We learned about Article 3 this week, which is all about the Judicial Branch. Thomas Jefferson wanted a an inconspicuous Supreme Court whose decisions could be argued or reversed if the states disagreed, but John Marshall--Secretary of State under John Adams and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court under Thomas Jefferson (and Jefferson's cousin, coincidentally)--believed the court should have the final say on all things constitutional. Marshall eventually won in with his decision on Marbury v. Madison (1800), setting the precedent of Judicial Review--that the actions of the Legislative and Executive branches are subject to the scrutiny of the Judicial branch, and that the Supreme Court has the last word on what the law is.
Below is a link to other landmark cases decided by the Supreme Court that I would like you to read before you write your opinion paper. Choose 4 or 5 to read to give you some supporting material for your paper:
OPINION PAPER: Have the Supreme Court rulings (decisions) helped or hindered our nation? Explain.
CONSTITUTION JOURAL: Amendments 11-17
HERO REPORT: Your papers are due April 12th. This should be a 2-4 page research paper on a hero who has promoted the causes of liberty and freedom. Include a bibliography or works cited page. Your presentations on your hero reports will begin on April 26th. I still need to hear from Athen and Madeline regarding who you have chosen to research!
READING: I'm moving the book discussion on The Great Little Madison to April 19th so we can have more time to practice for the Constitution Bowl.
Yesterday, we had an awesome lesson on the Executive Branch--courtesy of Mrs. Maxwell--and we learned a TON about the different government agencies and departments that fall under executive jurisdiction (authority). I posted a couple of videos below that may help you remember some of what you learned in class, and also there's some information in the videos that will help you with your opinion paper.
ASSIGNMENTS:
DEVOTIONAL - Madeline
OPINION PAPER - According to the Constitution, Congress has the power to declare war but for the last 60 years the President has declared war. In your opinion, which branch, legislative or executive, should have this power?
DEBATE - Should minor (under 18 years old) students have the right to walk out of class for a political purpose?
Prepare several reasons that you are either for (yes) or against (no) the topic based on your assigned side, not your personal opinion.
You should use online resources (articles, opinion editorials, data and statistics, and current events) to prepare your arguments.
Read the following Informal Debate Instructions:
Each team appoints a spokesperson.
"For (F)" team has 5 minutes for an opening statement.
"Against (A)" team has 3 minutes to cross-examine.
"A" team has 5 minutes for an opening statement.
"F" team has 3 minutes to cross-examine.
"F" team has 4 minutes to rebut the "A" points.
"A" team has 4 minutes to rebut the "F" points.
"F" team has 2 minutes to summarize.
"A" team has 2 minutes to summarize.
CONSTITUTION JOURNAL - Amendments 1-10, a.k.a. the Bill of Rights
READING - Keep working on The Great Little Madison, which we will be discussing on March 29th.
**Study for the Constitution Bowl--most of the questions will be taken from the study guide!
I didn't want to miss another week of class and be unable to help you all with your Constitution Journals, so I made a video of my lecture for you all to enjoy! Watch it, take some notes, and email me if you have any questions. Your homework is displayed at the end of the video, and it's also posted below the video.
**Remember, we'll still be having our book discussion on Fifty-Five Fathers during our next class, and Madeline will be leading.
HOMEWORK:
OPINION PAPER: Does Congress have too much power or not enough? Think about the Amendment process, checks and balances, and elected terms of service to help you get some ideas.
CONSTITUTION JOURNAL: Articles 5-7
**Study your Constitution Bowl Study Guide--We're ONE MONTHaway from the competition!
**I hope to see you all on March 24th at the big Key vs. Sword Battle (we'll miss you, Lilli)!!!!
This week we learned the basics of how a bill becomes a law. It can get a little more complicated, with committees and types of bills, etc., but you get the idea. Mrs. Maxwell also planned a fun activity to help us understand the bill-passing process (which we soon learned is not so easy--which is exactly what the founders intended!). We also learned about how parliamentary procedure functions by working together to make a snack--who knew learning could be so yummy?!
Now would be a great time to watch Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, since the movie addresses all the things we've been learning about. Below is a good video about how bills become laws to enhance our lesson (BONUS: Anyone who can email me the definitions (in your own words) of "bicamaral" and "filibuster" will get 2 pieces of candy next week!):
ASSIGNMENTS:
OPINION PAPER:What powers do you have in making new laws?
CONSTITUTION JOURNAL:Articles 3 and 4
READING:Madeline is assigned to lead our discussion on Fifty-Five Fathers, but she won't be in class next week. Would Athen or Lilli be willing to lead the discussion in her place? Please email me to let me know...Also, you should be reading The Great Little Madison next.
DEVOTIONAL:Lilli has it next week.
Don't Forget: the KEY vs. SWORD BATTLE EXTRAVAGANZA is happening in a few weeks! Here's the low-down:
When: Saturday, March 24th, 10:00am-1:00pm
Where: The home of the Hellyer family: 27325 122nd Ave. E. Graham,98338
Open to all current and former Key of Liberty and Sword of Freedom scholars and parents who would like to participate. (Please no non-participating children, as there will be no supervision available for them.)
Each participant will need to bring the following items:
Air-soft gun (NO bb, or battery- or CO2-powered guns allowed)
I threw a whole lot of information your way this week, but I was pleased to see so many of you taking notes! Note-taking is a very useful tool--even if you never look at your notes again, the act of hearing a piece of information, then writing it down, actually helps you to commit the information to memory much better than if you only hear it.
