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University of South Carolina

Katy Menne

2016

[Unit Work Sample]This document contains specific information

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Table of Contents

Section 1: Unit Topic……..……………………………………………………………………….3

Section 2: Contextual Factors…….……………………………………………………………….4

Section 3: Unit Plan..…………………………………………………………………………….11

Part A: Rational and Unit Framework…..……………………………………………….11

Part B: Unit Objectives, and the Correlating Standards………………………………....11

Part C: Planned Assessments …………………………………………………….…..….12

Part D: Results and Analysis of Pre-Assessment……………………………………..….13

Part E: Daily Lesson Plans………………………………………………….……….…...15

Section 4: Analysis of Student Learning…………………………………………………….…..17

Part A: Visual Representation…………………….……………………………….……..17

African American Female Subgroup Tracking…………………………….…….24

African American Male Subgroup Tracking…………………………………….27

Student 2 Individual Tracking…………………………………………………...30

Student 9 Individual Tracking…………………………………………………...32

Student 12 Individual Tracking………………………………………………….33

Part B: Written Sample…………….……………………………………………….……34

Section 5: Reflection and Self-Assessment………………….….………………………….……37

Appendix A: Copies of Assessments.……………………………………………………………41

Appendix B: Copies of Activities…………………………….………………………………….52

Appendix C: Student Work………………..……………………………………………….…….54

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University: University of South Carolina

School: Ridge View High School

Grade level/Subject Area: 12th Grade US Government

Academic Year: Spring 2016

Dates of Unit- from: February 22, 2016 to: March 23, 2016

Number of: Lessons in Unit: 19

Quizzes: 3

Test: 1

Section 1: Unit topic

This unit is titled The Legislative Branch (Congress). It was designed to cover the information found in the United States Government strand in South Carolina Social Studies standards, in which students learn the basics of government, what affects it and how citizens influence it. It was not designed to cover all of the complexities of government, but instead it simply introduces students to the ideas so that they will better understand government, and be more prepared for the country outside of high school.

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Section 2: Contextual Factors

86

1

5th Period US Government Race and Gender Demographics

Black Male Black Female

Hispanic Male

This class is the only College Prep US Government class that I see this semester. There are only 15 students in this class, all of which are seniors. This is a fantastic group of students. They get along with peers and the teacher excellently. While they do get overly talkative and off topic occasionally, they get their work done. A few decide to sleep through some classes, however, once they started receiving poor grades they have altered that behavior and been more successful.

From the conversations I have had thus far, it appears that all are planning on graduating high school but not all have plans to attend college. Since this class is a senior only class there is a lot of college visits occurring which would take students out of class. Many are involved in sports and other extracurricular activities which also may potentially take them out of my class.

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Outside of School Time Commitments

SportsClubJob

Many of these students do not find school or reading to be of much interest to them. They do however love many other items as the chart below shows. According to a self-reporting survey that I sent to all the classes I see this semester, these are the items they found interesting.

Figure 2-1

Figure 2-2

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Out of this 15 person class I had 9 respond. As the chart below shows, nearly all who responded are interested in music. This is a hotly debated topic before and after class. Much to my disappointment, none enjoy reading books; however, one student does enjoy school.

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Interests Sports

Music

Movies

Video Games

Books

Exercise

Dance

School

These students were asked how they learn best. Based off of their answers I have altered my teaching to meet their needs and desires to the best of my ability. The vast majority cite actively doing something to be the best way they learn. Kinesthetic learning is widely accepted as the best way anyone learns. The below chart shows the number of students who find each style most helpful.

01234567

5th Period learns best through...

Actively doing something

Listening to Someone Talking

Reading a Book

Watching a video

This class is 5th period which falls right after lunch. Many of these students go off campus for lunch every day and are late getting back to campus and into my class. This is not only disruptive to the class who is on time and taking notes but it also causes these students to fall behind. I promptly start at the bell so these students who are late are continually missing notes or review sheets. Since many of them are rushing back to not be late, they do not have time to eat so

Figure 2-3

Figure 2-4

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they are distracted by being hungry and seeing their food but being unable to eat it because of the classroom rules. The below cart shows were many students where they struggle in class. No one item received the majority of votes; however, when there is a lot of talking is cited the most of those who responded. This is interesting since the class is so small and it has a lot of informal discussion elements to it.

00.5

11.5

22.5

33.5

4

5th Period struggle in class when...

It is silent

There is a lot of talking

Notes only

Watvhing videos only

This class is required by the state of South Carolina in order to graduate. Thus, all the students in this class must pass with a D or higher. There are only a few students who potentially could not pass if they do not stay awake and alter their behaviors in class. The struggling students can bring their grade up to passing simply by turning in classwork and homework. A lot of grades suffer because they have so many zeros.

Out of the 15 students only 2 have 504s and thus need accommodations.

Student 15: 504 for Speech- Small group quizzes and test- Oral administration of Assessments- 50% extended time on Quizzes and Tests

Student 2: 504 for Other Health Impairments (OHI)- Small group quizzes and test- 50% extended time - Preferential Seating closest to the teacher and instruction

Richland County District 2

Superintendent:Dr. Debbie Hamm

Figure 2-5

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Address:4801 Hard Scrabble Rd.Columbia, SC 29229

Our Community

"In partnership with our community, Richland School District Two prepares all students for success by providing meaningful, challenging, and engaging learning experiences"

Richland School District Two is committed to providing equal access to educational and employment opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, pregnancy, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity status, spousal affiliation, or any other protected characteristic, as may be required by law1

School Information

Ridge View as a whole is a diverse school. Many races are represented in this school however it is heavily African American. The two genders are represented almost evenly, surprisingly enough.

MaleFemale

0

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100

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183 201

192

164

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153

134179

Academic Year and Gender

Freshman

Sophomore

Junior

Senior

49%51%

Gender

MaleFemale

1 Via www.richland2.org

Figure 2-6

Figure 2-7

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78%

11%

5%3%

2% 0% 0% 0%

Demographics

African AmericanWhiteHispanic2+ RacesAsianPacific IslanderNative AmericanUnclassified

As the charts depict, Ridgeview is a very diverse school with students spread across the board when it comes to demographics. The demographic makeup of the school is primarily African-American, however, every race is represented. American Indian, Alaskan Natives, Hawaiian Native and Pacific Islander only make up less than a hundredth of a percent overall, with Asians, Hispanics and those claiming two or more races only making up just less than a tenth of a percent. Intriguingly though, the gender is divided nearly directly down the middle.

The gender chart directly above shows how evenly the school is split; only giving females a slight majority. In the first chart, there is a breakdown of gender based on grade level. As you can see, the freshman and senior classes have a greater number of females than the sophomore and junior classes.

Ridge View does not exactly mirror Richland School District 2, however the trends continue in Ridge View that are seen at the district level.

Figure 2-8

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59%26%

8%

3%4%

Richland School District 2 Demographics

African AmericanWhiteHispanicAsianOther

Figure 2-9

For easy reference, below you will find a map of South Carolina and where Richland School District 2 falls. The next map is the rough attendance zones for each of the high schools in Richland 2. Knowing location of the schools helps to create a well-rounded understanding of what is going into each school. The demographics of the school mirror the demographics of the area that the school resides in.

2

2 The white area seen just south of Richland School District 2 is Fort Jackson Army Base. Look to Figure 2-11 for a closer look at the massive size of the base.

Figure 2-10

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3

Knowing that Ridge View has a smaller bus zoned area suggests that more people are concentrated in this area of the city as opposed to Blythewood that has a larger zone and lower congested population. Knowledge of the city is key to understanding what demographics and extracurricular activities your students will be involved in. No two students see the exact same home life. Knowing that our students are coming from all over helps to understand when a bus is late or there was bad traffic due to extenuating circumstances. This especially helped back in October, 2015 with the massive flooding.

3 Figures 2-10 & 2-11 were created by Caitlin Menne through ArcGIS online.

Figure 2-11

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Section 3: Unit Plan

Part A

This unit on Congress falls after voting rights but before the other two branches of government. Since much of the legislation is written by Congress, it comes first then goes to the President then to the Supreme Court. It is a natural flow of progression similar to how the government works. I am approaching this unit as one of basic knowledge. This is a College Prep class so the amount of detail given is not very detailed. It is mostly an overview and teaching a general working of the Legislative branch. Below can be found the scope and sequence for this class, highlighted in red is the unit discussed through this Unit Work Sample.

