CRUCIAL REMINDERS FOR SENIORS!
Senior Project Conferences: 

1. Go to the Senior Project page of my DP
2. Click on Teacher Conference Sign Up
3. Make sure your name is under a teacher's name.  If it's not, put it under one!
4. Check your email-- teachers should have contacted you at this point to schedule.  If they haven't, harass them.
5. REMEMBER...you CANNOT conference until you have completed your reflection and the initial research!  Don't know what those are?  Go to page 2 of THIS DOCUMENT.

Letters of Rec and Conferences
Did you sign up for a teacher letter of recommendation or for a Senior Project conference with ME?  Check your email.  Deadlines are rapidly approaching, and I am not going to flex on these.

OKAY, LET'S GET TO CLASS...
Essential Question:  How does each party define the problem of climate change, and how does that definition shape the solutions they support?
 
Objective:  To understand how our party defines the problem, and what solutions are being proposed.
 
Framing:  Today we’re going to transition from background knowledge and context to looking at different solutions being proposed to fix climate change.   Today combined with tomorrow’s in-depth article study is going to get us ready for the party caucus and legislation brainstorm on Monday.  Remember, the goal by the end of Monday is to have some concrete ideas for legislation, and a solid understanding of your senator and party positions.
 
Years of Living Dangerously: Part 6
Watch, and take notes in your Climate Change packet on page 10 of your packet.  Discuss and debrief.

Platform Study: 
Partner with another senator from your party.  Go to your party’s political platform. 

1. For Democrats, go the section titled “COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE, BUILD A CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMY, AND SECURE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE”  You’ll see there are three subtopics here—read all three!
2. For Republicans, go straight to the section titled “America’s Natural Resources.”  Read the subtopics here titled “A New Era in Energy” and “Environmental Progress.”
3. After reading these sections, answer the questions in on Climate Change packet pages 11 and 12.

Brainstorm Questions for Guest Speaker
Coleman's grandpa, who is a New Mexico state senator, will be here on Friday from 12:30-1:30.  I want you to brainstorm at least 3 questions you could ask him about...

1. His experiences as a senator
2. Political strategy
3. Writing legislation, and getting that legislation passed
4. Climate change/energy issues
5. Working with senators from other parties
6. Other?

HOMEWORK
None!  Unless you didn’t finish the platform study.  Then you need to finish it.

Objective:  To develop a more nuanced understanding of how climate issues have been approached in the past, and to get a broad working vocabulary around climate change issues and actions.
 
Framing:  Today is going to be a really important day, and a really independent day.  You’re going to work together with your partner to gain a more cohesive sense of climate change issues and actions.  As you do this, you should be thinking about potential solutions you could put in your legislation!
 
Video:  Years of Living Dangerously, Part 3
We’ll watch part 3 of this award-winning documentary (50 minutes).  As we watch, you’ll fill out page 6 of your issue packet.

​IF YOU ARE ABSENT, THIS IS AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING VIA AMAZON PRIME!
 
Movie Debrief:
Take a few minutes, and finish the movie questions.  Now pair up with someone from (GASP!) the other side of the room (if possible, I know we don't have an even number) and share your takeaways from page 6 only. 

• Find at least 2 similarities with your partner
• Find at least 2 differences with your partner

Timelines:
With your new soulmate, turn to pages 7 and 8. Use the following timeline resources to fill out your climate timelines. Pay attention to the vocabulary on page 9!   Fill it out as you encounter it.  By the end of class today, you should have finished through page 9.

Timeline Resources: 

1. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24838.html
2. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/environment/climate-of-doubt/timeline-the-politics-of-climate-change/
3. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/12/07/science/20091207_CLIMATE_TIMELINE.html?_r=0
4. http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-15874560
5. http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015/11/30/timeline-of-key-events-in-un-effort-against-climate-change
6. For 2016, do a quick google on Climate Change 2016—see what you find.

