Announcements:

1. Every day- going to start with a Parly Pro starter to get you used to using the phrases and procedures we’ll use in Model Senate.  This should probably take about 30 minutes or so every day.  DON’T BE LATE TO CLASS.
   
2. Specialty Roles- MANDATORY meeting during 1st period to choose bills for the docket.  Be there and ready to roll!

Starter:

1. Get your senate sport card laminated, attached to a lanyard (blue for Democrats and red for Republicans), and in the box!
   
2. If we run out of lamination sheet, give me your sports card for safekeeping, and we’ll laminate tomorrow.

Bill Critiques and Workshop

1. Follow instruction on handout for critique process.  Do individual critiques first, then meet as a group to workshop the bills.  This should take 45-60 minutes if done well.
   
2. Then revise your bill with you partner.  Make it as good as you can possibly make it, then submit it to Lori digitally by midnight tonight!  IF YOU GET IT DONE EARLIER, GET IT TO ME EARLIER!!!

Specialized Role Meetings:
If you are in any of the specialized roles, we’ll be meeting today to talk about the following:

1. ALL:  How to choose bills for the docket, upcoming deadlines
2. Executive:  Your role during Exhibition, signing speech, etc.
3. Majority/Minority Leaders:  Parly pro, running exhibitions, what you may want to delegate
4. Whips:  Exhibition night roles
5. Committee Chairs/Ranking Members:  Parly pro demo, chairing committees
6. Secretaries:  Voting, exhibition night role, posters

HOMEWORK
Submit final bill to Lori (digitally) no later than midnight tonight.  If you get it done earlier, get it to me earlier!

By the end of class today, you should...

1. Have your bill draft close to done (if you finish it, print that sucker!)
2. Have a revised list of questions for experts on Friday

HOMEWORK​
Finish your bill draft, and PRINT a copy for peer review tomorrow.  Due at the START of class on Friday!

Questions of the Day:

1. How will my bill be assessed?
   
2. What do I need to know from experts to make my legislation better?
   
3. What are the main points I want to include in my legislation?

 
Objectives:  By the end of class today, you should…

1. Have a clear topic chosen for your legislation (write it on the board!).
   
2. Have a list of questions written for the experts from each perspective.  These could be general questions about the topic, questions about what their party/industry would support, or questions about your specific legislation you’d like them to address.
   
3. Have the preamble outlined.
   
4. Have a list of things you want to include in your bill.
   
5. Have a list of further  research questions for you and your partner.

 
Assessment
Review rubric in the packet.  Make sure you clearly understand!  Remember, the more specific and researched your bill is, the better it will be.
 
Authoring a Bill, Part 2
Review the different sections of the bill.  Look at example bills.  Notice…

1. Preamble is one LONG sentence!
   
2. HOW will you pay for the stuff in your bill?  Particularly if you are in the finance committee, remember, your goal is to REDUCE the national debt.  So if you are cutting revenue, where will you cut spending?  If you are increasing spending on anything, what will pay for that?  If you are in climate change, where will any increased revenue go?  If you want increased research, monitoring, or regulation, where will you get money to pay for it?

 
HOMEWORK:
Have all of the above things accomplished when you walk into class tomorrow (expert questions, preamble outlined, list of inclusions, list of research questions).  If you don’t have this done, you are behind!

Questions of the Day:

1. What are the next few weeks going to look like?
   
2. When is all my stuff due?
   
3. How do I get started with writing my legislation?

 
Objectives:  By the end of class today, you should…

1. Have a clear idea of what your assignments are and when they’re due
   
2. Have chosen a co-author for your legislation
   
3. Have read carefully through all the resources in the packet I gave you
   
4. Have some initial ideas for legislation, and know where you need further research

 
Calendar:  Review calendar for next 2 weeks.  Make sure to point out…

1. Arc of Legislation (going to be writing and consulting all week, different people will be in different places.  Will all need to come together on Friday with drafts of bills for critique.)
   