5 th Period: US Government- CP

Introduction and Textbook IssueUnit 1: Voting, Political Parties and Elections 4-5 Weeks Chapter 5: Political Parties Chapter 6: Voters and Voter Behavior Chapter 7: The Electoral ProcessUnit 2: Article I: Legislative Branch (US Congress) 4 Weeks Chapter 10: Congress Chapter 11: Powers of Congress Chapter 12: Congress in ActionUnit 3: Article II: Executive Branch (The Presidency) 4 Weeks Chapter 13: The Presidency Chapter 14: The Presidency in Action Unit 4: Article III: Judicial Branch (Federal Courts) 2 Weeks Chapter 18: The Federal Court SystemExam Review & Final Exam 2-3 Weeks

Part B

Students will be able to…

Unit Objectives Standard & NCSS strand1. Summarize today’s current bicameral

legislature. Identify which states follow the Federal Bicameral system.

Standard USG-1; NCSS Strand 6. Power, Authority and Governance, 10. Civic Ideals and Practices

2. Identify SC representatives and senators. Research and create a slogan about a committee a state senator sits on.

Standard USG-3; NCSS Strand 6. Power, Authority and Governance, 10. Civic Ideals and Practices

3. Contrast Congressional roles and classifications

Standard USG-1, 3; NCSS Strand 10. Civic Ideals and Practices

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4. Apply legislative powers seen in the constitution to today’s society; explaining the difference between expressed and implied powers, and legislative and non-legislative powers.

Standard USG-3; NCSS Strand 6. Power, Authority and Governance, 10. Civic Ideals and Practices

5. Chart a bill’s journey to become a law. Discuss and create a plan for passing a bill in the classroom.

Standard USG-3, 4; NCSS Strand 10. Civic Ideals an Practices

6. Construct a resume for one of the six African American senators thus far in our history

Standard USG-4; NCSS Strand 6. Power, Authority and Governance

Standard USG-1: The student will demonstrate an understanding of foundational political theory, concepts, and application.

Standard USG-2: The student will demonstrate an understanding of foundational American political principles and the historical events and philosophical ideas that shaped the development and application of these principles.

Standard USG-3: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the basic organization and function of United States government on the national, state and local levels as outlined in the United States Constitution and the role of federalism in addressing distribution of power.

Standard USG-4: The student will demonstrate an understanding of civil rights and liberties, the role of American citizens in the American political system, and distinctive expressions of American political culture.

NCSS Strand VI. Power, Authority and Governance: Social studies teachers should possess the knowledge, capabilities, and dispositions to organize and provide instruction at the appropriate school level for the study of Power, Authority, and Governance.

X. Civic Ideals and Practices: Social studies teachers should possess the knowledge, capabilities, and dispositions to organize and provide instruction at the appropriate school level for the study of Civic Ideals and Practices.

Part C

For this lesson I have a pre-test, three quizzes and one unit test. Not every day, but most, there will be some kind of review or activity that will build on the knowledge up until that point and specifically the day before. Repetition feeds retention so the more times a student sees the information the more likely they are to remember it.

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The pre-test4 judged how much basic knowledge is known by the students coming into this lesson. The items they saw on that pre-test are broken up into chunks on the three quizzes throughout the unit as well as included on the Unit Test at the end. By the time the unit test rolls around in mid-March, these students will have seen the items on the unit test multiple times on hardcopy worksheets and quizzes but they will also have heard about them and written them down in lecture.

After each assessment I look to see which questions are missed most often and if it had something to do with the wording of the question or the content. I track those pre-test questions through the three quizzes and after they are formally taught the information the scores go up.

Part D

I administered a pre-test for US Government on February 22, 2016 before I started teaching the actual lesson. See Appendix A to see the pre-test document given to the students to fill out. It is an anticipation guide with only the before column eligible to be filled in. All 15 students were present on the day this test was administered. Some students took this as a serious test and it showed. Those who took it seriously scored much higher grades than the students who did not view this pre-test as a serious assessment. The latter, who did not try, finished the document in five minutes.

The graph below shows how many students missed specific numbers of questions. For instance, two students missed a total of 17 questions out of the 39 given. Similarly, one student missed a total of 10 questions.

0 0.5 1 1.5 2

Number of students who missed X number of questions (out of 39)

22 Questions 20 Questions 19 Questions 18 Questions 17 Questions16 Questions 15 Questions 14 Questions 12 Questions 10 Questions

4 See Appendix A

Figure 3-D1

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I analyzed all the questions and counted how many students missed each question. The results below show a mixture of frequently missed to never missed. While the questions were all true and false, some of them were very tricky.

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Question 9

Question 10

Question 11

Question 12

Question 13

Question 14

Question 15

Question 16

Question 17

Question 18

Question 19

0

2

4

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10

12

14

US Government Pre-Test

# of Students who missed this question

Question 20

Question 21

Question 22

Question 23

Question 24

Question 25

Question 26

Question 27

Question 28

Question 29

Question 30

Question 31

Question 32

Question 33

Question 34

Question 35

Question 36

Question 37

Question 38

Question 39

0

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4

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12

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US Government Pre-Test

# of Students who missed this question

As the charts shows, the only question that no one missed was question 2[Our

government has three branches of government].The most missed question was Question 31

Figure 3-D2

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[Impeachment trials begin in the Senate]. Only two students received a passing grade of D or above.

Part E

Activities/Strategies/Materials/Resources Unit Objective Number(s)Day 1:

Pre-Test- Anticipation Guide Jigsaw: 5 influential forming documents

1

Day 2: Notes- National Legislature Videos- School house Rock3 branches of government

1, 6

Day 3: Review Slip- National Legislature Notes- House of Representatives Video- Fact of Congress House

1, 2, 6

Day 4: Notes- Congressional Districting Videos- 1 person 1 vote, redistricting, gerrymandering Online Activity- Redistricting

1

Day 5: Notes- Senate Video- Fact of Congress Senate Online Review- Crossword puzzle

1, 2

Day 6: Review- Congress in a Flash Notes- Salary, Immunity and Perks Review for Quiz

3, 6

Day 7: Quiz #1 Activity- Resume writing Video- Powers of Legislature

1, 2, 6

Day 8: Go over quiz 1 Notes- Legislative Powers part 1 Book- discuss chart Review slip- powers

4

Day 9: Notes- Legislative Powers part 2 Video- Powers of Congress Review slip- Powers

4

Day 10: Notes- Legislative Powers part 3 Book- pg. 317 # 35 & 39

4

Day 11: Notes- Non-Legislative Powers

4

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Video- ImpeachmentDay 12:

Notes- Non-Legislative Powers Quiz review

4

Day 13: Quiz #2 Scan, pass back, go over Video- fact of congress

4

Day 14: Notes- Congressional Leadership Video- speaker of the house Review slip- leadership review

3

Day 15: Notes- Committees Audio clips- 60 second civic lessons In class response writing: pg. 328 #1-4 HW: pg. 317 #38 a,b,c

3, 5

Day 16: Notes- Committee part two Kahoot.it 6 Question check-in SC state representatives research

3, 5

Day 17; Notes- Legislative Process & flow chart Video- Affordable Healthcare Act Passing Vote

5

Day 18: Notes- Legislative Process & Flow Chart pt. 2

5

Day 19: Quiz review

3, 5

Day 20: Quiz #3 Scan, pass back, go over Explain activity

3, 5

Day 21: Socratic Seminar Activity - Passing a Bill

5

Day 22: Class review for unit test

1-6

Day 23: Unit test

1-6

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Section 4: Analysis of Student Learning

Part A

Pre-test Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Passing a Bill Socratic Seminar

Unit Test Margin of Improvement

Student 1 44% 90% 80% 73% 90% 78% 34%Student 2 51% 67% 67% 57% 100% 68% 17%Student 3 54% 73% 73% 83% 80% 82% 28%Student 4 54% 83% 73% 77% 75% 85% 31%Student 5 59% 87% 90% 83% 100% 95% 36%Student 6 64% 87% 90% 83% 90% AStudent 7 74% 90% 87% 90% 75% 87% 13%Student 8 69% 100% 87% 97% 80% 97% 28%Student 9 64% 93% 97% 93% 90% 93% 29%Student 10 62% 90% 93% 97% 75% 98% 36%Student 11 56% 93% 93% 90% 70% 90% 34%Student 12 56% 70% 80% 83% 90% 85% 29%Student 13 51% 73% 67% 47% 100% 78% 27%Student 14 48% 83% 70% 67% 75% AStudent 15 48% 83% 70% 63% 75% 80% 32%Class Average

57% 84% 81% 78.8% 84% 85.8% 28.7%

The table above depicts the results of the Pre-test, all three quizzes, the Unit Test and the margin of improvement. The average for the pre-test was not a passing grade, 57%. This fifth period class is a college prep class so the number of students who failed the pre-test is not terribly surprising since they have not taken another government class prior to this. Everyone was present for the pre-test so no make-ups were needed. The pre-test consisted of 39 true or false statements which can be very tricky. Most of the students were tripped up on the same items. Some students scored very low which is a little surprising since we are in the midst of an election season and politics are all over the news. Normally, the students are able to keep up when politics are talked about, especially the Presidential election items. Some of the more specific items, it is not surprising that they were missed or even frequently missed. I purposely put in tricky items to see where the line is on their knowledge.

