AP Government and Politics Assignments
- Instructor
- Danielle Aucoin
- Term
- Fall 2019
- Department
- Social Studies Department
- Description
-
AP US Government and Politics is taught as a year-long course for seniors who wish to examine the history, institutions, and processes and behaviors of American government. Students will use current events to analyze the concepts taught in this course. Students will study U.S. foundational documents, Supreme Court decisions, and other texts and visuals to gain an understanding of the relationships and interactions among political institutions, processes, and behaviors. Upon completion, students will be able to explain and describe basic facts, concepts, theories, data, and patterns in the American political system. The focus is on analysis and application of knowledge, which is assessed in a variety of ways. Throughout this course, students will further examine economic policy at both the macro and micro-economic level. In addition, they will complete a political science research or applied civics project.
Upcoming Assignments
No upcoming assignments.
Past Assignments
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Assignment
RQ - Ch. 12
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Presidency Vocab DUE
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Presidential Paper Dolls DUE
Paradoxes of the Presidency
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Period 3: Tinker v Des Moines
Period 4: Roles of the Presidency
Media Due
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Per. 3 Roles of the Presidency
Per. 4 Tinker v Des Moines
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P. 3 Senate Floor
P. 4 Senate Floor (?); Roles of the Presidency assignment
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Final MC Exam Comprehensive
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QA + CA FRQ + Comprehensive Vocab QUIZ
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Per. 3: The Stackhouse Filibuster
Per. 4 Senate Floor
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Senate Floor
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Senate Floor
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Senate Floor
HW: Current Events uploaded (last of 2019)
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Senate Committees
Video: The Senate Floor, Resolving Differences, Presidential Action
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Assignment
last 20-week RESOURCES DUE
House vs Senate
Senate Committees
"Stalemate" + "60 Vote Senate"
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Assignment
Senate Leadership & Committees
Intro to the WW
The Stackhouse Filibuster
Senate Committee Assignments
last 20-week RESOURCES (due 12/2):
Midterm Edition - House vs Senate 26 min.
How a Bill (Really) Becomes a Law 26 min.
Episode 22 - Congressional Investigations 16 min.
Episode 21 - The Congressional Budget Office 12 min.
Episode 19 - Senate Rules 15 min,
Episode 13 - the Filibuster 15 min.
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Assignment
turn in CE#8
Safe seats in the HOR - Gerrymandering
New party alliances? - The Senate
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House Floor
HW: CE #8 upload tonight
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PDD
Congressional Staff
House Floor - rules of decorum and debate
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Congress Vocab DUE
Last Day for House committees
Party Unity and congressional caucuses
Influences on Congress
House Floor video (4 min.)
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Assignment
How a Bill Becomes a Law
Conference and Select Committees
Committee Chairs
Holiday sign-ups due
Committee debate
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Resources DUE
Committee Assignments - Bill consideration
House Leadership
Committees in Congress: The House
Congress.gov - Overview of the Legislative Process (5 min.)
Introduction and Referral of Bills (3 min)
Committee Consideration (3 min.)
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Assignment
Incumbency Advantages
Reapportionment/reallocation of congressional seats
HW: Current Events
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Institutions UNIT - CONGRESS!
DUE: Redistricting Game - Missions 1, 2, and 4 badges & Congressional Bills
Evolution and Overview of Congress
Representation in Congress
RESOURCES due Thursday 11/14:
Civics 101 -
Starter Kit: How a Bill (really) Becomes a Law (26 min.)
Starter Kit: Legislative Branch (23 min.)
Episode 45: Speaker of the House (16 min.)
Episode 35: Party Whips (14 min.)
Episode 28: Congressional Caucuses (13 min.)
Episode 16: Gerrymandering (14 min.)
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Assignment
Intro to Congress - Institutions Unit
Mock Congress - draw for House Party Caucuses, elect Congressional Leadership
HW: Start Institutions Unit - Congress, Ch. 11
Holiday Videos sign ups
Redistricting Game - Missions 1, 2, and 4 (due Tuesday 11/12)
Bills due Tuesday 11/12
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Assignment
Unit EXAM (MC + FRQ): Linkage Institutions (Parties, IG, Media, Campaigns & Elections)
HW: Start Institutions Unit - Congress, Ch. 11
Redistricting Game - Missions 1, 2, and 4 (due Tuesday 11/12)
Bills due Tuesday 11/12
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Assignment
Media in campaigns: Journeys with George
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Vocab and RQ (all chapters)
Concept Application (how to)
Special Election Day!
