Ch 08 - Political Parties - Class 2

2. What are the goals and activities of political parties in American government?
3. Why does the U.S. have a two-party system whereas other countries (i.e. the U.K.) have a multi-party system?

1. Analyze: Parties in Government
• Who are the party leaders in the Senate?
• Who are the party leaders in the House?
• What is the current state of the Republican party in Congress?
• How do political parties affect the federal courts?
2. Analyze: Causes of Two-Party System in the Senate and House
• What are single-member districts?
• How does ballot access vary by state?
• What is gerrymandering?
• What is incumbency advantage? 
• How much would it cost for a 3rd party campaign for a seat in Congress?
3. Analyze: Causes of Two-Party System in the Presidency
• What role does the electoral college play?
• How much would it cost for a 3rd party campaign for the presidency?
4. Analyze: Role of Third Parties in American Politics 
• What are examples of third parties (i.e. Socialist Party, Libertarian Party)
• What are the benefits of third parties?
• How did third parties affect presidential elections in 1992 and 2000 (Related: Butterfly Ballot and Pat Buchanan Vote by County)?
• Could we see the emergence of a third party now?

Ch 08 - Political Parties - Class 1

1. What are the goals and activities of political parties in American elections?

1. Reading Quiz: Ch 08 - Political Parties 
2. Reflect: 1st Quarter
• Review your Unit II Test
• Look at 1st quarter grades on PowerSchool
• Write a three paragraph reflection on this class, SI, and life
3. Analyze: Goals and Activities in Elections
• Why can parties be considered herds (i.e. Democrats and Republicans)?
• Which demographic groups are also reliable members of the Democratic or Republican herds?
• How do parties operate at the national, state, and local level?
• What is the difference between a primary election and a general election?
• What is the average turnout in primary elections?  What implications does this have?
• What kind of primary election was used by North Carolina in 2012? (Hint: It is the most common.)
• What does Sen. Cruz suggest could happen in GOP primaries?
• How do party campaign committees play a role in the general election?

Unit II Test

1. Review: Unit II
• What questions came up when you reviewed for the test?
2. Test: Unit II
• 30 Multiple Choice
• 1 FRQ
3. Set-Up: Twitter
• Biz Stone on using Twitter to follow political news
• Read Mr. Jason Beyer's reflection
• The final stage, knowledge communities, embeds the previous stages with the goal of inspiring the spirit of self-learning in our students.  This moves us beyond the personal choice of the student (which I had to do in Germany in order to survive) to nurturing this as a natural urge from within the student.  Rather than a sage, the teacher now becomes a coach or consultant.  The 1:1 environment acknowledges that knowledge is always available and centers on the questions, “how do students discern which knowledge is accurate and useful?” and “how does this student answer the problems posed to him/her creatively, competently, and faithfully?”  Now iPads, mobile devices and technology in general allows, for instance, Twitter to become a place where my cohort evolves beyond the classroom to the larger community focused not on personal expression but intellectual and professional evolution.  Our libraries provide mobile access to databases, online communities, and class room consultation to train these skills.  The teacher then models the learning s/he requires, which demands some restructuring of curriculum to showcase students learning - the process as well as the product.    
• Review Social Media in AP Gov
• Start following accounts for AP Gov