Room 3011

HOA Assignments

2012-02-09T11:14:00.001-05:00

Week of February 6 - February 10

We'll be spending the week working on initial research for the Internal Assessment

Period 4
Monday: I.A. research
Wednesday: I.A. research
Friday: I.A. research, turn in draft of research question in class on Thursday (must be typewritten)

Period 7:
Tuesday: I.A. research, turn in draft of research question in class on Thursday (must be typewritten)
Thursday: I.A. research

APGov Assignments

2012-02-06T09:33:00.001-05:00

Week of February 6 - February 10

Period 1
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 46-53 (Read and take notes)
Thursday: Sabato pp. 53-63 (Read and take notes)

Period 3
Monday: Sabato pp. 41-46 (Read and take notes)
Tuesday: Ch. 16 Exam tomorrow in class
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 46-53 (Read and take notes)
Thursday: No Homework
Friday: Sabato pp. 53-57 (Read and take notes)

Period 6
Monday: Sabato pp. 39-46 (Read and take notes)
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 46-53 (Read and take notes)
Friday: Sabato pp. 53-63 (Read and take notes)

HOA - Reconstruction PPT

2012-01-31T08:35:00.001-05:00

APGov Assignments

2012-01-30T08:17:00.000-05:00

Week of January 30 - February 3

This week we'll be finishing up the chapter on interest groups, then moving on to the chapter on the Constitution (lots of AP material in that chapter!). I'll be holding a review for the interest groups exam on Thursday during Generals Period.

Period 1
Monday: No Homework
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 30-39 (read and take notes), Interest Group Exam on Friday
Friday: Sabato pp. 39-46

Period 3
Monday: No Homework
Tuesday: No Homework
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 30-32 (read and take notes)
Thursday: Sabato pp. 32-39 (read and take notes)
Friday: Sabato pp. 39-41 (read and take notes)

Period 6
Tuesday: No Homework
Thursday: Sabato pp. 30-39 (read and take notes), Interest Group Exam on Monday

HoA Assignments

2012-01-23T18:29:00.002-05:00

Week of January 24 - January 27

Period 7
Tuesday: Continue to watch The American Experience: Reconstruction in class. For homework, answer the following essay: "Evaluate the economic, social and political successes an failures of Reconstruction." This essay will be due at the beginning of class on Thursday, January 26th. It will be scored using the HOA Paper 3 markscheme and will count as a quiz grade in the 3rd quarter. I will only accept essays that are written on a word processor and printed before the beginning of class.
Thursday:

Period 4

Wednesday: Continue to watch The American Experience: Reconstruction in class. For homework, answer the following essay: "Evaluate the economic, social and political successes an failures of Reconstruction." This essay will be due at the beginning of class on Friday, January 27th. It will be scored using the HOA Paper 3 markscheme and will count as a quiz grade in the 3rd quarter. I will only accept essays that are written on a word processor and printed before the beginning of class.

Friday:

APGov - In Class Assignment for Tues/Wed

2012-01-23T18:25:00.001-05:00

Hi gang! I miss you guys, but I've had my new daughter, Julia, to keep me busy!

There are a few assignments that you need to complete by the end of class Tuesday or Wednesday:

1. Finish watching "Can Mr. Smith Go To Washington Anymore?" and complete the accompanying worksheet. Be sure to turn it in to the substitute, Mr. Taylor.

2. Read this article about what happened to Jeff Smith in the years after the election. Take your time with it, there's plenty to absorb and you'll probably be surprised by some of the content.

3. Complete this survey before the end of class. You'll need to consider the content of the film and the article linked in #2 to answer the questions.

4. You can used the remainder of class to use the iPads how you wish. However, I will award double participation points to anyone who posts a short summary of a current events story - along with a link to that story - in the comments section of this blog post. You'll have to be signed in with your Google account to post a comment. You can use cut-and-paste to insert the link (if you don't know how to do this, ask a classmate). IF YOU DON'T ALWAYS PARTICIPATE IN CLASS, I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY.

5. Please return iPads to the iPad cart by 5 minutes to go in the period. Please plug in the iPads so they may charge.

Thanks and see you Thursday!

Mr. McCarthy

APGov Assignments

2012-01-23T17:58:00.001-05:00

Week of January 24 - January 27

Period 1
Tuesday: In class - complete "Mr. Smith" film and worksheet and complete the assignment posted on Room3011
Thursday

Period 3
Tuesday: In class - complete "Mr. Smith" film and worksheet and complete the assignment posted on Room3011
Wednesday: Complete assignment posted on Room3011
Thursday:
Friday:

Period 6
Wednesday: In class - complete "Mr. Smith" film and worksheet and complete the assignment posted on Room3011
Friday:

HOA: Make-up Exams [UPDATED 1/23]

2012-01-23T07:12:00.000-05:00

There are three students that need to make up the quarter exam. The substitute will not be able to administer the exams today. Please check back for info on when the make-up exams will be administered.

UPDATE - Thanks for making up the exam - your score will be included in your quarter grade

All Students: Lesson Plans for Next 2 Days

2012-01-18T23:54:00.001-05:00

Baby McCarthy has decided to arrive early (but hasn't arrived yet as I write this)! Below are the important parts of the lesson plans I'm leaving for the substitute teacher. Please give them all the help you can, especially with technical issues related to the iPad and the Smartboard. I'll be back to school sometime next week!

Substitute Lesson Plans
Thursday January 18th and Friday January 19th

Thank you for substituting in my class during this semi-unexpected absence.

Thursday, January 18th
Period 1 - AP Government
1. Pledge of allegiance and moment of silence over the PA system.

2. Distribute worksheet from 2nd drawer of left file cabinet (post-it note on outside says "paternity leave") labeled "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?"

3. Inform students that they will complete the worksheet as they watch the movie on the smartboard.

4. Connecting iPad to Smartboard.
---turn on smartboard and set to "computer"
---video cable is on the desk, plug in to the bottom of the iPad.
---audio cable is on the desk, plug in to the top of the iPad.
---press home button below screen to turn on iPad
---select "videos" app and then select "movies" and then select the Mr. Smith movie
---once you press the play button, the movie will start to play on the smartboard. The movie can be paused and volume changed by touching the screen to view those controls.

