MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 2017
Evie Stewart was the opening Student Chair.
Whole-class fill in of foldable information.
Whole class activity on positive attributes.
Maison Spaulding awarded custody of The Manatee and gaveled out.
Our next class will have three Student Chairs: Kate Truss will open and accept the minutes; Jolee Williams will award custody of The Manatee to the next student; Amelie Webb will gavel out.
homework:
please download the file below, print it and fill it out. bring it to web next week and drop it in the designated box. i have adjusted the file: there is only one page (no cover sheet). please do not put your name on the page! this is an anonymous evaluation, so please be honest. future students appreciate your help in making me a better teacher. :)
"Teacher Report Card"
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017
Abby Orendorff was the Student Chair.
Whole-class collaborative fact checking project.
Miss Orendorff gaveled out.
Our next class will have two Student Chairs: Evie Stewart will open and accept the minutes; Maison Spaulding will award custody of The Manatee to the next student and gavel out.
Cut your foldable handouts and paste them into your notebook. Remember to cut and paste the header for each foldable (yellow pages that you received last week).
please review your table of contents and bring it up to date.
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, April 5, 2017
Amelie Oakes was the Student Chair.
Class broke into two choice groups. Group A chose to work on notebooks and not have any homework. Group B chose to play a review game and take work home to finish.
Custody of The Manatee was awarded to Evie Stewart.
Miss Oakes gaveled out.
Our next Student Chair is Abby Orendorff.
group a: congratulations! you have no homework this week.
Group b: Please cut, paste, and fill in the foldables you received in class. The information you need can be found in your textbook. you may consult a classmate to fill in any gaps in your info. I am also available by email if you want my help. WEBamciv@gmail.com
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2017
Welcome back from Spring Break! I missed you.
Sera Oakes was the Student Chair.
Cut and pasted foldables for notebooks.
Students helped research answers and shared knowledge on the topics of the founding documents and the distribution of power. Students helped each other complete the notebook foldables.
Collaborate fact-gathering activity. I will fact check your cards and return them to you in class.
Custody of The Manatee was transferred to Liza Bandy.
Miss Oakes gaveled out.
Please finish any foldables in your notebook that you did not complete in class. you may consult a classmate to fill in any gaps in your info. please share your knowledge generously! there is no other homework for this week.
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2017
Cut and pasted a variety of foldables for notebooks.
Groups began research for an assigned area of study around the foundations of the US Constitution, and began filling out foldables for their assigned area of study.
Groups will share their finished work with other groups in next week's class.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILE.
"Creating the Constitution"
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, March 1, 2017
Whole class, collaborative assessment in the format of an escape game! You managed to get through the entire assessment with 5 minutes left on the clock. You demonstrated thorough knowledge of the material, good teamwork, and excellent problem-solving skills. Buen trabajo, todos!
Amelie and Sera Oakes took custody of The Manatee.
there is no homework this week! see you next wednesday!
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2017
Student Chair was Neenah Lohman.
Miss Lohman gaveled in, accepted the minutes from the previous meeting, and yielded the floor to Rowena Aldridge to continue the class.
Brief discussion and consensus decision about future Manatee custody.
Class activity about the powers, checks and balances of the three branches of the federal government.
Maison Spaulding took custody of The Manatee for this week.
Miss Lohman gaveled out.
Next week's Student Chair will be Ione McKerly.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILE.
"Civics Review for Timed Assessment"
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2017
Student Chair was Rose Majett.
Miss Majett gaveled in, accepted the minutes from the previous meeting, and yielded the floor to Rowena Aldridge to continue the class.
Socratic Seminars, with debrief.
Class discussion on how to narrow the focus within target issues.
The Manatee did not come to WEB today. Transfer of custody will take place outside of class.
Miss Majett gaveled out.
Next week's Student Chair will be Neenah Lohman.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILE.
-------> print the file and fill it out. <-------
“Developing Issue Expertise - Part 1”
Additional material! Please click the link below to download a refresher on appropriate email correspondence.
How to Communicate by Email
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, February 8, 2017
Student Chair was Bella Higginbotham.
Miss Higginbotham gaveled in, accepted the minutes from the previous meeting, and yielded the floor to Rowena Aldridge to continue the class.
