top of page

Government

0612 – Government Project: The Civics Feast

​

25 Points DUE Every Wednesday

​

Read These Directions Carefully!!!!!

​

  • Tasks in total will take you over 25hrs to complete—that’s more than 2hrs during each week of the Trimester! Since you will have over 12 weeks to complete all tasks, absolutely NO LATE WORK will be accepted

​

  • The goal is to accomplish 250 pts of your choice from the following variety of categories by May 31, 2019. Tasks are weighted according to how much time you will need to complete them (in parentheses). Harder the task, the more points that the section is worth.

​

  • It is your responsibility to EMAIL ALL Parts of this project to your teacher at:  dsmith@fuhsd.net

​

  • Be sure you include in the Subject of your email: description of Project, and Point value worth for each project shared with your teacher

  • each project must be done in a separate google document, or slides, or sheets, or a separate non-google app that you might choose to complete the project

​

WORK DONE ON GOOGLE SLIDES,  GOOGLE DOCS, ETC...NEED TO BE SHARED WITH YOUR TEACHER VIA EMAIL

(MAKE SURE YOU GIVE PERMISSION TO YOUR TEACHER TO EDIT THAT WHICH YOU SHARE)

​

  • ALL work must be your own—EVERY Essay, Book/Movie Summary, Opinion, Explanation, Description, Poem, Artwork, etc Anything turned in that’s not your own work is academic dishonesty & results in a ZERO for entire project A zero score on this project will seriously jeopardize your ability to earn any credit for the government course. If you wish to use anything that is not your own words, this information needs to be placed in a set of quotation marks and the source of the quote must be cited (website, book, etc.) directly below. So to repeat, Do not “copy and paste” any information. . If your copy and paste information and pass it off as your own you WILL receive a Zero grade and no credit.

​

  • Keep things organized!!!! Each project will be a different Google file, app, or website. Email permission to edit to your teacher for each google document, slide, or sheet, or link to website which you created. In the Email Subject Box of each email, briefly describe the Project, and state the number of points value this project is worth which you are submittinghen EMAIL it as you complete tasks, i.e. of file names: 

    • WordSearch 5Pts...or...

    • Air Force OneMovie 20pts ...or...

    • PoliticalNewsArticles 25pts...or...

    • Political Cartoon 15pts....

​

  • 25 points are due each week

​

​

LIST OF TASKS

​

​

“For Starters” Category (less than 1 hour) — 5pts:​​

  1. Using Google Docs, Write ALL your freedoms protected by the U.S. Bill of Rights (remember some are unwritten).

  2. Using Google Docs, Compare and contrast the opposing ideas of judicial activism and judicial restraint

  3. Using Google Docs, Find photos and correctly label: our District Superintendent and our current Board of Trustee members.

  4. Using Google Slides, create  slides of the 9 Justices on the United States Supreme Court. You need to include a labelled picture of EACH justice (labelled with their name), and a group picture of all the 9 Justices together (10 pictures total in all)

  5. using Google Docs, Describe how Special Interest groups are a big part of the Plurality of our government

  6. Using Google Docs, Cut & paste the official symbols of both the Republican Party & Democrat Party (Donkey & Elephant) & explain the importance and history of each to its respective political party

  7. Create a word search (with a separate answer key) of 25 important gov’t terms that we studied in class

  8. Make a crossword puzzle (with separate answer key) of 25 important gov’t terms that we studied in class

 

​

​

“Soup and Salad” Category — 10pts:

  1. Using Google Docs, Name 30 of the elected officials, along with naming their official office title, who represent you in the various levels and offices of our government.

  2. **Register to vote. Do not give actual application form to me (I won’t accept it), submit a photocopy instead.** (see your teacher for this one, might not be available all year)

  3. Using Google Docs or Google Slides, Explain importance to politics of 10 famous Americans who have had an influence on govt (include photos)

  4. Using Powtoon.com or another cartoon making app, Create a political cartoon (in color)…of current or past Presidents, reps, US, CA, Fallbrook, World, etc.