5. Students are responsible for hanging on to their worksheet until they've completed it. If you finish the movie, collect student worksheets. Otherwise, they're responsible for keeping their worksheets.

Period 3 - AP Government
1. Turn Smartboard to "video" for the morning announcements.

2. Turn Smartboard back to "computer" setting.

3. Follow instructions #2-5 from Period 1

Generals Period
1. Take attendance.

2. Substitute teachers are not permitted to write passes - many of the students already know this, so students without a pass will have to remain in Room 3011 during Generals Period.

Period 7 - History of the Americas
1. Inform students that there is a new assignment posted to the class website: students must write an essay answering the following question "Evaluate the economic, social and political successes an failures of Reconstruction." This essay will be due Thursday, January 26th.

2. In order to collect information that can be used in their essay, students will watch the video The American Experience: Reconstruction.

3. Both episodes of this video can be found in the "Videos" app on the iPad under the "television" tab.

4. Students should watch video and take notes until the end of the period.

Friday, January 20th

Period 3 - AP Government
1. Turn Smartboard to "video" for the morning announcements.

2. Turn Smartboard back to "computer" setting.

3. Students will continue the film that they began in class yesterday. (please see January 19th lesson plans for details and instructions.

Period 4 - History of the Americas
1. Inform students that there is a new assignment posted to the class website: students must write an essay answering the following question "Evaluate the economic, social and political successes an failures of Reconstruction." This essay will be due Friday, January 27th.

2. In order to collect information that can be used in their essay, students will watch the video The American Experience: Reconstruction.

3. Both episodes of this video can be found in the "Videos" app on the iPad under the "television" tab.

4. Students should watch video and take notes until the end of the period.

Period 6 - AP Government
1. Distribute worksheet from 2nd drawer of left file cabinet (post-it note on outside says "paternity leave") labeled "Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?"

2. Inform students that they will complete the worksheet as they watch the movie on the smartboard.

3. Connecting iPad to Smartboard.
---turn on smartboard and set to "computer"
---video cable is on the desk, plug in to the bottom of the iPad.
---audio cable is on the desk, plug in to the top of the iPad.
---press home button below screen to turn on iPad
---select "videos" app and then select "movies" and then select the Mr. Smith movie
---once you press the play button, the movie will start to play on the smartboard. The movie can be paused and volume changed by touching the screen to view those controls.

4. Students are responsible for hanging on to their worksheet until they've completed it. If you finish the movie, collect student worksheets. Otherwise, they're responsible for keeping their worksheets.

HOA Assignments

2012-01-17T13:28:00.004-05:00

Week of January 17 - January 20

Period 4

Wednesday: America's History pp. 466-476 (read and take notes)

Friday: America's History pp. 476-482 (read and take notes)

Period 7
Tuesday: America's History pp. 466-476 (read and take notes)
Thursday: America's History pp. 476-482 (read and take notes)

APGov Assignments

2012-01-17T08:09:00.000-05:00

Week of January 17 - January 21

This week we'll be finishing the interest group presentations, continuing the chapter on interest groups, and following the Republican nominating campaign in South Carolina. The interest group exam is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, January 25th and Thursday, January 26th.

Period 1
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 586-592 (read and take notes)
Thursday: Sabato pp. 592-595 (read and take notes)

Period 3
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 592-595 (read and take notes)
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:

Period 6
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 592-595 (read and take notes)
Friday:

Greenpeace Year in Pictures 2011

2012-01-13T15:04:00.002-05:00

From Gwen and Cailin's presentation today in 6th period:

Cool Primary and Caucus Video

2012-01-10T21:50:00.002-05:00

Watch and learn:

HoA Assignments

2012-01-10T08:19:00.001-05:00

Week of January 9 - January 13

Period 4
Monday: Paper 3 Question Keynotes must be completed by the end of class on Wednesday
Wednesday:
Friday: America's History pp. 457-466 (Read and take notes); Semester exam on Wednesday

Period 7
Tuesday: Quarter Exam on Thursday
Thursday: America's History pp. 457-466 (Read and take notes)

Newt's SuperPAC Goes on the Attack

2012-01-10T07:47:00.001-05:00

HoA: Civil War Paper 3 Questions

2012-01-09T12:19:00.002-05:00

Beginning today, and concluding in your next class, you will work with a partner to formulate an answer to an I.B. Paper 3 question on the Civil War. Your answer will then be shared with your classmates during the second half of next class. Your outline will be created using Keynote on the iPads.

Your slideshow must include:

The names of your group members
Your assigned question
An outline-style answer to the questions

including a thesis
including supporting details

At least 5 visuals

Your answer and presentation will be given a homework grade and will be marked in the same style as your quizzes (using the I.B. markscheme).

APGov: NH Primary Predictions

2012-01-09T11:26:00.002-05:00

Click here to enter your predictions in our NH Primary prediction contest. A small bit of extra credit will go to the most accurate predictions!

APGov Assignments

2012-01-09T09:11:00.001-05:00

Week of January 9 - January 13
We'll be covering more material about interest groups this week, then slowing down the pace to focus on the NH primary and 2nd quarter project presentations.

Period 1
Tuesday: No Homework (pay attention to NH primary results), project presentations begin Thursday
Thursday: Sabato pp. 579-586 (Read and take notes)

Period 3
Monday: No Homework
Tuesday: No Homework (pay attention to NH primary results), project presentations begin tomorrow
Wednesday: No Homework
Thursday: Sabato pp. 579-586 (Read and take notes)
Friday: Sabato pp. 586-592 (Read and take notes)

Period 6
Monday: No Homework (pay attention to NH primary results), project presentations begin Wednesday
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 579-586 (Read and take notes)
Friday: Sabato pp. 586-592 (Read and take notes)

HOA Assignments

2012-01-03T11:58:00.000-05:00

Week of January 3 - January 6

Period 4
Tuesday: Read the AHR's review of Ken Burns' The Civil War. Be prepared to discuss on Thursday.
Thursday: Complete the T-Chart on challenges faced domestically by the Union and the Confederacy

Period 7
Wednesday: Read the AHR's review of Ken Burns' The Civil War. Be prepared to discuss on Friday.
Friday: Complete the T-Chart on challenges faced domestically by the Union and the Confederacy

APGov: Chapter 16 Vocabulary Worksheet

2012-01-03T09:39:00.003-05:00

Yes, the vocab worksheets are back for the new year! Download the Chapter 16 vocab worksheet by clicking here. The worksheet is due on the day of the Chapter 16 exam.