The average for Quiz 1 was a high C.5 The results are not skewed as a result of Student 1 being absent on quiz day. Typically the absent students test well. She was in the top half of the class but not the highest grade scored for that quiz.

Everyone was present on the day Quiz 2 was proctored. While two students received Fs, nine of the students received As, Bs or Cs. The class average was a C. Quiz 2 grades dipped a

5 Copy of Assessments can be found in Appendix A

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little from Quiz 1. The second quiz covered all the powers of Congress. The questions varied in difficulty, many had specific details that tripped students up. On quiz 2, many students left a question blank.

One student was absent on the day that Quiz 3 was proctored. When the grades came back I was in disbelief that four students failed the quiz. In no way was it a difficult quiz. Not only were the questions on the easier side, but we also reviewed as a class the day before the quiz, for the entire class period. When Student 1 made up the quiz, her grade brought down the class average from 79% to 78.8%. Her score barely affected the class average.

I spoke with my coaching teacher after seeing the grades from Quiz 3 because I was so disheartened. He concurred with me that the quiz was very straightforward and no one should have failed. He chalked it up to a lack of studying and being lazy. I hate to agree with that assessment; however, it appears in this case that that is in fact true. The class is aware that they cannot walk at graduation without passing this class. After these grades were put in only one student is still failing to course. All other students are passing, if only barely so.

The unit tests were much more what I expecting on grades. While one student did fail, and a few received Cs, the vast majority earned an A or B. I am very pleased with the outcome. Some of the students truly surprised me with what they earned on this test. There were two students who were absent on test day. Student 6 is taking the test after spring break; however, student 14 cut class and my coaching teacher’s policy is that no makeup work is given when you cut class. He was barely passing, and this is going to hurt his grade immensely. Tests are worth half of their final grade. He is in serious jeopardy of not walking come June.

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Pre-Test Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Socratic Seminar Unit Test40

50

60

70

80

90

100 US Government Grade Tracking

Student 1Student 2Student 3Student 4Student 5Student 6Student 7Student 8Student 9Student 10Student 11Student 12Student 13Student 14Student 15

I chose to run a Socratic seminar to give a somewhat creative and relatable experience to the passing a bill lecture. The class got to vote on one of the classroom rules outlined in the syllabus. They got into committees and brainstormed how they could change it, if they liked that rule or not, what were the thoughts behind the rule, etc. Most students did really well with this activity. For the students who normally talk in class they excelled greatly; however, those who are reserved made slightly lower marks. Most of the points that were taken off had to do with not following directions or not completing a component of the project. While I did use PowerPoint it was to have easy access to the directions I was stating verbally. There were five components to

6 Orange lines and lettering on the class wide unit grade tracking chart refers to the 7 point grading scale in high school.

A

B

C

D

F

Figure 4-A1

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this project grade.7 Two students volunteered to present their bill to my coaching teacher in hopes that he would amend his syllabus.8

The unit test was extensive. In total there were 60 questions. Of the 60 questions, the first 26 were multiple choice and the remaining 34 were true and false questions very similar or the same as the pre-test. Two questions from the pre-test were completely struck out from the unit test. The chart below shows the number of questions that were about what specific content on the unit test. Red signifies content from quiz 1, green signifies content from quiz 2, and purple signifies content from quiz 3. The South Carolina specific questions were covered throughout the unit. The test is heavily focused on Representatives, Senators and the Leadership of each chamber of Congress. These questions are cross listed due to some questions being about multiple items.

Beginnings/General 7House of Representatives 13Districting 6Senate 11Salary 2Powers 8Impeachment 7Leadership 11Committees 4Bill to Law 6SC Specific 3

On the unit test, the most missed questions were 39 [T/F Gerrymandering is the process of drawing US congressional district boundaries] and 47 [T/F Congressmen have no limitations on what they say on the floor]. Question 39 was tricky since a portion of the definition was not written out. They had this question in similar form earlier on the test which should have given them a clue. I made an error on my key so I gave points back to those students who got the question wrong but it was actually correct.9

The following three charts give a visual representation of all the questions missed on the unit test. No question was missed by more than half the class. A few questions did come close to half the class missing; however, it did not occur. For the most part, a third or less of the class was missing the same question. This shows that the information was covered but perhaps these certain students were confused or perhaps did not study enough. If the majority, or the entire class missed a question then it would reflect onto the teacher and perhaps poor coverage on that topic.

7 Rubric can be found in Appendix A8 The Bill was vetoed on March 23, 20169 This explains why the Unit test scantrons have 2 grades written on them. See Appendix C.

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Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7

Question 8

Question 9

Question 10

Question 11

Question 12

Question 13

Question 14

Question 15

Question 16

Question 17

Question 18

Question 19

Question 20

0

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3

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6

7

8

Students who missed Questions 1-20

Students who missed Questions 1-20

Question 21

Question 22

Qeusti

on 23

Question 24

Question 25

Question 26

Question 27

Question 28

Question 29

Question 30

Question 31

Question 32

Question 33

Question 34

Question 35

Question 36

Question 37

Question 38

Question 39

Question 40

0

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Students who missed Questions 21-40

Students who missed Questions 21-40

Figure 4-A2

Figure 4-A3

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Question 41

Question 42

Question 43

Question 44

Question 45

Question 46

Question 47

Question 48

Question 49

Question 50

Question 51

Question 52

Question 53

Question 54

Question 55

Question 56

Question 57

Question 58

Question 59

Question 60

0

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23

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5

67

8

Students who missed Questions 41-60

Students who missed Questions 41-60

Two students were absent on test day. One was a chorus competition and the other was involved in career day which occurred during the beginning half of the day, but cut this class. As of now, they both have zeros in the grade book for the unit test which is significantly harming their overall grade.

The class average for the margin of improvement is just under 30%. This shows me that the students learned a great deal between when they took the pre-test and when they took the Unit Test. Every quiz did not shift grades upward; however, overall the class moved up from where they were previously. Aside from formal, traditional testing, my informal checks in class showed vast improvement. I continually asked refresher questions to keep the students thinking back to the beginning of the unit. A lot of the questions I would discuss with the students were deliberate. I knew what the students needed to know in order to pass the test. No one singular section of the unit caused students to trip up. There were specific questions that caused some students to miss them. The questions missed were the vague ones that I had added to the test in order to see who was paying attention.

I am surprised that some of these questions were missed because both my coaching teacher and I forgot to cover the posters in the classroom which contained the answers to some of the questions on the test. I must commend my students for not cheating; however, it is curious that no one thought to look around and see if they could find any clues in the classroom.

The chart on the next page depicts how many students missed certain questions on the Pre-Test and then on the Unit Test. The yellow highlighted cells show an improvement of 7 or more. Some of the questions on the Pre-Test are in two forms on the Unit Test. While there were 17 questions on the Pre-Test that more than half the class missed, there were no questions on the Unit Test that more than half the class missed.

Figure 4-A4

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Pre-Test # of students who missed this question

Unit Test # of students who missed this question

1 8 1 32 0 28 13 8 29 04 8 30 25 6 31 26 12 2/32 2/57 8 X X8 7 33 19 3 34 110 4 35 011 10 36 412 5 37 013 3 38 114 10 7/39 4/715 3 3 216 11 40 117 1 41 018 2 42 119 8 43 020 10 6/44 2/521 4 45 522 7 46 123 12 47 724 5 48 325 4 49 026 3 23 127 4 50 428 5 4 029 4 51 030 6 24/52 4/031 13 9/53 3/632 4 54 033 3 11 134 9 55 135 4 56 136 11 57 637 8 58 138 9 59 239 8 25 0

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African-American Female Subgroup

Pre-test Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Passing a Bill Socratic Seminar

Unit Test Margin of Improvement

Student 1 44% 90% 80% 73% 90% 78% 34%Student 2 51% 67% 67% 57% 100% 68% 17%Student 3 54% 73% 73% 83% 80% 82% 28%Student 4 54% 83% 73% 77% 75% 85% 31%Student 5 59% 87% 90% 83% 100% 95% 36%Student 6 64% 87% 90% 93% 90% ASubgroup Average

54% 81% 79% 77.6% 89% 81.6% 29.2%

Class Average

57% 84% 81% 78.8% 84% 85.8% 29.7%

Pre-Test Questions Missed0

5

10

15

20

25

African American Female Subgroup Pretest

Student 1Student 2Student 3Student 4Student 5Student 6

The six African American females in this class scored below the class average by 3%. This is the trend throughout the entire unit. The females in the class tended to score just below the class average, except on the Socratic Seminar. The above graph shows how many questions each particular student missed on the pretest. Student 1 missed the most out of this subgroup with 22 questions missed out of 39 total questions. Student 6 had the lowest missed number of questions with 14 of 39 being missed.

