United States Constitution Test Prep Resources

As we move closer to the all important United States Constitution test (the test will be given on Tuesday, December 3rd), I wanted to provide you all with new and different opportunities to prepare yourselves at home for one of our most important tests of the year.  Below are links to resources that I have created and/or compiled for you to use at home over the next few weeks.  These resources range from online flashcard sets, practice tests, and links to websites that are all designed to help prepare you to succeed on our Constitution test.  You may also open the "Assignments" tab and click on the United States Constitution folder (Chapter 3) to access documents and presentations that we have used in class.

Quizlet: United States Constitution Exam Flash Cards
- Quizlet is an website/app that allows you to create flashcards and use them in a variety of creative ways.  I have created a set of flash cards for the test that any of you can use simply to review key concepts, but if you mess around with the features enough you can see that Quizlet also lets you do things like playing review games, type out flash cards for repitition, and even take sample tests using the "Test" feature.  At the very least, I would like for each of you to use the "Cards" portion of what I have set up to review key concepts such as your Articles, Amendments and Principles.

Constitution Center: Interactive Constitution
- To read the full text of the United States Constitution in a visually appealing format, the Constitution Center in Philadelphia has set up an "Interactive Constitution" website with each major Article and Amendment included, along with Annenberg Classroom notes and breakdowns of what each major portion of the document is stating.

Twyman-Whitney: Constitution in Plain English
- This resource allows you to access a PDF file that condenses the entire Constitution into 7 pages.  This resource helps to give you a "Cliff Notes" version of a very complex document.

Twyman-Whitney: Amendments to the United States Constitution
- This resource is similar to the previously stated resource.  This, however, is only the Amendments portion of the Constitution.

Declaration of Independence DBQ Outlines Due Tomorrow

Just a reminder that your Declaration of Independence DBQ outlines are due tomorrow.  Make sure you use the sample outline I gave you in class on Friday, as well as all resources given to you last week over our four sources.

Also, you may now access all documents that you will need to complete your Declaration of Independence DBQ electronically.  You may do so by accessing the "Assignments" tab, and then clicking on the folder marked "Declaration of Independence DBQ".  All sheets are in PDF form.

Chapter Two: Origins of American Government

Tomorrow, we will begin our next unit over the Origins of American Government. This may be one of my favorite units to teach, as it is packed with history and drama, while also showing how we developed from a small, colonial nation into the world superpower that we have become today. We will do significant amounts of reading, research, and annotating primary sources (specifically the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of Confederation), culminating in the creation of your first formal DBQ Essay over the Declaration of Independence. This will be one of our longest and most detailed units of the year, but (as it is for me) I hope that it is also one of your most enjoyable units of study for the year.

Google Forms Assignment: Forms of Goverment

Tomorrow in class you will be using the CIA Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/) to research the governmental backgrounds of 15 political "hotspot" nations for the United States of America.  Here are the nations that you will be researching:

1) China
2) Syria
3) North Korea
4) Russia
5) France
6) Great Britain
7) Venezuela
8) Israel
9) Afghanistan
10) Egypt
11) Iran
12) Mexico
13) Cuba
14) Saudi Arabia
15) Libya

Use the CIA Factbook to become more familiar with each of these nations' governments.  You will use the CIA Factbook (and other various resources) to complete an online Google Forms worksheet.  You should use the hour to research and find answers.  Remember to use complete sentences at all times, and use any and every resource available to you.  You may complete this activity in pairs.

Google Forms Assignment Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1dvU9IACsg3EjL9MMU3_ANOagJ8oXXiULdcSVjF_VUWI/viewform

Chapter One: Forms of Government

Tomorrow we will start our next unit, which covers the roles that governments play in our every day lives and the different forms of government that exist within a society.  Understanding the importance that government plays on our every day lives is a crucial part of understanding how our nation operates on a day to day basis.  Also, learning about the types of government that exist throughout the world will hopefully give you added appreciation for the unprecedented freedoms and liberties that the United States of America offers you.

Political Ideologies Quiz: Wednesday, August 28th

This post is a reminder that we will be having a quiz over Political Ideologies on Wednesday, August 28th.  You can access resources to help you study for your quiz by clicking the "Assignments" tab at the top of the page and then clicking on the folder marked "Political Ideologies".

Unit #1: Political Ideologies:

This week we will begin our unit on Political Ideologies.  Understanding the differences between "conservatives" and "liberals" in government is incredibly important, as it helps to distinguish the belief systems of those who make the decisions that affect us on a day to day basis.  The highlight of this unit will be students determining their own political ideologies while simultaneously learning the differences between "conservatives" and "liberals", and how this affects our two major political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans.

Welcome to the 2013-2014 School Year!

Welcome back everyone!  I hope your summer was as good as it was short!  I am hoping that this blog and our class Facebook page will serve as great tools for you to utilize in order to stay up to date with what is going on in class currently.  Here are a few helpful hints to get you started in using the blog:

1) The "Assignments" Tab:
Here you will be able to find documents that I have uploaded via Google Drive.  Documents could include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Homework
• Lecture Presentations
• Review Guides
• Project Packets/Rubrics
• DBQ Resources
• Screencasts of Lectures

To fully utilize these documents, I would highly suggest creating an account through Google, which you may do by following this link:  Google Account Creation

2) The "Contact Information" Tab:

Here you can find all contact information for me, including my school email, my school phone extension, and a link to access my Twitter page and our class Facebook page.  

3) The "Follow @mrmcgaughey" Twitter Icon:

Click this to be directly routed to my Twitter account, which you can follow for class announcements and links to current happenings in American Government.  

4) The "Follow By Email" Icon:

Enter your email address here to follow this blog via email.  

As I continue to grow the blog throughout the year, I will continuously post tutorials on how to utilize the new features of the site.  Thanks for reading everyone, I'm looking forward to a GREAT school year and I hope you are too!

- Mr. McGaughey