APGov: Assignments

2012-01-03T09:32:00.000-05:00

Welcome back! Don't forget that your 2nd quarter project is due next week on January 11th. Expect at least one quiz on the Iowa caucuses this week.

Week of January 3 - January 6

Period 1
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 566-571 (Read and take notes)
Friday: Sabato pp. 572-578 (Read and take notes)

Period 3
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 566-568 (Read and take notes)
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 569-571 (Read and take notes)
Thursday: Sabato pp. 572-578 (Read and take notes)
Friday: Sabato pp. 579-586 (Read and take notes)

Period 6
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 566-571 (Read and take notes)
Thursday: Sabato pp. 572-578 (Read and take notes)

APGov Assignments

2011-12-19T08:17:00.001-05:00

Week of December 19 - December 22

Period 1
Tuesday: Study for Media Exam on Thursday
Thursday: No Homework, but be mindful of your project due date

Period 3
Monday: Sabato pp. 555-563
Tuesday: Study for Media Exam (exam on Thursday)
Wednesday: Study for Media Exam (exam on Thursday)
Thursday: No Homework, but be mindful of your project due date

Period 6
Monday: Study for Media Exam on Wednesday

Wednesday: No Homework, but be mindful of your project due date

Have a great winter break, I'll see you in the new year!

HOA Assignments

2011-12-12T15:15:00.000-05:00

Week of December 12 - December 16

Period 4
Tuesday: America's History pp. 423-434 (Read and take notes) and Appeal of the Independent Democrats (Page 152-160)
Thursday: America's History pp. 434-444

Period 7
Monday: America's History pp. 423-434 (Read and take notes) and Appeal of the Independent Democrats (Page 152-160)
Wednesday: America's History pp. 434-444 (Read and take notes)
Friday: America's History pp. 444-455 (Read and take notes)

APGov Assignments

2011-12-12T12:11:00.000-05:00

Week of December 12 - December 16

Period 1

Monday: Ch. 14 Exam Wednesday (vocab worksheet due), Sabato pp. 530-542 (read and take notes)

Wednesday: Sabato pp. 542-55 (Read and take notes)

Friday: Sabato pp. 551-563 (Read and take notes)

Period 3

Monday: Sabato pp. 530-542 (Read and take notes)

Tuesday: Study for Ch. 14 Exam (Read and take notes)

Wednesday: Sabato pp. 542-547 (Read and take notes)

Thursday: Sabato pp. 547-551 (Read and take notes)

Friday: Sabato pp. 551-555 (Read and take notes)

Period 6

Tuesday: Sabato pp. 530-547 (Read and take notes)

Thursday: Sabato pp. 547-563 (Read and take notes)

APGov - Ch. 14 Vocab

2011-12-12T09:49:00.001-05:00

The Chapter 14 Vocab worksheet can be downloaded here. The worksheet is due the day of the Ch. 14 exam

APGov Assignments

2011-12-05T15:51:00.001-05:00

Week of December 5 - December 9

Period 1
Tuesday: Campaign Exam will be held next Wednesday
Thursday:

Period 3
Monday: The Father of All Quizzes. Tomorrow.
Tuesday: No Homework, Ch. 14 Exam will be next Wednesday
Wednesday: No Homework
Thursday:
Friday:

Period 6
Monday: The Father of All Quizzes. Wednesday.
Wednesday: No Homework, Ch. 14 Exam will be next Tuesday
Friday:

HoA Assignments

2011-12-05T15:46:00.001-05:00

Week of December 5th - December 9th

Period 4
Monday: America's History pp. 390-406 (read and take notes)
Wednesday: America's History pp. 406-414 (read and take notes); Quiz on Friday
Friday: America's History pp. 414-421 (read and take notes)

Period 7
Tuesday: America's History pp. 406-414 (read and take notes); Quiz on Thursday
Thursday: America's History pp. 414-421 (read and take notes)

Mitt vs. Mitt

2011-11-29T07:27:00.001-05:00

Here's the video mentioned by Emily in yesterday's 3rd period APGov class. (Thanks to Matt Z. for tweeting the link).

HOA Assignments

2011-11-28T11:00:00.001-05:00

Week of November 28 - December 2

Period 4
Tuesday: America's History pp. 363-378 (read and take notes)
Thursday: America's History pp. 368-389 (read and take notes)

Period 7
Monday: America's History pp. 363-378 (read and take notes)
Wednesday: America's History pp. 378-389 (read and take notes)
Friday: America's History pp. 390-406 (read and take notes)

APGov Assignments

2011-11-28T07:46:00.001-05:00

Week of November 28 - December 2

Period 1
Monday: Sabato pp. 508-515 (Read and take notes)
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 515-524 (Read and take notes)
Friday: Sabato pp. 525-529 (Read and take notes)

Period 3
Monday: Sabato pp. 515-524 (Read and take notes)
Tuesday: No Homework
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 525-529 (Read and take notes)
Thursday:
Friday:

Period 6
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 525-529 (Read and take notes)
Thursday:

APGov: Interest Group Assignments

2011-11-21T08:08:00.001-05:00

Interest group assignments can be checked through GoogleDocs by clicking here. Students were assigned their first pick for interest group in as many cases as possible.

APGov: Interest Group Project

2011-11-18T09:32:00.001-05:00

A description of the second quarter project can be found by clicking here. The rubric for the project has also been posted, and it can be found by clicking here.

APGov: Examples of Campaign Ads

2011-11-18T09:02:00.001-05:00

A classic positive ad:

A really great negative ad:

HOA Assignments

2011-11-15T14:00:00.001-05:00

Week of November 14 - November 18

PERIOD 4

Monday: No Homework

Wednesday: America's History pp. 305-318

Friday: America's History pp. 347-361

PERIOD 7

Tuesday: America's History pp. 305-318

Thursday: America's History pp. 347-361

HOA - Topic 1 Questions

2011-11-15T13:18:00.001-05:00

Click this link to view a list of HOA Paper 3 questions from the last 10 years that are taken from material you've covered in Topic 1.