 
HOMEWORK
Finish anything you didn’t finish in class.  When you walk into class tomorrow, you should be done with…

1. Pages 1-9 of your Climate Change packet

Essential Questions: 

1. What do you already know about climate change?  What new things do you want/need to learn?
   
2. What is your senator’s position on climate change/energy?
   
3. What political dynamics keep lawmakers from taking action on urgent issues?

 
Framing:
Over the next three weeks, we’ll be engaging in some intense study of two critical and controversial issues in preparation for Model Senate.  After that, you will be writing legislation on one of the issues (whichever committee you are assigned is your issue).  The speeches and bills are the primary assessments for Model Senate, so it’s essential that you feel knowledgeable about these issues.
 
Starter 22- Senator Position Research
Turn to page 2 of your Climate Change notebook.  Complete initial research about your senator’s position on climate change and energy policy.
 
Initial Climate Change Brainstorm
Okay, now go to page 3 of your Climate Change notebook.  Work through the initial brainstorm—we’ll check in as a class once you are done.
 
Political Pressure  (30 min)
Turn to the top of page 5, and with the political pressure graphic, consider our question: What political dynamics keep lawmakers from taking action on urgent issues?

1. On the LEFT side, fill in bubbles with forces that apply pressure for lawmakers to RESIST passing legislation.
   
2. On the RIGHT side, fill in bubbles with forces that apply pressure for lawmakers to act.
   
3. You must fill in ALL the bubbles!

If you are stuck, consider…

1. Lack of voter support in district
   
2. Party position
   
3. Persuasion from other lawmakers
   
4. Mass protest
   
5. Negative media exposure
   
6. New, reliable scientific data
   
7. Increasing technology
   
8. Individual campaign contributions
   
9. Personal/social ties
   
10. Needs of their district and voters (constituents)
    
11. WHAT ELSE?

 
Clean Air Act  (15 min)
Setting the Stage:  The CAA is important because it is the law under which our EPA has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.  This is THE major political fight on climate change right now, so understanding this law, and the history of it is critical to our political debate.

1. Video 1:  A summary of the CAA and its social and political context.  (5 min) 
2. Video 2:   An interview with Senator Edmund Muskie who authored the bill. (we'll watch the first few minutes). 

After the videos, write your top 3 take-aways on page 5 of your issues packet.
 
HOMEWORK:
Make sure that you have pages 1-5 of your issue packet complete.

Starter 21
What are three questions that either...

1. You would like us to address in our seminar today?
2. You think would spark interesting discussion in our seminar today?

Bill to Law Quiz
Take the Bill to Law Quiz.

Seminar:  Is Congress Broken?

1. What role does money play in our political system?  In your view, is this a problem?  Why or why not? 
   1. What problems are created by money in politics?  Why do you think it is this way? 
2. What can campaign finance tell us about the challenges our elected officials face in their professional lives?
   1. Citizens United = Corporate Personhood + Campaign money as free speech.
   2. To what extent should campaign contributions be considered free speech? 
   3. What are the dangers of commercial speech?
   4. What are the dangers of restricting commercial speech?
   5. If we begin restricting certain kinds of speech over others, to what extent will we be endangering all of our freedoms? 
3. Can our political system function without lobbyists?  Why or why not?
   1. What positive functions do lobbyists engage in?
   2. Without lobbyists, what would get done?
   3. Can we expect our legislators to be experts at EVERYTHING?  What are the strengths and weaknesses of this model?
4. If you could fix one thing in Congress right now, what would it be?  What would be the potential consequences of making this change?  
   1. What is your change and why, specifically, would you make it?
   2. What are the potential negative aspects of making this change?  

IF TIME...
Start on Senator position research for Climate Change!

HOMEWORK:
None!  Except to keep working on your initial research for your senior project.

Hey all- because I am sick, I am postponing the Bill to Law quiz until MONDAY.  Lucky you!  I am relying on you to be self-sufficient today, and to take this seriously.  Please follow the steps below, and engage fully in the activities.

Debate Prep (10 minutes)
Sit at a table with your debate group.  Take 10 minutes to finish gathering evidence, to review the debate structure (in your handout and below), and to figure out who is going to say what.

The Debate (30 minutes)
I suggest assigning one person to be the facilitator timekeeper to avoid devolving into chaos.  :)

1. YES Opening Argument (3 minutes):  The YES group makes their opening argument, and summarize their points and positions.  The NO group is silent, taking notes on the key points made by the opposing group.
   
