Branches of US Government Games

Hard

• All three branches: Branches of Power
• Executive Branch: Win the White House (we've played this one in class)

Medium

• Judicial Branch: Court Quest
• Executive Branch: Executive Command
• Legislative Branch: LawCraft (we've played this one as a class)
• Judicial Branch: Supreme Decision

Easy

• Legislative Branch: Represent Me

Win the White House Game

Win the White House!

https://www.icivics.org/games/win-white-house

Know Your Rights Review Games

If you finish 6.1 and 6.2, giving you an overview of the Legislative Branch, play the the following game to review the Bill of Rights. Then, you may play the Do I Have a Right? to expand your knowledge of rights beyond the first 10 amendments of the Constitution.

Immigration

• Refugees in Maine --> Governor Paul LePage
• Immigration Reform (President's plan & what you think Congress should do)-->
• Senator Susan Collins
• Senator Angus King
• Congresswoman Chellie Pingree
• Immigration Reform: your thoughts
• President Barack Obama
• Any of these issues
• Portland Press Herald

Refugees in and from Somalia

Watch these three videos and take notes to give you an idea of what the situation in Somalia is:

• “Somalia: Fleeing Famine” (http://unhcr.org/v-4e284c1e6)
• “Somalia: In Harm’s Way” (http://unhcr.org/v-4d89b7026 )
• “Somaliland: The Pain of Rape” (http://unhcr.org/v-4f8c2da56).  

Then, after reading the UNHCR's objectives & targets for internally displaced persons, watch THREE of these videos and take notes about what is currently happening to help people in Somalia:

• “High Commissioner’s Appeal” (http://unhcr.org/v-4d00e08d6)
• “Somalia: First Airlift” (http://unhcr.org/v-4e4237f86)
• “A Boat Out…For Some” (http://unhcr.org/v-4d77437d2)
• “Somaliland: Making a Living” (http://unhcr.org/v-4f844a216)
•  “Puntland: One Step Ahead” (http://unhcr.org/v-4faa6d9f6)

Immigration Nation

Play the game Immigration Nation on iCivics (you do not have to login or register to play) to review information about citizenship. Show your teacher your score before logging off.

After, see if you can answer a selection of questions from the INS exam that candidates wishing to become naturalized citizens must pass. Then, try the second self-test and compare your scores.

Immigration Reform: My Opinion

You have read many articles about refugees and asylum seekers in Maine. Hopefully, you have now formed an informed opinion about these topics as they pertain to Maine.

Watch Obama's plans for immigration reform here and take some notes. Then, read about three different opinions about immigration reform. You should now be able to form you own informed opinion about these topics as they pertain to the U.S.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives us the right to free speech and the right to petition the government. You are going to exercise your First Amendment rights by writing a letter to one of the following sources:

• A local newspaper (Portland Press-Herald or Lewiston Sun Journal)
• A state legislator that represents Scarborough: Senator James Boyle, Senator Rebecca Millet, Representative Amy Volk, or Representative Heather Sirocki.
• Governor Paul LePage
• Senator Susan Collins, Senator Angus King, or Representative Chellie Pingree
• President Barack Obama

Your letter will be short but sweet (keep it under 250 words). Your letter should combine your opinion with facts--what do you think should be done and why? Your letter should be about ONE of the following topic:

• immigration reform in the nation (this should go to a the President or a U.S.Congressperson) 
• refugees and/or asylum seekers in Maine (this should go to a the governor, a local newspaper, a state legislator, or one of your U.S.Congresspersons, depending on your proposal).

If finished, play Immigration Nation.

2014 State of the Union Speech by POTUS & the GOP Response

50 Years of the State of the Union Address in 6 min
Abridged 2014 State of the Union by Barack Obama in 8 min
2014 State of the Union by Barack Obama in 8 min
Republican Response in 11 min

Last Day of Civics Class-GAMES!

1. Play Branches of Power at iCivics.org
2. Play Cast Your Vote at iCivics.org

*Don't for get to print out your results!

Civics Final Exam Essay Questions

Part III: Long Answer.  Choose TWO (2) of the following prompts to answer fully in complete paragraphs on a separate piece of paper.  10 points each, see rubric below.

1)      Compare and contrast the two major parties in U.S. politics.  Give at least three major differences between these two parties.  Tell which party you tend to agree with more and explain why.

2)      Describe the different parts of the Constitution and the information included in each part.

3)      Describe two of the compromises in ratifying the Constitution.  Explain both sides and what was finally agreed upon for each. 

4)      What is the concept of “checks and balances”?  What is the concept of “separation of powers”?  Give an example of each and connect at least one to the concept of federalism
5)    Discuss the American legal system.  What has influenced our laws (provide at least two specifics). How are laws made? Are all laws created equal? Explain. What happens when you break the law? What happens when laws are unfair?

RUBRIC

10 points =  Student clearly answers all parts of the prompt, providing multiple specific and relevant examples from his/her studies and/or observations.  Writing has a clear introduction (thesis in which an original argument is asserted), body, and conclusion.

9 points =  Student clearly attempts to answer all parts of the prompt, providing some specific and relevant evidence from his/her studies and/or observations.  Writing has a clear introduction (thesis), body, and conclusion.

8 points =  Student answers most parts of the prompt, providing relevant evidence from his/her studies and/or observations.  Writing has a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.

7 points =  Student attempts to answer the main part of the prompt, providing somewhat relevant evidence from his/her studies and/or observations.  Writing has a clear introduction and  body.

1-6 points =  Student’s answer lacks clarity and/or organization discussed above.

