Constitution Nation
Due Date	Assignment
Monday, February 6	1. Read pages 1-20 (chapter 1) of 1984. 2. Practice your object speech.  We will present on Monday.  See guidelines below and refer to rubric you received in class.   3. Write up a proposal (one paragraph) explaining the project you would like to complete for the reading assessment of The Fault in Our Stars.  Include the overall purpose of the project and your end product.
Friday, February 3	Finish the book!!  Bring your item for your object speeches.
Thursday, February 2	Read to page 268. Practice and bring your item for your object speech.  In your speech you must do the following: 1. show the object and describe it completely  2. tell the uses of the object - humorous or practical  3. tell anything that may be of interest to the audience regarding the object  4. speech may be informative or entertaining or a bit of both  5. time limit is 2 minutes  Finish your Portfolio reflection.  Answer the following questions: 1. What has been my best piece of work?  Why? 2. What has challenged me the most?  Why? 3. What are my goals for the next month?
Wednesday, February 1	Read to page 233.
Tuesday, January 31	POETRY OUT LOUD!
Monday, January 30	PRACTICE!  MEMORIZE!  RECITE YOUR POEM TO ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN!  Poetry Out Loud Performances on Tuesday! Read to page 176.
Thursday, January 26	PRACTICE!  MEMORIZE!  RECITE YOUR POEM TO ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN!  Also, read up to page 90 for Thursday.  Don't forget the assignment below!  Poem or essay due Thursday.
Wednesday, January 25	Due Wednesday:  Read up to page 64.  Momorize your poem! Due Thursday:  CHOOSE ONE: a) Write your own Autobiographia Literaria.  4-5 stanzas.  or b) Write a 1-2 page essay expalining how the poems we read today in class are ironic.  How do the poems answer the question, "What is poetry?"  EXTRA:  The State of the Union is TONIGHT!  Watch it and write a one page response to what you see and hear.
Tuesday, January 24	Read up to page 38 in our new novel.  Also, you wll need to choose a poem by the end of class tomorrow, so if you need to do more searching, look on the Poetry Out Loud website.
Monday, January 23	Town Hall Walls are due at the beginning of class!
Tuesday, January 17	Bring in your printed "about the topic" section.  Remember that you need 3-5 paragraphs.
Friday, January 13	You will have one more day to research your topic in class.  You should be collecting information in Noodle Tools regarding the background of your topic, quotes from cases, Constitution connections, and pro and con viewpoints.  By Tuesday of next week (Jan. 17) you need to have your "about the topic" context section completed.  We will work on editing, writing the pro/con list, and formatting next week.
Wednesday, January 11	Continue researching topics for your Town Hall Wall and decide on a particular topic.  Your topic should have a link to the Constitution! Come up with your guiding question (needs to start with "Should" or "Can" and needs to be a yes or no question) for tomorrow.  We will be continuing research in class.  Be sure to keep track of resources in NoodleTools.   Useful sites: idebate.org; procon.org; nytimes.com; oyez.org
Tuesday, January 10	Review the gun control Town Hall Wall lesson we did before break.  Bring these sheets with you to class. Complete your second edit of your stories.  Bring all drafts printed tomorrow.
Monday, January 9	Complete your candidate profile sheet, political ideology sheet, and your campaign strategy sheet for class on Monday.  You can present your information in bullet point form, but make sure it is neat and typed.  We will be hanging these up for reference as the primary season continues.
Friday, January 6	Complete the Republican Primary Candidate chart for class Friday.  Be sure to back up your opinions and use the resource sheet of websites.
Wednesday, January 4	No break homework!  See you in 2012!
Wednesday, December 21	Please email me a second draft of your story this evening if you did not give me one in class today.  We will finish edits on Wednesday.
Monday, December 19	Bring a first draft of your Do Now story.  We will do pair editing and write another draft for Wednesday.
Wednesday, December 14	Please type your Preamble artist statement and have it ready at the start of class tomorrow.  Also, complete any remaining edits of your essays.
Monday, December 12	Continue revisions of Amending Constitution essays.
Friday, December 9	Complete the revisions for your Amending the Constitution essays.  Be sure if you use sources (internet articles, texts) to cite them in your paper.  We will review citation in class tomorrow, but make sure you have a bibliography of sources.
Thursday, December 8	1. Complete the gun control town hall wall worksheet for class.  Also, think about an issue you would like to explore further for your town hall wall.  It helps if your issue is current and has been in the courts for research purposes.
Wednesday, December 7	Write a one or two page reflection about our experiences at South Station and Occupy Boston today.  Did you feel that people knew about the Constitution?  What types of answers did you receive?  What kinds of people responded to your questions?  What were your impressions of Occupy Boston?  You can also reflect on your own questions.  Bring this paper with you tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 6	Be sure to bring your Constitution Cafe questions with you to school!  Be sure to wear comfortable shoes since we will be galavanting around South Station.  Also, bring your subway passes (if you have them.)  Revise your Constitution Cafe essays and turn in your rough draft and second draft at the start of class before we leave for our trip.