Socratic Seminars, with debrief.
Class discussion on levels of government and jurisdictions.
Aslan Clo is the next mascot custodian, however The Manatee did not come to WEB today. Rowena will arrange for the transfer of custody.
Miss Higginbotham gaveled out.
Next week's Student Chair will be Rose Majett.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILE.
-------> print the file and fill it out. <-------
"Your Target Issue"
read the submission instructions and turn in your work accordingly.
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, February 1, 2017
Student Chair was Aslan Clo.
Miss Clo gaveled in, accepted the minutes from the previous meeting, and yielded the floor to Rowena Aldridge to continue the class.
Class discussion on presidential line of succession, 1st Amendment rights of the people to petition for redress of grievances, review of the 25th Amendment.
Class discussion on issues identified by the local print media as important; discussion on which issues the members of the class are drawn to address.
Custody of The Manatee transferred from Amelie Webb to Abby Orendorff.
Miss Clo gaveled out.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILE. READ EACH STEP. THIS IS A LONG ASSIGNMENT. PLAN TO WORK ON IT OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL DAYS.
"Political Leadership"
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017
Student Chair was Stella Brown.
Miss Brown gaveled in, accepted the minutes from the previous meeting, and yielded the floor to Rowena Aldridge to continue the class.
Class introduction to the Socratic/Paideai Seminar process.
Two small group seminars, with partner observers rating participation, and one whole class seminar on the seminar process.
Custody of The Manatee transferred from Jolee Williams to Amelie Webb.
Miss Brown gaveled out.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILE. READ EACH STEP. This is a long assignment. Plan to work on it over the course of several days.
"Identifying Community Issues"
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2017
Student Chair was Liza Bandy.
Miss Bandy gaveled in, accepted the minutes from the previous meeting, and yielded the floor to Rowena Aldridge to continue the class.
Colonies developed ideas for how to self-govern.
Inauguration committees met to finalize plans and work on materials.
We forgot to gavel out! So technically the class is still in session. :)
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILE. read each step.
"Basics of Democracy CORRECTED"
these are the videos you will need to view when you get to page 3 of the assignment:
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2017
Welcome back! This semester the students will rotate chairing the class, in alphabetical order according to last name. The first student chair was Miss Ella Aldridge.
Miss Aldridge gaveled in, accepted the minutes from the previous meeting, and yielded the floor to Rowena Aldridge to continue the class.
Academic groups began colonizing the moon.
Inauguration committees met to finalize supplies and equipment lists.
Miss Aldridge called the class to order. Motion to adjourn was carried; Miss Aldridge gaveled out. Next week’s student chair will be Miss Liza Bandy.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILES. reminder! - read the submission instructions so you will know what to turn in!
"Grievances"
THANK YOU FOR A terrific FALL SEMESTER! SEE YOU IN JANUARY 2017!
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2016
Gaveled in. Minutes entered into the record.
Mini lesson on the peaceful transfer of power.
Mini lesson on the 1st Amendment as it relates to current events.
Committees formed to begin planning Mascot swearing-in ceremony and Inaugural Ball.
Motion to adjourn carried. Gaveled out.
NO HOMEWORK! IF YOU AND YOUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS WISH TO CONFER BY EMAIL DURING BREAK, PLEASE REMEMBER TO INCLUDE ME IN THE MESSAGE. I WILL SEND A GROUP EMAIL by the end of this week SO YOU CAN CONFIRM THAT I HAVE RECORDED THE COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP CORRECTLY. SEE YOU ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH!
MINUTES FOR wEDNESDAY, nOVEMBER 9, 2016
Gaveled in. Minutes entered into the record.
Discussion of the results of the national Presidential election.
Analysis of the data of the WEB Mock Election results.
Attempted to place order for the Mascot-Elect but failed due to loss of internet connection.
Overview of the process nationally and at WEB from now until swearing in.
Motion to adjourn carried. Gaveled out.
The Mascot Elect, The Manatee from the Sierra Club, has been ordered! As agreed upon in class, it will be delivered to the office of Rowena Aldridge’s husband Rudi, due to the fact that it will arrive during Winter Break and there will be no one at WEB to receive it and put it in safe storage.
