This document contains instructions and assignments for a civics class over the course of several days. It begins with warm-up activities and ends each day with assignments like reading sections of the textbook or completing worksheets. The daily instructions reference building understanding of concepts like the legislative process, three branches of government, and amendments. Students are tasked with group projects, debates, and completing journal entries to apply their learning.

1. FrontPage: (warm up activity)
Find your seat on the sheet at the front table.
Last Word: (homework)
Bring your handbook with you tomorrow. 1

2. FrontPage:
Have class rules and PTHS handbook on your desk.
Last Word:
Bring your handbook with you tomorrow. 2

3. FrontPage:
What rule would you change from the handbook and why?
Last Word: Bring your handbook with you tomorrow;
complete handbook homework. 3

4. FrontPage: Have handbook homework on your desk.
Last Word: Read/OL Chapter 3, Section 1 for Tuesday
4

5. FrontPage: Have your outline on your desk.
Last Word: Read/OL Chapter
3, Section 2 for tomorrow
5

6. FrontPage: Have your Principles wksht. on your desk.
Last Word: Read/OL Chapter 3, Section 2 for tomorrow
6

7. FrontPage: OL on your desk. Which branch of
government is most powerful? Why?
Assignment:
Read/OL 3.3 for Monday 7

8. FrontPage:
Have the Checks and Balances worksheet on your desk.
Assignment: Read/OL 76-79 for Monday 8

9. FrontPage: What are the three questions you can ask to
evaluate proposed amendments?
Assignment: Read/Summarize amendments for Wednesday
9

10. FrontPage: OL on your desk. Which amendment is
most important? Why?
Last Word:
Test on Chapter 3: Friday 10

11. FrontPage: Have amendments worksheet on your desk.
Monday Night Football Without Cable
Last Word: Test on Chapter 3: Tomorrow 11

12. FrontPage: Best answer to a good question…
Last Word: Read/OL page 123 for Monday; WQ due 12

13. FrontPage: Turn in Constitution WQ to back box.
Last Word: Read/OL page 124-127 for tomorrow 13

14. FrontPage: Have your OL on your desk.
Last Word: Read/OL rest of 5.1 for Friday 14

15. FrontPage: House/Senate chart on your desk.
Last Word: Read/OL rest of 5.1 for Friday 15

16. FrontPage: NNIGN
Last Word: Read/OL 5.1 for Monday; 5.2/5.3 for Tuesday
16

17. FrontPage: NNIGN
Why do our fingers and toes get all wrinkly after bathtime?
A new paper in the journal Brain, Behavior and Evolution, has a new answer to that
eternal question. The answer: traction. The paper suggests that wrinkled fingers
actually provide drainage for water so as to ensure greater traction, just like tires on a
car. That allows water to drain away more efficiently from the fingers as they are
pressed against an object, giving more surface area and a firmer grip.
Last Word: Read/OL 5.1 for Monday; 5.2/5.3 for Tuesday
17

18. FrontPage: OL and gerrymandering activity on your desk
"President Obama's hometown newspaper, the Chicago Tribune has called on Obama
not to run for re-election. He has to run. He knows there are no other jobs out there."
–Jay Leno
"Steven Spielberg is going to release a biopic about Abraham Lincoln next year. Right,
that's a good way to honor Lincoln – by sending people to the theater." –Jimmy Fallon
"The military's policy of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' is officially over. Don't confuse this with
President Obama's economic policy, which is 'don't ask, I don't want to talk about it.'"
–Jay Leno
"An article in the paper says today that Rick Perry is just 'George Bush 2.0.' To which
Bush said '2.0? I wish I did that well in school. Those are my dream grades." –Jay Leno
"Did you know the White House makes its own beer? President Obama bought the
equipment with his own money and he brews his own beer in the White House. That
might explain some of these recent economic policies." –Jay Leno
Last Word: 5.2/5.3 for Wednesday 18

