12th Grade Participation in Government
Course Syllabus and Outline
2010-2011
Teacher: Mr. Woolley
Room: C-110
Extension: 1310
E-Mail: jwoolley@pioneercsd.org
IMPORTANT NOTES:
1.
THIS COURSE IS MANDATORY FOR GRADUATION FOR ALL NEW YORK STATE
SENIORS. IN OTHER WORDS YOU MUST PASS THIS COURSE IN ORDER TO
GRADUATE.
2.
THIS COURSE IS NO LONGER AVERAGED WITH 12TH GRADE ECONOMICS. THEY ARE
BOTH GRADED AS SEPARATE COURSES AND YOU MUST RECEIVE CREDIT IN BOTH TO
GRADUATE.
3.
IF AT ANYTIME YOU ARE UNCLEAR ABOUT AN ASSIGNMENT, CONTENT THAT WE
HAVE COVERED, OR SOMETHING THAT HAS OCCURRED IN CLASS PLEASE SEE ME AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE.
4.
STRIVE TO BE EXCELLENT, NORMAL IS BORING.
OTHER NOTES:
 This is a one semester course (20 weeks).
 Attendance is EXTREMELY important.
 There is no textbook; therefore class discussions and notes will
be invaluable
 We will be doing a lot of group work and class activities; you
will be responsible for and tested on the knowledge learned in
those situations whether or not you are in class
 You are responsible for all work missed when you are absent
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
To begin, let me welcome you to 12th grade Participation in Government class.
This will be the culminating class in your high school history experience.
As you know this is a New York State required course and is needed for
graduation.
My goals as the instructor of this course are that you as students develop a
working knowledge of:
1.
The roles and functions of all levels of government in the United
States
2.
Your own personal political and value laden belief system
3.
How government influences and affects you personally
4.
What it means to be an active and contributing citizen in your
community and of the United States
5.
The role of civility and compromise in public life
6.
How to access pertinent information regarding your government
7.
The basic structure and operation of politics in the United States
MATERIALS REQUIRED:
 Notebook with perforated pages (college rule preferred)
 Pen (blue or black ink only) and Pencil (#2)
 Lined Index Cards
 Access to a computer jump drive
 Minimum of three highlighters (different colors)
CLASS RULES:
The rules of this class are very simple: respect, responsibility, and
readiness.
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Respect
Respect
Respect
Respect
Respect
all adults in the class
your classmates
differing opinions
yourselves
the classroom
Please remember that you and only you are responsible for your actions! Be
ready to face the day - have all of your supplies and assignments. All of
the school rules and policies apply to this classroom. Please read them as
soon as possible.
A special note on electronic devices:
Absolutely no outside electronic devices will be allowed to be used inside
the classroom. All devices need to be turned OFF prior to entering the
classroom. This syllabus serves as your warning. The first time you are
caught using a device it will be confiscated by me and you will be able to
retrieve it at the end of the school day. All other infractions will be an
office issue. There will be a basket located in the front of the room that
you may place your phones (turned off) in if you wish.
GRADING:
Final Grade: Remember this is a semester course and is also independent from
Economics. Your final grade will be an average of your two quarterly grades
and your Scavenger Hunt grade.
Quarter Grades: Your two quarter grades will be determined using a total
point system. To determine your quarter grade at anytime you divide the
total points that you have earned by the total points available. Each of the
assessments will be separately described.
Attendance/Participation Grades (daily):
 A daily attendance/participation grade will be taken. There will be
four points available per day. You can earn 1 point for each of the
following; on time, prepared, participation, and appropriate. Absences
will not count against your grade.
Unit Exams (a total of three):
 Unit Exams will be graded out of 100 points
 One exam will be given 1st quarter and two exams will be given 2nd
quarter. All exams will be announced one week in advance and study
guides will be provided.
Community-Based Project:
 Community-Based Project will be graded out of 200 points
 The Community Service Project is the culminating project of a student’s
Participation in Government experience. Students will be expected to
work cooperatively in groups of 4-5, to develop, and bring to fruition
a community-based service project.
Quizzes (one per five weeks):
 Quizzes will be grades out of 50 points
 All quizzes will be announced one week in advance.
In-Class Projects (one per five weeks):
 All projects will be graded out of 100 points.
 There will be a 10 point penalty for each school day it is late up to a
maximum of 50 points off.
(1) Compare and Contrast Project
(2) Founding Fathers Project
(3) National Current Events Project
(4) Government in Action Project
PIG Requirements (one per five weeks):
 Attend a public meeting during the first quarter.
 Champion a political issue during the first quarter.
 Effective use of the media during the second quarter.
 During the second quarter write a letter to your state assemblyperson
or state senator expressing your concern of a current issue or
suggesting an area where in your opinion legislation is needed. This
is a concern or issue on a STATE level and must be accompanied by a
properly addressed enveloped.
Blogs:
 Blogs will be graded out of 25 points.
 Blogs will be posted every two weeks.
In-Class Activities:
 Point values will be announced per assignment.
Late Work: Assignments are expected to be turned in when they are due.
will accept late classroom assignments up to 1 week. Late classroom
assignments will be penalized 25%.
Extended assignments like Projects are not subject to 0s they will be
completed and point reductions will happen depending on how long the
assignment is late.
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In the grade book I will use the following codes;
A = absent – absent assignments can be made up without penalty as
long as it is handed in by the new due date.
0 = zero – zero assignments are past the point of being made up
and will remain in the grade book as a zero.
M = made up assignments are assignments that are late and can be
made up within the 1 week time period. M’s will be changed to a 0
after the 1 week window has closed.
IMPORTANT:
Any incomplete given as a quarterly grade and is not taken care of by the
student within five weeks, will be changed to a numeric grade no higher than
a 64%. Incompletes are not allowed to be given for the fourth quarter.
FINAL EXAM:
The final exam for this class will be the Scavenger Hunt that will be handed
out at the beginning of the semester. Every student’s goal should be to gain
100 points. Do not put off the final until the last moment because it will
become overwhelming. 50 points of the Scavenger Hunt must be completed by
approximately the 12th week of the semester.
WEB PAGE:
My teacher webpage is there to help you with your learning, and as such, you
will be expected to refer to it throughout the school year. This webpage
will have many features that you will need to be successful.
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Important Documents
Blog
Copies of Reading Handouts
Assignments and Rubrics
Research Area
Calendar of Assignments
Links to Pertinent Internet Sites
COURSE OUTLINE:
The following are a list of important due dates for Government:
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Thursday, October 13th – Compare and Contrast Project
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Thursday, November 4th – Public Meeting
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Friday, November 5th – Founding Father Project
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Wednesday, November 10th – Champion a Cause
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Monday, November 29th – after this date only 50 points may be handed in
towards the Scavenger Hunt
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Friday, December 3rd – Effective Use of the Media
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Tuesday, December 7th – National Current Events Project
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Friday, December 17th – Community-Based Project
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Thursday, January 6th – Government in Action Project
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Friday, January 14th – Letter to State Legislature
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Monday, January 24th – Scavenger Hunt (final exam)