Hey, look at you! You already found the place to get in the know about AP Gov't. The most pressing matter is pre-course assignments and the deadlines involved.
Spring 2018 students: As you may know, I made it optional to do the pre-course work over the summer. Most of you are going to complete it in December and early January. My thinking was that between Christmas break, the flexible week around exams and perhaps a snow day, you would be able to complete the assignments when they would feel more relevant.
The goal of the pre-course assignments is to build a foundation so that on the first day of class, we are ready to roll. Here are the steps involved:
1. Get connected:
Sign up for text reminders using the Remind app. You need to know what period you have the course.
2nd pd: enter this number 81010 and text this message: @2ndpdapgo
4th pd: enter this number 81010 and text this message: @4thpdapgo
Follow the Twitter feed: @LRHS AP GoPo
Deadline: January 22nd by 11:59 p.m.
3. Enroll in the proper Google Classroom: Do the "My Representatives" Assignment.
(If you don’t have your schedule, just create the assignment on a google doc and submit it when you do). Here are the directions. Here is a model.
2nd period: 1npxgcd
4th period: 2d1jcje
Any problems? Email me at angelascioli@gmail.com. Due date: Friday, January 26th at 11:59 p.m., but start now. It takes hours!
4. Familiarize yourself with the College Board AP Government Website. Ideal deadline: January 22nd by 11:59 p.m.
There is a LOT of useful info here (test date, format, big picture of the course, resources for helping you prepare for tests in class, etc.). I'm not going to hold your hand and make you prove that you gave this a thorough overview, but you will regret it if you don't. This is an AP class after all, and I am a hired gun for the College Board. I won't directly refer to this website in class, but it is in the background all the time.
5. Read and Analyze The Constitution (and amendments!) of the United States in preparation for a quiz. Deadline: 3rd Day of Class.
Use the button below to find the study sheet.
Complete it THOROUGHLY to prepare for the assessment.
I will NOT collect the guide, but completing it will make clear what you need to know and to what depth.
Just FYI, most students do pretty poorly on this assessment right out of the gate and it stresses them out for the first month of school. So, don't underestimate this task. Complete the guide AND review it. Access online quizzes and such to test your knowledge. It's a detailed and "big picture" document, but it IS concrete and "knowable". Just takes time and focus. Do yourself a favor and do it right. A solid foundational knowledge of the Constitution will serve you well ALL semester.
In fact, I'm so tired of people doing badly on this I will provide you a "shell" that shows the format and some of the stem / answer choices, just so you know what to expect. Here is the link.
The Constitution explains specifically how our government "works" - how the "democracy machine" envisioned by the founders was actually designed; this is the "user's manual" for succeeding generations. If you think about it that way - we've inherited the democracy and this is the "manual" for the way it works - it may help this task feel more relevant and immediate. In fact, we are going back to the Constitution all the time to figure out the way forward in this rocky political climate. There's never been a better time to be a Constitutional scholar!
Spring 2018 students: As you may know, I made it optional to do the pre-course work over the summer. Most of you are going to complete it in December and early January. My thinking was that between Christmas break, the flexible week around exams and perhaps a snow day, you would be able to complete the assignments when they would feel more relevant.
The goal of the pre-course assignments is to build a foundation so that on the first day of class, we are ready to roll. Here are the steps involved:
1. Get connected:
Sign up for text reminders using the Remind app. You need to know what period you have the course.
2nd pd: enter this number 81010 and text this message: @2ndpdapgo
4th pd: enter this number 81010 and text this message: @4thpdapgo
Follow the Twitter feed: @LRHS AP GoPo
Deadline: January 22nd by 11:59 p.m.
3. Enroll in the proper Google Classroom: Do the "My Representatives" Assignment.
(If you don’t have your schedule, just create the assignment on a google doc and submit it when you do). Here are the directions. Here is a model.
2nd period: 1npxgcd
4th period: 2d1jcje
Any problems? Email me at angelascioli@gmail.com. Due date: Friday, January 26th at 11:59 p.m., but start now. It takes hours!
4. Familiarize yourself with the College Board AP Government Website. Ideal deadline: January 22nd by 11:59 p.m.
There is a LOT of useful info here (test date, format, big picture of the course, resources for helping you prepare for tests in class, etc.). I'm not going to hold your hand and make you prove that you gave this a thorough overview, but you will regret it if you don't. This is an AP class after all, and I am a hired gun for the College Board. I won't directly refer to this website in class, but it is in the background all the time.
5. Read and Analyze The Constitution (and amendments!) of the United States in preparation for a quiz. Deadline: 3rd Day of Class.
Use the button below to find the study sheet.
Complete it THOROUGHLY to prepare for the assessment.
I will NOT collect the guide, but completing it will make clear what you need to know and to what depth.
Just FYI, most students do pretty poorly on this assessment right out of the gate and it stresses them out for the first month of school. So, don't underestimate this task. Complete the guide AND review it. Access online quizzes and such to test your knowledge. It's a detailed and "big picture" document, but it IS concrete and "knowable". Just takes time and focus. Do yourself a favor and do it right. A solid foundational knowledge of the Constitution will serve you well ALL semester.
In fact, I'm so tired of people doing badly on this I will provide you a "shell" that shows the format and some of the stem / answer choices, just so you know what to expect. Here is the link.
The Constitution explains specifically how our government "works" - how the "democracy machine" envisioned by the founders was actually designed; this is the "user's manual" for succeeding generations. If you think about it that way - we've inherited the democracy and this is the "manual" for the way it works - it may help this task feel more relevant and immediate. In fact, we are going back to the Constitution all the time to figure out the way forward in this rocky political climate. There's never been a better time to be a Constitutional scholar!
