MR.

WOODS SUMMER READING / PROJECT FOR AP GOVERNMENT AND

POLITICS CLASS - dwood@pasadenaisd.org email me if you need help - due the second day of
school! -

One test grade for the entire project will be given and a test over Ch 12 Congress Cornell
Notes/multiple choice questions. The test will the first week of school. Email me if you
have questions.

There are a number of goals for this summer reading/project. First and foremost, it is to make time. That is,
with the incredible amount of information covered in this course, there is very little time to cover it. One
semester is barely enough. The summer reading allows us to get a head start and hit the ground running in
August. Another goal is to battle against the summer setback the loss of mental and intellectual sharpness
that occurs with a long break from studying. This is not to say that you do not need a break or dont benefit
from one. You do. However, you dont want to completely lose your mental edge. This assignment allows you
to stay sharp, but will in no way spoil your summer.

In fact, for the first assignment, I have simply chosen a series of activities that will be especially useful
because they allow you to become politically self-aware and media savvy before you walk in the door. Since a
large portion of class discussion will stem from what you personally understand and think about politics, as well
as how you perceive it in the media, this will allow you to walk into the room in August more aware of your
political self and more critical of political coverage in the media. These are the two filters through which
we all see politics. The quality of class discussions and how you begin to incorporate and synthesize new
information and knowledge gained from the course should benefit greatly from this. As well,
it may help you to get into the habit of following the news if you dont already which will be an absolute
requirement for the course.

The second assignment is that you become familiar with the U.S. Constitution. Now, this isnt asking you to
become a constitutional scholar or go to Law School over the summer. It is simply an assignment designed to
get you to a point that you have a working knowledge of WHATS IN IT AND WHERE TO FIND WHATS
IN IT. Dont worry too much about the larger principles and implications of it well study that together. But it
will be EXTREMELY useful for you to have a good understanding of the structure and design of it on day one.
For example, while we may study the implications and various interpretations of the First Amendment, Id like
you to walk in on day one at least knowing what it is and where and how to find it. Think of it as getting the
lay of the land.

The third assignment is to familiarize yourself with Cornell Notes. A valuable skill to learn before college and
an important part of this class is the taking of notes in an interactive format. We use Cornell notes in AP
Government and Politics because it helps you process the information as you are taking notes over it because
you are thinking about what you are taking notes over. If you arent familiar with Cornell Notes there are lots of
websites that discuss and model them.

ASSI GNMENT#1- NEWS LOG
The news media has a huge impact on how most Americans view the world. Now that you have read about it, it
is important that you yourself begin to both stay up to date with the news, as well as practice critical analysis of
it. This assignment will ask you to maintain a news log of important events over the summer. LOTS can
happen between June and August. Of particular concern to you should be the policies of the Obama
Administration, ongoing concerns about the economy, the war in Afghanistan, Iranian nuclear weapons,
Ukraine, and China and Russias aggressiveness. Just as you were trained to do in history class to categorize
history under
broad subjects such as political, economic, social, and diplomatic/foreign policy you will do this in
analyzing current history now.
Some suggestions for news sources: and remember the emphasis here will be on
national, not local, news:

- major network news - CBS, NBC, and ABC nightly news broadcasts (5:30PM not the local versions) or
websites should be monitored.

-Cable News.
CNN, MSNBC, and FOX. If you want to get a good look at the ideological contrasts, view not just the news,
but their pundit (talking head) shows (that, as opposed to the nightly and regular newscasts, do not even
pretend to be unbiased) which air during prime-time (7PM 10PM).

-Radio News - 88.7 NPR, 740 AM KTRH

-Comedy News - The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, News Fix

NEWSLOG -
On the following pages you may need to add to them if you get carried away
list stories which you have come across or that you are following over the summer.
Just follow the format I want you to WRITE about them yourself. But you must
cite your source every
time for verification purposes. Remember, you will categorize your stories based on
this format:

POLITICAL everything is political so in this instance, by political, we mean stories having to do
specifically with elections, parties, laws, leaders, etc. Think Democrats v. Republicans

ECONOMIC stories which (while always having a political element) have to do with the economy directly, such
as Wall St. and Jobs, Business and the general state of the economy
recession, etc., price of oil, taxes, OR with social class issues (middle v. upper class, etc.).