2. NO Group Repeats (2 minutes): The NO group, which has remained silent up until now, will repeat back the main points previously made by the opening group. Time should be taken to clarify points made.   
   
3. NO Opening Argument (3 minutes):  The No group makes their opening argument, and summarize their points and positions.  The YES group is silent, taking notes on the key points made by the opposing group.
   
4. YES Group Repeats (2 minutes): The YES group will repeat back the main points previously made by the opening group.  Again, time should be taken to clarify points made.    
   
5. Open Debate (10 minutes).  Remaining in your character, and focused on your argument, strongly make your points and push back on points made by the opposing pair. 
   
6. Consensus Building (10 minutes).  Drop your assigned roles, and work toward a consensus.  Think about all the evidence you have heard.  Come up with a final consensus statement that answers the question, "Is Congress Broken?", and write it on the board.

 
Seminar Pre-Write
Do a prewrite on three of the following questions below for a seminar that we will have on Monday.  Each questions should be answered in a well-structured paragraph, and should reference at least one text.  THEY MUST BE TYPED. Use this response as a way to organize the specific evidence you have to bring to our seminar.   YOU WILL BE TURNING THIS IN FOR A GRADE...make it thoughtful, make it good!

1.  What role does money play in our political system? In your view, is this a problem? Why or why not?  Challenge:  Bring in Citizens United ruling!
   
2. Can our political system function without lobbyists? Why or why not?
   
3. What do you think is the biggest problem with Congress right now?  Why?
   
4. If you could fix one thing in Congress right now, what would it be? What would be the potential consequences of making this change?
5. How has your opinion on this topic evolved or changed over the last week?  What new ideas or questions do you have at this point?

Finished?
Study for the quiz on Monday!

HOMEWORK:

1. Seminar Prewrite:  Due Monday, start  of class.  MUST BE TYPED and shared/emailed to Lori.
2. QUIZ on Monday

Bill to Law Review!

1. Card Sort:  Get with a partner, card sort it!  Check your work, make a note of where you went wrong (to study).  If you want to print your own cards to study, they're linked on the Docs page.
   
2. Kinetic Nonsense:  Each person is assigned a step in the bill process (involved steps get two people) from lecture notes yesterday.  Get ready to get ridiculous

Starter 20

1. First, vote for student council.  The link to do this should be in your email.
   
2. Now, answer:  What’s the most interesting thing you’ve learned so far?  Does it support your initial opinion on the SAC question, or challenge it?

 
SAC Prep

1. Read and Annotate:  Read and annotate core text and at least one other text for your assigned position (they are linked on the Docs page of my DP).
   
2. Reading Questions and Summary:  Answer reading questions for core text.  On the same document, include your bullet-point summary of the main ideas for the second article you read.  These should be shared with Lori before the end of class.
   
3. Partner Up:  Get together with your partner (they will be written on the board)
   
4. Gather Evidence:  Gather evidence together for your SAC (mini-debate tomorrow).  You should try to pull together the strongest evidence you can for your side of the argument.  There’s an evidence gathering sheet on the Docs page of my DP you can use, or you can use your own format.
   
5. Challenge:  Figure out what some of the arguments for the other side will be, and develop counter-arguments for them.

 
HOMEWORK:

1. Study for Bill to Law Quiz TOMORROW.
   
2. Have all evidence gathered and organized for SAC tomorrow

Roles:

1. Timekeeper/Facilitator:  Keeps everyone on track, on schedule, and focused on the relevant question.
2. Active Participant:  Everyone else!  Participate, ask questions, keep your head in the game!