The graph below tracks the grades of these six students over the course of the unit. I only included major assessments in this graph. The pre-test scores are going to be the lowest since they have no knowledge of the information. All grades moved higher from pre-test to quiz 1. Student 1 shows the most drastic jump between these two grades. She jumps from an F (44%) to a B (90%). All other students gain higher grades between the pre-test and quiz 1. Most of these

Figure 4-A5

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six students remain steady or shift into higher letter grades. Student 2 is having the opposite trend, however. She has puzzled me this entire semester so far.10

Between quiz 1 and 2 there is some shifting downward of grades. Quiz 2 was much more challenging than quiz 1 due to the in-depth knowledge of the powers of Congress. I am shocked by how low some of the grades on quiz 3 were. The information covered on Quiz 3 was congressional leadership, the committee system and a bill becoming a law. I made sure to not get bogged down by nitty gritty questions and yet students still failed the quiz. My coaching teacher and I discussed this particular item and all he had to say was that these students were not studying. It seems as though they should have at least passed if they were actively listening to my lectures.

It is interesting to see that the trends for grades between male and female students flipped for the Passing a Bill Socratic Seminar. The females in the class performed better than the males on the activity. Typically the males in the class perform better than females on assignments and assessments. Usually the females are quieter in class discussions so I was pleasantly surprised by the reverse of the trend. Picking a topic that they were passionate about helped immensely.

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Student 1Student 2Student 3Student 4Student 5Student 6

The average scores for the subgroup of African-American female students on the Pre-Test was slightly lower than the class average, expressed in the percentage number 54%. The

10 This student will be talked about in depth in the pages to come. See pg. 31 & 32

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Figure 4-A6

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female students are typically more focused and on top of their work. For the most part they speak up in class and participate in the discussion portion of the class. Some are very reserved and do not talk, while others will not stop talking.

Student 2 has a 504 for OHI and is allotted 50% more time, however she never takes it. She finishes her test and assignments quicker than students without any accommodations. She typically passes her work and tests with Cs or higher. She did struggle through unit 2 however. It has been a rather puzzling experience. My coaching teacher and I have discussed this at length. The student with the highest grade on the Pre-test in the female subgroup at 64 is the one student in the class who sings for the school choir. She clearly balances her work very effectively.

From these results, I can conclude that the females perform lower than the males on tests, as their average test scores are the amount of multiple percentage points lower than the class average. This shows me that I need to focus more on making things interesting and relevant to my female students. Some are quiet and do not interject in class, and I have been trying to plan and integrate interactive activities into the lesson and reviews. Most have college plans, and have a good head on their shoulders and have jobs or are involved in other extracurricular activities that they balance, which shows me that they can do the things that they believe are most important to them. Motivating them by making my lessons and topics relevant and personally useful to them is my goal, in hopes that they will latch on to the importance of the unit and work hard to improve and perform better. Not only do I want them to perform better in my class, but also carry this information into their lives outside of high school and into their adult lives filled with civic responsibility.

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African-American Male Subgroup

Pre-Test Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Passing a Bill Socratic Seminar

Unit Test Margin of Improvement

Student 7 74% 90% 87% 90% 75% 87% 13%Student 8 69% 100% 87% 97% 80% 97% 28%Student 9 64% 93% 97% 93% 90% 93% 29%Student 10 62% 90% 93% 97% 75% 98% 36%Student 11 56% 93% 93% 90% 70% 90% 34%Student 12 56% 70% 80% 83% 90% 85% 29%Student 13 51% 73% 67% 47% 100% 78% 27%Student 14 48% 83% 70% 63% 75% ASubgroup Average

60% 86.5% 84% 82.5% 81.8% 78.5% 24.5%

Class Average

57% 84% 81% 78.8% 84% 85.8% 28.7%

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African American Male Subgroup Pretest

Student 7Student 8Student 9Student 10Student 11Student 12Student 13Student 14

The average scores for the subgroup of African-American male students on the Pre-Test were slightly higher than the class average, expressed in the percentage of 60%. The male students typically are more talkative and off topic. They do however get their work done and do well on it. For the most part, they are very active in class discussions.

The student with the highest grade on the Pre-test in the male subgroup at 74 is a full 10% higher than the highest female student. He holds a job on top of his school work. He talks up in class but is always focused on the information and asks insightful questions.

Figure 4-A7

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Pre-Test Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Socratic Seminar Unit Test40

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African American Male Subgroup Grade Track-ing

Student 7Student 8Student 9Student 10Student 11Student 12Student 13Student 14

All students in this subgroup moved their grade up between the Pre-test and Quiz 1. The movement between quiz 1 and 2 is mixed. Most students let their grade slide downward. Only 2 students scored equal or higher grades. The other 6 students scored a lower grade on quiz 2. Quiz 2 was a difficult quiz that covered a tricky topic, the Powers of Congress. There was minor shock at how low quiz 2 scores, so quiz 3 had a decent jump upwards. Half of this subgroup remained moved upward, the other half shifted down.

Quiz 3 revealed how little students study. It has me in shock that so many students simply do not study for assessments. As you analyze the chart above I will draw your attention to student 14. He has been struggling especially hard over the last few weeks. He continually comes to class late and unprepared or is in ISS (In School Suspension). I believe he is struggling to find motivation. I talked with him individually following his poor performance on quiz 3 and he genuinely seemed to want to do better. He is barely passing the class. This has been pulled up from a very low F so he has done well so far, but has to maintain and perform better. Student 13 is also sliding downhill fast. He is the only student still failing the class. Track has just started up and since he throws for the field events, I believe that is taking up the majority of his time. The rest of this subgroup has generally been on time and task. The grades show varied improvement. I think the students felt as though this topic was easy and let that dictate how much they studied.

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Many of the students who are struggling in the class performed well in the activity/project that I ran. To the best of my ability, I tried to show the students both sides of the arguments they were making. The one student who is still failing the class excelled at this debate. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the comments he was making. His grade trend jumped exceptionally high from this activity. This subgroup was across the board on their performance during this project. They were not as consistent as the female subgroup during this activity.

From these results, I can conclude that the males perform higher than the females on tests, as their average test scores are the amount of almost an entire letter grade higher. This shows me that I need to focus more on diversifying information and activities so the non-talkative students get as much out of the information as the talkative ones. I have been trying to plan and integrate interactive activities into the lesson and reviews. Most have college plans, and have a good head on their shoulders and have jobs or are involved in other extracurricular activities that they balance, which shows me that they can do the things that they believe are most important to them. A few of these gentlemen play sports over the course of the year. I know they want to succeed in that arena. It is good to see that these men also know the importance of success in the classroom. Motivating them by making my lessons and topics relevant and personally useful to them is my goal, in hopes that they will latch on to the importance of the unit and work hard to improve and perform better. Not only do I want them to perform better in my class, but also carry this information into their lives outside of high school and into their adult lives filled with civic responsibility.

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Student 2 Individual Tracking

Student 2 performs below the class average. This trend has been seen since the beginning of the semester when she started in this class. Her grades rose from the pre-test to quiz 1. She stayed steady between quiz 1 and 2. She does not have a lot of absences in this class. This student has high marks on her class work so it leads me to question how much she studies for the assessments. This particular student is the student with a 504 for OHI.11 This student has a lot of confusion when it comes to this class. While she is attentive and takes notes she does not perform well on the worksheets or review. It is a puzzling paradox to see play out. I attempt to work in repetition of information to raise the retention rates, but it does not seem to be clicking. Any opportunity I see I will ask review questions to cause the whole class to think back to the beginning of the unit. What information she does retain appears to vacate her head once she has finished her assessment.

She performed really well on the in class project. She participated in the debate and voting of the bill while not detracting from the discussion. This student was one of the few who actually received a 100 on the activity. She met the deadlines and followed directions. While she usually performs below the class average on assessments and assignments, she excelled at the activity that was run in class.

