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AP
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Teacher: Mrs. Rachel Califf
Email: rachelcaliff@comcast.net
Required
Class Materials:
v American
Government: Institutions & Policies by Wilson and DiIulio,
11th edition ISBN-10: 0618956123 or ISBN-13: 978-0618956128 (approx.
$55 used and $100 new online) (When you receive your text, make sure it has all
22 chapters and not just 17!)
v 2002 AP
US Government Exam (released by the College Board and available through
Pennsylvania Homeschoolers for approximately $5.00 + S/H)
v Subscription
to Americans Governing. (www.americansgoverning.com)
($25.00) Though the subscription is typically only 6 months in length,
Americans Governing will extend it to an 8 month subscription for the purposes
of our course only! DO NOT register for this subscription until the start of
the course in September, or else your subscription may end before the class
does. Subscription instructions will be sent at the beginning of the course.
Optional
Texts:
v Fast
Track to a 5: Preparing for the AP United States Government and Politics
Examination by David G. Benson and Karen K. Waples
(to accompany American Government 10th and 11th editions
by Wilson and DiIulio) ISBN-13# 978-0-618-95451-3
Tuition
fee: Early Registration (prior to July 1st): $375,
plus books. Regular Registration (July 1st and after): $400.
Registration begins
Class
Description:
The primary purpose of this class is AP exam preparation.
In preparing for the exam, students will study and learn about the
constitutional history of the United States Government, the various political
beliefs and their history, political parties, elections, interest groups, mass
media, Congress, the presidency, the bureaucracy, the federal courts, public
policy, civil rights, and civil liberties. Students will study how these
various mechanisms are organized, interact and are conducive to democracy.
The syllabus includes text and online supplementary
readings; online quizzes; essay questions taken from previous exams; current
and world event discussions; group projects (like the drafting of a mock
legislative bill); two class games; scavenger hunt; design-your-own-poll; article
and political cartoon analyses; and a full practice exam that doubles as the
class final.
The class syllabus also includes weekly discussions with
classmates and teacher. These discussions (both academic and social) take place
via a message board, where we post messages (like a bulletin board) that can be
read and responded to throughout the week. The web-board is designed to give
students a chance to explore and engage current political issues with openness
and civility.
As the instructor, I closely monitor and provide feedback
and evaluation for all course assignments. In addition, a wide variety of
opportunities for student-initiated discussion exist and while it is not always
possible for me to be a part of every such discussion, my students are held to
a high standard of respectful discourse and are encouraged to alert me to any
conversations taking place that may violate discussion guidelines. I’m
available to my students via website, email and phone to answer questions and
concerns. I expect my students to complete their assignments by the assigned
deadlines, take responsibility when they don’t and to maintain high levels of
honesty and openness about their assignments with both myself and with their
parents.
I anticipate that students will spend between 60 and 90
minutes daily on the course material and study time, Monday through Friday,
with written assignments due on Fridays by
I do offer, however, at least one (optional) weekly
“study chat” (via a site-based chat client open only to students enrolled in
the course) during which students have the chance to interact with each other,
my teaching assistant and myself and go over the week’s quiz questions for
review. It’s proven to be both an effective study tool and a fun way to get to
know each other better! Unless my schedule changes unexpectedly, I plan to
offer these study chats on Thursday mornings at
Also, students and parents should be aware that I do not
offer extra credit for any independent study groups or activities that take
place outside of the classroom environment, though of course students may find
them helpful and I’d encourage students to engage in whatever additional
studies aid their retention of class content.
A secondary objective of this class is to encourage
students to be thoughtful, informed, and passionate citizens. Through this
class, students will come to understand the various avenues through which they,
as citizens, have the opportunity to organize and communicate their interests
and concerns. Students are therefore encouraged to seek out civic and political
opportunities in their own communities during the class year, particularly
through an extra credit Civic Involvement Project. This project is
student-directed and centers on your individual student’s interests, time
commitment and abilities. In the past, students have used the project as an
opportunity to campaign on behalf of their favored candidate, write and submit
editorials for publication, raise money for a favorite cause, collect food for
a local pantry, launch a publicity campaign for a
non-profit organization and volunteer hours in service to their community.
Through weekly discussion questions and careful
moderation by the instructor, students are also encouraged to examine the
democratic process in historical context, in theory and as applied to a variety
of current (and historical) events and issues. The interaction with classmates
from a wide variety of political and experiential backgrounds, in an atmosphere
of honest and respectful discourse, gives students a unique opportunity to (a)
evaluate and research their own political beliefs and the values that form
those beliefs, (b) communicate those beliefs in an intelligent and respectful
manner, and (c) gain understanding about others’ political viewpoints. Students
are required to be respectful in all communications and to have increased
knowledge and mutual understanding as their primary and personal goals for any political
discussion. While I moderate most discussion threads, many avenues for
discussion exist beyond my monitoring ability, so I ask students to alert me to
any discussions taking place that may violate these guidelines. Most such
discussion is optional, with the exception of instructor-initiated
curriculum-based weekly questions.
I also encourage students to maintain an awareness of
current political events. To this end, students are invited and encouraged to share
articles with political relevance on the wwwboard for
discussion. I also regularly post articles relating to current political
events. Typically, the articles that I post will reflect my political interests
and views. All such reading is, therefore, optional. Students are not required
to read articles that are posted, though they are strongly encouraged to make
the news venue of their choice part of their daily routine. If they choose to
read the articles posted, they are invited and encouraged to dissect, discuss
and evaluate the current issue, the viewpoint and the author bias portrayed. My
students should be aware that while I do not leave my political views and bias
at the door of the classroom, they have no impact on my grading, as their
political views are irrelevant to their written assignments and the Collegeboard Exam. I strive to teach students to recognize
bias (as evidenced by the article and cartoon analyses assignments) and thus
believe in being open about my own personal biases from the start. My students
will know my perspectives on some issues but will always feel welcome and
respected enough to share their viewpoints as well. I will strive to
demonstrate for my students how a person may hold strong convictions while
simultaneously being respectful of others’ beliefs.
Parents should also be aware, before enrolling their
student in this class, that students will sometimes
discuss or be exposed to issues of an adult or controversial nature when it is
relevant to current political events. This is sometimes a result of student
initiation or a result of discussion about news threads online. As the
instructor, I will require that students treat these topics with maturity and
appropriateness, but I do not, in most circumstances, censor either controversial
opinions or controversial topics simply because they are controversial. If you
are concerned about the topics that may be discussed, I would encourage you, as
a parent, to choose and remember your log-in passwords so that you can monitor
the course as well as your student’s activity, progress and participation.
Lastly, the addition of the Americans Governing website
to our course curriculum has added both depth and vibrancy to the material
covered, giving students an opportunity to explore appropriate individual
topics within each chapter with more focus and thought. I encourage you to
check out the website (www.americansgoverning.com)
and do the “tour” for more information.
Who should apply: Reliable Internet and email access is required. Homeschooled students grades 9 through 12 are welcome to apply. Academic performance must be average or above, and student should be very comfortable with communicating primarily via the written word. Students must be self-motivated, punctual with assignments and demonstrate individual initiative & responsibility. All political perspectives are wholeheartedly welcomed.
Teacher
Qualifications & Bio: This will be my twelfth year teaching AP American
Government & Politics. I am a
3 -
Highly Interactive
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