APGov Assignments

2011-11-14T11:12:00.001-05:00

Week of November 14 - November 18

Period 1
Tuesday: No reading assignment; class meets in the auditorium on Thursday
Thursday: Sabato pp. 502 - 508 (read and take notes)

Period 3
Monday: Sabato pp. 498-502 (read and take notes)
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 502-508 (read and take notes)
Wednesday: No Homework
Thursday: Sabato pp. 508-515 (read and take notes)
Friday: No Homework

Period 6
Monday: Sabato pp. 502-508 (read and take notes)
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 508-515 (read and take notes)
Friday: Sabato pp. 515-524 (read and take notes)

Was Perry really ready for the debate?

2011-11-10T12:39:00.001-05:00

Here's video from last night's debate including Perry's awful performance.

APGov Assignments

2011-11-07T15:47:00.001-05:00

Week of November 7 - November 11

Period 1
Monday: Voting and Elections exam on Thursday, Vocabulary worksheet also due
Thursday: Sabato pp. 492-502 (Read and take notes)

Period 3
Monday: Voting and Elections exam on Wednesday, Vocabulary worksheet also due
Wednesday: Turn in completed fieldtip form tomorrow
Thursday: Sabato pp. 492-502 (Read and take notes)

Period 6
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 492-502 (Read and take notes); turn in fieldtrip form on Monday

HOA Assignments

2011-11-07T13:25:00.000-05:00

Week of November 7 - November 11

Period 4
Wednesday: Study for American Revolution quiz on Monday

Period 7
Monday: Study for American Revolution quiz on Thursday
Thursday:

West Wing Week

2011-11-04T08:57:00.001-04:00

The White House tries to take its message straight to the public by producing their own videos of the President's week. This video includes footage from Halloween at the White House, where students from Arlington Public Schools were in attendance.

Is Caucusing Really Easy?

2011-11-04T07:53:00.001-04:00

How many details of how caucusing works are really provided in this video?

APGov Ch. 13 Vocab Worksheet

2011-11-04T07:46:00.002-04:00

The Vocabulary Worksheet for Chapter 13 can be downloaded by clicking this link. There was a lot of important vocabulary in this chapter, so it's longer than usual - budget your time accordingly. The worksheet will be due on the day of your Voting and Elections exam.

APGov Assignments

2011-10-31T09:41:00.002-04:00

Week of October 31 to November 4

Period 1
Tuesday:
Thursday: Sabato pp. 478-489 ( Read and take notes)

Period 3
Monday: No Homework
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 483-486 (Read and take notes)
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 486-489 (Read and take notes)
Thursday:
Friday: Voting and Elections campaign on Wednesday (Vocab, too!)

Period 6
Monday: Sabato pp. 473-478 (Read and take notes)
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 478-489 (Read and take notes)
Friday: Voting and Elections campaign on Wednesday (Vocab, too!)

HOA Assignments [UPDATED 11/1]

2011-10-31T08:23:00.002-04:00

Week of October 31 to November 4

PERIOD 4
Monday: America's History pp. 177-192
Wednesday: America's History pp. 192-200
Friday:

PERIOD 7
Tuesday: America's History pp. 192-200
Thursday:

You can now create your own account to access America's History online! Click here to download instructions on how to create a student access account. This means that I will no longer be posting pdf versions of your assignment.

HoA: Your Quarter Exam

2011-10-28T15:02:00.002-04:00

The format of the quarter exam will be "identifications". You will receive a list of 10-12 terms from the first quarter. These terms can be people, events, documents, or concepts. You will be required to choose 5 terms and provide a definition and explanation of the historical significance of each term. Definitions can generally be provided in 1-2 sentences. The explanation of its significance will require more space, often 4-6 sentences. You'll have 45 minutes to complete the exam.

4th period: Since I wasn't in class on Thursday and you guys handled the absence of the substitute so well, I'm holding an exam review in Room 3011 during first lunch on Monday. I'll be providing pizza!

Period 4 - Rating Unrest

2011-10-25T08:55:00.003-04:00

Click here to submit your group's "unrest ratings". Remember that the ratings for the 9 events must add up to 45.

Period 7 - Unrest Ratings

2011-10-24T14:23:00.002-04:00

Click here to register your unrest ratings.

HOA Assignments

2011-10-24T12:58:00.003-04:00

Week of October 24 to October 28

Period 4

Tuesday: Quiz on Thursday; America's History pp. 143-166 (read and take notes)

Thursday: America's History pp. 169-177 (read and take notes)

Period 7

Monday: Quiz on Wednesday; America's History pp. 143-166 (read and take notes)

Wednesday: America's History pp. 169-177 (read and take notes)

Friday: America's History pp. 177-192 (read and take notes)

APGov Assignments

2011-10-24T07:54:00.001-04:00

Week of October 24 to October 28

Period 1
Monday: Sabato pp. 455-463 (read and take notes); project presentations begin Wednesday
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 464-473 (read and take notes)
Friday: Sabato pp. 473-478

Period 3
Monday: No homework; project presentations begin tomorrow
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 455-463 (read and take notes)
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 464-473 (read and take notes)
Thursday: Sabato pp. 473-478 (read and take notes)
Friday: Sabato pp. 478-483 (read and take notes)

Period 6
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 455-463 (read and take notes)
Thursday: Sabato pp. 464-473 (read and take notes)

APGov Assignments [UPDATED 10/20]

2011-10-20T09:39:00.000-04:00

Week of October 17 - October 21

PERIOD 1
Tuesday: Study for Thursday's Political Parties Exam, Ch. 12 vocab worksheet due Thursday
Thursday: Sabato pp. 444-455 (Read and take notes)

PERIOD 3
Monday: Sabato pp. 433-439 (Read and Take Notes)
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 440-443 (Read and Take Notes)
Wednesday: Study for tomorrow's Political Parties exam, Ch. 12 Vocab worksheet due tomorrow
Thursday: Sabato pp. 444-447 (Read and take notes)
Friday: Sabato pp. 447-455 (Read and take notes)

PERIOD 6
Monday: Sabato pp. 433-443 (Read and take notes)
Wednesday: Study for Friday's Political Parties Exam, Ch. 12 Vocab worksheet due Friday
Friday: Sabato pp. 444-455 (Read and take notes), complete gmail and GoogleDocs assignment as posted below in assignment to period 1

APGov: Why Gold?