This student asked for extra tutoring prior to the unit test which we worked out a specific time to meet and do so. I am pleased she recognized that grades are more important than sports. She runs for the Track team and is kept very busy with that. I completely agree with her recognition. It was good to see that even though she is not failing the course, she sees that she can do better and wants to bring her grade up. She did not show up to tutoring and ended up failed the unit test the following day. This makes me wonder how much better she would have done if she had shown up for tutoring. Sadly she shows the least amount of improvement over the course of the Unit.

Pre-Test Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Passing a bill Socratic Seminar

Unit Test Margin of Improvement

Student 2 51% 67% 67% 57% 100% 68% 17%Class Average

57% 84% 81% 78.8% 84% 85.8% 28.7%

11 OHI: Other Health Impairments. See Pg. 3-4 for accommodations

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Pre-Test Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Socratic Seminar

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Student 2 Individual Grade Tracking

Student 2Class Average

My coaching teacher and I debated about her performance in the class. He does not have any suggestions on how I could have handled her any differently. I can only do so much if she does not come to me. She did not show up for tutoring. Multiple times I told the class that I am available over email any time and that I check it regularly. None of the class ever emailed with questions about the content. Even with her making low grades and recognizing that she needs to do better she did not reach out for help until two days prior to the Unit Test.

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Student 9 Individual Tracking

Student 9 performs at the top of the class consistently. He is always on time and paying attention. He is quiet in class but shows he is engaged and on task. It is very obvious that he studies for his quizzes and tests. As both charts below depict, Student 9 is out performing his classmates. This gentleman is in JROTC and already enlisted in the Air Force. It is clear he is dedicated to his education and his future. It takes a certain mindset to succeed in the military world and it shows he will do well just based off of how he handles class.

This student performed better than the class average on the project. He is reserved so his participation in the debate was lower than some other students. When I was walking around and monitoring what was being talked about he brought up good points so I know he was engaged. He was docked points due to not giving enough detail and examples on the two evaluations he was asked to fill out.

All of Student 9’s grades have been As or just missed the A mark. He showed more improvement than the class average. While he never received a perfect 100, he shows mastery of the topics covered. He clearly learned something from the course since his improvement was one of the highest in the class. Any time I have a question for the class he is able to tell me the answer and show some thought past what I lectured on or the book stated.

Pre-Test Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Passing a Bill Socratic Seminar

Unit Test Margin of Improvement

Student 9 64% 93% 97% 93% 90% 93% 29%Class Average

57% 84% 81% 78.8% 84% 85.8% 28.7%

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Figure 4-A10

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Student 12 Individual Tracking

Student 12 has a bad case of senioritis. He started the semester, and this class, with very little drive. He did not study for this class much to any. His grades have improved drastically since Unit 2 has started. While he still has a ways to go, he has pulled his grade from a low D to almost a B over the course of this unit. He plays football and since that is not in season currently he is focused on school work and looking ahead to college. While he is not at the top of the class according to grades, he is out performing a decent percentage of the rest of the class.

This student performed well on the project as well. He is on par with the rest of the class with participation and engagement. He brought up some very good points in the debate stage of the activity. The only reason his grade was pulled down was because he did not turn in one assignment on time. The rest of the grades he received high marks. Just looking at these major grades it is clear that he steadily improved throughout the unit. He started the pre-test with a 56%, which is natural, but then over the course of the month he raised each assessment grade by a few points at least. The unit test was an improvement when not factoring in the project run.

On nearly all assessments this student beat the class average. I have a very good rapport with this particular student. Even his margin of improvement is higher than the class average. He is at the top of the class in that column. These scores show that he pays attention in class but perhaps does not study quite enough. He tends to receive Bs and Cs on his assignments and assessments. It is clear that he can be a challenge; however, he is such a joy to be around.

Pre-Test Quiz 1 Quiz 2 Quiz 3 Passing a Bill Socratic Seminar

Unit Test Margin of Improvement

Student 12 56% 70% 80% 83% 90% 85% 29%Class Average

57% 84% 81% 78.8% 84% 85.8% 28.7%

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Student 12Class Average

Figure 4-A11

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Part B

I chose to analyze the African American Resume Writing assignment for the three individual students listed above (student 2, 9 and 12). Student 2 and 12 wrote the bare minimum. They simply answered the questions in as few words as possible. They were somewhat distracted during the time I let them write the resume. Both of these students write and work slowly. These two students left pieces of the resume blank. This could be for a couple reasons; the students felt rushed for time and skipped pieces to move on in order to get the vast majority finished, the students did not understand the assignment, the students were unsure how to conduct online research or they did not feel like trying their best. My assumption would be that it is a combination of the first three factors for the most part. Half of the class was a little lost by the assignment.

The amount of times my name was called to answer questions was ridiculous. This has been the case whenever they are allowed to do anything in class that is not notes or worksheets. I find this to be incredibly enlightening. The reactions that you get from students when you put them outside of their normal comfort zone are very telling. You can clearly see what they are used to and what they can achieve. Providing students with a different classroom activity shows who can think on their feet and figure out the problem and those who want to have their hand held throughout the entire experience. That falls partly on me for not explaining it well enough and partly on the students for not reading the typed directions and listening to my multiple explanations of the activity. The divide that occurs is a good indicator who rises to the challenges they face and who are going to struggle whenever they face challenges. While nearly the whole class plans on going to college, the students who are able to adapt are going to be more successful.

Student 2 struggled with this assignment. She is one of the two students with a 504. I take that into account when I decide what activities to run in class. She usually has a lot of questions which I patiently answer. I knew some students may struggle with this assignment. This student tries very hard in her work however she struggles to make passing grades. I believe that if she was in an environment of one on one instruction, she would benefit immensely. When I walk over to her desk to answer her questions the information clicks better with her. This student wanted a lot more help and less working to figure it out on her own. She did not utilize all the websites provided. Her learning was much lower than some other students in the class. I wonder about this students reading level. Her handwriting combined with her being on a 504 for OHI, most classified under ADHD, would support my assumption that she does not read on grade level. This is a challenge no matter what activity the teacher tries to run.

While student 12 struggled minorly, he ended up completing the assignment on par with the rest of the class. He only skipped two bullet points on the whole assignment. This student was a little distracted but the partner that I paired him with kept him on task. He had some questions throughout the assignment but for the most part was able to figure it out. Throughout

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the activity he looked at more than one website provided but did not venture beyond the four provided. His learning was about the same as the other students in the class. This student learned a lot. When I took over teaching him, he had a very low F. He would sleep in class and refused to take notes. All observations point at him liking me as a teacher. In addition to that, he failed Unit 1. Those two items help explain how much his grade has jumped up. While he still has a low grade, he is just not passing anymore. This student stays awake in class, takes notes and even asks questions. Most other students in the class are not failing the class like this particular student. The effort he puts in now is the same as the other students have been putting in since the start of the class.

Student 9 is on the opposite end of the spectrum. This student goes above and beyond on all his assignments. This resume writing assignment is no different. He not only used the four websites I provided but also looked at other websites to get a well-rounded understanding of that person. He took the initiative to move from just what I handed him and making it his own. Every assignment he completes he does to the best of his ability. This students learning was much higher than most of the rest of the class. I truly believe this student could not only be placed in honors and advanced placement classes but excel in them. I have tried to create activities that the students who fall into this top category have some creative leeway. He completes his assignments on time and in full. Only on a few assignments has he not received an A or B. it is evident that he studies before quizzes and tests. Those factors combined support my assessment that he has learned a lot in this class. His pre-test grade was not the highest in the class he was in the top five scores. He has continued this trend on all other assignments and quizzes.

To be fair, when assessing the resume’s I looked at effort and accuracy. They received a completion grade for this assignment. While they took something away from the activity, I was not going to test them on the specifics of each senator that they looked at. My desire was to give the students a different perspective on the people who are running our country. They made connections with these men and women by looking at their background and what they were involved in. My hope is that these senators appear slightly more accessible to this upcoming generation.

When looking at the handwriting of each student in the class, it reveals a great deal to me. An old coaching teacher of mine told me that reading and literacy levels can be seen throughout the handwriting. It is interesting to me however to look at Student 10’s handwriting in comparison to Student 13. Student 10 has atrocious handwriting but has one of the top grades in the class, while student 13 has some of the neatest handwriting that I have ever seen, and he performs in the middle of the class. Not everything can be decided by the style and clarity of the students handwriting; however, it is a telling first step.

I do believe that in order for students to learn it cannot only be one sided. The teacher cannot be the only one trying to get the students to learn. Students must want to learn. The class is across the board on this aspect. These three students show the three achievement levels of the

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students in this class. The vast majority of the class fall into the category that student 9 and 13 represent. Only a fifth of the class shares the category with student 2.