2. Senate Sport Cards (shouldn’t do much work on them this week – should pretty much be done over break)

 
Deadlines:  Turn to page “Model Senate- Delegated Assignments and Deadlines”

1. Find your role in the middle column (make sure to note changes for Whips)
   
2. Highlight all assignments and deadlines that apply to your role.  Make sure you understand the basic sequence of assignments.
   
3. With this many moving pieces, it’s hugely important that you are independent, and that you are keeping yourself on track.  I cannot nag you.  I am here to help you, but you need to be on top of deadlines!
   
4. In addition, with such a tight timeline, there will be no extensions.  We don’t have time for it. 

 
Authoring a Bill
Follow the steps in part 1.  I suggest that you take a look at the examples in the back of the packet I gave you before you start writing.
 
You will need to do additional research to successfully author a bill.  Now is the time to do that research, and figure out what, EXACTLY, you want in your bill.
 
USE THE RESOURCES in your packet!  They are there for you!  Please read them!
 
HOMEWORK:
Research for bill, and work on bill.

Party Caucus
Attend and participate in your party caucus.  If you were absent, the party caucus notes are linked on the DOCS page of my DP.

Legislation Brainstorm
Brainstorm ideas for legislation, figure out who you want to work with, develop a general idea of the direction you would like to go.

Questions of the Day:  Where does government money come from?  What are different ways of structuring taxes, and what the benefits and drawbacks of these different systems?

Framing:  This is our last day of content for the federal budget before we go into party caucus tomorrow!  One final thing you could tackle in your legislation would be taxes.  Today we’re going to look at a documentary that talks about many different types of taxes and their impact on the economy.  Take careful notes!  Remember, if you are on the finance committee, this should not be the end of your knowledge.  You're going to need to do more research as you write your legislation to become well-versed in the specific area you choose to focus on.

Starter 37 and Film Prewrite
See handout for An Inconvenient Tax on DOCS page of my DP.

If time after the film, debrief and discuss.

HOMEWORK:  DUE FRIDAY AT THE START OF CLASS!_
Finish Federal Budget...

• Party Platform Study
• Senator Research

Starter 36:

1. What were the TWO HARDEST decisions you had to make on the budget simulation yesterday?  Be very specific.  Why were they so hard?
   
2. What were the TWO EASIEST decisions you made on the budget simulation yesterday?  Why were they so easy
   
3. What did you learn from this simulation?  Be specific!  Use examples!

 
Knowledge Check: 
Take this quick survey- let’s see where you are!  We'll review it as a class.
 
Review Key Terms
Define any that you don’t have, make sure you’re solid for the QUIZ on Friday.
 
Senator Budget Research
Do some research on your senator!  Finish this by class tomorrow.  Note form is linked on the DOCS page.
 
Party Platform Study
Start your party platform study.  Finish before class tomorrow.  Note form is linked on the DOCS page.
 
HOMEWORK
Finish Senator Research and Party Platform Study.  DUE:  Start of Class FRIDAY.

Questions of the Day:

1. What are the main problems in our federal budget?
2. What are some of the hardest choices we have to make?  What choices are easy?

 
Framing:  Okay, now we’re digging deeper.  Today we’re going to look at some of the main areas of the federal budget that make solving our debt problem difficult, and then you’re going to attempt to make the hard choices necessary to solve the issue.  Take careful notes today, especially during the simulation—these could very well be things that end up in your legislation!
 
Starter 35:  Everything You Need  to Know About the Fiscal Cliff  (NOTE:  This video is from a few years ago.  Some of the specific stuff may be a bit outdated, but the 5 elements are still the same, the basic percentages are very similar, and many of the perspectives are still relevant today). 
 
As we watch, jot down responses to the following questions for discussion:

1. What are the 5 elements that go into our budget, according to this clip?
2. For each of the above, why do you think we cannot agree on a way to go forward? (What are the two points-of-views stressed for each element in the video?)
3. Which side do you think your Senator is on?  Why? 