As well, donations in the name of the WEB American Civics class have been made to the parties that also ran, to acknowledge their contribution to the election process and to support the missions of the organizations.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINKs BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILEs:
"What's Next?"
"WEB Mascot Qualifications and Duties"
"WEB Civics Class Post-Election Timeline"
"Order Confirmations"
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, november 2, 2016
Gaveled in. Last week's minutes entered into the record.
Activity on the Electoral College.
Activity on gerrymandering.
Preview of the U.S. election day.
Exhortation to remain encouraged and optimistic, whatever the results.
Motion to adjourn carried. Gaveled out.
there is no formal homework assignment this week. the file below may be used to track the u.s. election results if desired. color in the states as the results are reported. use red for republican, blue for democrat, orange for libertarian, green for green :) , YELLOW FOR REFORM, BROWN FOR INDEPENDENT. you do not have to turn this in, but you are invited to bring your map, even if it is incomplete, on wednesday, november 9, 2016.
"Electoral College Map"
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2016
Gaveled in. Minutes entered into the record.
Mock Election voting!
Reviewed the process for after the election.
Motion to adjourn carried. Gaveled out.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILE:
"The Electoral College"
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016
Student voter registration drive for the upcoming mock national election and the WEB mascot election.
Mascot parties delivered stump speeches to the WEB student body during lunch.
Gaveled in at class. Minutes entered into the record.
Discussion on campaign ethics, voter fraud statistics, legislative apportionment, and legislative districting.
Neglected to gavel out. So technically class is still in session. ;)
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"Down-Ballot Races"
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, october 12, 2016
Gaveled in. Minutes entered into the record.
Class discussion on the unprecedented nature of the current general election. Guidance on how to discuss this election in class. Redirection toward discussion of process as outlined in the U.S. Constitution and the Tennessee state election laws.
Brief overview of the history of voting rights.
Mascot parties continued to work on their campaign materials and messaging.
Motion to adjourn was voted down. Subsidiary motion to allow students to continue working after adjournment if they so wished was carried. Class was adjourned; gaveled out.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILE:
"Get Out The Vote!"
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2016
Gaveled in. Minutes entered into the record.
Party conventions! Nominees are:
Sierra Club party: Manatee, by unanimous vote
Heifer International party: Goat, by unanimous vote
National Wildlife Federation party: Giant Panda, by roll call vote
Outlined the October mascot general election schedule.
Parties began work on campaign messaging and PR materials.
After some consideration of a request made yesterday in class, I am revising a policy regarding party affiliation, as follows: students who wish to change mascot parties may do so by filing a new party registration. Once you have changed parties, you may begin working on the campaign to elect that party's nominee. If you wish to change party affiliation, please send an email request to WEBAmCiv@gmail.com, with the subject line "Request for Change of Party Affiliation". You will receive instructions by return email. Students may change mascot parties once during the mascot general election season.
there is no homework assignment during fall break!
Those students who wish to continue brainstorming campaign ideas may download the file below:
Campaign Messaging
Enjoy your break! I'll see you on October 5th!
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2016
Gaveled in. Minutes entered into the record.
New business: introduced the concepts of party platforms. Party committees and sub-committees met to narrow down the platform issues for the party, and to develop ideas for addressing those issues. The ideas had to be actionable - had to be something the party could do. Each issue was identified as a plank on the platform.
Parties created visual aids that delineated the three most important issues and the policy ideas for addressing them. You may view the visual aids by downloading this file: Mascot Party Platforms.
Previewed the convention process; introduced stump speeches.
Gaveled out. Class adjourned.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILE:
"Party Platforms and Stump Speeches"
MINUTES FOR WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2016
Reviewed homework submission process, including where to find instructions in the homework assignment files describing how and what to submit.
No Town Hall meeting this week due to the scheduled mascot primary.
Voter guide gallery walk.
Mini-caucus: students had the opportunity to talk to other class voters and persuade them to support their candidate.
Mascot open primary! Winners and runners-up are:
Sierra Club party: Tarantula; Manatee
Heifer International party: Goat; no runner up
National Wildlife Federation party: Kangaroo; Giant Panda
Introduction to the party convention process.