Monday, December 5	First drafts of Constitution Amending persuasive essays due Monday at the start of class.
Thursday, December 1	No homework.  Break a leg PAA members!
Wednesday, November 30	Come to class tomorrow with a solid draft of your thesis statements for your amending the Constitution papers.  We will spend class time researching evidence for your papers.
Monday, November 21	Think about what section of the Constitution you would choose to amend, how you would amend it, and why.  We will be working on thesis statements for your essays on Monday.  Preamble books due on Tuesday.  We will have some work time on Monday, but you should consider taking your book home with you over the weekend if you are not near completion.
Thursday, November 17	Finish Constitution Cafe for Thursday!
Wednesday, November 16	Research a case that will be heard by the Supreme Court in the near future.  Use the websites listed below to find cases.  Think about the current justices on the Court and write a paragraph predicting how the Court might vote on the case given their background.  Bring your paragraphs to class. http://www.supremecourt.gov http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/s/supreme_court/index.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_Supreme_Court_cases Finish Constitution Cafe for THURSDAY!
Tuesday, November 15	Read Lesson 25 in the text.  Preamble books are due next Tuesday (Nov. 22).  We will have some work time this week, but work on them during SREPT when you have time.
Monday, November 14	1. Read Chapter 9 in Constitution Cafe.  2. Read Lesson 15 in your text.  Answer questions 4 and 5 on page 110.  Please have them ready to turn in at the beginning of class.  3. Haben will bring the Do Now for Monday.
Thursday, November 10	Study for the ICCA!  Use your study guide and the review from class.  Post your stories on Figment! (optional) Haben will bring in the Do Now for MONDAY.  There will be no Do Now on Thursday because of the ICCA.
Wednesday, November 9	If you have decided to write a piece for the Opening Lines project, you need to send me your stories for edits by tomorrow.  Also, be sure to sign up for a Figment account so that you can post your piece.  You can do that at http://figment.com/.  Work on the study guide.  Come with your questions so that we can have a productive review session!    Yvonne will bring the song/poem for the Do Now.
Tuesday, November 8	Look through notes and pages from Unit 2.  You will get a study guide tomorrow and the Unit 2 test is on Thursday.   Please consider writing a piece for the NY times Opening Lines assignment.  here is the link: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/using-opening-lines-from-the-magazines-lives-column-as-writing-prompts/ Choose one of the first lines and write a poem, story, essay...you decide!  Please get me your rough drafts by Tuesday at the latest.  Sabina will bring in the Do Now.
Monday, November 7	Read Chapter 8 in Constitution Cafe for Monday.  Laila is bringing in the son/poem for the Do Now on Monday.
Friday, November 4	Complete the sketching for your Preamble books.  You should come in tomorrow with your completed sketches so that we can begin work on the actual books in class. Read Chapter 8 in Constitution Cafe for Monday.  Shayna is bringing in a poem/song for the Do Now tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 2	Revise Pursuit of Happiness Essays.  Be sure to include all drafts.  Read Chapter 7 in Constitution Cafe for THURSDAY!
Monday, October 31	Read Chapter 6 in Constitution Cafe.
Friday, October 28	Read Chapter 5 in Constitution Cafe.  Be sure to split the reading between the two nights.  If you have not finished matting photos, please find a SREPT time to do so.
Wednesday, October 26	Read Chapter 4 in Constitution Cafe for Wednesday.  This chapter is about 40 pages long, so be sure not to leave it all for Tuesday night.  Plan to read about 20 pages each night.  Also, complete the Thomas Jefferson documentary homework sheet you will receive in class on Tuesday.  Be sure to write in complete sentences.
Monday, October 24	Read pages 1-50 in Constitution Cafe for Monday.  Be sure to read a section each night instead of saiving it all for Sunday!
Wednesday-Friday 10/19-10/21	For Wednesday: Finish Electoal College debate prep.  We will debate tomorrow. For Friday: Read Lessons 13 and 14 and take 2 column notes.  For Friday: Finish Pursuit of Happiness paper edits. For Friday: Finish Mad Libs "Do Now" so that we can switch on Friday.
Tuesday, October 18	Read Chapter 12.  Create a chart with three columns.  One column should be labeled "Powers of National Government over States."  A second column should be labeled "Limits on National Government" and a third column should be labeled "Limits on State Government."  Use pages 86-88 to help you fill out the chart.  We will use this chart in class.  Edits for the Pursuit of Happiness essay are due Friday.
Monday, October 17	Read Chapter 11 and take two column notes.
Friday, October 14	Complete your Pursuit of Happiness essay edits.  Bring in new drafts. Research your Founding Father.  Make sure to read the handout on your Founder carefully and use it as a base for your additional research.  You will be presenting your character tomorrow.  In your presentation include a biography, the person's involvement in the Constitutional Convention, and major events in the persons life.
Thursday, October 13	Read Lesson 10 and take two column notes.  Edit essays.  Final drafts due Friday, October 14.
Wednesday, October 12	Read Lesson 9 in your text book.  Take two column notes and answer questions #1 and #3 under "Reviewing the Lesson" on page 72.  Remember to bring in your photos for framing/matting.
Tuesday, October 11	Read Chapter 1 in Zinn's People's History.  We will discuss on Tuesday. Bring photos of Pursuit of Happiness for Monday.  We will be matting/framing.
Friday, October 7	Pursuit of Happiness essays due.  Also, be sure to bring final version of photos for Monday when we will be framing and using mat board to display them.
Thursday, October 6	Begin working on your Pursuit of Happiness essay.  First drafts are due Friday.
Wednesday, October 5	Revise your content assessments.  Bring in revised tests Wednesday. Bring in your Pursuit of Happiness photos.  Have them printed and framed (using frames or cardstock).  Read Chapter 3 in the Ben Franklin Bio.
Tuesday, October 4	Read Lesson 8 and answer questions 1, 2, 3, and 4 on page 66.  Work on your Pursuit of Hapiness photos.  Remember that your photos are due in class by Wednesday, October 5.  Read Chapter 3 in the Ben Frankin biography for Wednesday, October 5.
Monday, October 3	Test on Unit 1!  Remember to look through the text and define bold words, identify main points, and use your notes.   If you have questions about the test, please email me soon!
Friday, September 30	Review chapters 1-7 in the text as well as the primary sources we have read and the notes you have taken from class.  Come with your questions to Friday's class.  Read Chapter 2 in the Ben Franklin Biography. Begin work on your Pursuit of Happiness project.  If you need framing supplies, please let me know by Friday.
Wednesday, September 28	Read Lesson 7.  You do not need to take two column notes.  Answer question #1 in "What Do You Think?" on page 56 and #1 and #3 from "Reviewing the Lesson"  on page 56. Read Chapter 1 (pg. 17-60) in the Benjamin Franklin biography.
Tuesday, September 27	Read Lesson 6 and take two column notes.  Bring in one of your favorite canned or boxed foods.  (You will see why tomorrow) For Wednesday: Read Chapter 1 (pg. 17-60) in the Benjamin Franklin biography.
Monday, September 26	Read Lesson 5 and take two column notes.
Friday, September 23	Read Lesson 4 and take two column notes.
Thursday, September 22	Read Lesson 3 and take twocolumn notes.  Remember that in your two column notes to read each paragraph and think about how the content of that paragraph helps to answer the question.  You should have a solid answers to the question headings in your notes.
Wednesday, September 21	Today we discussed  your responses to the "Thining Like a Political Philosopher" activity (pg. 16).  Look back at those responses.  How do your answers compare to the values of classical republicans and natural rights philosophers?  What similarities and differences are there between your ideas about rights and those of the classical world?  Answer these questions in at least one paragraph.
Tuesday, September 20	In Lesson 2  you read about Classical Republicanism (pages 12-14) and the Natural Rights Philosophy(pages 16-18).  Answer the following questions for each political theory.  If it helps you, make a two column chart to organize your answers.  1. What is the primary goal of humans living together? 2. What ought to motivate human behavior? 3. What is the relationship between the public sphere and the provate sphere? 4. How important is participation in civic activities?
Monday, September 19	Read Lesson 2, Unit 1 in your text.  This time, take notes using the two column question note taking method.  Divide your paper in thirds, using  2/3 for your "answers" and one third for the "question."  Each Lesson is divided into sections which are headed by questions (bold).  Write the question in the 1/3 section of your paper.  Then, answer this question as you read.  Try to keep your answers to 5 bullet points (fewer if the section is short.)  Draw a line after you have finished answering the question and begin with the next question until you finish the lesson.  Bring these notes to class on Monday!
Friday, September 16	Read Lesson 1, Unit 1 (pages 2-10) in your We The People Text.  Answer the Critical Thinking exercise on page 10.  Be sure to write your answers in complete sentences.
Monday, September 9th	Bring supplies needed for class (binder(s), paper, pencils/pens, 2 packages of dividers).
Friday, September 9th	Take 20-30 minutes to write about how a group of people (20 - 12 men, 5 women and 3 children) organize themselves.  They are a group of people who have traveled a long distance and have arrived in the woods.  They apparently are alone in this new place.  How will they organize their community?  Will they have a leader?  How will that leader be chosen?  Will there be jobs each member of the community will have?
Wednesday,Sept. 7th	Come to the first day of school with your summer readings and writings completed :-)