  5. Using Google Docs, Write a letter to a local politician about a current serious problem (unemployment, global warming, etc.) or about an issue important to you (i.e., decriminalization of something) that needs to be addressed

  6. Make a Google Slides of the 45 Presidents in order, including a picture of each, & their term in office

  7. In Google Docs: Create a political poem or song lyric (at least one page long).

  8. Create a 3D sculpture...you may use a 3D Printer or create a sculpture by hand from materials of your choice (if clay, it must be solid). This sculpture must demonstrate artistically some aspect of government or an issue facing government currently or historically

​

​

​

"Entree” Category — 20pts:

  1. Watch a government themed movie. Then using Google Docs, create a well written 3-page essay (min 750 words) including:

    • Description of the movie’s events from start to finish,

    • Explanation of the movie's theme,

    • Explanation of the movie's impacts/meaning to government 

    • Well explained narration of your opinion about the movie​

      • THESE ARE THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE MOVIES: 

      • People vs. Larry Flint , My Cousin Vinnie, Fracture, Shawshank Redemption, 12 Angry Men, To Kill a Mockingbird, Presumed Innocence, JFK, A Few Good Men, Citizen Kane, Anatomy of a Murder, Philadelphia, Milk, The Verdict, In Cold Blood, Rainmaker  Inherit the Wind, And Justice for All, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Distinguished Gentleman, Head of State, Air Force One, All the President’s Men, No Way Out, The Pelican Brief, Suspect, Frost v. Nixon, Lincoln, Nixon, Truman, W., Dave, 13 Days, Fair Game, Manchurian Candidate, Dr. Strangelove, Absolute Power, Charlie Wilson’s War, The Good Sheppard, The Ides of March, Game Change, Election, The American President, Recount, Too Big To Fail, Freakonomics, An Inconvenient Truth, Sicko, Fahrenheit 9/11, Who Killed The Electric Car, Idioocracy, The Contender, J. Edgar, The Fugitive, Platoon, With Honors, Patriot Games, Clear & Present Danger, Sum of All Fears, Forest Gump, Ali, Mississippi Burning, Untouchables, Malcolm X, Catch Me if You Can,

  2. Compare & Contrast (using Google Docs in 1000-word essay) our form of gov’t vs. 5 other different countries…be sure to clearly explain their form of government  in contract to our form of government

  3. Using Google Slides, create a 15-slide presentation of Presidential Cabinet (1 Department per slide) Each slide needs to have these components included:

    • title of Cabinet Position  

    • responsibilities of position  

    • office holder’s name  

    • hi-res photos of person 

    • official cabinet seal  

​

​

​

Dessert Category —  25pts:

  1. In a Google Slides presentation, Explain the impact 20 Landmark Court Cases (1 court case per slide) have had on U.S. laws & citizens’ rights (minimum 75 word explanation for each court case = 1500 total words)

  2. Copy/paste into Google Docs, 15 current government political articles from a local newspaper. You need to have the ENTIRE article. THEN:

    • Summarize each article in your own words;

    • Explain how each article effects your life on a personal level

    • Express your opinion about the article’s politics.

    • 100 word minimum per article (1500 total words for project)

  3. Using Google Docs, Write 1250 word essay including both sides of a debate/argument (the pros & the cons for each side) of controversial gov’t topic/issue, then after you have explained both sides of the argument, you must also choose the side you feel strongly for, and then include your own opinions as to why you believe/feel that way for that side of the debate

    • Examples of Topics:

      • good vs. bad of death penalty,

      • pro-choice vs. pro-life (abortion),

      • religion in school/gov’t vs. separation of church and state,

      • right to bear arms/own guns vs. getting rid of 2nd amendment/gun control,

      • legalization of same-sex marriage vs. making marriage legal only between a man and a woman,

      • marijuana legalization vs. keeping marijuana as an illegal substance,

      • increasing minimum wage vs. keeping minimum wage & thus inflation lower,

      • climate change vs. global warming is not happening, 

      • growing police violence vs police officers doing a great job,

      • current immigration policies and procedures vs. building a new wall and keeping more immigrants out of country

  4. Using www.wix.com, create 13-page website (1 home page and and 12 issue pages):

    • 12 Important issues facing government today

    • Possible Examples of issues: unlimited campaign contributions, dishonesty by elected officials, voter fraud, voter apathy, sexual discrimination, income inequality (widening wealth gap between the rich and the poor), inflation, unemployment, banking, global warming, alternative energy vs. oil/gas, legalization of drugs, racial inequality, invasion of privacy, national debt, problems with social media, problems with public education, Iraq/Iran problems, terror, gun violence, gun control, police violence, immigration, national health care, social security, etc.)

    • Each webpage needs to have at least one picture/visual (13 total for website)

    • Minimum of 100 words per webpage = 1200 total for entire website project 

​

​

​

“Carry-out/Take Home” Category — 50pts:

  1. Read the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Write 1500 word essay (in Google Docs) about the book’s events, theme, impacts/meaning to government, and then your opinion

  2. Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins,  Write 1500 word essay (in Google Docs) about the book’s events, theme, impacts/meaning to government, and then your opinion

  3. Too Big Too Fail byAndrew Sorkin: Write 1500 word essay (in Google Docs) about the book’s events, theme, impacts/meaning to government, and then your opinion​

​

​

​

​

​

​

bottom of page