Kirk Bower » Schick Staff Directory

Government Systems
US II
US III
Military History
World Geography
Constitutional Law

ADVISOR:

Scholastic Scrimmage:

WVIA 2016 Lycoming County Champion and 3rd Place Overall

2011 Pennsylvania Academic Competition – Bradford, Lycoming, Sullivan, and Tioga Regional Champions

WPSU (Penn State Broadcasting)

• Placed 17th – 2008
• “Round of 16” for Pennsylvania – 2007
• Small School Champion / 2nd Overall – 2006
• “Great 8” for Pennsylvania – 2005

American Systems

Welcome to American Systems
American Systems is the study of the principles and foundations of our governmental and economic policies.

The following areas are of interest in this course:

1. Constitution and Foundations of Government
2. Institutions of National Government
3. Political Behavior and Participation
4. Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
5. State and Local Government
6. Economics
7. Public Policy
8. Comparative Government

American Systems is the study of American political, domestic, foreign, social, and economic systems. The following is a list of topics that will be covered in this course:

1. The Constitution and Foundations of Government
   Principles of GovernmentBeginnings of the American Government
   The Constitution
   Federalism
2. Institutions of National Government
   The Legislative Branch
   The Executive Branch
   The Judicial Branch
3. Political Behavior and Participation
   Political Parties
   Campaigns and Elections
   Public Opinion
   Political Participation
   Voting Rights and Behavior
4. Civil Rights and Liberties
   1st Amendment Freedoms
   Due Process
   Civil Rights
5. State and Local Government
   Structures
   Policies
   Finances
   Community Involvement
6. Policy Making
   Domestic
   Regulatory
   Social
   Foreign
   National Defense
7. Comparative Government and Economic Systems
   Political Systems
   Economic Systems

TEXTS USED:

• American Government (Holt, Rinehart and Winston)
• American Government (Ethel Wood and Stephen C. Sansone)
• Consent of the Governed (Lewinski, Capurro, Clancy, Levine, Nicholes)

VIDEOS:

• Frontline (PBS Series)
• 60 Minutes (clips)
• 12 Angry Men
• Gideon’s Trumpet
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Tucker: The Man and His Dream

Military History

Grading Policy (Government Systems and USIII)

Welcome to American Systems, USII or USIII with Mr. Bower. I am excited about the upcoming semester and hope you are as well. I am sure you are concerned with your grades. Grades are very important and there are many opportunities for you to do well in my class. My grading is based on a point system. Your goal is to gain as many points as you can in the marking period. Everything we do in class is graded and a certain number of points are awarded for each aspect of the course.

EXAMPLES:

1. TEST OR EXAMS
   This is a valuable instrument to measure what and how much you have learned. There will be several major exams each marking period. Every test will be announced several days in advance and placed on my weekly homework page. The make-up of the tests will include matching, fill in the blank, multiple choice, and short answer. Every test will also include at least one essay.All tests/exams are worth at least 100 points
2. PROJECTS
   Military History will give the student the opportunity to work on many projects. There will be individual projects as well as group projects throughout the semester.Group projects are worth 20 to 100 points.
   Individual projects/research papers/ critical reviews will be worth 100 to 200 points.There will be three research papers in this course. There will be one each of the three marking periods.The topics will be:
   A biography
   A battle
   A book report4. Key Historical Event
3. QUIZZES
   There will be several quizzes a week (usually two or three). Quizzes are a good guide for the student as well as for me to see how students are progressing before a major test. If you miss a quiz, it is very important that you set up a time with me to make the quiz up. Most quizzes are usually made up of 5 to 10 questions. There will be both oral and written quizzes.Quizzes are usually worth 10 to 20 points each.
4. ACADEMIC PARTICIPATIONHOMEWORKHomework is usually assigned on a daily basis and will be posted on my homework webpage. Homework is very important because it will allow the student to:Prepare for the following day’s lesson
   Review the current day’s lesson
   Identify new vocabulary
   Practice social studies skillsCLASSWORKThis area would include in-class worksheets, video study guides, case study work, etc. All class work will be collected that day with no late class work being accepted.Homework and class work may be worth anywhere from 5 to 20 points

   PARTICIPATION

   Participation is important in Systems and Military History. The participation rubric is attached.

   CURRENT EVENTS

   Each day one student will have the opportunity to present to the class a current event. This report should take no longer than 5 minutes. They may get their current event from any newspaper, magazine, or news Internet page. The student must present me the article the day they give their report to the class. If a student needs a newspaper to get an article – they may see me and I will give them a newspaper. Every Friday there will be a quick 5-question current event quiz on the reports heard that week. Brief summaries of the reports will be written in their journals. If absent, students are responsible for any missed current events.

   Current Events are worth 10 points

   I will always tell you how much an assignment, project, etc. is worth. To figure out your grade, I will count up the entire number of points one can earn. I will then add up the total number of points you gained and divide it by the total number of points possible.

   So, if you earned 910 points out of a total of 926 points (910 divided by 926) you would receive a 98%.

   Once a week (usually on Thursdays) I will show you your average

   I do not give extra credit. Time put forth into extra credit could be time used to prepare for upcoming assignments or tests. I am always willing to help. I will normally be at school by 7:30 a.m. and I usually do not leave before 4:00 p.m. So, please do not hesitate to see me.

Classroom Expectation

I expect all students to follow the guidelines established in the Student Handbook.

There are three major areas, however, I would like to emphasize within these guidelines:

1. Being on time for class.
2. Being respectful to others and their views.
3. Being prepared for class on a daily basis.

It is very important for the student to be on time for class. Within a 90 minute block there is much to cover and discuss. Being late is disruptive to the learning environment of others.

Respect is a key in my classroom. Systems / Military History is a class which deals with many discussions and opinions. At times you may disagree with your fellow students on certain topics, but we need to respect their views in order to have an in-depth discussion. “Disagree with the opinion – NOT the person.”

Preparation for class is a must. If a student does not have all of the classroom materials, how can that student accomplish as much as she or he could?

By following these three simple requests, the year will go smoothly and the class will be exciting and rewarding!

Rubrics

PowerPoints
Participation
Cooperative projects