Day 25 - Getting Ready for a busy day at the White House

 

Learning Targets:

• Explain how presidents have interpreted and justified their use of formal and informal powers.
• Explain how the president can implement a policy agenda. 
• Explain how communication technology has changed the president’s relationship with the national constituency and the other branches.

Opener:  

• How has the President's ability to communicate directly to the American electorate changed in the past 20 years?  What impacts do you think this has during times of crisis and emergencies?

Activity #1 - Presidential Simulation Prep

We will first elect a president to serve in the simulation.  Those wishing to run for president during the simulation MUST acknowledge and accept the grading criteria below:

1.  The President will assign each student a cabinet or advisor position.  These will be projected on the screen.  You have 10 minutes to assign your staff!

• Each cabinet member (excluding those listed below) will be assessed based on the written proposal (how their department will aid in solving the crisis at hand) submitted to their President.
• 10 Points – based on thoroughness, detail, realism, and sound judgment 
• 5 Points – based on participation and effort

• Presidents and Chief of Staff will receive an average of their cabinets' scores as their score.

• Press Secretaries will submit a copy of the public address/statement given to the US populace explaining what the government is doing during this crisis.

2. Cabinet members and advisors will then complete the following tasks prior to the simulation:

1. Provide a 1 paragraph summary of their department’s duties, mission, and history.  This can usually be found on the department's website.
2. List the agencies that they manage under their department.
3. Describe at least 2 past operations (1 success and 1 failure) that your department led.

Activity #2 - Simulation Tips

Critical Thinking Questions to consider

• What does the situation look like?
• Visualization helps you “see” and anticipate the problem. 

• How does my department fit into this scenario?
• What agencies do I control? What can they do? 
• What responsibilities does my department have? 

• What will happen next?

Writing Recommendations

• Remember, it’s a proposal or plan of action.  This is the Executive branch!  
• Be specific!!! The greater the detail, the clearer the proposal to your president.
• Who? 
• What – How many? 
• When – How long? 
• Where?
• How? 
• Be prepared to revise it as new information becomes available

Close:  BE READY TO GO AS SOON AS YOU ARRIVE NEXT CLASS!!!!  This was one thing that we said that we need to improve on in our class simulations.

Day 23...HAIL TO THE Commander in CHIEF!!!

Learning Targets:

• Explain how presidents have interpreted and justified their use of formal and informal powers.
• Explain how the president can implement a policy agenda. 

Opener:  

• What character traits do you believe an ideal president should have?  What additional requirements should there be for a president, beyond those listed in Article II of the Constitution?

Activity #1 - Roles of the President Mini-Lecture

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Rjl15SItEXXNkKQggX2VvOn9u6gQhQb2V5cJEN0wulQ/edit?usp=sharing

Activity #2 - Grading Presidents:

In your group...

1. Quickly share what you already may know about the president that you have chosen with your partner/group.
2. Identify the two events that they are most famous for having been involved in and how they responded
3. Determine which roles or powers that your president exercised while involved in these events.
4. Grade their performance during these events (A,B,C,D,F) and explain why you gave them that grade.

Presidents for consideration:
Richard Nixon
Andrew Jackson
Woodrow Wilson
James Madison
Herbert Hoover
Jimmy Carter
Ulysses Grant

Activity #3:  Roles of the President Scenarios - Handout

Close:  Homework Turn-in

Day 22...HAIL TO THE CHIEF!!!

Learning Targets:

• Explain how presidents have interpreted and justified their use of formal and informal powers.
• Explain how the president can implement a policy agenda. 

Opener:  

• IF the writers of the Constitution intended for the Legislative Branch (Congress) to be the most powerful, why do we spend so much of our time and attention on the Executive Branch (President)?  
• What words come to mind when you think of the office of President?  List 3.

Activity #1 - Legislative E.C. Topic Quiz on AP Classroom website:

myap.collegeboard.org

Activity #2 - "1 Pagers"

Today's focus is to introduce the Executive/Presidency

In order to create something useful for both review and introduction for each of the three branches, you should turn to the three pages BEFORE your N-50 and create a one page graphic for each of the branches in your notebooks. Here is what your one pager should include...

