12th Grade Advanced Placement Government
Summer Assignments
Advanced Placement Government: Summer Assignments
1) Complete the Constitution Handbook assignment distributed in class.
2) Watergate (Nixon and executive privilege )!
a. Obtain a copy of All the President’s Men by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward.
i. You will need this book for the summer assignment, as well as the first 2
weeks of school. Checking it out of the library is also a good option if you
don’t want to purchase it!
b. Read the entire book, and be prepared to discuss on the first day of school.
c. Complete the short writing assignment listed on the next page by the first day of
school, and bring to class. This is your first Minor Assessment grade for the course.
3) If you have any questions during the summer, please feel free to email me at
mohern@bostoncollegiate.org
Failure to complete either of these assignments will result in a conversation regarding placement in the course.
Watergate Writing Assignment:
In a well-written, typed, 2 page double-spaced paper, answer the question below in relation to the
Watergate scandal and the White House cover-up. Your response should be based on the text All the
Presidents’ Men.
Who has power in this country? How do we protect that power?
Your paper must include:
 A well-written response to the question
 A counterargument acknowledging the complexity of the topic
 At least 5 direct quotes from All the President’s Men. You should write the page number in
parenthesis following the quote. Ex.: (33) You should also have a citation for the text at the
end of the response.
You will be graded on the following rubric:
Student answers the question
___/5
Student has a well-written, arguable thesis and counterargument
___/5
The response includes specific historical data and evidence
___/10
Student includes 5 quotes from All the President’s Men
with the correct format
___/5
The 5 quotes strongly support the student’s argument
___/5
The response is well organized, with each paragraph having a
specific topic
___/5
Each paragraph supports the argument
___/5
Paper has correct spelling and punctuation, and is presented
neatly and professionally
___/5
TOTAL
_______/50
This is a Minor Assessment grade. The reflection paper is due on Tuesday, September 1st.
Paper Requirements
These are the requirements you must meet to receive a grade.
To be accepted for a grade:
 The paper must meet the minimum page length. You must have writing on
all pages, which does not include the works cited page.
 The paper must be typed, double spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font.
You may not space between paragraphs, nor may you include a title that is
bolded or is larger than 12-point font.
 The paper must have a title. Title may not be in the form of a question.
 The paper must have a proper MLA heading. No “Word Art” or cover pages
allowed.
 Each paragraph must be indented. Format of typing must “align left” and not
“justified.”
 The paper must include citations from the documents used. The citations must
be in the correct format, and all sources cited must be in the Works Cited.
 Each source must have an author. You may not pull from websites that do not
have authors or dates of publication.
 Pages must be numbered.
 The paper must include an MLA-style works cited page listing every source
cited in your paper. The works cited page may not include sources you have
not cited.
If your paper does not meet all the requirements above, your teacher will return it to
you and you will have a “0” until your paper meets the requirements. The 11/12 Late
Policy will apply.