The election ballots and certified election results have been placed in a manila envelope, the envelope has been sealed, and the seal has been signed as a marker against tampering. The envelope will be stored at WEB through the end of the mascot election season. The voter roll is a matter of public record and is available for viewing during any regularly-scheduled Civics class. There were no absentee ballots cast in this election.
The voter guides have been scanned and will be returned to their owners in class on Wednesday, September 21, 2016.
Photos from the primary election will be posted on this page over the weekend.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILE.
"Nominating Conventions"
minutes for wednesday, september 7, 2016
Visiting students welcomed to the class session.
Roll taken by turning in notebook review slips.
Gaveled in at 1:37 pm. Minutes approved and entered into the record
Guided debate on Qualifications and Duties of the WEB class mascot. Final draft will be submitted for signatures at the class on Wednesday, September 14, 2016.
Reviewed the national presidential candidates, their running mates, and the home states of each. Discussed the requirement for candidates' names to appear on the ballots in all 50 states in order to qualify for national election.
Introduced primaries and caucuses. Discussed the benefits and disadvantages of each. Consensus plan for mascot election process is to hold a mini-caucus followed by closed primaries.
Introduced campaign material (voter guides). Discussed the kind of information usually provided on a voter's guide. Discussed how to identify the kinds of information that make a voter guide persuasive.
Motion to adjourn carried. Gaveled out at 2:43 pm.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINKS BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILES. YOU NEED both files in order to complete the assignment.
"Primaries and Caucuses"
Mascot Voter's Guide Instructions
LESSON RECAP FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016
Upon entering the classroom students self-sorted according to chosen “party” (Sierra Club, National Wildlife Federation, Heifer International.)
Gaveled in. Lesson recap (minutes) from previous week approved and entered into the record. From this point on, Lesson Recaps will be referred to as Minutes.
Reviewed the responsive grading scale, the process for acquiring homework assignments, and the protocol for turning in homework.
Reviewed homework expectations and strategies for managing the workload.
Reviewed protocol for open debate; reviewed courtesy protocols for meetings.
Guided class debate on the qualifications and duties for class mascot.
Final approval of Qualifications and Duties tabled until next class.
Parties met in committees and sub-committees to discuss potential candidates. Parties filed papers for their candidates.
Motion to adjourn, seconded, carried. Gaveled out.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINKs BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILEs. You need the Qualifications and Duties draft proposal, the Evaluation assignment, and the candidate file from your own party. you are free to examine the lists from the other parties, but you may not use them for the assignment without changing your party affiliation.
Class Mascot Qualifications and Duties Draft Proposal
Evaluating the Candidates
Sierra Club Candidates
National Wildlife Federation Candidates
Heifer International Candidates
LESSON RECAP FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2016
Established protocol for preparing for class: read the board to see what supplies are needed for the class. Put everything else away in the backpack corner.
Town Hall Meeting: went over the homework. Committees met to discuss the rule proposals. Noted meaning and implications of the first three words of the Preamble to the Constitution. Proposals were tabled by motion until next class.
Discussed qualifications of the American president. Noted US Constitution, Article II (Executive powers), Section 1, Clause 5, which delineates qualifications for office.
Discussed duties of the American president. Noted US Constitution, Article II, Section 3, which delineates executive duties. Also noted that the chief executive performs ceremonial functions not required by the Constitution, but which have become customary and traditional for the office.
Introduced the class mascot election project.
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THIS WEEK'S HOMEWORK FILE:
Introduction to the Election Process
lesson recap for wednesday, august 17, 2016:
Warm-up Activity: interview a classmate, then use the information you learned in the interview to introduce this person to the rest of the class.
Town Hall Meeting: introduction to Robert’s Rules of Order
Notebook set up: Table of Contents; page numbers on the top outside corner (left page is even, right page is odd); title of activity/assignment and date at the top of each page; blue or black ink only. Mistakes or revisions get a single strike through so that the original remains readable.
Committee meetings to discuss an issue of concern to the class.
please click the links below to download the homework assignment files:
What's a Good Rule? - Part 1
WEB Town Hall Meeting Procedures