Here's a recap of what we talked about in class:
Baron Montesquieu, a French statesman and political scientist, named three main types of government: Monarchy, Despotism, and Republicanism--which has 2 sub-types, aristocracy and democracy. The founders chose to form our nation with a republican government, called a representative democracy, because it was a perfect compromise between 100% government (tyranny), and 0% government (anarchy).
The founders also knew that in order for this 50% government (people's rule) to work, the representatives of the people would have to be virtuous, and set a standard for the next generation of leaders, as well as for the entire nation.
Just in case the government were ever to get off track (and we know it has because of federal regulations and agencies, executive orders, and judicial activism), the founders added into the Constitution a few ways the people could repair the damage: 1) a common law jury, and 2) a convention of states.
Watch the following videos to learn more about the Article V provision for a convention of states:
ASSIGNMENTS:
DEVOTIONAL: Gwen - Choose a scripture that speaks about government, liberty, freedom, justice, or anything pertinent to what we've been learning in class. Then share it with the class and explain why you chose it.
OPINION PAPER: Ok, so I changed it a little bit again...
If you had only the following two candidates to choose from, which do you think would be a better government leader and why?
Candidate A: Very high moral standards but with little to no education
Candidate B: Very well educated but with few to no moral standards
***Tip: Think of actual people you may know of that could fit these descriptions, and remember to use examples to build a logical argument to support your opinion.
See...I told you second semester was the most fun! Thanks to Mrs. Maxwell for some great activities to teach us about working together to make laws, and prepare us for the Constitution Bowl. Keep up on your Constitution journal at home and you'll knock 'em dead at the Bowl!
Here are your assignments this week:
OPINION PAPER: What did you learn about yourself? How are you going to change because of the simulation? (Optional: How do you think this simulation relates to the founders and the Constitution-making process?) Because this is a paper all about your personal experience, feel free to refer to yourself in the first person in this one ("I think," "I learned," etc.)!
CONSTITUTION JOURNAL: Finish thePreamble and Article 1 Sections 1-5. If you've already finished, start on next week's assignment: Article 1 Sections 6-10. This journal should be done just like the Declaration journal--translate the language into your own words, define words you don't know, and write any principles you discover. The reward for the journal will be a field trip, destination TBD, but sure to be fun!
READING: Start reading Fifty Five Fathers by Selma Williams, which we will discuss on March 1st. As you read, make sure to note any interesting quotes or parts, and any questions that come to mind so that you will be prepared for the discussion.
HERO REPORTS: Keep thinking about who you would like to report on. Here are a few suggestions: Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Malala Yousafzai, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gahndi, William Wilberforce, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Corrie Ten Boom, Martin Luther King, Jr., Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman...there are many others, but those are just off the top of my head. You'll need to sign up for a presentation date and your papers will be due April 12th, but don't wait until the last minute to write them!
Welcome to second semester everyone! We went over the awards requirements for this semester in class, and I know it may have seemed a little overwhelming at first, but--if you think back to the beginning of first semester--you were a bit intimidated then, too. You all were able to get through the first semester, and it wasn't as hard as you feared. I know that if you work hard, and manage your time well, you can earn all the awards, learn lots, and have fun doing it!
In class, we learned that one day after the committee to write the Declaration of Independence was appointed, a second committee was appointed by the Continental Congress to write the Articles of Confederation. They were drafted by John Dickinson of DE, and approved by the Congress in March 1781. They were also a huge disaster! The main problems with the Articles were that there was no provision for a single executive (president), and Congress had no power to tax the states or enforce the law except by declaring war on the states! It is said that "hindsight is 20/20," but it's surprising that these brilliant men in the Congress passed the Articles of Confederation with all their flaws.
We also briefly talked about Shay's Rebellion, but here's a little video that gives more detail:
ASSIGNMENTS THIS WEEK:
OPINION PAPER: What makes America different? Think this through: different can mean special, unique, distinguishable, unusual, etc.. Think about how we were founded, who our people are and what they believe, what rights do we have and where do those rights come from? This is a very broad topic, so writing a full page should be easy-peasy!
HERO REPORT: Think about who you would like to write about for your Hero Report. It can be anyone, past or present, from anywhere in the world, who has promoted/fought for the virtues of freedom and liberty.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Saturday, March 24th, 10:00am-1:00pm - The Annual Key of Liberty vs. Sword of Freedom air soft battle. This event will be held at my home in Graham, and is for Key and Sword scholars and their older siblings (dads are welcome, too!). You will need to bring an air soft gun (no bb, battery- or CO2-powered guns allowed), eye protection, water-proof boots, and a sack lunch. Snacks and ammo will be provided. We always have a great time, and we hope to see you all there, rain or shine!
Friday, April 13th, 6:00pm-8:00pm - The Annual Constitution Bowl. This is a culminating event for second semester in which the Key scholars from FILA and LIBER-T go head to head in an epic Constitution trivia showdown! LIBER-T will be hosting us at a peninsula location TBA, but we will open up early (around 4:00pm) for families to gather before the event for a potluck dinner. Stay tuned for further details!
Have a fabulous week, and, as always, please contact me or Mrs. Maxwell with any questions or comments. -Mrs. Hellyer