2011-10-18T07:08:00.002-04:00

We had an interesting, but short discussion in 6th period AP Government about U.S. currency and that it used to be backed by gold, but now it's backed by nothing but our faith in the U.S. Government. About a year ago, the NPR podcast Planet Money (which I cannot recommend enough - it's absolutely brilliant) did a story explaining why gold wound up as the most desirable precious metal for money. It's a cool story, and contains a lot of chemistry info.

HOA Assignments

2011-10-17T09:44:00.001-04:00

Week of October 17 to October 21

Period 4
Monday: America's History pp. 116-123
Wednesday: America's History pp. 123-132
Friday: America's History pp. 134-143

Period 7
Tuesday: America's History pp. 123-132
Thursday: America's History pp. 134-143

Additional in-class reading: The Albany Plan of Union

Period 3: Today's Assignment

2011-10-17T09:40:00.001-04:00

This activity will require some cooperation with your 1st Quarter Project partners for the later steps, so make sure that you're sitting close to your partners. Today you'll be completing some basic computing tasks that will get you started on your project (if you haven't started already) and prepare you for other assignments in class. Ready? Here we go!

Navigate to gmail.com in a separate browser tab or window.
You will need a gmail account this year for your APGov class. If you already have a gmail account, you can skip ahead to step 5.
Select the button labeled "Create an Account" in the upper right hand corner of the window.
Complete the form to obtain an email account. Your email account should be in the format of FIRSTNAME.LASTNAME.2014@gmail.com. If it is not in this format you will be required to make another new email address. CHOOSE A PASSWORD YOU WILL REMEMBER - YOU WILL BE USING THIS ACCOUNT ALL YEAR!
Once you've created the account, open your gmail and send an email to both of my email accounts:

mccarthyroom3011@gmail.com
jeffrey.mccarthy@apsva.us

Now send an email to your project partners and have them reply to it. When you receive their email add them to your contact list by clicking the triangle next to "reply" and selecting "Add 'NAME' to contacts list". Make sure that you've added all your partners to your contact list.
You've now created an email address, shared it with me, and added your partners to your contact list. Great! Moving on...
Now go to docs.google.com
Have one member of your group select "Create" from the left side of the window, and then "presentation". This should open a new window with a blank slideshow presentation.
Now have that member select "Share" from the top right corner of the screen. It will open a new window. At the bottom of that new window, you can choose to "Add people" to your document. Add your partners by typing in their gmail addresses. Now add my mccarthyroom3011@gmail.com as well.
Check to make sure that everyone in your group has access to this presentation. If not, go back to step 8 and try again.
The presentation that you just opened will be the presentation file that you share in class in two weeks. Every member of your group will be able to edit it at any time. You will not need a flash drive in order to share it with the class or with me.
Now you can start working on your research. I'd suggest that you try a few internet searches through Room3011's custom-made search engine. You can find it by scrolling down the sidebar on the right until you find the link labeled "APGov Internet Search"

Period 1: Today's Assignment

2011-10-14T05:00:00.000-04:00

Navigate to gmail.com in a separate browser tab or window.
You will need a gmail account this year for your APGov class. If you already have a gmail account, you can skip ahead to step 5.
Select the button labeled "Create an Account" in the upper right hand corner of the window.
Complete the form to obtain an email account. Your email account should be in the format of FIRSTNAME.LASTNAME.2014@gmail.com. If it is not in this format you will be required to make another new email address. CHOOSE A PASSWORD YOU WILL REMEMBER - YOU WILL BE USING THIS ACCOUNT ALL YEAR!
Once you've created the account, open your gmail and send an email to both of my email accounts:

mccarthyroom3011@gmail.com
jeffrey.mccarthy@apsva.us

Now send an email to your project partners and have them reply to it. When you receive their email add them to your contact list by clicking the triangle next to "reply" and selecting "Add 'NAME' to contacts list". Make sure that you've added all your partners to your contact list.
You've now created an email address, shared it with me, and added your partners to your contact list. Great! Moving on...
Now go to docs.google.com
Have one member of your group select "Create" from the left side of the window, and then "presentation". This should open a new window with a blank slideshow presentation.
Now have that member select "Share" from the top right corner of the screen. It will open a new window. At the bottom of that new window, you can choose to "Add people" to your document. Add your partners by typing in their gmail addresses. Now add my mccarthyroom3011@gmail.com as well.
Check to make sure that everyone in your group has access to this presentation. If not, go back to step 8 and try again.
The presentation that you just opened will be the presentation file that you share in class in two weeks. Every member of your group will be able to edit it at any time. You will not need a flash drive in order to share it with the class or with me.
Now you can start working on your research. I'd suggest that you try a few internet searches through Room3011's custom-made search engine. You can find it by scrolling down the sidebar on the right until you find the link labeled "APGov Internet Search"
Any questions? You can try contacting me through twitter (@Room3011) or by leaving a comment on this blog post, but I'm at a doctor's appointment so I might not be able to reply.

Enjoy the Pep Rally and have a great weekend!

APGov Assignments [UPDATED 10/13]

2011-10-13T20:58:00.000-04:00

Week of October 11 - October 14

Period 1
Wednesday: No Homework
Friday: Sabato pp. 433-443 (Read and take notes)

Period 3
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 429-433 (Read and take notes); tomorrow's class in Room 2010
Wednesday: No Homework
Thursday: Sabato pp. 433-439 (Read and take notes)
Friday: Political Parties exam on Thursday

Period 6
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 422-433 (Read and take notes)
Thursday: No Homework

HOA Assignments

2011-10-11T09:09:00.001-04:00

Week of October 11 - October 14

Period 4
Tuesday: America's History pp. 93-100
Thursday: America's History pp. 103-115

Period 7
Wednesday: America's History pp. 103-115
Friday: America's History pp. 116-123

APGov: Rare Extra Credit Opportunity

2011-10-10T08:13:00.002-04:00

Extra credit opportunities are very rare in APGov, but I've found a great event that's worthy of some extra credit. From the WL Young Democrats:

The WL Young Dems and YHS Young Dems/ Teenage Republicans are working on sponsoring a debate for several candidates.

