AP U.S. Government and Politics
Mr. Carnahan Email: carnahan_chris@salkeiz.k12.or.us Room: 143
Course Description: AP Government is a year-long course that will cover all aspects of the United States government. The course is designed to provide you with knowledge about our government and to prepare you for the AP U.S. Government and Politics exam. This course has been approved by the College Board and will be taught at a level equivalent to that of a political science course offered for freshmen in college.
Main Text: Bardes, Barbara A., Steffen Schmidt, and Mack Shelley. American Government and Politics Today. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2007.
Blog: There is a blog for this course that will be updated after each class. On the blog you will find information regarding the material covered in class as well as links to assignments. If you are absent please check the blog to see what you have missed before returning to class. If assignments or notes are linked please print them out. My blog can be accessed through a link on the school’s website at http://www.spraguehs.com under “staff/student”, or directly at http://mrcarnahan.googlepages.com/home.
College Credit: There is the opportunity for you to gain college credit by enrolling in this course. Different colleges will sometimes have different requirements to obtain college credit; however, most will require that you meet the following two criteria:
*AP exam is scored from 1-5 with a 3 considered passing. Some colleges require that students score a 4 or a 5 on the exam, but it varies by institution.
Course Objectives: This study is designed to enable students to:
Course Outline: The six units covered in AP Government and Politics reflect the content covered on the AP exam.
* Unit 1- Constitutional Underpinnings
* Unit 2- Political Beliefs and Behaviors
* Unit 3- Interest Groups, Political Parties, Media
* Unit 4- Institutions (Legislative, Executive, Judicial, Bureaucracy)
* Unit 5- Public Policy
* Unit 6- Civil Rights and Liberties
Assignments: Throughout this course you can expect the following to be the graded assignments that will determine your grade. Regular coursework will include, but is not limited to the following:
Grading Procedures: Grades will be determined by the percentage of points possible earned. Letter grades are assigned according to the following scale:
A = 90-100%
B = 80-89%
C = 70-79%
D = 60-69%
F = Less than 60%
Attendance: It is always to your advantage to attend class. Students who miss class miss important instructional activities that cannot be adequately attained in other ways. Students are urged to keep all absences to a minimum and to make up work and tests promptly when an absence is unavoidable. You have as many days as you were gone, plus one to make up work for full credit (Example: assignment that was due Wednesday is due Friday). Remember that a parent must clear absences within three school days of your return to school.
Part of the AP curriculum for this course will require you to take a daily reading quiz. Any time you are absent it is your responsibility to make arrangements to promptly make up a missed quiz.
Late Work: Any late assignment can be turned in up to one week from the assigned due date for up to half credit.
Tardies: Students are expected to show up to class on time. If you are going to be late stop by the attendance office and pick up an admit slip. Repeated tardiness will be dealt with in accordance with the Sprague High School policy.
Behavioral Expectations:
1. Bring your materials each day. Bring your textbook and writing materials to class.
2. Dress appropriately. The school dress code is enforced in this classroom.
3. The use of cell phones/MP3 players is not allowed in class without explicit permission. Any cell phones that are seen or heard will be confiscated and may be picked up at the office.
4. Keep it neat! Throw trash in the wastebasket, put paper in the recycling container, and don’t write on desks, walls, or each other. Put away any supplies used during class to their appropriate spot. Bottom line: Take pride in your work space.
5. Always be polite and considerate and please raise your hand and wait to be called on. Harassment of any kind and inappropriate language will not be tolerated!
6. Respect other people’s possessions. These include the materials provided by the teacher. The area around my desk is off limits unless you have permission.
7. The hall pass will be located on my desk and permission is needed for its use. Repeated bathroom requests may require an individual conversation and possibly the revocation of bathroom privileges.
8. Substitutes are to be treated with respect. If your name is given to me by a substitute you will be rewarded with an automatic Thursday school—no questions asked. Depending on the report additional measures involving administration may also be taken.
Academic Integrity:
ALL WORK is expected to be your own. When you submit any assignment (including extra credit), journal exercise, or test it must be an original work containing your own thoughts and ideas. Submitting another person’s work (even in part) constitutes cheating; you will not receive points for the assignment, and the violation will be noted in your discipline record. Likewise, if you assist another student in the process of cheating, by allowing them to copy your work, for example, your assignment will also be counted as a zero. On many of your homework assignments, you may work together to discuss the questions and possible answers, but the final product must reflect your own work. It is not acceptable for one person to complete questions 1, 3, 5, and 7, and another to complete 2, 4, 6, and 8, and then exchange answers.
Violations of academic honesty include, but are not limited to the following:
Plagiarism, Collusion, Cheating, Falsification, Alteration, Multiple Submission, Sabotage, and Tampering. For additional information on these types of academic dishonesty, please see the school web site or ask your teacher.
Finally, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure his/her understanding and compliance with the terms of academic honesty. When in doubt, always consult your instructor.
TAG
In each subject/course students will be pre-assessed on the knowledge and skills that will be learned in the subject/course. The purpose of this pre-assessment is to find out what students already know and are able to do to avoid repetition and to give the student access to advanced and/or accelerated content.
Formal or informal pre-assessments may include end of chapter/unit tests, student input and self-evaluation, placement test, specific teacher observational data, lab demonstration or test, work samples, fist of five, thumbs up/thumbs down, or other forms of pre-assessment. Below is a list of differentiation strategies that may be used.
Differentiation Strategies
Differentiation:
Enrichment Multiple Intelligences
Acceleration Compacting Learning Styles
Independent Study/Project Tiered Assignments Critical Thinking
Assignment Modification Flexible Grouping
Cluster Grouping Contracting
Notes:
Please cut along the dotted line and return only this small bottom portion to me for class points. This is a required assignment. Retain the large portion to review as the semester progresses.
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Student Name: __________________________________________ Period: ________
We have reviewed the above policies, and understand that late work will be accepted for one week from the due date for up to ½ credit.
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Parent Name (please print) Student Signature
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Parent Signature Parent email (if available)