Civics Lab Assignment Schedule
Subject to Revision. Each week is fixed and reliable as of Tuesday morning
of that week. Any changes after that time will be sent via email to
students. Always check the schedule weekly
and stay in your email daily.
| Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
| Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 |
| Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 |
| Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 |
Week 1
|
Tomball |
|
Tuesday, Jan 13 |
Class Meeting:
Introductions - Course
Description - Civics club opportunity.. |
| Friday midnight Jan 16 | Post a note about your assigned colony, reporting on the form of government adopted after the Revolution, noting some of the colony's prominent leaders, how they determined their form of government, the date it was adopted, etc. Here is a link to a rather juvenile - looking site to get you started....(I thought you might need a break after reading Mr. Adams! The site looks young, but it is rich in good information) You can get information from other sources as well; you must record your source if you use anything outside this website or our text. Your text has great primary source information on some of the new state governments.... You will represent your new state when we gather to form a federal union in class in Week 13. |
| Due in class Tuesday,
Jan 20 All assignments will be graded for thorough work. |
Read the Articles of Confederation, p. 200 - 204: outline the Articles to indicate the powers and structure of government under the Articles - a graded assignment. |
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
|
Tomball |
|
Tuesday, Feb 3 |
Class Meeting:
U.S. House of Representatives quiz Amendments to the Constitution |
| Friday midnight Feb 6 |
This week's discussion (folder "Failed Amendments") will involve reading about amendments to the Constitution, proposed by Congress, but not ratified by the States. Find a list of them in the Congressional Website. Each student should discuss one failed amendment. Post a note about the amendment and your thoughts on why it was not successfully ratified. After all the failed amendments have been discussed in a posting, the rest of the students may add their thoughts to the same amendments. |
| Due in class Tuesday,
Feb 10 All assignments will be graded for thorough work. |
Complete handout about the U.S. Senate in the U.S. Constitution.. Expect quiz in next class. |
Week 5
Week 6
|
Tomball |
|
Tuesday, Feb 17 |
Class Meeting:
Executive Branch quiz The Senate in Session |
| Friday midnight Feb 20 |
Discussion: the Judiciary: |
| Due in class Tuesday,
Feb 24 All assignments will be graded for thorough work. |
Complete handout about Judicial Power in the U.S. Constitution.. Expect quiz in next class. Here is an online glossary to help with difficult terms. |
Week 7
|
Tomball |
|
Tuesday, Feb 24 |
Class Meeting:
Judicial Branch quiz Robert's Rules of Order |
| Friday midnight Feb 27 |
Discussion: the rest of the
Constitution - Each student should post a note discussing a different provision
of articles IV through VII... for extra credit, you may post a reply to another
student's topic, but your note must be substantial. |
| Due in class Tuesday,
Mar 3 All assignments will be graded for thorough work. |
1.
Complete Tax Worksheet - handed out in class. You can ask
your parents to help you look up some of the taxes on actual billing
statements and tax receipts. You can also find many of these taxes
described online. After you have completed your worksheet, try to
find a little-known tax, even if it does not apply to your own life....
For example: some localities make non-resident athletes pay a fee each
time that athlete enters the local area to play a game... this is called a
"jock tax". 2. Read over "Robert's Rules of Order" and be prepared to participate in a formal meeting governed by these rules. |
Week 8
|
Tomball |
|
Tuesday, Mar 3 |
Class Meeting:
Discussion: Articles 4 - 7 of the
U.S. Constitution Practice: Robert's Rules of Order |
| Friday midnight Feb 6 |
Nothing due at Midweek - Have a nice break! |
| Tuesday, Mar 10 | No Class - Spring Break |
| Tuesday, Mar 17 | No Class - Spring Break |
| Due in class Tuesday,
Mar 24 All assignments will be graded for thorough work. |
1. Follow
this link to find the Texas
Constitution. Post a note in the online
discussion, titled "Texas Constitution". For your note,
select one article of the state constitution and explain the article,
referring to any similar provisions in the U.S. Constitution. For
longer articles, you may select just 3 or 4 sections. No
duplications. 2. Review "Robert's Rules of Order" and be prepared to participate in a formal meeting governed by these rules. |
Week 11
|
Tomball |
|
Tuesday, Mar 24 |
Class Meeting:
Texas Constitution Texas Flags Robert's Rules of Order |
| Friday midnight Feb 27 |
Introduction to New Unit, p. p. 581.....Online Discussion: assigned passages (pp 582-588); each student will explain his or her assigned passage. |
| Due in class Tuesday,
Mar 3 All assignments will be graded for thorough work. |
1. All
students should review postings and be prepared to identify the various
laws being studied. Look up the 13th and 14th amendments to the U.S.
Constitution. How are they different in character from the Bill of
Rights? How did these amendments fundamentally change the form of
U.S. government? 2. Read over "Robert's Rules of Order" and be prepared to participate in a formal meeting governed by these rules. |
Week 12
|
Tomball |
|
Tuesday, Mar 31 |
Class Meeting:
13th and 14th amendments Slave Laws About Texas Flags Robert's Rules of Order - review items |
| Friday midnight April 3 |
Follow this link to find a bill currently introduced in the Texas legislature. Post a note about your bill. No duplications. |
| Due in class Tuesday,
April 7 All assignments will be graded for thorough work. |
1. Be
prepared to present your bill in class. 2. Read over "Robert's Rules of Order" and be prepared to participate in a formal meeting governed by these rules. |
Week 13
|
Tomball |
|
Tuesday, April 7 |
Class Meeting:
Bills before the Texas legislature Senate Speeches about Slavery - read out in class Robert's Rules of Order - review items |
| Monday midnight April 13 |
Each student is assigned to a committee in the Texas House. Committees should create a folder in the shared workspace and post information about the various bill versions of their assigned topics, about other bills currently before that committee, about the representatives who serve on that committee. Use worksheet handed out in class, and go to this link for help in using the Texas House website. |
| Due in class Tuesday,
April 14 All assignments will be graded for thorough work. |
1.
Committees will be called upon by the Speaker to present their reconciled
bills to the house (class) for a vote. All students need to be
prepared to participate in a debate on each presented bill. 2. Read over "Robert's Rules of Order" and be prepared to participate in a formal meeting governed by these rules. |
Week 14
|
Tomball |
|
Tuesday, April 14 |
Class Meeting:
Committee Report - Bills before the Texas legislature Senate Speeches about Slavery - read out in class Robert's Rules of Order - review items |
| Monday midnight April 20 |
Go to the website for the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Use the website to find out about a particular hearing that was held by this committee. Post a note in BSCW, describing the hearing and its participants in good detail. |
| Due in class Tuesday,
April 21 All assignments will be graded for thorough work. |
1. Each
student will give an overview of his/her posted hearing. Class will
re-enact a Judicial Confirmation hearing in Week 15 class. 2. Read "Slavery is Despotism" by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Notes will be graded for thoroughness. Expect quiz. 2. Read over "Robert's Rules of Order" and be prepared to participate in a formal meeting governed by these rules. |
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17
|
Tomball |
|
Tuesday, May 5 |
Class Meeting: End of Year Party and Jeopardy Game |