The debate is going to be held at Yorktown High School at 7pm on October 11. It will be open to the entire community, however, it will be run by student moderators and questions will only come from students. We are trying to get as many students as possible to be there, and there will also be a voter registration drive taking place outside the auditorium.

We are still waiting on Bob Brink, Barbara Favola, and Caren Merrick to RSVP, however, we have reason to be optimistic that they will join us.

I was hoping that the government teachers at WL could have students submit questions for the debate. Questions may be directed at a certain race, or just questions in general that we can ask any of the candidates.

Attending:

House of Delegates 48th DistrictJanet Murphy (IG)
Kathy D. Gillette-Mallard (I)
Bob Brink (D) -- Maybe attending

Senate of Virginia 32nd DistrictPatrick Forrest (R)
Janet Howell (D)

Senate of Virginia 31st DistrictCaren Merrick (R)
Barbara Favola (D)

Also, many elected officials who are running unoposed will be there and will be able to mingle and talk to students before/after.

Questions should be submitted to WLYoungDemocrats@gmail.com. If your question is asked at the candidate debate you will receive extra credit on the Ch. 12 Exam. Think about submitting questions that would be relevant to students like you. If you attend the debate, you will also receive extra credit on the Ch. 12 Exam. You will have to submit proof of attendance to me for the extra credit.

HOA Assignments [UPDATED 10/7]

2011-10-07T07:49:00.000-04:00

Week of October 3 - October 7

PERIOD 4
Tuesday: Complete Colonial PERCS assignment for next Tuesday's class
Thursday: America's History pp. 72-74 and pp. 89-93

PERIOD 1
Monday: Complete Colonial PERCS assignment for Wednesday's class
Wednesday: America's History pp. 72-74 and pp. 89-93
Friday: America's History pp. 93-100

APGov: Great Political Cartoon

2011-10-05T07:53:00.002-04:00

APGov - First Quarter Project

2011-10-04T09:55:00.001-04:00

You can download the project description by clicking here.

You can download the partner assignments by clicking here.

APGov - Chapter 12 Vocab

2011-10-04T07:51:00.000-04:00

The vocabulary worksheet for Chapter 12 (political parties) can be downloaded here. It will be due the day of the Chapter 12 exam.

APGov Assignments

2011-10-02T09:35:00.000-04:00

Week of October 3 - October 7

PERIOD 1
Monday: Sabato pp. 404-415 (Read and take notes)
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 416-421 (Read and take notes)
Friday: Sabato pp. 422-433 (Read and take notes)

PERIOD 3
Monday: Sabato pp. 404-406 (Read and take notes)
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 406-412 (Read and take notes)
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 412-415 (Read and take notes)
Thursday: Sabato pp. 416-421 (Read and take notes)
Friday: Sabato pp. 422-433 (Read and take notes)

PERIOD 6
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 404-415 (Read and take notes)
Thursday: Sabato pp. 416-421 (Read and take notes)

HOA Assignments [UPDATED 9/29]

2011-09-30T11:02:00.000-04:00

Week of September 26 - September 30

PERIOD 4
Monday: Keen pp. 165-169
Wednesday: Keen pp. 169-175 and the Plan of Iguala; Quiz on Friday
Friday: Keen pp. 178-183

PERIOD 1
Tuesday: Keen pp. 169-175 and the Plan of Iguala; Quiz Thursday
Thursday: Keen pp. 178-183

An Intelligent Conversation on Social Security

2011-09-29T13:09:00.001-04:00

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

APGov Assignments [UPDATED 9/28]

2011-09-28T09:55:00.000-04:00

Week of September 26 - September 30

PERIOD 1
Tuesday: Quiz Thursday on fiscal and monetary policy
Thursday: Economic Policy Exam on Monday; Ch. 18 Vocab Worksheet due

PERIOD 3
Monday: Quiz tomorrow on fiscal and monetary policy
Tuesday: No Homework!
Wednesday: No Homework - start studying for Economic Policy exam
Thursday: Ch. 18 Vocab Worksheet due Monday
Friday: Economic Policy Exam on Monday; Ch. 18 Vocab Worksheet due

PERIOD 6
Monday: Quiz Wednesday on fiscal and monetary policy
Wednesday: Ch. 18 Vocab Worksheet due Tuesday
Friday: Economic Policy Exam on Tuesday; Ch. 18 Vocab Worksheet due

Back to School Night Syllabi

2011-09-26T19:24:00.001-04:00

Just case we run out of copies, you can download a copy of your student's syllabus by clicking on the appropriate link.

HOA Assignments

2011-09-19T12:17:00.001-04:00

Week of September 19 - September 23

PERIOD 4
Tuesday: Keen pp. 151-156 (Read and take notes); Complete Topic 1 Vocab Worksheet
Thursday: Keen pp. 157-165 (Read and take notes) and Simon Bolivar: The Life

PERIOD 7
Monday: Keen pp. 151-156 (Read and take notes)
Wednesday: Keen pp. 157-165 (Read and take notes) and Simon Bolivar: The Life ; and complete Topic 1 Vocab Worksheet
Friday: Keen pp. 165-169 (Read and take notes)

APGov Assignments

2011-09-19T07:50:00.000-04:00

Week of September 19 - September 23

The Chapter 18 Vocabulary worksheet is due on the day of the Chapter 18 exam. The worksheet can be downloaded here.

PERIOD 1
Monday: Sabato pp. 659-665 (Read and take notes)
Wednesday: No Homework
Friday: Sabato pp. 665-669 (Read and take notes)

PERIOD 3
Monday: Read articles on the Obama deficit-reduction plan
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 659-662 (Read and take notes)
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 662-665 (Read and take notes)
Thursday: No Homework
Friday: Sabato pp. 665-669 (Read and take notes)

PERIOD 6
Tuesday: No Homework
Thursday: Sabato pp. 665-669 (Read and take notes)

APGov - Chapter 18 Vocabulary

2011-09-16T08:56:00.000-04:00

The Chapter 18 Vocabulary worksheet is now available for download. The worksheet is to be completed and turned in on the day of the Chapter 18 exam.