Overall, the class learned a lot about Congress, not only in general facts but also about the culture of Congress. Throughout this unit, I integrated activities and research initiatives to evoke curiosity and move from a traditional teacher centered classroom to one where the students have an equal share of control. Simply based off of their pre to post test scores it is clear that they learned a great deal. I implemented reviews throughout the unit to assure the information that I needed to cover was met. While the grades are across the board, every student learns differently and took something different from this unit of study.

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Section 5: Reflection and Self-Assessment

This unit was on the longer side. My coaching teacher was very flexible with timing which helped me out immensely. I felt pressure to finish my unit in a certain amount of time and my coaching teacher kept reminding me that it is more important for the students to learn the information than to finish in time. That outlook is excellent and I will definitely take that into my teaching career.

The majority of what I did worked well. I made sure to incorporate multiple mediums of media in order to appeal to a wider array of students. PowerPoint slides were limited as much as possible. I was careful about how many words and bullet points I put on the slides. Many of the videos used sparked good questions and debates. As the class got used to me their behavior changed slightly. They knew I was more relaxed and welcomed some talking so they filled the silences.

Some items did not work out quite as I had planned. The unit lasted about 4 days longer than I was planning. As I went along I had to cut out items or add items to keep the class on track. Some of my more fun items had to be cut out. I can definitely see how easy it is for teachers to get tunnel vision when teaching. I thoroughly love project based learning and having the students actually do something with the information instead of just copying notes and regurgitating information. It was unfortunate to have to cut short or completely cut out some of these items.

I am truly baffled by how slowly students write and how many times I got asked what was important or needed to be written down off of a slide with two sentences. Pacing became a good growing point for me this semester. By the end of my teaching I got a lot better at my timing. Similarly, the amount of words written on the PowerPoints went down drastically. I got in the habit of telling the students which items were incredibly important for them to know. This curbed the constant asking of what needs to be written down. My coaching teacher suggested I use more examples to illustrate the points that I was making. I completely agree, and while that is a little difficult when I am in a subject that I am currently teaching myself, it will get better with time.

In addition, I learned how important directions are. I could not believe I had to actually state things that seemed obvious to me. Over the course of my time teaching, I got better at giving specific instructions and repeating myself multiple times. My somewhat vague directions were very revealing however. Due to this, the students showed their level of intelligence and adaptability. There were students who could figure it out and still did well without me having to repeat the instructions multiple times. Even with me repeating the instructions and elaborating on it there were students who were still confused. I learned through this that other students may be the best tool to use. They can sometimes explain something better than I can. When vague

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instructions were given or I worded a question in an awkward manor, other students were able to rephrase the question and explain what I intended better than I could.

I learned that I do not need to know all the answers. The students understood if I said I simply did not know. That statement would be followed up with, “I will look that up tonight.” The few times that that actually did happen, I made sure to look it up and start class off with what I had found out. From day one they knew I was not a government guru or lawyer. This will be different in my own classroom, I am sure. If it is my class alone then I am expected to know almost all the answers. Not knowing all the answers may be the best teaching tool however. As my supervisor mentioned, not knowing the answer may create an excellent opening to invoke research curiosity.

Not terribly surprising, students did not want to change from the normal routine. I had students asking me if we could just do notes and a review worksheet and be done. While I ran my class differently than my coaching teacher, I tried to not change too terribly much. My integration of technology worked decently well. The age old struggle I faced was if everyone brought their Chromebook and or if it was charged. While having them charged is a school wide rule, it rarely happens. I made sure to remind them in class the day before I used technology as well as send an email. I did have a student or two who told me that they never checked their email so those students were always lost when the class, or I, mentioned something from the email. I ended up having to make the technology work in groups so that everyone would be able to complete it. For the most part this worked well too. I was surprised that anything was accomplished. If I assigned group or pair work I tried to pick the groups so friends would be somewhat separated. Unfortunately with only fifteen students, that is difficult since they are all friends.

Teaching this unit, as well as the unit to my other classes, reiterated how important a rapport with students is. I treated this senior class as adults. To the best of my ability, I tried to see them as my equal. It seemed to work in my favor most days. When I got serious and told them that they needed to work with me and I would work with them, they really responded. I made sure to ask about their lives and we discussed semi off topic items at times. I know I could be seen as too relaxed and I need to tighten up, but I firmly believe in the method of least resistance. There is no reason for all parties involved to be miserable if we have to spend time together. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know these students and hopefully I had some kind of impact on their lives. I told them multiple times that I am not that far removed from where they sit and I understand where they are coming from when they complained about various things. That is one way that my age did help. I was able to relate to them and I tried my best to keep that in mind when I was in charge. At this point in my career I have not become tainted, jaded or unhappy about students, schools and teaching. I can still look at situations with hope and searching for positives.

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That is not to say that I did not struggle in a lot of areas. I tried a lot of practices while teaching this unit, some worked wonderfully and some tanked pretty substantially. Many of the activities I ran I would use again, just with more structure since I know where the problems were the first time being used. The amount of confusion I got was incredible and eye opening. When I gave vague instructions I was shown who could think, adapt and overcome and shown who could not. There were a few times I purposely gave vague instructions because I wanted to see who was able to think on their feet and figure it out. Typically the students who studied and got good grades were the ones who adapted well. There were some students who would take one look at the assignment and not even try. The vast majority of the students tried and were able to find some success.

I tried a lot of new items this internship. One of those was running a Socratic Seminar with this class. I had never run one nor had I ever seen one run. It was a learn in the moment type item. I blended Socratic Seminar and jigsaw to run this activity. We had a class debate and came up with a plan to present to my coaching teacher. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it did. I was expecting it to crash and burn. For the most part the class was engaged and discussing relevant items. Knowing the demeanor of this class caused me to have to be more involved than this method is designed for. This is also due to the fact that it did not cover a specific reading but it was a process I was getting them to look at.

This class has been such a joy to teach. They certainly gave me some headaches but overall I am going to miss teaching them. The entire class asked me to come to their graduation and I told them I would be there. I in turn, invited them to my graduation. I doubt any of them would show up but I would be so incredibly touched if any of them did.

Learning how to become a better teacher through this class had been wonderful. They were forgiving when I made mistakes and we created a great rapport. The class as a whole is close knit which created an interesting dynamic. They can be difficult to quiet down however the debate aspect of class excels greatly.

My self-assessment is that overall I did a good job. Throughout teaching I found a lot of areas that I could do better in. That is natural at this stage in my career however. I struggled with monitoring and promoting motivation. I am at a complete loss as to how to go about curbing that. Everything starts with having a rapport with the students that you are teaching. I do not think I struggled with that aspect of being a teacher.

The fact that I am young, and it is noticeable, makes my job more difficult. These seniors see me as a peer more so than a teacher. Unfortunately, there is not much I can do about changing that. Most people will tell me that I have to overcompensate for my age with being harsh with the rules. I completely disagree with that suggestion; however, I can understand why that is a common thing for people to advise.

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While I have a long ways to go, I made a lot of strides forward over this semester and in the units that I taught. I am hard on myself, but I try to balance that out by not letting it get me down but to take everything as a learning and teachable moment.

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Appendix A: Copies of Assessments

Pre-Test

True/FalseCongress is part of the Legislative Branch.Our government has three branches of government.Today’s Legislative Branch is bicameral.The number of seats each state received is equal in the House of Representatives.The number of seats each state received is equal in the Senate.Each state is guaranteed 2 seats in the House of Representatives.Small states were in favor of population based representation.There are 435 seats in the House.Representatives do not have to be citizens of the US.Most Representatives are white males.South Carolina has 4 Representatives.The Representative for the area Ridge View is in is Joe Wilson.States lose seats in the House when their population increases.Gerrymandering is the process of drawing US congressional district boundaries.Senators serve 6 year terms.Senators do not have to be US citizens.SC senators are Scott and Graham.Women are not allowed in the Senate.Both houses of Congress are controlled by Republicans.Partisan Legislators are quick to compromise.There are no limits on Congressional pay.Congressmen have no limitations on what they say on the floor.Implied powers are in specific wording in the Constitution.Congress has the power to create protective tariffs.Counterfeiting and Postal fraud are federal offenses because they are powers of Congress.Declaring war is not found in the Constitution.The elastic clause of the Constitution is the same as the Necessary and Proper Clause.Powers of Congress are found in Article 1 Section 8.Congressional Powers are split into two kinds: Peacetime and Wartime.Three Presidents have been impeached.Impeachment trials begin in the Senate.The Vice President presides over the Senate.The Vice President presides over impeachment trials.The Speaker of the House is a minority party leader.Both the House and Senate have Majority and Minority Whips.Joint Committees include members of the Executive, Legislative and

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Judicial branch.Proposed bills are introduced into the House first.Presidents have three kinds of vetoes for a bill: Regular, Pocket, Secret.Presidential vetoes can be overridden.

