Week 8

What a fun class we had, debating over majority rule and minority rights! You guys did great, and we were so impressed to see you really listening to each other and questioning each other's positions! You can look forward to doing more debates in class!

We also learned last week about the structure and importance of strong local government. I hope you all will feel the desire to become more involved--whether in your neighborhood or HOA, or your city or county councils. Even kids--you--can get involved and make a difference in your own community!

This week's assignments:

• Opinion Paper: NONE...unless you are behind, then this is a good week to catch up!

• Constitution Journal: Amendments 11-17 (again, with no opinion paper, use this week to catch up on your journaling if you've fallen behind.)

• Reading: Finish The Great Little Madison, and come prepared with a question or two for book discussion this Thursday

• Research: Make sure you are doing some light research on your Hero Report, and not leaving it all until the last minute:

 ALL PAPERS ARE DUE APRIL 14th!

 

The Presentation schedule is as follows:

 

• 4/14 - Emma, Zachary
• 4/21 - Zane, Tillie
• 4/28 - Eliana, Hannah
• 5/5 - Micah
• 5/12 - Gabe, Ethan

We expect great reports and presentations from you all, because we've seen what you can do, and we know what you are capable of! Happy studying!

 

-Mrs. Hellyer

 

Week 7

This week we learned about the judicial branch as explained in Article 3 of the Constitution. We also discussed the landmark Marbury v. Madison decision that gave the federal courts judicial supremacy, giving the Supreme Court the final word in all cases of law and equity. Below are 3 Crash Course videos on law and the judicial branch if you are interested in learning more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sualy8OiKk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWYFwl93uCM *This one explains Marbury v. Madison

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjLcLguoKC4

(**Maybe one of you tech-savvy kids can teach me how to embed videos, not just copy links!)

Assignments this week:

• Opinion Paper - Have the Supreme Court rulings helped or hindered our nation? Explain.

• Constitution Journal - Amendments 1-10 (The Bill of Rights)

• Reading - The Great Little Madison by Jean Fritz  *Must be completed by next week, March 24th

Also, we're throwing around the idea of Friday, April 1st for a movie night, so check with your parents to see if that works. Keep up the good work!

-Mrs. Hellyer

Week 6

This week we went over the powers of the executive branch. Mrs. Brennan made it fun (as usual!) by throwing in some trivia and some entertaining videos, too (Below is the link for the video we couldn't finish because of uncooperative wifi).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnHb-zyWh14

Here are your assignments for this week:

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 of government should have that power, legislative or executive?

Constitution Journal: Articles 5-7

Other things to be working on:

• Reading The Great Little Madison
• Studying the Constitution Bowl study guide  
•  ***Tip: Memorize the subheadings (the bold-type description) for each Article and Section; that way, you'll know right where to go in the Constitution to find your answers***
• Researching for your Hero Report
• Completing award requirements, including the Heritage Award

I know you guys have a lot to do in the next few months, especially if you're taking other scholar classes, but if you work hard, and don't slack off, I know you can do it all (I know this because I've done it, and I survived! Heed the voice of experience!) Happy studying, y'all!

-Mrs. Hellyer

Week 5

This week we talked about the powers of Congress (Article 1 Section 8). There is a TON of information on this topic--specifically how these powers have been distorted from their original intent--but unfortunately, we only had a short time to go over all of it! If you want to know more, I recommend doing some research on the expansion of the powers of Congress, online or by reading parts of The Making of America by Cleon Skousen. There's lots of good info out there, it just takes a little looking!

This week's assignments:

Opinion Paper: Does Congress have too much power or not enough?

Constitution Journal: Articles 3 & 4   **Tip: Try counting all the clauses you would have to journal about, then divide that by the number of days until the next class. Use that number to determine how many clauses you will work on each day. This will help you spread out the work, and keep you from getting behind. And please, please, ask your parents for help if you are struggling! I know this can be difficult work, but I also know that you are smart and hard-working enough to do it!

Keep studying for the Constitution Bowl, and start reading The Great Little Madison if you haven't yet.

See you all Thursday...and there may be TREATS for those who do their journaling!