APGov Assignments

2011-09-12T15:23:00.001-04:00

Week of September 12 - September 16

PERIOD 1
Tuesday: Read Sabato pp. 636-648 and take notes; Political Socialization Exam in class Thursday
Thursday:Read Sabato pp. 648-659 and take notes

PERIOD 3
Monday: Political Socialization Exam in class Wednesday
Tuesday: Study for exam
Wednesday: Read Sabato pp. 636-648 and take notes
Thursday: Read Sabato pp. 648-652 and take notes
Friday: Read Sabato pp. 652-659 and take notes

PERIOD 6
Monday: Political Socialization Exam in class Wednesday; Read Sabato pp. 636-648 and take notes
Wednesday: Read Sabato pp. 648-659 and take notes
Friday: Read Sabato pp. 659-665 and take notes

HOA Assignments

2011-09-12T09:03:00.001-04:00

Week of September 12 - September 16

PERIOD 4
Monday: Read Keen pp. 131-143 and take notes
Wednesday: Read Keen pp. 143-149 and take notes
Friday: Read Keen pp. 149-151 and take notes; Read "On Men's Hypocrisy"

PERIOD 7
Tuesday: Read Keen pp. 143-149 and take notes
Thursday: Read Keen pp. 149-151 and take notes; Read "On Men's Hypocrisy"

HOA Assignments

2011-09-09T08:02:00.001-04:00

Week of September 6 - September 9PERIOD 4Thursday: read the preface to Keen and complete the accompanying worksheetPERIOD 7Wednesday: read the preface to Keen and complete the accompanying worksheeFriday: Keen pp. 131-143 (read and take notes)

APGov Assignments

2011-09-09T07:59:00.001-04:00

Week of September 6 - September 9PERIOD 3Tuesday - return first day packets by FridayWednesday - be prepared to discuss tonight's Republican debateThursday - be prepared to discuss the president's address to CongressFriday - Political Socialization exam will be on Wednesday, Sept. 14PERIOD 1Wednesday - be prepared to discuss tonight's Republican debate and the president's address to CongressFriday - Political Socialization exam will be on Thursday, Sept. 15PERIOD 6Thursday - Be prepared to discuss the president's address to Congress; Political Socialization exam will be on Wednesday, Sept. 14

Republican Debate and the President's Speech

2011-09-07T16:09:00.000-04:00

APGov students should be prepared to discuss Wednesday's debate between the Republican presidential candidates and Thursday's Presidential Address to Congress. The NYTimes has a good video previewing the debate.

Tech Training for Social Studies

2011-09-01T10:12:00.001-04:00

Period 4 - Rate the Tours

2011-06-21T10:14:00.001-04:00

Rate the tours by clicking here!

Period 1 - Rate the Tours

2011-06-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

Click here to rate the HOA tours.

APGov Period 6 - June 17th

2011-06-17T09:28:00.000-04:00

Something has come up at the last minute and I won't be present in class today. This means that we will not be able to celebrate the end of the year with a small party, as we had planned last class. It would be unfair of me to expect the substitute to take on the special responsibilities for this party, so please do not give them a hard time about it. A few of you had already given me money for the party; please stop by Room3011 next week so I can return it to you.

Today, the substitute will ask you to complete several sections of your Mock Congress rubric. Those sections include information on how your voted on different bills (only count bills that were voted on by the whole house), what happened to the bills you wrote (did they pass committee? Were they amended? Did they pass the whole House?), and what information you posted to the class wiki. In the case of bipartisan bills, you should consider your vote to be 2 votes: one in favor of a bill from your party, one in favor of a bill from the other party. You'll probably need to use your wikispaces profile to help you in completing the rubric. Make sure you turn in the rubric before the end of class.

I'm really bummed out that I was forced to miss our last class together. Congratulations on making it through APGov! I'll especially remember your class for how supportive you were of each other and how often you would clap for each other's accomplishments - I've always thought that was really cool.

Feel free to stop by Room3011 next week, make sure you stop in and say hi next September, and have a great, great summer!

HoA - June 17th

2011-06-17T09:05:00.000-04:00

Something has come up at the last minute, and I will not be present in class today. I've left your substitute teacher instructions to bring you down to Lab C (Room 2230) to work on your final exam projects. You'll have the entire period to prepare your projects with your classmates.

Our final exam period is from 8:19-10:19 on Tuesday. We'll start the period by jumping straight into the presentations, so be sure that you're prepared.

See you Tuesday!

HoA - Final Exam Project Info

2011-06-16T09:11:00.001-04:00

Completing your Wikispaces Profile

2011-06-14T11:51:00.000-04:00

Elaine K.'s wikispaces profile is really well done. You can check out her profile here.

APGov Summer Assignment

2011-06-08T22:01:00.004-04:00

The summer assignment for rising sophomores can be downloaded here. Complete it before the first day of school in September and expect to be assessed on your mastery of the material in the first week of school.

HoA - Homework

2011-06-06T08:13:00.000-04:00

Welcome back from SOL Week!

PERIOD 1
Monday: Read Keen pp. 364-376
Wednesday:
Friday:

PERIOD 4
Tuesday: Read Keen pp. 364-376
Thursday:

HoA - Current Events Day

2011-05-25T21:25:00.000-04:00

Post a link to your current event in the comments section of this post!

APGov - Mock Congress on Tuesday

2011-05-24T08:38:00.001-04:00

A few notes for Mock Congress on Tuesday:

1. Committees, make sure that you are adequately marking up your bills. The point of mark-up is to improve the bill's chances of passing in the whole Congress.

2. Ms. Beer will be tracking participation in the Congress today and participation will count double! Make sure to state your name before speaking in the Congress.

3. I had difficulty finding a few bills on GoogleDocs. The following authors should double check that their bill is shared on GoogleDocs with myself and the clerk as editors (you can use the iMacs to correct this in class):

Esther U.
Monika H.
Danielle H.
Kyle C.

I'll be back in school tomorrow,

Mr. McCarthy

APGov: How to edit your wikispaces profile

2011-05-19T19:24:00.001-04:00

APGov - Advise and Consent Worksheets

2011-05-18T20:00:00.000-04:00

If you have not turned in one of the two worksheets that accompanied the movie Advise and Consent, you can download the worksheet and turn it in completed to Mr. McCarthy.