SOCIAL - stories which have to do with civil rights issues (race, gender, immigration, etc.), cultural and moral
(values) issues such as abortion, religion, etc., and civil liberties issues
(freedom), such as free speech issues, church-state, guns, crime, states rights

FOREIGN POLICY stories having to do with the War on Terror (including the domestic aspects of it i.e. civil
liberties issues associated with it, e.g., the Patriot Act, Guantanamo, etc.)
the war in Afghanistan, issues with Iran, Cuba, Israel, Venezuela
To receive credit for this assignment, you must cover at least TWO stories from
EACH category, for a total of at least EIGHT stories when you return. Try to
become an expert in at least one of the more ongoing stories. Hard to predict, but
Bank Regulation, the Economy in general, Mid-Term Congressional Elections as
well as the Texas Governors race, Supreme Court rulings, War in Afghanistan,
Terror Threats, .?

POLITICAL NEWS:
STORY DATE/SOURCE YOUR VIEWS
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
ECONOMIC NEWS:
STORY DATE/SOURCE YOUR VIEWS
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
SOCIAL NEWS:
STORY DATE/SOURCE YOUR VIEWS
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

FOREIGN POLICY NEWS:
STORY DATE/SOURCE YOUR VIEWS
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________

ASSI GNMENT #2 - U.S. Constitution Familiarization
As noted at the beginning this is not to ask you to become a constitutional scholar, but just to get you to
a point where you feel comfortable navigating through the Constitution.
Basically, you can go almost anywhere online to find a good copy of the Constitution itself. I recommend
these three, but any decent educational site will work. Definitely bookmark whichever site you use. You
will work with the Constitution extensively in the course. You may even want to consider buying one of
those little pocket Constitutions available at places like Borders or Barnes & Noble for about $2.99
or, for those of you lucky enough an Ap for your I-pod Touch or I-Phone.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
-OR http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html
-OR http:// www.constitutioncenter.org
Assignment: Using the Constitution as your original document and primary source, you are going to be
asked to complete a second packet to turn in upon return to school in August. It is pretty self-explanatory
Constitutional One: You will be outlining the major sections of the Constitution.
Constitutional Two: Scavenger Hunt. Tests your ability to find answers
to specific questions, now that you are familiar with the structure of the Constitution.
Constitutional Three:Interpreting the Bill of Rights - this asks you to apply what you know about the civil
liberties protections and other provisions of the Bill of Rights using hypothetical situations.

Constitution One - OUTLINING THE CONSTITUTION
The Constitution is divided into three main sections: The Preamble, the Articles (1-7), and the
Amendments (27). This outline is not meant to be definitive, but it will get you to a point where you are familiar
enough with it to be able to navigate through it.
* THE PREAMBLE: The preamble is simply a statement of purpose. The Constitutions preamble is of
course, very famous. In it, the Framers explained what the purpose of this new national government would be.
According to the Preamble, what WAS the purpose of government? To the left list each purpose, as written in
the preamble, in order. On the right, try to explain in your own words what, exactly, they meant by that
_We the People______________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________

* THE ARTI CLES: Articles 1-7 lay out the structure and specific functions of the national government. I like
to simply view it as the countrys rule-book. In this section, you will be
asked to look through the Constitutions articles one by one and get to know whats in
each one. Again, you will not have to outline the ENTIRE thingjust some of the
highlights.
I. ARTICLE ONE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

A. Qualifications for House of Representatives
1. ____________________________
2. ____________________________
3. ____________________________
B. Qualifications for Senate
1. ____________________________
2. ____________________________
3. ____________________________
C. Powers delegated to Congress:
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________


D. Powers denied to Congress:
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________

II. ARTICLE TWO EXECUTIVE BRANCH
A. Presidential Qualifications:
1. ___________________________
2. ___________________________
3. ___________________________
B. Powers of the President:
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
________________________________ ________________________________

III. ARTICLE THREE THE JUDICIAL BRANCH
A. What are the types of cases heard by the Supreme Court? (the courts jurisdiction)
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
B. What is the term of office for a Federal Judge (Including Supreme Court Justices)?
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
C. Except for cases of Impeachment, all trials will be _______________ trials.

IV. ARTICLE FOUR Relationships between the States
A. Name three things in this article:
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________
_______________________________________ _____________________________________

V. ARTICLE FIVE AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION
A. Describe, in your own words, the process by which the Constitution is amended:
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

VI. ARTICLE SIX VERY important (and under-rated) Article.
A. Whats in here?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

VII. ARTICLE SEVEN Ratification
A. What was needed for this to become the new law of the land?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
* THE AMENDMENTS: There have been only 27 Amendments added to the Constitution since
its ratification. All you have to do here is define/describe them.
Constitution Two Scavenger Hunt - Use chart from Constitution One

1. Compare Article I with Article II. Which article is longer and more detailed?


2. Explain why the Framers gave more powers Congress than the President.


3. How does the House of Representatives determine the rules of proceedings (the ability to have debates,
amendments, etc.)?