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Quiz 1- Founding

1. In order to be elected to the House of Representatives you must be…(A) At least 25 years old (B) US citizen for 7 years (C) Live in the state you represent (D) All of the above2. How long are the terms for a Representative? (think per election not how many sets)(A) 2 years (B) 6 years (C) 10 years (D) Life3. Every state is guaranteed at least ______ seats in the House(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 44. The qualifications for Senators are…(A) At least 30 years old (B) US citizen for 9 years (C) Live in the state they represent (D) All of the above5. How long are Senator’s term? (think per election)(A) 2 years (B) 4 years (C) 6 years (D) 10 years6. Represents the people, the constituents they represent are the boss(A) Delegate (B) Trustee (C) Partisan (D) Politico7. Leads constituents, elected because the people trust that he/she is wise(A) Delegate (B) Trustee (C) Partisan (D) Politico8. Committed member of a political party, reluctant to compromise (A) Delegate (B) Trustee (C) Partisan (D) Politico9. Which is NOT a perk of being in Congress? (A) Official expense accounts (B) Health & Life insurance (C)retirement provisions (D) Free car every 4 years10. What exceptions are made to the immunity given in the Constitution to Congressmen?(A) Treason (B) Felony (C) Breach of Peace (D) All of the above11. What phrase supports congressional districts having equal populations?(A) “One person, One vote” (B) Gerrymandering (C) Redistricting12. ____________________ manipulates congressional boundaries to benefit one party(A) “One person, One vote” (B) Gerrymandering (C) Redistricting13. T/F All members of Congress receive the same salary.14. T/F SC is a “blue” state15. T/F The Reapportionment Act of 1929 shifts the number of seats in the House based on population. 16. T/F Congress is part of the Legislative Branch. 17. T/F Our government has three branches of government. 18. T/F Today’s Legislative Branch is bicameral. 19. T/F The number of seats each state received is equal in the House of Representatives.20. T/F The number of seats each state received is equal in the Senate. 21. T/F There are 435 seats in the House. 22. T/F Representatives do not have to be citizens of the US.23. T/F Most Representatives are white males.

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24. T/F South Carolina has 4 Representatives. 25. T/F The Representative for the area Ridge View is in is Joe Wilson.26. T/F States lose seats in the House when their population increases. 27. T/F Gerrymandering is the process of drawing US congressional district boundaries. 28. T/F SC senators are Scott and Graham. 29. T/F Women are not allowed in the Senate.30. T/F Both houses of Congress are controlled by Republicans

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Quiz 2- Powers of Congress

1. Legislative Powers are found where in the Constitution?(A)Article 1 Section 8 (B) 5th Amendment (C) 8th Amendment (D) 20th Amendment

2. Legislative powers that are explicitly written in specific wording in the Constitution are classified as _________________ powers

(A)Expressed (B) Implied (C) Inherent3. Which tax is paid directly to the government by the person on whom it is imposed?

(A) Indirect Tax (B) Direct Tax 4. Why is check fraud a federal offense?

(A)Counterfeiting is a legislative power given to Congress (B) It is not a federal offense (C) It is bad and therefore illegal

5. Article 1 Section 8 Clause 8 states “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.” This clause gives Congress the power to do what?

(A)Punish those who counterfeit (B) Power to issue money (C) To punish Piracies and Felonies (D) Punish those who violate copyright infringements

6. The Power to Borrow has how many limits or restrictions?(A)1 restriction- Must be unanimously decided by both houses of Congress

(B) 2 restrictions- answer to (A) and the President must sign off on it (C) Article 1 Section 9 states the explicit restrictions (D) There are no limits or restrictions on how much can be borrowed

7. How many Congressional Powers are Wartime Powers?(A)4 (B) 6 (C) 10 (D) All 18 of them

8. The United States use Miles, Feet and Ounces because of what power?(A)Currency Power (B) Naturalization Power (C) Weights and Measures Power

(D) Bankruptcy Power (E) Borrowing Power9. “Grants a person the sole right to manufacture, use or sell any new and useful art, machine, etc.” Usually scientific and good up to 20 years. That is a _______________

(A)Patent (B) Copyright10. The 5th amendment states “…nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation”. What is this called; it gives the Government the ability to take land.

(A)Elastic Clause (B) Eminent Domain (C) Amend the country 11. Congress is given the power to impeach. How many presidents have been impeached?

(A)0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 4 (E) 1012. Which of the following can be impeached by Congress?

(A)President (B) Vice-President (C) Supreme Court Justices (D) Ombudsman (E) All of the above

13. Who presides over impeachment trials?(A)Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (B) Vice-President (C) No one, Senators run it

themselves

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14. Which house of Congress has the sole power to try and decide all cases of impeachment?(A)House of Representatives (B) Senate

15. How many votes are required for impeachment conviction?(A)3/5 (B) 1/4 (C) 2/3 (D) Unanimous

16. The implied power to draft a military falls under the expressed power to _______________.

(A)Establish a post office (B) Create naturalization law (C) Raise an Army and Navy (D) Lay and collect taxes (E) Borrow money

17. T/F Treason violates the Constitution, which is grounds for impeachment 18. T/F Congress is not allowed to amend the Constitution 19. T/F Congress has the power to review federal agencies20. T/F There are no limits on Congressional pay. 21. T/F Congressmen have no limitations on what they say on the floor. 22. T/F Implied powers are in specific wording in the Constitution.23. T/F Congress has the power to create protective tariffs. 24. T/F Counterfeiting and Postal fraud are federal offenses because they are powers of Congress.25. T/F Declaring war is not found in the Constitution.26. T/F The elastic clause of the Constitution is the same as the Necessary and Proper Clause. 27. T/F Powers of Congress are found in Article 1 Section 8.28. T/F Congressional Powers are split into two kinds: Peacetime and Wartime. 29. T/F Three Presidents have been impeached. 30. T/F Impeachment trials begin in the Senate.

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Quiz 3- Bill

1. What are the Whips jobs?(A)Assist the floor leader (B) Whip the Votes (C) Serve as a link between party

leadership & its members (D) All of the above2. Who is the majority party in the House of Representatives?

(A)Democrat (B) Republican 3. Who is the Majority party in the Senate?

(A)Democrat (B) Republican4. Who leads the Senate in the absence of the Vice President?

(A)Majority Whip (B) Senate Minority Leader (C) President Pro Tempore (D) Senate Majority Leader

5. The Speaker of the House belongs to what party?(A)Majority (B) Minority

6. Who is the Speaker of the House?(A)Joe Biden (B) Paul Ryan (C) Nancy Pelosi (D) Patrick Leahy

7. Who is the President of the Senate?(A)Joe Biden (B) Paul Ryan (C) Nancy Pelosi (D) Patrick Leahy

8. Which of the following is NOT an option for the President when presented with a bill?(A)Approving only part of it (B) Signing it (C) Allowing it to become law without

signing it (D) Killing the bill by using a pocket veto9. Which of the following is NOT a purpose of Committees?

(A)Consider, shape and pass laws to govern the nation (B) Help organize the most important work of Congress (C) Workhorse of Congress (D) Gab session

10. This Committee decides the terms and conditions of debate, called the “Traffic cop”(A)Standing Committee (B) Select Committee (C) Conference Committee (D) Joint

Committee (E) Rules Committee11. What Committee is a permanent committee that has members of both Houses of Congress?

(A)Standing Committee (B) Select Committee (C) Conference Committee (D) Joint Committee (E) Rules Committee

12. A standing committee is… (A)Permanent panel which review similar bills (B) Panel set up for a specific purpose

(C) Temporary joint body (D) Decided terms and condition of debate13. How many joint committees are in the US Congress today?

(A)1 (B) 4 (C) 15 (D) 20 (E) 2114. Which of the following is NOT part of Committee Appointments?

(A)May or may not be members of Congress (B) Fixed terms (C) Balanced representation between both parties (D) only members of the democratic party

15. A proposed law is a…(A)Bill (B) Joint Resolution (C) Concurrent Resolution (D) Resolution

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16. Which Bill or Resolution does NOT require the president’s signature? (Multiple Answers)

(A)Bill (B) Joint Resolution (C) Concurrent Resolution (D) Resolution 17. If the President’s veto gets overridden by a 2/3 vote of Congress what happens to the bill?

(A)Bill becomes a law (B) Bill is dead18. Which veto is an absolute veto?

