AP United States Government

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Wilfred Alexander
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1 Review of summer assignment: -- students presentations of policy expertise Militarism Influence of media Direct democracy/prop 37 Role of US/Greek & Spanish debt The Cheating Culture - establish policy familiarity, commit to following these news items during the year - explain the basic dynamics of policymaking in light of chosen areas of policy expertise (objective test) -- plan, compose, revise and submit two- page essay synthesizing concepts of democracy and analyzing American democracy Winner-Take-All Politics -- practice AP multiple choice & Immigration free response skills The Founders and the Constitution September -- read and interpret the Constitution in light of Founders values -- explain the basic dynamics of policymaking in light of current events -- show the connection between Enlightenment thinking and the Declaration of Independence and Constitution -- explain the principles on which the Constitution is based -- explain the Compromises required for ratification -- identify direct and indirect democratic activity in present day Federalism -- explain how, over time, congressional and judicial actions have defined different iterations of federalism -- classify layer cake, marble cake, cooperative, creative, permissive federalism -- research, examine, and present findings and conclusions about how federalism shaped policy response to current crises (natural disasters, 9/11, education, immigration, areas of policy expertise agreed to in (objective test) -- plan, compose, revise and submit two- page essay synthesizing concepts of democracy and analyzing American democracy 1 of 6

2 August) -- in groups, coordinate and present researched conclusions in oral presentations aided by PowerPoint slide about how federalism shapes institutions responses to policy areas listed at left; Q&A period follows each presentation American political behavior -- identify citizens' beliefs about their government and their leader -- compare American beliefs to English, French, Swedish and Japanese beliefs -- interpret past polling data about citizens' beliefs about their government and their leader -- define and identify evidence of political efficacy; distinguish local efficacy from national efficacy -- interpret current data about current hot-button issues using online access -- identify patterns/trends in data about Americans' civic behavior and sense of political efficacy -- in groups, coordinate and present researched conclusions in oral presentations aided by PowerPoint slide about how federalism shapes institutions responses to policy needs; Q&A period followed each presentation -- plan, compose, revise and submit two- page essay synthesizing concepts of federalism -- AP multiple choice & free response skills American political behavior -- identify citizens' political beliefs about their government and their leader -- compare American beliefs to English, French, Swedish and Japanese beliefs -- identify and explain processes by which citizens learn about politics -- in groups, reach and present conclusions about American political efficacy as interpreted through use of current public 2 of 6

3 -- identify and explain civic duty opinion found in an online database and civic competence of media- and think tank-sponsored -- interpret past polling data about surveys citizens' beliefs about their government and their leader -- define and identify evidence of political efficacy; distinguish local efficacy from national efficacy -- interpret current data about current hot-button issues using online access Public opinion & Elections -- identify patterns/trends in data about Americans' civic behavior and sense of political efficacy -- identify and explain polling methods -- identify and explain sources of political attitudes -- explain cleavages of public opinions -- interpret data that identify how socioeconomic classes differ in opinion -- explain socioeconomic classes' differences in opinion -- define political ideology, liberalism, conservatism, and "mixed" ideologies -- explain why there is no clear-cut cleavage in American political ideology -- public spkg/presentation skills -- collaborate to research and compile candidate and issue information for a student-directed presentation about the media's influence on presidential elections, coordinated with presidential elections as appropriate Political parties & Elections -- trace & explain the development of American political parties -- differentiate between national and subnational levels of party leadership -- explain party organization -- explain the caucus, the primary, and general elections -- review types of voter AP mult choice & free response 3 of 6

4 participation vis-a-vis campaigns and elections -- explain the similarities and differences between presidential and congressional campaigns and elections -- compare how challengers and incumbents campaign -- discuss the role of money in campaigning and elections -- explain the pro's and con's of the electoral college Congress -- discuss and cite historical and real-time examples of congressional functions -- explain and cite historical and real-time examples of congressional organization -- explain and analyze real-time examples of congressional powers -- link congressional leadership and party leadership -- explain the relationship between Congress and the presidency -- explain the relationship between Congress and the courts -- subjective test: explain via essay, outline or diagram whether Congress is big enough AP multiple choice & free response The Presidency -- discuss and cite historical and real-time examples of executive functions -- explain and cite historical and real-time examples of executive organization -- explain and analyze real-time examples of executive powers, formal and inherent -- explain the links between congressional leadership, party leadership, presidential leadership -- explain the relationship between - -- subjective test: explain via essay, outline or diagram why we say that Congress is "vast and complex" AP multiple choice & free response 4 of 6

5 the presidency and Congress -- assess the president s budget in light of the above The Federal Bureaucracy The Federal Budget -- use relevant vocabulary to explain the hiring of bureaucrats and culture of bureaucracy -- identify key legislation and/or legal decisions that have shaped the bureaucracy -- explain the policy and power relationships between Congress, the President and the bureaucracy, including but not limited to the following tasks: -- identify federal agencies' policy areas and cite examples of when and how they exercise policy discretion --terms matching quiz -- practice Free Response in groups, with groups scoring FR's using AP rubric -- explain how Congress ensures that agencies follow legislative intent -- in groups, compose and score a practice Free Response -- use relevant vocabulary to explain general spending categories and the federal budget process -- explain budget trends, including an analysis of entitlement programs trends speculation about future --terms matching quiz -- practice Free Response in groups, with groups scoring FR's using AP rubric -- in groups, using government websites, research so as to present with PowerPoint slide and quartersheet distributable basic and current information about fiscal policy, monetary policy, the deficit, the debt, and the progressive income tax -- synthesize in a timed writing groups' presentations (above) and solve the current economic crisis OR balance the budget, taking into account both majoritarian and client politics 5 of 6

6 The Judiciary -- examine judicial evolution (national supremacy, scope of government, personal freedoms, enforcement) by performing groupwork to trace the judiciary's evolution: research facts of selected cases in judicial history and report a precis that includes the basic facts of the cases, the Supreme Court's decision, and how the cases challenged the Constitution -- compile with classmates a document that lists facts and decisions of cases that show judicial evolution (see above) -- explain the structure of the courts system -- discuss the politics of the Supreme Court, including an evaluation of the Court as policymaker -- practice Free Response in groups, with groups scoring FR's using AP rubric -- basic research jigsaw to compile list of cases & to determine their significance in judicial evolution; two-minute presentations -- basic recall quiz about famous cases/judicial evolution (case names, dates, content) Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (Overarching Question: Who governs and to what ends?) -- explain the civil rights protections inherent to the Bill of Rights and Civil War Amendments -- trace the evolution of civil rights through legislation and legal decisions -- explain selective incorporation and identify cases where incorporation resulted -- in groups, compose and score Free Responses -- facilitate discussions about -- basic recall quiz on Bill of Rights & 13th-15th Amendments (case name, date, content) -- basic quiz on civil rights cases (case name, date, content) -- Final Project for the Course: Survivor AP (in groups, reflect upon the course, compile a survivor's guide, and present work to the class in media/medium of choice); or simulated AP exam, or final essay 6 of 6

AP U. S. Government and Politics Pacing Guide

AP U. S. Government and Politics Pacing Guide Strand 1 Introduction to U. S. Government ½ week Vocabulary related to government and politics Differences between government and politics Wilson, Chapter