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1. The Question
Which of these political
incidents had the most
impact on the view of
American citizens
concerning the role of
American government?
TEAPOT DOME SCANDAL
WATERGATE
LEWINSKYGATE
These materials are © 2004 , KB Buchanan, Canyon Independent School District all rights reserved.
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2. Information Sources
You will visit three websites
to learn about three
significant political incidents
or scandals in American
history.
Gather information about
each scandal.
Choose one as having the
most impact on American
society.
Defend your choice.
These materials are © 2004 ,KB Buchanan, Canyon Independent School District all rights reserved.
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3. The Student Activity
It is your job to complete graphic
organizers on each political
scandal. Your teacher will either
print them on paper for you or you
can build one using Word or
Inspiration.
Once you have all the information,
then you may rank the scandals
from the one you feel had the
most impact on American citizens’
attitudes toward government to
the one that had the least impact.
Major
Players
Legal
Issues
Time
Period
Political
Scandal
Effects
On
Citizens
Ethical
Issues
Action
Taken
These materials are © 2004 , KB Buchanan, Canyon Independent School District all rights reserved.
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4. The Assessment Activity
Now, consider your rankings and choose one incident as
“THE Political Scandal of 20th Century America.”
There is no right or wrong answer as long as you present evidence to support your choice.
Write a four paragraph essay elaborating on your choice.
Paragraph One will be a brief summary of the incident you have chosen.
Paragraph Two will provide convincing evidence to support your choice.
Paragraph Three will evaluate why the incident you chose had more significance
than one of the other scandals.
Paragraph Four will evaluate why the incident you chose had more significance
than the remaining scandal you did not choose.
These materials are © 2004 , KB Buchanan, Canyon Independent School District all rights reserved.
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5. Enrichment Activities
The following are excellent sites about political incidents that you may
explore to gather information and to help you assess the impact that
political scandals can have on citizens and their view of government.
To gather information:
http://www.fact-index.com/a/am/american_political_scandals_1.html
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Political%scandal
To help assess effect:
www.enotes.com/political-scandals/7341/print
These materials are © 2004 , KB Buchanan, Canyon Independent School District all rights reserved.
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6. Teacher Support Materials
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TEKS Standard:
The student understands changes
in the role of government over
time. The student is expected to
evaluate the effects of political
incidents such as the Teapot
Dome and Watergate on the view
of U.S. citizens concerning the
role of federal government.
EXPECTATIONS
The student will be able to
– identify key aspects of the
following incidents: Teapot Dome,
Vietnam War, Watergate,
Lewinskygate
– analyze key elements of identified
incidents
– choose incident with most impact
– support choice with evidence
– evaluate why one choice was
better than another
These materials are © 2004 ,KB Buchanan, Canyon Independent School District all rights reserved.
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