Welcome to the Civics Homework Page! For your convenience, I will make sure that the homework page is kept up to date, so parents and students will always know what is due when. Please check the page regularly.
I have an email address, which I will check regularly, so please feel free to contact me electronically. My address: landersmichiel@gmail.com
For Civics, I need you to bring the following materials to class:
Civics book, paper in a three-ring binder, pen or pencil, highlighter, and your planner.
HOMEWORK
For this class, you will be working at your own pace, but there will be target dates for Mastery work. Turn in your best effort on the target date, and if it needs fixing, you will have an opportunity to do it. Target dates will be listed on this homework page. All other work you will have provided for you on the first day of class to keep in your binder.
WEEK OF FEB. 23: We will be studying duties and responsibilities. Your assignment chart shows a Mastery Project called "Be informed." After reviewing the other assignments for this week, I think that the Mastery assignment won't be necessary. Please do the other assignments: reading, defining, finding examples in the newspaper (you need 4 articles) and making a duties/responsibilities chart.
Use your extra time to get caught up on any unfinished work and to work on your WAC. Remember, your WAC is due at the end of this quarter.
WEEK OF FEB. 16: We will be studying immigration and naturalization. Follow your chart for your reading and homework. For your Mastery assignment, please refer to the web site provided, www.uscis.gov, and create a story where you are an immigrant. Start in your country of origin, and take us all the way to permanent residence. I want you to navigate your way through the web site. That means that you will have to pretend that you are from, say, Roumania, and you need to tell me exactly whom a Roumanian contacts, what forms are needed, what fees must be paid, etc., etc. All this information is available on the web site.
This is a time-consuming project, so be prepared for that. To pass the assignment, you must demonstrate that you have worked your way through the site. Everyone's story will be different. The story is only a vehicle for giving me the information you found, so it doesn't have to be the next Great American Novel. The purpose of this assignment is to show you how much work it takes to get here. That is what I want you to find out and to show to me. Also, I should be able to read it, and the spelling and grammar should be correct.This assignment will be due Feb. 25.
WEEK OF FEB. 9: We will be studying citizenship this week. Follow your chart for assignments. By Wednesday, I would like all of you to have a list of the countries your ancestors came from. Everyone came from somewhere.
Your Mastery assignment is to create a chart showing the similarities and differences of citizens, naturalized citizens, legal aliens, and illegal aliens. For this to be complete, you must include all four categories, compare things like rights granted, jobs that can be held, etc. All of the answers can be found in your reading assignment for the week. All words must be spelled correctly. Treat this assignment as a test (which it is) and give it the attention it deserves. It will due on Feb. 16.
WEEK OF FEB. 2: Follow your chart for the assignments. Your Mastery assignment for Unit 2 is also your WAC assignment. It will be due on the day that grades close for the third quarter, roughly 8 weeks from now.
The WAC assignment is to find something that you would like to see changed, and to write a letter to the person you would need to contact about changing it. For example, if I wanted to see 4-wheelers outlawed in West Virginia, then I would contact my representative in the House of Delegates, asking him to consider proposing such law.
To complete this assignment, you must (1)pick a topic, (2) identify the correct person to contact, (3) use correct letter-writing format, (4) Develop reasons for wanting your change (5) Have all spelling and grammar correct. I will help you with all of these areas. When your letter is complete, you will provide a single-spaced copy, and we will mail it. Most students do receive a reply, which is why I want the assignment completed early in the semester so that you can share your reply with the class.
WEEK OF JAN 19: Follow your chart for assignments. There is no Mastery assignment this first week.
Please be sure to get a 3-ring binder over the weekend. You really cannot keep your stuff for this class organized without one.
TREK postcards will be made this Friday. Bring your pictures.