UNIT III

The Executive Branch

 

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The focus of this unit will be on the powers of the president, and the president's relationship to the other branches of the federal government. We will also be following this year’s election and analyze the results. We will also take a look at the current issues facing the President and the Executive Branch. A presidential election simulation will be interspersed throughout the unit. Finally, we will close with an examination of the president’s Cabinet and the executive agencies.

 

      Unit Activities:

 

      1.) HW: 

             a.) Teacher Worksheets:

             b.) Student analysis of qualities that make a good president

             c.) Student analysis of the Presidential Powers

             d.) Examining Propositions 30-40

      2.) Lectures/Discussions: On the history and development, and aspects of the nature of the presidency,

           Misconduct in the White House (if time permits) , the qualities that make a strong Chief Executive

           and its clashes between parts of the government. We will also cover presidential decision-making

           processes, foreign policy, and continue to analyze executive authority. We will also examine if the

           president is too powerful or not powerful enough.

      3.) Continue with the Presidential Election Simulation

      4.) Reading: Teacher handouts and sections of Chapters 13-15 of Magruder's American Government

      5.) Debates/Discussions: Presidential Hotseat: Qualities that Make a Good President; The Federal Bureaucracy: For Better or for Worse? discussion

      6.) Videos: The Secret Service, Sections from 60 Minutes, clips from West Wing, Frontline episode, and

            It’s Good to Be President (if Time Permits)

 

Back to Unit II                                   Table of Contents

 

MON.

3/10

Start Pres. Powers lecture (#47)

Go Over Secrets of America’s Great Presidents (#48)

·         Download and print Presidential Worksheet (due Thu/Fri 3/20  3/21) (#49)

·         Print and read this page: Hail to the Chief: The Making and Unmaking of American Presidents (#50)

·         Read Secrets of America’s Great Presidents and do questions (#48)

·         Download, print, and place this schedule behind your Unit III divider (#46)

 

TUE./WED.

3/11-3/12

Finish Presidential Powers Lecture (#47)

 

INTRO President Hotseat: Charisma, Trust, Consensus, Pragmatism, and Vision (#51)

 

Start Office of the White House lecture  (#52)

 

Start West Wing Special Episode: West Wing (#53)

 

Welcome to the West Wing  Handout with : It’s Good to be President (#54)

 

·         Work on  Presidential Worksheet (due Thu/Fri 3/20  3/21) (#49)

·         Work On Hotseat: Opening Statement: follow guidelines (#51)

·         For fun check out a comprehensive list of PRESIDENTIAL RANKINGS  (scroll down a bit to see the lists) and the U.S. News and World Reports rankings of the 10 Worst Presidents  and participate in their reader  poll

Here is the grading breakdown for the Hotseat paper:

 

Points    a.) Paragraph 1 – Introduce and define their quality

 

2              b.) Paragraph 1-  describe why it’s the most important quality;

    

¾ x4=3    c.) Paragraph 2- Give 2 examples of when a president exhibited it and 

                                             describe what happened for each example

 

¾ x4=3    d.) Paragraph 3- Give 2 examples of when a president didn’t exhibit it      

                                             and describe what  happened for each example

 

1              e.) Paragraph 4- Conclusion- summarize findings

 

2              f.) Complete Questions to ask other  groups and attach them in the

                                                       write-up (2 per other qualities= 8 questions)

TOTAL=    /12

 

 

 

THU./FRI.

3/13-3/14

Finish West Wing Video (#53)

 

Finish Office of the White House Lecture (#52)

 

Go Over Test

 

Brainstorm questions for Hotseat

 

·         Do: Truth and Consequences (#55)

MON.

3/17

Discussion: The President and Foreign Policy- the role and Ukraine

 

It’s Good to be President Video

·         Read Flip Floppers Make Better Presidents (#56)

 

TUE./WED.

3/18-/3/19

Finish It’s Good to be President Video

 

Start Hotseat (#51)

 

·         Read Chpt 15 by Fri.

·         Complete Presidential Worksheet (#49)

THU/FRI

3/20-3/21

Finish Presidential Hotseat

 

Government of the United States, and Fifteen Executive Departments (#54)

 

Intro Bureaucracy for Better or for Worse Discussion

 

 

·         Bureaucracy for Better for Worse: Good (only have to review 3 “Myths” and not all 6- choose either the first 3 or last 3); Bad (or this one) prep for discussion/debate: Interactively highlight the article. Interactively Highlighting an article is: (#57)

 1.) READ THE ARTICLE!

2.) make annotated notes in the margins

3.) highlight key words, terms, phrases

4.) Ask questions in the margins

5.) Summarize in 1-2 paragraphs what the article is about

6.) State your opinion (an analysis of what you think. (Do not just put down it’s interesting or it was boring.)

·         Prep Unit III Quest TUE/WED: Unit III studyguide (#58)

 

 

MON.

3/24

Secret Service Video

Review

·         Bureaucracy for Better for Worse: Good (only have to review 3 “Myths” and not all 6- choose either the first 3 or last 3); Bad (or this one) prep for discussion/debate: Interactively highlight the article. Interactively Highlighting an article(#57) is:

 1.) READ THE ARTICLE!

2.) make annotated notes in the margins

3.) highlight key words, terms, phrases

4.) Ask questions in the margins

5.) Summarize in 1-2 paragraphs what the article is about

6.) State your opinion (an analysis of what you think. (Do not just put down it’s interesting or it was boring.)

·         Prep Unit III Quest: Unit III studyguide (#58)

TUE./WED. 3/25/3/26

Bureaucracy Debate/Discussion (35 minutes)

Quest: Unit III (30 minutes)

Start Unit IV

Intro Senate Simulation (25 minutes) (#60)

 
  • For Thu./Fri: Download, print, and read your assigned topic (#) for the Senate Sim. Remember to read 2 articles on your topic: the background article and either a pro or a con article. Please write a 1 paragraph summary of each article. Be ready to discuss the topic the next class.(for those who re absent print the articles on the minimum wage)

THU/FRI

3/27-3/28

Continue Explanation of Senate Simulation (#60)

Go over Simulation Gradesheet (#61)

Senate Sim (#) – Bill Writing

Start Congress Lecture (#62)

MON.

3/31

Congress Lecture (#62)
  • Print and do Chpt.10 W/S Due Thu/Fri
  • Work on Expert Paper and Visual (print out articles that will help you prepare for the paper and visual)

TUE/WED

4/1-4/2

Senate Caucus: class split into Rep. and Dem.; assign committees, assign leadership roles, go over finished bills

·         Bring Materials (research articles, poster board, etc.) to work on for the Expert Paper and Visual. Teacher will check for this in class.

THU./FRI

4/3-4/4

Time to work on Expert Paper and Visual

 

Finish Caucus (1st period)

 

Video: Speaker of the House, Partisanship in Congress

** if time permits

 

 

·         Work on Expert Paper and Visual

MON.-FRI.

4/7-4/11

SPRING BREAK- NO SCHOOL!

·         None- unless you didn’t work on the  Expert Paper and Visual already- due Tue/Wed. If not please work on it. Senate hearings are on Tue/Wed.

·         Go To Unit IV and V Schedule