HoA - Domestic Policies of U.S. Presidents

2011-05-18T08:44:00.004-04:00

Your group will create and present a slideshow presentation in class summarizing the domestic policies of one United States president. The slideshow should evaluate the relative success or failure of these domestic policies and offer evidence in support of your evaluation. When creating your presentation, keep in mind the HoA description of Section 10:

"This section focuses on domestic concerns and political developments after 1945. The majority of states in the Americas experienced social, economic and political changes and challenges. ... Areas of study include: conditions for the rise to power of new leaders; economic and social policies; treatment of minorities."

The five presidents you will examine are:
Truman
Eisenhower
Kennedy
Johnson
Nixon

Make sure to publish and share your slideshow with me (mccarthyroom3011[at]gmail[dot]com) and I will publish it on Room3011. You will present the slidshow in class on Monday, May 18th (Period 4) and Tuesday, May 19th (Period 1). Your presentation and slideshow will be graded and entered into the gradebook as a quiz grade.

More Mock Congress Info!

2011-05-16T15:10:00.013-04:00

Periods 3, 5, and 6

1. If you did not send me an email in the fall, please send an email to me at my gmail address: mccarthyroom3011@gmail.com. Make sure that the email is sent from the email address that you use for GoogleDocs. I'll be using your email for two purposes: to assemble a contact list for Mock Congress, and to invite you to the Mock Congress wiki.

2. If you'd like to check out the beginnings of the class wiki, here are the links for periods 5 and 7:

3. Republicans and Democrats will need to select their leaders. You will be representing the same party as the Member of Congress from the 3rd quarter project. Start thinking about who you'd like to lead your party. I'll also be looking for a volunteer to be the Clerk of the Congress. This volunteer must be a Republican.

4. We'll be having a class briefing about Mock Congress during our next class. This year we will be using GoogleDocs to track legislation, mark-up, and the Bill Log. We're going to use wikispaces.com to track the actual participation and the nature of participation of all the members of the Congress (this will be self-reported and make up the majority of your project grade). I'm also wondering whether we should use twitter during class itself to record communication. What are your ideas about what to include? If we use twitter, what should our hashtags be? What questions do you have right now about the project that I should address on Friday?

See you next class!

Mock Congress Begins!!!

2011-05-16T10:16:00.000-04:00

The folder below contains relevant documents for the Mock Congress. Each class will be selecting its leadership positions soon!

HoA - Homework

2011-05-16T09:53:00.002-04:00

Week of May 16 - 20

PERIOD 1
Monday: Keen pp. 329-338
Wednesday: Friday is Current Events Day, Post your current event in the comments section of this blog post.
Friday: Domestic Policy slideshows will be presented to the class on Tuesday

PERIOD 4
Tuesday: Keen pp. 329-338
Thursday: Domestic Policy slideshow will be presented to the class on Monday.

APGov - AP Review on GoogleDocs

2011-05-08T16:29:00.000-04:00

Here's a link to the extensive review sheet that last year's APGov students put together.

HoA - Homework

2011-05-07T13:10:00.002-04:00

PERIOD 1
Tuesday: America's History pp. 861-872, 896
Thursday: No Homework

PERIOD 4
Monday: America's History pp. 813-828
Wednesday: America's History pp. 861-872, 896
Friday: Current Events Day!

HoA - Homework

2011-05-02T14:37:00.004-04:00

PERIOD 1
Monday: Mexican Revolution quiz on Friday
Wednesday:
Friday: America's History pp. 813-828

PERIOD 4
Tuesday: Mexican Revolution Quiz on Monday
Thursday:

APGov Homework

2011-05-02T14:36:00.001-04:00

PERIOD 3
Monday: Complete Take-home Quiz; take notes on the following two SCOTUS cases: Lemon v. Kurtzman and Employment Division v. Smith
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:

PERIOD 5
Monday: Complete Take-home Quiz; bring 5 AP questions to class on Wednesday (printed on one piece of paper)
Wednesday:
Friday: Good luck on the exam! Breakfast in Room 3011.

PERIOD 6
Tuesday:
Thursday:

HoA - Helpful Internal Assessment Site

2011-04-27T16:54:00.000-04:00

A student recommended this website as a helpful source of information about the Internal Assessment.

HoA - Homework

2011-04-25T11:48:00.003-04:00

PERIOD 4
Monday: "Cardenas Critique" and "Oil Expropriation"
Wednesday: Internal Assessment is due Friday, First draft should also be submitted to Turnitin.com (Class ID: 3995862, Enrollment Password: USAAOK).

PERIOD 1
Tuesday: "Cardenas Critique" and "Oil Expropriation"
Thursday: Internal Assessment is due Friday, First draft should also be submitted to Turnitin.com (Class ID: 3995862, Enrollment Password: USAAOK).

APGov Homework

2011-04-25T09:13:00.001-04:00

Week of April 25 - April 29

Reading assignments this week will be longer than usual. This is to ensure that we can devote our time next week to reviewing for the AP Exam. It is very important that you keep up on your reading this week.

PERIOD 3
Monday: Sabato pp. 152-170
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 170-186
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 186-200
Thursday: Sabato pp. 200-216
Friday: Sabato pp. 216-232, Bring 5 AP questions to class on Monday

PERIOD 5
Tuesday: Sabato pp. 152-186
Thursday: Sabato pp. 186-216

PERIOD 6
Monday: Sabato pp. 152-186
Wednesday: Sabato pp. 186-216
Friday: Sabato pp. 216-232, Bring 5 AP Questions to class on Monday

Internal Assessment Documents

2011-04-24T17:30:00.000-04:00

You can use the documents provided below for tips on how to write the IA in the proper format. Remember that the first draft is due on Friday, April 29th and that the word count will not be taken into account when formulating your grade.

HoA - Homework

2011-04-13T15:00:00.002-04:00

There will be no assigned reading this week. Beginning on Tuesday, we will be spending our time in the library and computer lab completing research for the Internal Assessment.

The first draft of the Internal Assessment is due on Friday, April 29th for all students.