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15-week Resources DUE
Ch. 7: The Media
Role of Media
Media and Public Opinion
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Start Ch. 7 - The Media
Old vs New Media
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Hard copies of CE Due
Funding of IG, Cases for/Against IG
HW: Happy Halloween!
Start Ch. 7 - The Media
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Ch. 10: Interest Groups
Tactics of IG
Federalist 10 Reading Guide - DUE
HW: Current Events!
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Unit Vocabulary DUE
PDD
Impact of Parties on Government
Ch. 10 - Interest Groups
Types of IG
Fed 10 (Khan Academy - 15 min. both parts)
HW: Read Ch. 10 - Interest Groups
Federalist 10 Reading Guide
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Assignment
Party Organizations
The National Conventions (slides 26-36)
Minor Parties (slides 37-40)
RESOURCES (Due Mon. 11/4)
Civics 101 Episodes:
1. Conventions (35 min.)
2. FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) 17 min.
3. The White House Press Secretary 17 min.
4. The Hatch Act 16 min.
5. The Two-Party System 22 min.
6. Lobbying 16 min.
7. U.S. Voting Systems 11 min.
8. White House Press Corps 15 min.
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By the People - Presidential Campaign, Primaries & Caucuses
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Political Parties - Meaning and Functions (Slides 5-7)
Party Strengths and Weaknesses (Slides 12-19)
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Unit Exam (MC) + FRQ - will include some Unit I questions
No CE tonight
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Per. 3: The Concept Application FRQ
Per. 4: Great Shakeout
HW: Reminder - Unit Exam Wednesday (MC + FRQ)
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Unit III - Parties, IG, and Media (Ch. 8)
(Humanities Magnet Field Trip)
Finish Campaign Finance
Notes: Unit at-a-Glance (Slides 1-4) and Political Parties - the 4 Major Eras (Slides 8-11)
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Follow the Money - Campaign Finance
HW: Start Unit III - Parties, IG, and Media (Ch. 8)
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Campaign Finance!
CE hard copies due
EC DUE
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PSAT Reverse Minimum Day
Campaign Finance DUE
Unit Vocabulary QUIZ
HW:
Current Events tonight!
EC Due Thurs
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Assignment
PDD
Path to the Presidency: Primaries; The Electoral College
Next Dem Presidential Debate tonight (optional)
HW: Vocab QUIZ tomorrow and Campaign Finance due
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Assignment
Knock Down the House viewing guide DUE
Campaigns and Elections
Congressional AND Presidential Elections
HW:
Watch: Khan - Open, Closed, and Blanket Primaries
Campaign Finance HW (due Wed)
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Assignment
Knock Down the House (HW - Viewing Guide posted on Schoology)
HW: Khan Academy Primaries and Caucuses AND Electoral College
15-week EC (due Thursday)
Civics 101: The Federal Election Commission (17 min.)
Civics 101: SuperPACs (20 min.)
Civics 101: Primaries and Caucuses (24 min.)
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Voter Participation
Vocab DUE
Knock Down the House
HW: Read Ch. 9
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PDD
10-week EC DUE
Finish socialization-ideology
Voter Turnout
HW: Unit vocab due Thursday
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Opinion Makers HW due
First Monday in October!
(Citizenship Canada case)
Notes: Political Ideology
HW: READ attached article on Voter Turnout from the NY Times (excellent piece): http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/09/13/us/politics/what-separates-voters-and-nonvoters.html?_r=0
EC (due Tuesday - last 10-week EC):
Civics 101: Midterm Edition-Why Vote? (28 min.)
Civics 101: Midterm Edition-Campaigns (30 min.)
Civics 101: Democratic Norms (19 min.)
Civics 101: Inspectors General (17 min.)
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Political Socialization
HW: The Opinion Makers
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Current Event hard copies
Measuring Public Opinion
Polling Project - Pony Races!