(A)Regular Veto (B) Pocket Veto19. Which veto cannot be overturned by Congress?

(A)Regular Veto (B) Pocket Veto20. “Talking a bill to death” or a stalling tactic is a…

(A)Filibuster (B) Cloture21. T/F The President of the United States is in charge of the Senate. 22. T/F The Vice President presides over impeachment trials.23. T/F The Speaker of the House is part of the Majority party. 24. T/F Both the House and Senate have Majority and Minority Whips.25. T/F Joint Committees include members of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branch. 26. T/F Proposed bills are introduced into the House first ONLY. 27. T/F Presidents have three kinds of vetoes for a bill: Regular, Pocket, Secret.28. T/F Presidential vetoes can be overridden.29. T/F Obama has not vetoed any bills since being President. 30. T/F Clotures limit debates.

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Unit Test

1. Congress is part of what branch of government?(A)Judicial (B) Executive (C) Legislative

2. Every state is guaranteed at least ______ seat in the House of Representatives.(A) 0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 4

3. How long are Senators terms?(A)2 years (B) 4 years (C) 6 years (D) 8 years

4. Legislative Powers are found where in the Constitution?(A)Article 1 Section 8 (B) 5th Amendment (C) 8th Amendment (D) 20th Amendment

5. Leads constituents, elected because the people trust that he/she is wise(A)Delegate (B) Trustee (C) Partisan (D) Politico

6. Committed member of a political party, reluctant to compromise (A)Delegate (B) Trustee (C) Partisan (D) Politico

7. ____________________ manipulates congressional boundaries to benefit one party(A)“One person, One vote” (B) Gerrymandering (C) Redistricting

8. The idea that each district should have roughly the same population so each vote carries the same weight

(A)“One person, One vote” (B) Gerrymandering (C) Redistricting9. Which house of Congress has the sole power to try (trial) and decide all cases of impeachment?

(A)House of Representatives (B) Senate10. How many votes are required for impeachment conviction?

(A)3/5 (B) 1/4 (C) 2/3 (D) Unanimous 11. Who presides over impeachment trials?

(A)Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (B) Vice-President (C) No one, Senators run it themselves (D) President of the United States

12. What are the Whips jobs?(A)Assist the floor leader (B) Whip the Votes (C) Serve as a link between party

leadership & its members (D) All of the above13. Who is the current Majority party in the House of Representatives?

(A)Democrat (B) Republican 14. Who is the current Majority party in the Senate?

(A)Democrat (B) Republican15. Who leads the Senate in the absence of the Vice President?

(A)Majority Whip (B) Senate Minority Leader (C) President Pro Tempore (D) Senate Majority Leader

16. The Speaker of the House tends to be which party?(A)Majority (B) Minority

17. Who is the Speaker of the House?(A)Joe Biden (B) Paul Ryan (C) Nancy Pelosi (D) Patrick Leahy

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18. Who is the President of the Senate?(A)Joe Biden (B) Paul Ryan (C) Nancy Pelosi (D) Patrick Leahy

19. Which of the following is NOT an option for the President when presented with a bill?(A)Approving only part of it (B) Signing it (C) Allowing it to become law without

signing it (D) Killing the bill by using a pocket veto20. This Committee decides the terms and conditions of debate, called the “Traffic cop”

(A)Standing Committee (B) Select Committee (C) Conference Committee (D) Joint Committee (E) Rules Committee

21. What Committee is a permanent committee that has members of both Houses of Congress?

(A)Standing Committee (B) Select Committee (C) Conference Committee (D) Joint Committee (E) Rules Committee

22. A standing committee is…(A)Permanent panel which review similar bills (B) Panel set up for a specific purpose

(C) Temporary joint body (D) Decided terms and condition of debate23. How many Congressional Powers are Wartime Powers?

(A)4 (B) 6 (C) 10 (D) All 18 of them24. Congress is given the power to impeach. How many presidents have been impeached?

(A)0 (B) 1 (C) 2 (D) 4 (E) 1025. Which veto CANNOT be overturned by Congress?

(A)Regular Veto (B) Pocket Veto26. “Talking a bill to death” or a stalling tactic is a…

(A)Filibuster (B) Cloture27. T/F Treason violates the Constitution which is grounds for impeachment 28. T/F Our government has three branches of government. 29. T/F Today’s Legislative Branch is bicameral. 30. T/F The number of seats each state received is equal in the House of Representatives.31. T/F The number of seats each state received is equal in the Senate. 32. T/F Each state is guaranteed 2 seats in the House of Representatives.33. T/F There are 435 seats in the House. 34. T/F Representatives do not have to be citizens of the US.35. T/F Most Representatives are white males. 36. T/F South Carolina has 4 Representatives. 37. T/F The Representative for the area Ridge View is in is Joe Wilson.38. T/F States lose seats in the House when their population increases. 39. T/F Gerrymandering is the process of drawing US congressional district boundaries. 40. T/F Senators do not have to be US citizens. 41. T/F SC senators are Scott and Graham. 42. T/F Women are not allowed in the Senate.43. T/F Both houses of Congress are controlled by Republicans.44. T/F Partisan Legislators are quick to compromise.

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45. T/F There are no limits on Congressional pay. 46. T/F Congressmen have no limitations on what they say on the floor. 47. T/F Implied powers are in specific wording in the Constitution.48. T/F Congress has the power to create protective tariffs. 49. T/F Counterfeiting and Postal fraud are federal offenses because they are powers of Congress.50. T/F The elastic clause of the Constitution is the same as the Necessary and Proper Clause. 51. T/F Congressional Powers are split into two kinds: Peacetime and Wartime. 52. T/F Three Presidents have been impeached. 53. T/F Impeachment trial charges begin (overall) in the Senate.54. T/F The Vice President presides over the Senate.55. T/F The Speaker of the House is a minority party leader. 56. T/F Both the House and Senate have Majority and Minority Whips.57. T/F Joint Committees include members of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branch. 58. T/F Proposed bills are introduced into either chamber of Congress. 59. T/F Presidents have three kinds of vetoes for a bill: Regular, Pocket, Secret.60. T/F Obama has vetoed 8 bills while he has been President.

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Appendix B: Copies of Activities

Senator Resume Template Your First & Last Name: __________________________

Directions: Used the shared links in your email to research an African American Senator and write a simple resume. Include: name, city and state, brief background, education, career accomplishments (what makes this person important? Key legislation? Etc.) and any skills or talents you may come across. This is an in-class assignment for a grade (100 Points). Use your chrome books to find out more about these senators. Start by going to the senate.gov link first. Then browse the other links listed to find out more about these Senators. Visit multiple sites to get a detailed understanding on your selected Senator.

Senators Name:___________________________ Political Party: ______________

City, State:_________________________ Years Served: ______________

Background

Education

Career Accomplishments

Skills/Talents

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Passing a Bill Socratic Seminar Rubric

0 25 50 75 100Complete Survey Question (Google Form in email)Pts possible 50

Never filled out the survey

Filled out the survey late

Filled out the survey on time

xx xx

Participate in Debate(Weight 2)Pts possible 200

No participation. Off task the entire time. Sleeping or head down for the entire class.Talking to other students about irrelevant items.Did not add to the items presented to Griffin.

Little participation. More silence than talking. Only interjected once or twice.On task/topic little of the time. Mostly distracted or sleeping.

Some participation. About even between quiet and talking.On task/topic some of the time. Head down for some of the time.Added some items to be presented to Griffin.

Moderate participation. A few comments here and there. Did not dominate conversation. Did not sit silently.On task/topic most of the time.Sleeping/head down for little amount of the time.

Continual participation throughout debate. Proposed arguments supporting their side of debate.On task/topic the whole time.Head down none of the time. Focused on the conversation. Added to the items presented to Griffin.

Participated in a voice votePts. Possible 50

No xx Yes xx xx

Complete self-evaluationPts. Possible 100

Did not complete self-evaluation

Mostly left blank. Not fully filled out.

Filled out the self-evaluation late or only half filled out.

Completed in part. Mostly filled out.

Completed self-evaluation

Complete peer evaluationPts. Possible 100

Did not complete self-evaluation

Mostly left blank. Not fully filled out.

Filled out the peer-evaluation late or only half filled out.

Completed in part. Mostly filled out.

Completed peer evaluation

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Appendix C: Student Work

Student 2 Pre-test

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Student 9 Pre-test

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Student 12 Pre-test

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Student 2 Resume Writing

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Student 9 Resume Writing

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Student 12 Resume Writing

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Student 2 Unit Test

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Student 9 Unit Test

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Student 12 Unit Test