19. FrontPage: Turn in Gerrymandering activity…
Last Word: 5.2/5.3 for Wednesday 19

20. FrontPage: House/Senate chart on your desk.
Last Word: Read/OL 5.2 and 5.3 for tomorrow 20

21. FrontPage: House/Senate chart on your desk.
Some Guy Threw 4,800 Messages in a Bottle Into the Atlantic Ocean and Got 3,100
Responses from All Over the World
Harold Hackett's hobby, tossing messages in a bottle into the ocean, proves that even the
most outdated and unreliable form of 'social networking' can still work in our facebooking,
twittering world. He sent 4,800 messages via the Atlantic and received over 3,000 messages
back from all over the world.
Last Word: Read/OL 5.4 for Monday; in Library tomorrow
21

22. FrontPage: 5.4 Outline on your desk. Why are congressional
committees important?
Last Word: Read/OL 5.5 for Wednesday; Ch 5 Test Friday
22

23. FrontPage: NNIGN
Last Word: Read/OL 5.5 for Wednesday; Ch 5 Test Friday
23

24. FrontPage: OL 5.5 on your desk. Why are Congressional
staff vital to an MoC’s re-election?
Last Word: Chapter 5 Test Monday/Tuesday 24

25. FrontPage: Pair up with your partner and grab a computer.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A simulation run by EA SPORTS™ NHL® 12 predicts
that Sidney Crosby, despite missing almost 17 games during the regular season, will lead the
Pittsburgh Penguins to a second place finish in the Eastern Conference standings (100 points)
and their fourth Stanley Cup® Championship. Crosby will be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy
as the Penguins take home the Stanley Cup in a decisive 4-2 series win against a resurgent
Chicago Blackhawks team.
Last Word: Chapter 5 Test Monday/Tuesday 25

26. FrontPage: Turn in your Staff Scenario and/or Webquest.
"Big changes in the Republican field. It's a 10-way tie for Not Romney." –Stephen Colbert
"They say Chris Christie decided not to get into the presidential race because he has no shot at
winning. That’s not stopping President Obama though." –Jay Leno
"A month ago, all we heard about was Rick Perry and now, he’s off the map. He had a worse
September than the Red Sox." –David Letterman
"Hey, Congratulations to Donald Trump, who just welcomed his fourth grandchild! You could tell
it was Trump’s grandchild because as soon as it came out, it demanded to see its own birth
certificate." –Jimmy Fallon
"As the Republicans continue checking underneath every available flag pin and Bible for viable
candidates, presumed de facto frontrunner candidate Mitt Romney has gotta be thinking, ‘What
the fudge? This is starting to hurt where my feelings should be.'" –Jon Stewart
"In a new interview, President Obama revealed that Steve Jobs gave him an iPad last year before
it was officially released. Unfortunately, it broke when Biden thought it was an Etch A Sketch and
started shaking it." –Jimmy Fallon
Last Word: Chapter 5 Essay Test tomorrow 26

27. FrontPage: NNIGN
Last Word: Read/OL 6.1 Pt 1 (pgs. 157-163: stop at “non-
legislative powers) for Thursday 27

28. FrontPage: Find a partner and one computer for your pair.
Last Word: Read/OL 6.1 Pt 1 (pgs. 157-163: stop at “non-
legislative powers) for Thursday 28

29. FrontPage: Have FP Sheet and OL on your desk.
Best Tip Ever
Best Pet Halloween Costume Ever
Last Word: Finish 6.1 for Wednesday
29

30. FrontPage: Why do people say that
“money is power?”
The Last Word: Finish 6.1 for Wednesday 30

31. FrontPage: Have your OL 6.1 and
PowerPoint notes on your desk.
The Last Word: OL 6.2 due Friday 31

32. FrontPage: Have your OL 6.1 and
PowerPoint notes on your desk.
The Last Word: OL 6.2 due Friday 32

33. FrontPage: Have your OL 6.2 on your
desk…turn in your FP to the back box.
The Last Word: Chapter 6 Quest Monday 33

34. FrontPage: NNIGN
The Last Word: Read/OL 7.1 Part 1 (181-184) for Wednesday
34

35. FrontPage: Take a copy of the survey and complete it.
The Last Word: Read/OL 7.1 Part 1 (181-184) for Wednesday
35

36. FrontPage: Why do so few bills become laws? Why
do a select few become laws so quickly?
The Last Word: Read/OL 7.1 Part 2 (184-186) for Monday
36

