Geography Review

Students used interactive desk maps to help review the territorial acquisitions made by the United States in teh first half of the 19th century.

The United States Expands

We are currently studying U.S. expansion. Instead of simply learning about how Americans came to control new areas of land, we are judging whether or not the decisions taken to gain control of these lands were right or wrong. In a “response group” activity, students played the role of American policy-makers by reading about the events that led up specific land acquisitions (Louisiana Purchase, Texas Annexation, etc.), and then making their own decisions about what the U.S. should do. Their decisions determine whether or not students can “settle” in newly acquired lands on an abstract floor map of the United States.

James K. Polk

It was during the Presidency of James K. Polk that U.S. acuired Texas, Oregon, and the Mexican Cession. Here is an interesting music video about this President:

12 Angry Men

As a follow-up to our study of the Constitution we are watching the film 12 Angry Men and discussing how our rights, specifically those listed in the 5th and 6th Amendments often must compete with our human nature.

Here is a trailer for the film:

Supreme Court Case Study

Last week students learned more about how the Bill of Rights affects their lives. They were grouped together into mini-courts in which they read actual Supreme Court cases that dealt with issues involving the rights of students. After they read each case, each court would write their majority and minority opinions. After discussing each case as a class we talked about how the actual Supreme Court decided.

Here are some mini-courts at work:

Constitutional Law Competition

We spent last week studying the Constitution. Students reasearched the three branches; Legislative, Executive, and Judicial, and also learned about the system of Checks & Balances, the Amendment Process, and how the Federal System works. We then took the "Bar Exam", a quiz on what we have learned so far. Based on the results of their "Bar Exams", students were placed into "law firms." The "law firms" then participated in a Constitutional Law Competition in which they were presented with a number of legal dilemmas. They had to use their knowledge to come up with a solution to the problem, as well as cite where in the Constitution the anwer can be found.