4. The powers of the Constitution that are specifically granted to the branches of government or to
office holders are called expressed powers.
a. Identify two expressed powers of the president.

b. What are the expressed powers of the vice president?


c. Identify two expressed powers of Congress.


5. According to the principle of checks and balances, each branch of the government must have
control over the other branches. Look at the first three articles of the Constitution and identify one
of each type of checks and balances. Indicate where each power is listed in the Constitution.

a. A power that the executive branch has over the legislative branch:
This can be found in what article/section of the Constitution:

b. A power that the executive branch holds over the judicial branch:
This can be found in what article/section of the Constitution:
c. A power that the legislative branch holds over the executive branch:
This can be found in what article/section of the Constitution:

d. A power that the legislative branch holds over the judicial branch:
This can be found in what article/section of the Constitution:

e. A power that the judicial branch holds over the executive branch:
This can be found in what article/section of the Constitution:

f. A power that the judicial branch holds over the legislative branch:
This can be found in what article/section of the Constitution:

11. The court of original jurisdiction is the first court that hears a case. Appellate courts hear cases on
appeal from lower courts. Although the Supreme Court functions primarily as an appellate court, it
is the courts of original jurisdiction in certain kinds of cases. What are those?


12. According to Article I of the Constitution, who has the power to declare war?

13. What power does the Constitution give the President in the area of war?

PART II IMPORTANT CLAUSES

1. Where is the Commerce Clause and what does it say?


2. Where is the Necessary and Proper Clause and what does it say?


3. Where is the Supremacy Clause and what does it say?


4. How might these clauses above have impacted the power of the federal government?


5. Where is the habeas corpus clause and what does it say?


6. What is habeas corpus?


7. Where are bills of attainders discussed and what does it say?


8. What is a bill of attainder?


9. Where are ex post facto laws discussed and what does it say?
10. What is an ex post facto law?


11. Where is the full faith and credit clause and what does it say?


12. There are two due process clauses. Where are they? What does due process of law imply?


13. Where is the equal protection clause? What does this imply?

PART III. MAJORITY AND SUPERMAJORITY
The Constitution requires a simple majority for some actions and a supermajority for others. A simple
majority means more than half, while supermajority requirements can involve a 2/3 majority or a 3/4
majority. Most elections in the United States require a plurality, or the most votes, but not necessarily a
majority.

1. a. What bodies have the power to override a presidential veto?
b. What margin is required to override a presidential veto?
c. Where in the Constitution is the veto power described?

2. a. What body has the power to ratify treaties?
b. What margin is required to ratify treaties?
c. Where in the Constitution is the ratification power described?

3. To impeach means to bring charges against or to indict.
a. What body has the power to impeach the president?
b. What vote is required to impeach?
c. What is the standard for impeachment?
d. Where in the Constitution is the impeachment power described?

4. a. If no candidate for the presidency wins a simple majority of the total number of electoral votes, what
body has the power to choose the president?
b. What margin is required to choose the president?
c. Where in the Constitution is the Electoral College described? (Hint: there are two parts)

5. The Constitution specifies a three-fourths majority for just one process. What?

6. What are two ways that amendments to the Constitution can be proposed?

7. What are two ways that amendments to the Constitution can be ratified?

8. Who are the electors of the members of the House of Representatives?


9. What is the basis for the number of Representatives?


10. What is the limit placed on the number of Representatives today? (Since 1911)


Constitution Three Interpreting the Bill of Rights see attached page

ASSI GNMENT #3 - Cornell Notes Over Congress

An important part of college and this class is the taking of notes in an interactive format. We use Cornell notes
in AP Government because it helps you process the information as you are taking notes over it because you are
thinking about what you are taking notes over. If you arent familiar with Cornell Notes there are lots of
websites that discuss and model them.

1. Take Cornell Notes over Chapter 12 Congress. - This is the most important chapter and the biggest
topic on the AP Exam. If you master this section, you are well on your way to passing the test.

2. Next answer the multiple choice questions - some which have been pulled from AP Exams. The
notes and multiple choice questions are both due the second day of class and a test will be given over them at
the end of the first week.