Cast Your Vote

Practice getting informed to be a responsible voter by playing Cast Your Vote.  Remember to print out your certificate for points.

Branches of Government

Now that you've studied all three of the branches of U.S. Government (legislative, executive, & judicial), you can play the Branches of Power game from iCivics.org.  Remember to print out your certificate for credit!

Judicial Branch Games

1. After you have finished reading and completing notes about 8.3: The Supreme Court, you are ready to play Court Quest which tests your knowledge about the different types of courts in the United States.  Good luck navigating the judicial branch!
2. After reading and completing 8.4: The Supreme Court at work, you are ready to play Argument Wars in which you argue a real Supreme Court Case!

**Remember to print out your certificates.  You must win your case in Argument Wars AND get a good score (at least 70%) in Court Quest to get full credit.

*For 2 bonus points, you may also play Supreme Decision OR Executive Command.

Schoolhouse Rock: I'm Just a Bill

Legislative Branch Games

Play the following games and print out your results for EACH.  You will need to please your constituents AND pass a bill into law in order to earn 4 points for the class period:

1. Represent Me: http://www.icivics.org/games/represent-me

2. Law Craft: http://www.icivics.org/games/lawcraft

Legislative Branch

Access the chart below via Google docs after and during the unit to add what we learned.

Legislative Branch

What we know	What we want/need to know	What we learned
Make laws	What’s the process to pass laws?
Congress is made of 2 houses: House of Representatives & Senate	What else do they do?
There is a national and a state legislature	How many people are there in the legislative branch?
Delegates	What powers do they have?
Democratic & Republican	Who are they?
President can veto laws	Why are they so (seemingly) ineffective?
One of 3 branches	What requirements are there to become a Congressperson?
Corrupt	How are the parties different?
Never agree	What do they do outside of Congress?
Bias	How much do they get paid?
Male & female Congresspeople	How do they make decisions/Who influences them?
Chellie Pingree, member of the House of Representatives, democratic
Charlie Summers ran

Chapter 4: Videos about YOUR Rights

“Why We Need theACLU” 

1.      The ACLU is the American Civil Liberties Union.  What is its purpose/mission?

2.      What is the ACLU’s argument for defending hate groups’ right to free speech?

3.      Besides protecting freedom of speech, which of the ACLU’s projects do you find most interesting?  Why?

“The First Amendment” 

1.      Why was Versey arrested?

2.      Can protests lead to violence?

3.      Is a “free speech zone” a good solution to this?  Why (not)?

“The Bill of Rights”

1.      What is Gordon Johnston’s job?

2.      What did he get the Supreme Court to decide?  Why?

3.      What do you think of “pat downs” at large sporting events or concerts?  Why?

“Extending the Bill of Rights”

1.      Give an example of a President before Bush who suspended civil liberties and rights during a time of war.

2.      What did the Bush administration do that some people think was illegal?

“The Civil Rights Struggle”

1.      Where did Williams grow up?

2.      Why did she believe that she needed to go away to college?

3.      What did the University of Chicago start doing in the 1960s?

4.      How many of the 500 graduated?

5.      Why does Williams argue in favor of affirmative action?

“Stop & Frisk”

1.      In 2011, NYC police stopped people _____________________________ times.

2.      How often does/has Tyquan been stopped and frisked?

3.      What makes Tyquan “suspicious”?

4.      Why has he been detained in a police precinct?

5.      _________________% of those stopped in 2011 were not arrested or ticketed.

6.      What are at least two items of Drew’s mental checklist when he sees a police officer?

7.      What is broken window theory?

8.      ________________% of those stopped were black or Latino.

9.      Stops are __________________________ without reasonable suspicion of a crime.

10.   What do you think constitutes “reasonable suspicion of a crime”?

Bill of Rights Project

Watch Ms. Kappelman's Xtranormal video about religious freedom and the first amendment.

1st Amendment
by: kappelman


Then, you will choose your own issue in the Bill of Rights to address.  Using Xtranormal, You will create a conversation between two characters that illustrates a particular right.  You must include the following in your Xtranormal video:

• The actual wording of the amendment and a character's interpretation of what that means.
• References to at least three court cases that strengthen or limit the rights outlined in the Constitution.
• For help, refer to The Bill of Rights Institute and Find Law.
• At least ten character actions/gestures.
• A clear beginning, middle, and end in which we all have a better understanding of the issue at play.

Please note:  Xtranormal is FREE, but requires you to create a login and limits your use of certain characters, etc.  Please watch as Ms. Kappelman walks you through the process.

***When you finish, play Do I Have a Right? Bill of Rights then Do I Have a Right? on iCivics.org.  Remember, you do NOT have to register to play, but please PRINT your results when you finish.

The Declaration of Independence

As you watch the video: America the Story of Us: Declaration of Independence, answer the following questions:

What is the most remembered phrase from the Declaration of Independence?

What was the fundamental issue between the delegates at the Constitutional Convention?

What does "We are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights" mean?

The Declaration set up a philosophical basis for what?

Immigration Reform

1. Watch the President's plan for immigration reform: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/01/29/watch-live-president-obama-speaks-comprehensive-immigration-reform
2. Read the opinion that refutes Obama's plan and actually calls it illegal: http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2012/0615/Lamar-Smith-Obama-s-amnesty-for-illegal-immigrants-is-against-the-law?nav=627057-csm_article-promoLink
3. Read three differing views on immigration reform: http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2012/0615/Lamar-Smith-Obama-s-amnesty-for-illegal-immigrants-is-against-the-law?nav=627057-csm_article-promoLink
4. Where do you stand?