Last year, around this time, I was looking at my calendar for Spring 2020 and knew I needed a solid plan because my semester was short (to the test), and I needed to make the best of my time. Add in the usual college visits, random Arizona illnesses, and other things my days would have to be to the point. I did not use a textbook and created a plan for the semester. In March, I was sure glad I did because we never ended up back at school, and I had spent so much time working on skills that all I had to do was focus on Unit 3 (because I saved it for last). Today, I was thinking about how I could make this process streamlined for my fellow AP Government teachers who are carrying the world’s weight, and I decided to round up my favorite resources from this past year and some of my most viewed posts.
Note: I am not a textbook user, I don’t assign vocabulary to define, and multiple choice practice was only via Albert.io. Assessments were Socratic discussion or writing… hard to cheat at either. (Here is a list of DBQ’s for each Unit that can be used for writing. It’s fairly easy to turn them into argumentative writing or even a shorter concept analysis. Plus, I’ve listed the required documents in each.)

Teaching Online: A Sample Schedule
Unit One
Unit One Guide
Unit One: Federalist and AntiFederalist podcast assignment
Unit Two
Unit Two: Congress Guide
Unit Two: Presidency Guide
Unit Two: Bureaucratic Speed Dating (and other lessons)
Unit Two: The Judiciary, Federalist 78, and an argumentative essay
Unit Three
Unit Three Guide
Unit Three: Gender Discrimination Podcast assignment
Unit Four
Unit Four: Citizens United DBQ and Socratic
Unit Five
Unit Five Guide

Writing
Argumentative Writing : Thesis
Rethinking Writing Assignments in a Virtual World

Assessments
Socratic Discussion in a Virtual World
I hope you find this helpful as you plan your semester or year!
