Thursday, May 21, 2020

Last Day of School!

Well, this is not the way any of us imagined the school year would end. I am sorry that we are not able to end the year together in person, but I appreciate all of your patience, perseverance, and productivity during this extremely challenging time. I have missed your smiling faces, inquisitive questions, and thoughtful class discussions.

Please take a few minutes and fill out this survey on the AP test, my instruction, and advice for future students. I genuinely appreciate your feedback.

Even though we cannot be together for one final speech, I still want to share with you a few final thoughts. Please humor me and read through my ramblings.

At the beginning of the year, I explained how this would be the most important class you take in your high school career (at least in my opinion). The things we learn in government are for more than just an AP test. Understanding constitutional principles like limited government, popular sovereignty, separation of powers, checks and balances are extremely important in reflecting on how our government should operate. Knowing your civil rights and civil liberties (and the difference between them) is fundamental for every citizen. The role of interest groups, political parties, and the media is apparent in government interactions. Now, more than ever, it is imperative for you to be able to think critically and act upon your political beliefs. Remember that in a republic, it is not only your right, but some would argue your responsibility, to participate in civic affairs.



We did participate in civic affairs this year with HB 1508. The pandemic made the legislative process even more difficult than it normally is, but our bill made it out of committee and was eventually attached as an amendment to a Senate omnibus education bill. For a couple of weeks, it looked like we might have a real shot of it being passed, but in the end there were too many other controversial education items in the omnibus bill, and it did not pass. However, we will use our momentum and reintroduce our bill in the next legislative session. Thank you for all of your hard work this year in moving the bill forward and reaching out to schools across the state. With the experience from this first attempt and the support of our legislators, the College Board, higher education, and most importantly students like you, I am confident that we will get it passed before you graduate. That would be an amazing accomplishment!

Finally, as all of you are aware, this is an election year. Many of you will be able to vote in the November election. This is an election of great consequence and every vote matters. Please come see me the first week of school and get registered to vote if you are not already registered. Even if you cannot vote in this year's election, remember to stop by my room and get registered once you are 17 and a half. I will also be providing campaign volunteer opportunities for my students, and if you are interested in getting involved in any of the races ranging from the president to local elections, let me know and I will share the contact information with you.



Thank you all for one of the most unusual teaching years that I have experienced. Between moving from class to class each hour in first semester and then having an abbreviated time with you second semester and the challenges of remote learning, it has been a year to remember. I wish we had more time together, but I am excited for all of you and your senior year. I hope you all have a wonderful summer. Stay safe and healthy. I'll see you in August!




Saturday, May 9, 2020

AP Exam: The Final 48 Hours

We are now approximately 48 hours away from the 2020 AP Exam! Check your email and make sure you have received your entry ticket for Monday's test. For those of you taking the exam, use this last weekend wisely and study like you have never studied before. I am posting a few more review items that I have found on the APGOV Facebook page that might be beneficial.



I posted this the other day, but in case you didn't see it, here are the instructions for taking the test on Monday. Remember, the test goes live at 3:00pm, but you will want to start getting ready and check in by 2:30pm.





This is an excellent document that consists of all of the required foundational documents, court cases, an explanation of how to best answer the two FRQ questions, and some important pieces of legislation. I would PRINT this document out and have handy as a reference if needed.

One teacher made some 1 pagers (for the most part) reference guides. Print out what you think you might want accessible.


How about some sample/practice FRQs? Familiarize yourself with the format and practice answering questions. The more you practice, the more prepared you will be!




Here's a slideshow that contains all of the College Board's Big Ideas, Essential Questions, and Objectives for all the units for AP Government. Remember this test will only cover units 1-3. This is a great way to review the concepts that you will be tested over. Think more big picture.






Want to go through a monster powerpoint? This slidedeck of over 100 slides covers all you need to know for units 1-3.





And finally, here are a few more videos on how to write the FRQ answers. The first three all address the Argumentative Essay while the last two cover the Concept Application and the different verbs you will see on the test. Make sure to watch the last one as it really is important to understand what is required based on the verb used. If you can't tell, I think this guy does a really good job explaining all of these concepts. Feel free to look at other videos on his YouTube page.













You Got This!

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

AP Exam Review: Unit 3 Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

Announcements:
5/4--5/8 Weekly Planner
AP Exam: Monday, May 11th @3:00pm

You should have received an email from the College Board yesterday (Monday) about how to take the AP exam. Go through this slide presentation to learn more about what you need to do both before the test and during the test day!




AP Exam 2020 Testing Guide: Details all the changes and how online testing at home will work. You need to go over this and be familiar with what exam day will look like, including you AP ID, how to upload your response, etc.

Review material resources--Remember that this test is only over units 1-3 and will consist of just 2 FRQ questions. (Concept Application and Argumentative Essay)

McGraw Hill is allowing their study guide, 5 Steps to a 5 free of charge due to the unique situation. To access their material please follow these directions:


2. Select "Redeem Access Code" and enter your voucher/access code (listed below)
3. Then you'll be prompted to sign up with your name and email address. Now you're all set to use the platform.
4. Access code--mhapgwph337


Also, use Khan Academy modules, videos, and quizzes.

The Test Explained
Foundational Documents Summaries
Supreme Court Cases Cheat Sheet
Required Court Case Cheat Sheet 
Quizlet Sets




Unit 3 Exam Review

This year's AP exam is only covering units 1-3. Today's post contains review material (study guides, slides, videos, etc) to help prepare for information on unit 3 Civil Liberties and Civil Rights. If you are taking the AP exam, I would begin by using the first study guide and filling out what you can on your own. Then watch the video and go through the slideshow to help fill in the gaps. Also, use our blog archive on the right hand side to revisit past relevant posts.


Study Guide Unit 3 #2 (this is a really good one--includes sample FRQ questions)



Unit 3 Sample FRQ Questions (remember only Concept Application and Argumentative this year)




Unit 3 Review Videos:


Sunday, May 3, 2020

AP Exam Review: Unit 2 Interactions among the Branches

Announcements:

AP Exam: Monday, May 11th @3:00pm

AP Exam 2020 Testing Guide: Details all the changes and how online testing at home will work. You need to go over this and be familiar with what exam day will look like, including you AP ID, how to upload your response, etc.

Review material resources--Remember that this test is only over units 1-3 and will consist of just 2 FRQ questions. (Concept Application and Argumentative Essay)

McGraw Hill is allowing their study guide, 5 Steps to a 5 free of charge due to the unique situation. To access their material please follow these directions:

2. Select "Redeem Access Code" and enter your voucher/access code (listed below)
3. Then you'll be prompted to sign up with your name and email address. Now you're all set to use the platform.
4. Access code--mhapgwph337


Also, use Khan Academy modules, videos, and quizzes.

The Test Explained
Foundational Documents Summaries
Supreme Court Cases Cheat Sheet
Required Court Case Cheat Sheet 
Quizlet Sets



Unit 2 Exam Review

This year's AP exam is only covering units 1-3. Today's post contains review material (study guides, slides, videos, etc) to help prepare for information on unit 2 Interactions among the Branches. If you are taking the AP exam, I would begin by using the first study guide and filling out what you can on your own. Then watch the video and go through the slideshow to help fill in the gaps. Also, use our blog archive on the right hand side to revisit past relevant posts.

Study Guide Unit 2


Study Guide Unit 2 #2 (this is a really good one--includes sample FRQ questions)



Unit 2 Review

Unit 2 Terms Review Sheet w/links to videos


Unit 2 Multiple Choice Questions

Unit 2 Sample FRQ Questions (remember only Concept Application and Argumentative this year)





Unit 2 Review Videos: