Cornell Note-Taking

In my AP class, you will be required to take notes using Cornell formatting.  This video is a great introduction to Cornell notes, and will give you some practical instruction on how to do them.

Welcome to AP Government

Welcome to the AP government section of my website.  Here you will find important tools and resources that will help you be successful in this class, including the course calendar, and an online repository of any handouts or assignments that I give to you throughout the year.

AP United States Government & Politics is an amazing class.  This course explores the political theory and everyday practice that direct the daily operation of our government and shape our public policies.  The express purpose of this course is to prepare you to take the AP Exam for U.S Government and Politics, but we will certainly have fun along the way.  

The course is for all intents and purposes taught on a college level and it requires a substantial amount of reading and preparation for every class.  You should expect to take copious notes and review them daily just like you will in college.  If you do, you ought to have no problem performing well on daily quizzes and unit tests.  If you don't, you are going to struggle.

The objectives of this course go beyond a basic analysis of how our government “works.”  You will develop a critical understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the American political system, as well as your rights and responsibilities as citizens.

Feel free to explore the links on the right, my Twitter feed, and/or past posts.  If you have any suggestions regarding how I can improve this site, please email me.  I'd love to hear from you!

We the People Notes

Here are the notes that I put up on the whiteboard on the days we discussed the We the People units.

Units I, II, & III

Units IV & V

Unit VI:

Unit VI - Challenges for the future

1. Citizenship
1. Good citizenship vs. self-interest
2. Naturalization
3. Losing citizenship
4. Rights & responsibilities of citizens
2. Civic engagement
1. Voluntary associations
2. Local & state governments
3. National government
4. Voter turnout
5. Civic engagement & self-interest, common good
3. Civil Rights Movement, social change
1. Segregation
2. Civil Rights Act (1964)
3. Voting Rights Act (1965)
4. Influencing other nations
1. U.S. ideas —> influences other parts of the world
1. Presidential government
2. Federalism
3. Judicial power, human rights
2. U.N. Declaration of Human Rights
5. Major challenges
1. Diversity
2. Technology
3. Expectations of government - changing?
4. Civil discourse - how to address problems
5. Pressing constitutional change?
1. Life & death
2. Term limits
3. Property rights
4. Campaign finance
5. Challenges in world affairs
6. Constitution - U.S. and world affairs
1. International law
2. International organizations - international order
3. How do we influence international affairs?
1. Vote
2. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
3. Travel
4. Participate in international education
5. Make informed consumer decisions
4. Globalization (economy)
7. Back to fundamental principles
1. Liberty vs. order
2. Unity vs. diversity
3. Majority rule vs. minority rights
4. Positive vs. negative rights

Letter to Member of Congress Assignment

Here are the instructions I wrote on the board for your letter to your Member of Congress.

Gift Card Survey

You must be signed in to your APA account to participate in the survey below.

Redemption Lab

Good news!  There is a way that you can improve your grade in the government class.  All you have to do is:

1. Print out a learning lab referral sheet.  You can find these in the Assignments and Resources tab.
2. Take it to learning lab (after school until 6pm)
3. While working with a tutor, complete or redo any assignment that is missing or that you got a low grade on.
4. Have have one of the tutors fill it out and sign it at the bottom.
5. Staple it to the front of your homework assignment as a cover sheet.
6. Turn your completed assignment in to the tray at the back of my classroom.

Washington, D.C. Trip

I have an exciting announcement to make.  Mr. Peterson has approved my request to take AP government students to Washington, D.C.!  To make this happen, we will need to do some serious fundraising, but I'm confident that we can do it.  There will be a meeting at 5 p.m. on August 6 at TAS to discuss this information more and answer any questions that you or your parents might have.  Please e-mail me if you have any questions.