This week we follow what I hope will be a normal routine going forward: Government on Monday and Thursday, English on Tuesday and Friday.
For Monday’s government class, we review what it takes to amend the Constitution. The Framers did make provisions for improving the Constitution, and American citizens debate potential revisions regularly. We read one such argument in class, an article recently published in the Atlantic Monthly called The Founders’ Great Mistake. It’s a thought-provoker to inspire the assignment you have for Thursday: to propose and defend your own amendment to the Constitution. This is the “Processing” activity of your Constitution Notebook Guide, except you are asked to type up and submit two paragraphs instead of just one.
On Tuesday, juniors take a 1-hour standardized test called the Early Assessment Program for California State University. Meanwhile, seniors conduct a self-assessment in their grammar proofreading abilities. During the last half-hour of class, we peer-review rough drafts of your Doctor Letter, which you are writing for DasGupta’s biology class.
Come prepared on Thursday with your two-paragraph proposal (typed) for an amendment to the Constitution. Class is a public presentation of these amendments. You vote on them as if you each represent a state legislature; of course, that means that it takes 3/4 of you to approve passage of an amendment. Next week there will be an exam on the Constitution unit; we end class reviewing what will be on that test and what you need to study for.
On Friday we continue our work on tight writing technique with a closer look at the role of subjects and verbs and how to maximize their power in a sentence.
Posted by Justin Wells : 03/02/2009