Week 5, Days 19-23
What was covered this week:
Day 19- Discussion of the Iowa Caucus and beginning Supreme Revenge.
Supreme Revenge: this is an excellent look at the Senate’s role in confirmation hearings and how it’s changed since Robert Bork. *Warning- this does look at Anita Hill’s testimony as well as Dr. Blasey-Ford. It is graphic. Please watch this before you decide to show it in class. (CON-4.B.2)
This led to a great conversation about the role of factions in government, how much power the Senate can have, and the best question, ¨Can they do that?¨ It also introduces students to interest groups (Federalist Society), talks about Congressional leadership, committee work, and how a divided government causes gridlock. I often stopped the documentary to show key players throughout the discussed period (Bork´s nomination to Kavanaugh) that include current presidential nominees.
Days 20- Discussion of the debacle of the Iowa Caucus and finishing Supreme Revenge
Day 21/22- (Block Day) Well– Last minute, I created an assignment to cover the State of the Union because it’s a current event and we are in the presidency. I used NPR for both the State of the Union and the Democratic response because they fact-checked it.
1. Within the SOTU address from 2020 and the Democratic response, find examples of the following by quoting the speech and explaining in a solid paragraph why or how it’s an example. (This was practice for finding evidence and explaining for the argumentative essay)
-Commander in Chief Role
-Informal foreign policy
-Bargaining and persuasion- how the president secures Congressional actions
-How the presidency has been enhanced beyond it’s expressed constitutional powers.
2. Identify four examples of partisan politics in a time of divided government. (You can use information beyond the speech including who was there, who was not, and actions of attendees)
3. Find another SOTU address to compare how technology has changed the president’s relationship with the nation. Choose a SOTU that is NOT one that has been televised. Choose another era in history (I added a video for you) This part of the response should be a few solid paragraphs that compare (show the differences) the two SOTU addresses. Make sure to add context relevant to history and your writing. (like a mini LEQ)
Outside the classroom work: Students needed extra time to finish the SOTU assignment which was the only out of school assignment.
Overall reflection: This was a crazy week of current events and trying to tie up the presidency, but it felt pretty successful.
Days Left Until the AP Test: 46 class days
Current Mood: Rolling along, but after this week, I need a nap.
Questions: Please see the FAQ section of the page
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