapter 16-Political Parties

Chapter 17-Elections and Voting

Chapter 18-Interest Groups and Public Opinion

Chapter 19-The Mass Media



Unit 4-The Legislative Branch

Chapter 5-The Organization of Congress

Chapter 6-Development of Congressional Powers

Chapter 7-Congress at Work



Unit 5-The Executive Branch

Chapter 8-The Presidency

Chapter 9-Presidential Leadership

Chapter 10-The Federal Bureaucracy



Unit 6-The Judicial Branch

Chapter 11-The Federal Court System

Chapter 12-Supreme Court Decision Making



The important concepts concerning Citizenship and Equal Justice and Public Policy will be incorporated in our study for all units.



Methods of Instruction: Critical thinking exercises, problem-solving activities, and cooperative learning techniques help develop intellectual and participatory skills while increasing students understanding of the institutions of American constitutional democracy. Daily lessons will consist of lecture, class discussions and analysis, audio-visuals with specific focus and insight into topics and governmental and legal procedures, research and debate. Students will be assigned chapter readings at the beginning of each unit. There will be some questions on each test that are covered in the book but not in class lecture, so please read! Throughout the semester additional readings will be handed out by Mrs. Newton. Information from these handouts will also be covered in tests and quizzes. Reading and understanding current affairs is essential in the study of U.S. Government. Students must be aware of all important events in domestic and foreign policy. READ, READ, READ, AND LISTEN TO NEWS BROADCASTS ON A DAILY BASIS! There may be pop quizzes to check up on your knowledge of current events.



Grading: Your grades will be based on a categorized system. It is your responsibility to keep up with your own grades and your current average. You will be graded on grammar and spelling.



Formative Assessments-------------25%



Summative Assessments:



Projects/Tests---------------50%



Quizzes----------------------15%



Final Exam------------------------10%



Final Exam: 100 Points



Projects: 100-200 Points



Tentative Testing Dates for the Semester—these dates are approximate and may change, subject to notice



Unit I

Test January 31

Remediation February 1

Retest February 2



Unit II

Test February 21

Remediation February 22

Retest February 23



Unit III

Test March 13

Remediation March 14

Retest March 15



Unit IV

Test March 29

Remediation April 9

April April 10



Unit V

Test April 19

Remediation April 20

Retest April 23



Unit VI

Test May 10

Remediation May 11

Retest May 14



Daily assignments: Formative assessments and quizzes will be graded on a regular basis. All work should be turned in on time for full credit. On time means at the beginning of the class period on or before the due date. Half credit will be given if the work is turned in one day late.

Tests: Each unit test will count 100 points. A unit test may cover anywhere from one to four chapters.

Project: This semester each student will be required to do one or more projects. These projects will have as many or more points than a major test. These projects may include a written report, an oral report, illustrations, pictures and maps. An audio-visual presentation may also be required. (Examples: debates, current

events, essays, and biographies) These projects could involve group work.



For every Unit, each student will be required to bring in an article from a newspaper or from a news sources on the internet. This may also be a transcript from a news program (for example: NPR or Meet the Press). Students will also fill out a form for critical analysis of the information in these articles. These articles must concern the unit of study that we are discussing in class. Students will receive a handout with more information.



With our study of the election process, voting behavior and the executive branch all students will work on specific group activities.

Students will be responsible for creating Public Opinion Questions and conducting a Mock Election. You will receive handouts with more specific information.



Notebook: Students are required to keep a notebook in this class. Notebooks must include all notes, vocabulary lists, film questions, and any other formative assessments. The notebook is to be a three ring loose leaf binder. Notebooks may be checked in the form of a quiz using only your notebook.



Make-up work: School policy will be followed according to the student handbook.





PLEASE READ AND RETURN THIS PORTION OF SYLLABUS



Course Outline:

Types of Governments and Comparative Governments

Foreign Policy (History and development)

Historical Development of the U.S. Government

The Constitution

U.S. Congress

The Political Process: public opinion, media, elections, political parties, voting and special interest groups.

Presidency

Supreme Court and the Federal Courts

Civil Rights

State and Local Government



AT THE TEACHER’S DISCRETION, THE PACING, MATERIALS PRESENTED, AND PRODUCTS MAY CHANGE BASED ON THE NEEDS OF INDIVIDUAL STUDENTS AND /OR CLASSES.







American Government

Mr. Steven Robinson

Room 2312





Spring 2012

Dear Parents,



I want to welcome you back to Kell High School for the spring semester! I am looking forward to working with your child to insure that his/her academic growth reaches its full potential. I consider my classroom a team effort incorporating teacher, student and parent. Communication is the key to success.



If you are new to the area, you will find that an on-line program called Pinnacle allows you to monitor your child’s progress in all of his/her classes. I use a point grading system. Your student should be able to tell you from their own records in their notebook what grade they have in this class at any time during the semester.



My e-mail address is STEVEN.ROBINSON@cobbk12.org Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. I will reply as quickly as possible. Thank you for your support as we look forward to this semester.



Sincerely,



Steven Robinson

Social Studies



As a way of supplementing material in the classroom, there may be some historical movies, documentaries, and political commentaries that are shown in class. It is possible that these movies may have a PG-13 rating. These movies or clips may contain some violence and adult language. The movies will be accompanied by a writing assignment for the students to complete. Should you wish for your student NOT to watch the movie, an alternative assignment will be provided for him/her in the media center. By signing below, you are granting permission for your student to view a supplemental movie, documentary, or political commentary for this course of study that is rated PG-13.





I have received and read the course syllabus and classroom procedures. All of the material was fully explained and I understand what is expected in this class.

I know that I must PASS THIS CLASS IN ORDER TO GRADUATE!!!!





Student’s Name____________________ Parent/Guardian Names___________________



___________________



Home Phone Number__________________ Work Number(s)_______________________



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Email address__________________________,__________________________________







STUDENT’S SIGNATURE________________________________Date_________________





PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGNATURE_______________________DATE_________________