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Characteristics of Political Culture
Trust in Government
HW: Bowling Alone - questions on Schoology
Current Events
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Assignment
UNIT II: POLITICAL BEHAVIORS & BELIEFS
Notes - Immigration Policy
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Assignment
Unit I: FRQ - Quantitative Analysis
Exam Debrief
Unit II: Political Ideologies and Beliefs
HW: READ Edwards, Ch. 6
Complete political ideology quizzes (there are two) online and BRING THE RESULTS on Tuesday, 10/1
https://www.people-press.org/quiz/political-typology/?groupID=saJDg (THIS IS AN ONLINE QUIZ - NO NEED TO PRINT THESE RESULTS)
Choose 1:
1. write a reflection on your results (200-300 words) OR
2. have a parent/guardian take the same quiz and determine if family is your primary socialization agent (if so, how) or, in the case of a deviation, account for the cause (200-300 words)
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Unit I EXAM: MC
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Unit I Vocabulary QUIZ
Review for Exam
Skills: Quantitative Analysis
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PDD
Devolution Revolution?
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Federalism SuperHeroes and Photo Contest DUE
Fiscal Federalism - the politics of grants
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Federalism Photo Contest - Fiscal Federalism - Grants and Mandates
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Lanahan: Laboratories of Democracy (Andrew Karch)
Federalism SuperHeroes!
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Cake Federalism! Let there be cake!
Fiscal Federalism
HW: Current Events!
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PDD - CONSTITUTION DAY! WEAR PATRIOTIC COLORS!
Meaning of Federalism
McCulloch v MD
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RQ?
Ch. 3: Federalism
Definition
Models of governing
Structure
Resources due Tuesday - Civics 101: Federalism (July 20 - 24 min.)
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Assignment
Amending the Constitution
HW: Read Ch. 3 - Federalism
Resources due Tuesday - Civics 101: Federalism (July 20 - 24 min.)
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Socratic Seminar: Federalist 51 and Brutus I
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Ratification Politics
Foundational Document: Federalist 51
Videos: Fed 51 - The Federalist Society
Khan Academy - Brutus I
HW: Work on Socratic Seminar Handout (Fed 51 and Brutus I)
Foundational Document: Brutus I - the AntiFederalist Papers
Prep for Socratic Seminar
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Assignment
DUE: Handout 2: The Constitution
Principles and Big Ideas of the Constitution (CW)
Key Case: Marbury v Madison, 1803
HW: Foundational Docs: Federalist 51 and Brutus I (Anti-Federalist Papers) Prep for Socratic Seminar
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Assignment
5 week EC DUE
Foundations Handout 1 DUE
Foundational Document: The Constitution - Articles I-VII, Key Powers of Each Branch
Complete: Handout 2 - The Constitution
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Foundational Document: The Constitution
Constitution Scavenger Hunt
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Constitutional Convention
Khan: Dem Ideals in the Preamble (3 min.); The Constitutional Convention (10 min.)
Compromises
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Senior Assembly
HW: CE upload tonight
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Const. Day Proposals DUE
Ch. 2: The Constitution
Foundational Documents: The Declaration of Independence + Articles of Confederation
Khan: Democratic Ideals in the DOI (8 min.); the Articles of Confederation and Shay's Rebellion (9 min.)
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Assignment
Min Day
Unit I Vocab cards DUE
CE hard copy due
Constitution Day Proposals (due Tues. 9/3)
HW: Read Ch. 2 (all)
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Assignment
Democracy: Values, Processes, and Structures
Video: Khan Academy - Foundations: Democratic Ideals of US Government (9 min)
HW:
Constitution Day Proposals (due 9/3)
Back to School Night (8/28)
Finish Current Event - upload to turnitin and bring hard copy Thursday (8/29)
Unit I Vocab Due (8/29)
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Assignment
PDD
Constitution Day Groups
Types of Democracy - Ideals
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ID Pictures - Meet in the Library
Current Event topic approval (title, source, and date)
Intro - Ch. 1: Introducing Government in America
Government vs Politics
Democracy in America - Who makes the decisions?
The Policy Making Process - legitimacy and scope
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Assignment
The Policymaking Process
HW: Read Ch. 1 (all)
Work on Vocabulary (posted on Schoology)
Choose current event article (for approval - title, source, and date due Monday)
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Textbooks
Constitution Day
Contemporary Issues
Lanahan - Dinner with Democracy
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QUIZ: Amendments + Cases
Textbook schedule
Lanahan - Dinner with Democracy
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Summer cards DUE (Cases, Amendments, Clauses, and Legislation): NOTECARDS MUST BE NUMBERED IN THE ORDER AS GIVEN ON THE SUMMER ASSIGNMENT.
Syllabus - expectations, resources (websites, apps)
AP GOPO Intro
The Social Contract
HW: Download syllabus (on Schoology) and return signature portion