• A title and subtitle across the middle
• A border that includes the powers granted to that branch in the US Constitution
• A Picture in one quadrant
• Relevant checks in another quadrant
• The structure of that branch in another
• A quadrant that has three questions you have about that branch

Activity #3 - Source analysis: ASAP, TIP-C, OSAM

Federalist Papers: No. 70, 1788, by Alexander Hamilton

The Executive Department Further Considered

To the People of the State of New York:

THERE is an idea, which is not without its advocates, that a vigorous Executive is inconsistent with the genius of republican government. The enlightened well-wishers to this species of government must at least hope that the supposition is destitute of foundation; since they can never admit its truth, without at the same time admitting the condemnation of their own principles. Energy in the Executive is a leading character in the definition of good government. It is essential to the protection of the community against foreign attacks; it is not less essential to the steady administration of the laws; to the protection of property against those irregular and high-handed combinations which sometimes interrupt the ordinary course of justice; to the security of liberty against the enterprises and assaults of ambition, of faction, and of anarchy. Every man the least conversant in Roman story, knows how often that republic was obliged to take refuge in the absolute power of a single man, under the formidable title of Dictator, as well against the intrigues of ambitious individuals who aspired to the tyranny, and the seditions of whole classes of the community whose conduct threatened the existence of all government, as against the invasions of external enemies who menaced the conquest and destruction of Rome.

Activity #4:  From your collective analysis above, how would you describe the executive branch, or specifically the presidency, in 2-3 sentences that anyone could easily understand.

Homework:  Answer all 4 part of the question below.

Day 21 - Legislative Review

Learning Targets:

• Describe the different structures, powers, and functions of each house of Congress.
• Explain how the structure, powers, and functions of both houses of Congress affect the policy- making process.

Opener:  

• Should your representatives in congress check with citizens before voting on legislation, or vote according to their own conscience?

• Trustee
• Delegate
• Politico

Activity #1 - "1 Pagers"

Today's focus is to review Legislative/Congress

In order to create something useful for both review and introduction for each of the three branches, you should turn to the three pages BEFORE your N-50 and create a one page graphic for each of the branches in your notebooks. Here is what your one pager should include...

• A title and subtitle across the middle
• A border that includes the powers granted to that branch in the US Constitution
• A Picture in one quadrant
• Relevant checks in another quadrant
• The structure of that branch in another
• A quadrant that has three questions you have about that branch

This will be graded on completeness, NOT neatness or artistic ability!!!

Activity #2 - Unit 2 - Part I Review - Legislative Branch

Complete the review sheet provided prior to the quiz next block.

Close:  From your collective analysis above, how would you describe the legislative branch, or specifically Congress, in 2-3 sentences that anyone could easily understand.

Day 19

Learning Targets:

• Describe the different structures, powers, and functions of each house of Congress.
• Explain how the structure, powers, and functions of both houses of Congress affect the policy- making process.

Opener: First, conduct a hasty TIP-C analysis of the graphic below:

Data provided by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Budget_Office

Activity #1 - After you have analyzed the above graphic, use the article found here 

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2018/12/13/the-hutchins-center-explains-federal-budget-basics/to answer the following questions 

1.  How do the choices Congress makes about the budget reflect our values as Americans?

2.  How might the manner in which Congress "appropriates" money reflect their approval ratings and likelihood of reelection?   

3.  What is the President's role in the budget process?

Activity #2 - TIP-C...but with a bit of explanation below.   FOCUS ON THE "C" in TIP-C!!!

Mandatory Spending = "Automatic" spending funds programs required by law (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security)

Interest = Just the amount of Interest accrued on the national debt that year...yep, just the interest.

Discretionary Spending = Congress can actually determine which programs get how much (military, education, roads, etc.)

Close - N-50 - Budget Process

LD: 

SD:

Examples:

Non-Examples:

Related Terms:

*LEGISLATIVE BRANCH QUIZ THURSDAY.  BE READY!!!

Day 20

Learning Targets:

• Describe the different structures, powers, and functions of each house of Congress.
• Explain how the structure, powers, and functions of both houses of Congress affect the policy- making process.

Opener: First, conduct a hasty TIP-C analysis of the graphic below:

Data provided by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Budget_Office

Activity #1 - After you have analyzed the above graphic, use the article found here https://www.nationalpriorities.org/budget-basics/federal-budget-101/federal-budget-process/ and https://www.nationalpriorities.org/budget-basics/federal-budget-101/federal-budget-process/ to answer the following questions 

1.  How do the choices Congress makes about the budget reflect our values as Americans?

2.  How does the manner in which Congress "appropriates" money reflect their approval ratings and likelihood of reelection?   