37. FrontPage: Have bill topic wksht out.
"I'm guessing our soldiers are happy to be leaving Iraq. It is no fun being in a country where
there's crumbling infrastructure and an ignorant population, but they said they're happy to
come home anyway." –Bill Maher
"Earlier this week, a protester at Occupy Wall Street proposed to his girlfriend. His exact
words were, 'Will you occupy my parents' basement with me until I get a job?'" –Conan
O'Brien
"The Republicans had yet another debate the other night. This is their seventh one. They're
apparently going to keep having these debates until Rick Perry can get one right." –Jay Leno
"Almost all of Rick Perry's support appears to have gone to Herman Cain because, again,
and I cannot stress this enough, nobody likes Mitt Romney." –Jon Stewart
"It was on this day in 1867 that the United States bought Alaska from the Russians. And
about six months from now, we’ll probably be selling it to China." –Craig Ferguson
"Rick Perry has dropped 20 points in the polls in one week. They say he is so depressed
about this, he hardly has the energy to execute anybody." –Bill Maher
The Last Word: Read/OL 7.1 Part 2 (184-186) for Monday
37

38. FrontPage: NNIGN
The Last Word:
Bill worksheet (bill) and research due Monday
Read/OL 7.1 Part 2 (184-186) for Monday 38

39. FrontPage: Begin class by seeking out co-sponsors for
your bill (25% of your party, 2 from other party).
The Last Word: Hold on to “Topics” and “Research” sheet.
Complete Journal entry 1 39

40. FrontPage: What happens to all bills after they are
introduced into either House?
The Last Word: Finish OL 7.1 for Monday 40

41. FrontPage: NNIGN
The Last Word: Finish OL 7.1 for Monday 41

42. FrontPage: NNIGN
The Last Word: Finish OL 7.1 for Monday; research, bill
and reports due Tuesday 42

43. FrontPage: OL on your desk. Why is today a particularly
important day, especially here in PT?
The Last Word: Finish voting webquest for tomorrow 43

44. FrontPage: Turn in voting webquest. What happens to bills
after they are reported by committee (if they are lucky)?
The Last Word: Journal Entry 2 44

45. FrontPage: NNIGN
The Last Word: Speech/PPT due Thursday 45

46. FrontPage: NNIGN
HOW TO:
Make a brownie
inside of an eggshell.
You make a hole in the shell
with a corkscrew, stand the
shell up in a muffin tin with
tin-foil supports, and fill the
egg with brownie batter
using a piping bag and bake
(make sure to leave room in
the egg to allow for cakeular
expansion!).
The Last Word: Speech/PPT due Wednesday 46

47. FrontPage: Grab a computer and start working.
"A new poll shows 45 percent of Republicans believe that Mitt Romney will be the
nominee, and that rises to 46 percent if you count Rick Perry, who also believes Mitt
Romney will be the nominee." –Jay Leno
"Today's date is 11/11/11! Or as Joe Biden calls that, “A great email password!'" –
Jimmy Fallon
"Tomorrow is 11-11-11! Or as Rick Perry calls it: '11-11-Wait don't tell me, I will get
this. I know there is a third one.'" –Conan O'Brien
"The Republican presidential candidates held a debate in Michigan. Just what
Michigan needs: 12 more people looking for a job." –Conan O'Brien
"According to a new poll, 42 percent of Americans say they are uncomfortable with
the idea of having a Mormon president. When asked why, the people said, 'We're
still getting used to having a Muslim president.'" –Conan O'Brien
The Last Word: Speech/PPT due Wednesday 47

48. FrontPage: Get with your partner and make final
preparations for our floor debate; email PPT to
webapps if you have not emailed it..
The Last Word: No homework 48

49. FrontPage: Sit with your party and angle desks
towards the front. Have your journals out.
The Last Word: No homework 49

50. FrontPage: Sit with your party and angle desks
towards the front. Have your journals out.
The Last Word: OL 7.3 for Tuesday (next week) 50

51. Journal Entry – Debate
• Write the name of the bill in the first available
space.
• Write each persons’ name who gives a
speech/PowerPoint
• Write down one piece of information or something
that persuaded you, and one positive comment
about either part of presentation.
51

52. Journal Entry #4: Voting
• Consider your vote in favor of or against the two
bills.
• For each vote, answer the following questions:
– What was the biggest influence on your vote? Why?
– From your text reading (7.3), what might be the most
significant influence for a real MoC in a similar situation?
Why?
52