Tonight’s Agenda

1. Good Evening & Welcome to room 700. I am Mr. Dion & this is Government Class. (next semester it will be Economics Class) There are 2 handouts outside by the door. Once is for you to keep, the other is for you to give to me when you leave

2. Tonight’s Agenda • A few words about the Survival Guide • Just What the Heck Will We be Doing in Government Class? • Questions? • Collection of Student/Family Information Sheets

3. Just What the Heck Will We be Doing in Government Class? (right now) • We will learn the basics of governments in general and U.S. Government specifically through a simulation where we recommend a system of government for Xlandia; a fictional nation that just overthrew a dictator • This is where we are now • The students are just beginning to make their preliminary decisions based on the information they have on hand • In about a week they will start officially working on their Individual Assessment. This will be their own personal recommendation and will allow them to demonstrate their level of understanding of the concepts we have worked with. They will have a week to complete this, type it, and submit it to turnitin.com. Between the day it is assigned and when it is due, all of their class time will be devoted to writing their recommendation in class • Once the recommendations are turned in and while I am grading them, students will work with others at their table to do a group presentation. Here they will also adapt to a change in the situation while blending elements of the work done by all students at the table. • Each class will vote on what recommendation they feel best meets Xlandia’s needs. We will use this system of government the rest of the semester (no grade is attached to the winning recommendation).

4. Just What the Heck Will We be Doing in Government Class? (later) • The rest of the semester will use the system of government we created for Xlandia as a means to further both basic governmental concepts and specifics to US Government. Throughout the semester we will: • Create an Xlandian Constitution • Bill of rights included • Comparisons to the creation of the U.S. Constitution • Conduct a Legislative Simulation using the style of Legislative Branch we created for Xlandia • Comparisons to the U.S. Congress • A chance to work contemporary American issues into our fictional Xlandian Legislative simulation • Compare the role of the Judicial Branch they created with the Judicial Branch in the United States • Compare real U.S. Supreme Court Case to rights either protected or neglected in their fictional Xlandian Bill of Rights • Hold an election for Xlandia’s 1st Chief Executive • Comparisons to U.S. elections • Comparisons to foreign elections • Discuss and debate contemporary and sometimes controversial issues within the framework of our fictional nation and government we created • Each one of these “Units” will have some form of individual assessment where I assess their level of knowledge of the content, and a collaborative component where they work towards a goal with a group of peers

5. Questions? Here is my son. His name is Jack

6. BTSN Schedule