 
10 Trillion Questions Jigsaw
Expert groups:  First, get in a group with the other student(s) assigned your two film questions.  Make sure that you are all clear.  If you need to do any additional research or rewatch the film section, now is your chance!  Make sure you’re ready to teach it.
 
Get in a group with other students.  You should have questions1-10 represented in your group.

1. First, review the first few questions.  Make sure everyone is solid and clear on those.
2. Now, go through 1-10.  Everyone should have notes on these and be pretty solid on these concepts by the end of this time.
3. Write down any additional questions your group has at the end of the process.  Put them on the board!

Challenge: Balance the Budget
A pen and paper.  Note-taking is strongly encouraged, and you may need to backtrack.  Things to potentially take notes on…You have two simulations for this… http://crfb.org/stabilizethedebt/ AND http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/13/weekinreview/deficits-graphic.html?_r=0.  Do the crfb one first, then, if you have time, check out the NYT.

1. What’s the “best” way to do this?
2. How would your senator do it differently?
3. What are the hardest choices you had to make during this process?  Why were they so hard?
4. What seemed like a “no-brainer” to you?  Why?
5. Based on this simulation, what types of things would you potentially include in legislation to balance to budget?  What seems most fruitful to you?
6. An instructional handout from me (w/ FAQ page on reverse side – Also on DP)

This may only take 10-15 minutes, but let's take some time and play around with some different options.  Let’s aim for 30 minutes of simulation time, followed by a quick debrief of what we've learned.
 
HOMEWORK
Finish Budget Simulation.  Take detailed notes, and be ready to write about it for your starter tomorrow!

Setup:  Have students put tables into 6 pods of 2 tables each (4 students per pod).  Students may sit wherever they wish.  When possible, have 4 students per pod (so, in the morning class, you may have only 5 groups of 4).
 
Questions of the Day:

1. What does the federal budget do?
   
2. Why is our national debt such an important issue?

 
Framing:  Hey guys, I am sick, and staying home to sleep and attempt to not infect the rest of you.  Today is our first day for the federal budget, and will really establish some key knowledge that you will need to have.   Please have the focus and independence that you would have if I were there (maybe even more!).  We only have a week to learn this complex issue, so it’s important that you not waste today!
 
Starter 34  (20-30 min)
1.  Put the following things in order of priority, from most important to least important.  At the top of your list should go things that you think should receive the most government money, at the bottom the things that should receive the least.

• Education
  
• Science
  
• Social security and unemployment
  
• Transportation
  
• Energy and environment
  
• Housing and community development
  
• Medicare and health
  
• Veteran’s benefits
  
• Food and agriculture
  
• Military
  
• Interest on debt
  
• International affairs

2.  Justify your reasoning for the TOP item on your list, and the bottom item on your list.  Why should the top receive the most funding?  Why should the bottom receive the least?

3.  Pair/share with the person next to you your answer for question 2.

4.  NOW…go to https://www.nationalpriorities.org/analysis/2015/presidents-2016-budget-in-pictures/ , and compare your priorities with those proposed by the president in the first graph.  Where are you most different?  Where are you the same?  What stands out to you here?

5.  TEACHER:  Clarify the fact that in this budget, social security are mandatory- the president cannot cut spending on those programs.

6.  Share out popcorn style.
 
Handout:  Federal Budget Key Terms and Concepts (15-20 min)

• Page 1:  Students self assess.  See where you are right now, and what terms you need learn.
• Page 2:  Read and highlight key points
• Page 3:  Read it, share the most interesting thing you learned with your table partner

 
Movie:  Ten Trillion and Counting

• Pass out handout.
• EVERY student needs to take notes and be able to answer the first 3 questions.
• Each PAIR of students at a table should be assigned 2 questions to answer from the remaining list.  We will jigsaw these tomorrow, so they should be ready to teach other students the answers, and share their opinions.
• Watch the movie.  Stop it every 15-20 minutes to let students catch up with their notes.

 
HOMEWORK:

• Students should be ready to share answers to their assigned questions tomorrow in class with other students.  The movie is linked on the DOCS page of my DP if they need to re-watch a section!