-Mrs. Hellyer

Week 3

This week we had a great discussion about Montesquieu's 3 principles--virtue, honor and fear--that are required for the success of the 3 forms of government--Republican, Monarchial and Despotic. We also learned that when men cease to be virtuous in our own government we see the usurpation of legislative power by the branches (executive and judicial) that were never intended to have it.

Upcoming assignments:

• This week's opinion paper is: Is it better to have a man of faith in office with a minimal education, or a man of knowledge with minimal faith and questionable character?

• Your Constitution journal assignment this week is: Article 1, Sections 6-10 (**Remember that this optional assignment comes with a special field trip reward!)

• Our next book discussion will be February 25th, on Fifty-Five Fathers by Selma R. Williams.

Don't forget to work on your Award requirements...we know you have a lot to do, but we really want to see you all earn your ribbons! Just think of how much more informed you'll be about the history of our nation's founding than most kids your age by the time this class is finished! In fact, you'll know more than most Americans! Yes, that's sad, but true; but you all are the ones who will be able to preserve and protect this nation for the next generation!

Here's a link to the Article 5 Project that we talked about in class--the "safety net" for the states, built into the Constitution for when the federal government gets carried away:

http://www.conventionofstates.com/

Please read through the website and watch the videos...they're very interesting and informative (and they give you a little hope that we really CAN restore the Constitution to what our founders intended it to be).

Keep up the good work studying that CB study guide, because we'll have a quiz or practice each week. There may even be candy involved!

Carry on, scholars!

-Mrs. Hellyer

Week 2

I hope you all had fun doing the sovereignty simulation in class, and thank you to Teacher Isabelle for putting it all together! It was very interesting to see your different personalities emerge in this mock "stressful" situation. Who knew that the usually calm, quiet Tillie would want to be president, or should I say...dictator? Hmmmm...

A few reminders:

• If you haven't already, select a person about whom to research for your Hero Report by this Thursday (2/11), and get your selection approved by myself or Teacher Isabelle. The person must be someone who has promoted the principles of freedom and liberty, and NOT be George Washington or John Adams. That's it. There are like a million+ people who fit those criteria! The actual reports are not due until April 14th, but this will give you time to get some research done early.

• Opinion paper this week: Write a debrief on the simulation. What did you learn about the founders? What did you learn about yourself? How are you going to change because of the simulation?

• Keep working on your Constitution journals. We're still working on the preamble and Article 1, Sections 1-5. If you have questions or need help, please ask! (Trust me: someday, you'll thank us for pushing you to do it!) *Also, if you do all your journaling, there will be a special field trip to the capital (or possibly a museum--we'll talk it over in class)--for those who complete the requirement--involving ice cream!

I think that's it...if I forgot anything, let me know! Thanks guys, for being good, hard-working kids: it makes teaching this class fun for us!

-Mrs. Hellyer

Week 1

Second semester has begun! Here's a recap of the things we went over in class on Thursday:

Hero Reports: You must choose (and have approved by either myself or Teacher Isabelle) the name of a person you would like to report on by February 11th. The person must be someone who has promoted and/or fought for the principles of freedom and liberty, and can be from any time period and any place in the world (but it can't be George Washington or John Adams, since we've already discussed them). Papers must be 2-4 pages in length, and will be due April 14th. You will also have to give an in-class presentation about the same person; we will sign up for presentations in the near future, and will begin presenting on April 14th as well.

**Teacher Genne suggested that you check relativefinder.org to find out if you are related to any of the founders, then report on that person (bonus: family history work!).

Your opinion paper question this week is:

Why is America different? How is the American government different from nations now and in the past, and why have we lasted so long? 

I strongly encourage all of you to look through your award requirements for this semester, and plan to get them done in a timely manner, so as not to leave them all for the last week of class. Remember also, that you can still pass off the Heritage Award requirement from first semester, but all other awards have expired.

Please remember to respond to Teacher Amber ASAP about which of your family members will be participating in the Constitution Bowl, so that person can receive study guide information.

Congratulations to all of you for completing ALL of the writing assignments...not many Key classes do that, but then, you are a pretty exceptional group! Keep up the good work, and contact me, Teacher Isabelle, or Teacher Amber if you have any questions/concerns.

-Mrs. Hellyer