AP United States Government And Politics Summer Assignment
Please read through the summer assignment and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I would like
to be able to have a way to contact you over the summer, so please email me at: gdauber@springboro.org
All assignments are due the first day of school unless otherwise noted.
Part I: The United States Constitution
A) Read and Understand:
You will need to be familiar with the Constitution in order to be successful on the AP exam and in AP
Government. Read every word thoroughly -from the beginning of the Preamble to the end of the 27th
Amendment. Look up and read commentary on what you don’t understand. You may purchase a copy or
read on line. However, I strongly suggest that you have a form of the Constitution on which you can make
notes or underline as you read.
B) Summarize:
Create a table of contents for both the Articles and the Amendments of the Constitution. Read each article
of the Constitution. Summarize the general purpose of each article and amendment, and then write down
any bigger questions you have for discussion. If you do have questions or trouble understanding the
Constitution, see what you can find out on your own prior to any class discussion. This must be typed.
C) Vocabulary:
There is a lot of vocabulary in government. Don’t just gloss over unfamiliar words; look them up; see how
they are used; make a list of words to ask about. Flashcards on some government vocabulary:
http://quizlet.com/17334740/making-government-tenable-flash-cards/
Part II: Current Events
A) Follow:
Second, start following U.S. Government and politics news stories. Look for daily news stories that
portray the national government in action and highlight the issues/crises it must deal with every day. Try to
focus on stories that discuss Congress, the Presidency, Federal agencies, and the Supreme Court. You can
also follow stories that involve national elections, politics, and politicians. Being able to discuss “real
world” current events will greatly enhance your understanding of the theoretical concepts in this course. In
addition, current events knowledge is assumed on the AP Exam free response section.
B) Record:
To document your developing news habit keep a current events journal over the summer. You can keep
this in an actual notebook, or you may keep it as a computer document, and simply add to the document
with each entry. Beginning Monday, June 23rd through Sunday, August 24th select ONE major national
news story a week to write about in your journal. The articles may come from a newspaper (i.e. The
Washington Post or New York Times, local city papers can be used but the event must be national), a news
magazine (i.e. Time or Newsweek), television news, or reputable internet site. Try to use a variety of
sources over the course of the summer. Write a 1 paragraph factual summary of the story, and a brief
analysis of why this information is important. Please keep it concise. The summary should be sufficient to
inform someone unfamiliar with the event. Be prepared to share and discuss these articles and events the
first week back to school! Also, try to find a political cartoon which addresses the event – but just for a
couple of the events, not all of them
For each entry, you should cite the source of the information, its author (if possible) and date the
information was published. The journal will be due on the 1st day of school (August 25, 2014).
C) Watch:
Make a habit of watching any national (not local) evening news program on major TV networks; CBS,
ABC, NBC, FOX. Also, check out Sunday morning “interview” shows like Meet the Press (NBC), Face
the Nation (CBS) and Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace. Watch specialized 24/7 news channels like
Fox News Channel (FNC), Cable News Network (CNN), or MSNBC. Check out CSPAN and its affiliates
for the latest news from Congress. Try to find one you like above the others. See if you notice differences
in how or on what they report. This does not have to be done every day but try to do it a couple of times a
week. If you do not have cable, I believe, all of these shows can be accessed online and on ITunes.