The Process:

1. Presenter (2 minutes)- Reads their 3 ideas, and explains why they are interesting to them, and what problems they are grappling with.
2. Group Discussion (5 minutes)- The presenter is silent, and the rest of the group discusses their ideas.  Remember, the goal here is to come up with new ideas, to push their thinking further and in new directions.  Let your ideas flow!  During this time, the presenter is silent and taking notes. Here are some potential questions for the group to discuss:
   1. Which idea do you think is most interesting to you, personally?  Why?
   2. Which idea is most interesting universally, on a local, national or global scale?
   3. What other avenues or ideas do you see that they haven’t thought of yet?
   4. What about this idea hasn’t been explored in our community, our society?
   5. What topics are these ideas connected to?  
   6. How can we make this idea more different, novel or break the mold?
   7. What ideas do you have for them with regards to the problems they mentioned?  
3. Presenter Returns (2 minutes)- The presenter joins the discussion for the last two minutes, and asks for any feedback/questions they may still have. 
4. Presenter Summary (1 minute)- The presenter speaks on their own, and addresses the following two questions:
   1. What new ideas do you have after this?  Or, how has your idea changed?  What do you want to change about your idea?
   2. What direction are you thinking about taking your project/research at this point?

The Reflection
​Before you move into your Initial Research phase, make sure that you complete a typed reflection on the following questions:

1. What feedback or ideas did you get from the group discussion?  How valuable was it?
2. What new directions is this taking you in?
3. What is your leading idea at this point for your research and your project?  Describe it, and why you would like to head in this direction.  Also address, how confident are you in this leading idea?

HOMEWORK:

1. Sign up for Conference:  Go to this page, and put your name down under the  teacher you most want to conference with.  That teacher will contact you to set up a time and date for your conference.
2. Study for Quiz on Friday!  Study for your bill to law quiz on Friday.  Confused?  Look at the "What you need to know" handout on the docs page of my DP.

Starter 19
Using your own knowledge, would you answer yes or no to this question: Is Congress broken?  Thoroughly explain your answer using any evidence or experiences you can muster!
 
Step 2: Position Assignment 
You'll be assigned a position (either “Yes” or “No").
 
Step 3: Read and Annotate your documents (Independently)

1. You must read the core document and at least one additional document for your side.  Remember, the more documents you read, the stronger your argument will be!  Honors, you will eventually need at least 4 sources for Essay 2, so get a good start here!
   
2. Strong annotations are key here – you will need to reference your evidence quickly and easily from the document, so annotate accordingly! 

 
Step 4:  Answer Reading Questions (Independently)

1. Answer all the reading questions for your core assigned document.  These must be typed, as you will be turning them in. 
   
2. Summarize the main arguments of your additional document(s) in your own words (this can just be a bullet pointed list).  include this on the typed document above.

HOMEWORK:  

1. Senior Project Brainstorm:  Make sure you have your 3 ideas and notes for each idea complete at the start of class on Wednesday.
2. Bill to Law Quiz:  Quiz on FRIDAY!
   

Starter 18
First, watch Schoolhouse Rock, I’m Just a Bill. Now, look at this (much more accurate) graphic representation:

1. What’s your gut reaction to this? 
   
2. What does this say about how our system of government works?
   
3. What questions do you have about this process right now?

 
Bill to Law Pre-Quiz
Let’s see where your knowledge is right now!

1. Take the pre-quiz, assess in class
   
2. Give handout:  What you need to know

 
Bill to Law Lecture and Notes
Lori lectures from diagram drawn on board.  Students take notes on their note sheet.  Lecture notes are linked on the documents page of my DP.
 
Taking the Hill (45 min)
Watch 35 minutes of the documentary linked above.  Take notes on important people/concepts.  Frame:  Giving life, inside look to the flowchart we saw.  Documentary is here: 

1. John Boehner- Speaker of the House
   
2. Harry Reid- Senate Minority Leader
   
3. Mitch McConnell- Who is he?  What does he do?
   
4. Party Whip- What do?
   
5. Caucus- Group of like-minded legislators.  EX:  Freedom Caucus, very conservative.  38 members of HofR.

 
Review (if time)
1.Review Bill to Law sheet, mark anything you’re unsure of, try to find the answers using lecture notes, graphic, etc.
 
Bill to Law QUIZ on FRIDAY
We’ll do a few review activities on Thursday, but you should also study!

HOMEWORK:

1. Senior Project Brainstorm:  Due Wednesday, Start of Class.  May be handwritten or typed.
   
2. Bill to Law QUIZ:  Study for the quiz using the "Bill to Law: What do I need to know?" handout.  Quiz on FRIDAY.