3.  What is the President's role in the budget process?

Activity #2 - TIP-C...but with a bit of explanation below.   FOCUS ON THE "C" in TIP-C!!!

Mandatory Spending = "Automatic" spending funds programs required by law (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security)

Interest = Just the amount of Interest accrued on the national debt that year...yep, just the interest.

Discretionary Spending = Congress can actually determine which programs get how much (military, education, roads, etc.)

Close:  N-50 - Budget Process

LD:

SD:

Examples:

Non-Examples:

Related Terms:

Day 18

Day 18

Learning Targets: Students will be able to...

• Describe the different structures, powers, and functions of each house of Congress.
• Explain how congressional behavior is influenced by election processes, partisanship, and divided government.

Opener: In which of the following scenarios do you think might be "necessary and proper" for Congress to intervene by creating new laws or regulations?

1. Cryptocurrency begins to replace the US Dollar as the preferred currency by both retailers and consumers.
2. Increasing acts of violent crime in city streets reaches and all time high and people are asking for a national curfew.
3. Concerns over cyberbullying inspire parents to lobby for age restrictions on social media usage.
4. A requirement for companies to pay employees based on a percentage of company profits rather than minimum wage.
5. Withholding federal grants for healthcare and education to any state that does not enforce federal drug laws.

Activity #1:  Us TIP-C to analyze the two charts below and then answer the questions that follow.

1.  What is the relationship between the information in the two charts?  How can you explain this relationship?

2.  Why don't we hold Congress more accountable?

3.  Do you think the midterms will be different?  Explain.

Activity #2:  Priorities of Congress

As the legislative body of the United States, Congress is forced to examine many different and challenging issues in society. Unfortunately, however, both time and money are limited so Congress must create priorities.

Below is a list of issues and topics being discussed among members of Congress. What topics should they devote their attention to? Where should they spend our money? 

Task:  Identify which TWO issues you believe are most critical, and which TWO issues are least critical.  Then provide a 1-2 sentence justification for your top two choices and your last two choices.

1. Providing affordable healthcare to U.S. citizens
2. Increasing border security
3. Stabilizing oil prices
4. Improving public education
5. Reducing the national debt
6. Monitoring/checking the other branches
7. Saving/changing social security
8. Reducing violent crime
9. Create laws to support business/trade
10. Reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil
11. Passing laws to encourage research on alternative energy sources
12. Keeping the environment free of pollution
13. Raising the minimum wage

Close:  Drop off your notebooks!

Day 17

Day 17

Learning Targets: Students will be able to...

• Describe the different structures, powers, and functions of each house of Congress.
• Explain how congressional behavior is influenced by election processes, partisanship, and divided government.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Opener (extended): Simulation Reflection

After having completed the legislative branch simulation, take time to reflect on the following questions:

1. What were the greatest challenges to success?  Identify at least 2.
2. What were the keys to success?  
3. What would you have done differently?

Activity #1: Legislative Process and Reality

Now that we are more familiar with the formal legislative process, we now have to consider the reality of how Congress really works.  Below are a list of questions to answer, as well as several resources you can look at to support your answer.

Since only 3-5% of bills are enacted as laws, consider the following:

1. Where do most bills "die"?  Why do you think that happens?
2. What factor(s) do you think increase or decrease the likelihood of a bill surviving the law-making process?  Explain at least 3.
3. Should the process be made easier to pass more legislation?  Why or why not?

• https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/statistics
• https://www.mytutor.co.uk/answers/9668/A-Level/Politics/Why-do-only-a-small-percentage-of-bills-introduced-into-Congress-become-laws-15/
• https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/25/a-productivity-scorecard-for-115th-congress/

Activity #2 - Legislative Process - Mini-lecture 2 (slides 9-12)

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ho43wp-kh7S9ibTf3-uNuD9tOO0hCN7EsSb7voF5mHU/edit?usp=sharing

Close - Homework - Statistical Analysis:  TIP-C

Use the TIP-C method of analysis to break down the two graphics below.  Remember that at least 1/2 of your effort should be in the "C" part of the analysis.

1. 

2.