AP US GOVERNMENT – POLITICAL ISSUES PROJECT
Purpose: To afford AP United States Government and Politics students the opportunity to examine in-depth a particular political issue that is both timely and relevant and to lead fellow students in in-depth discussion on that issue. This project is the final project for the course and comprises 10 percent of the overall course grade.
Directions: You will work with a partner or two to research, analyze, and lead a discussion on a significant political issue. You will spend a week researching and putting your discussion together. One week will then afforded for all groups to lead their discussions and for the class to debate the issues.
Your discussion must include the following:
· Introductory Presentation
o A strong way to introduce your topic
o Background information on the issue (a brief history, relevant statistics, etc.)
· Debate Preparation Documents
o Arguments/Debate over the issue
o Relevance of the issue to American government and society (connections to any relevant course concepts)
· Well-developed questions to ask the class as a way of leading the discussion in the direction(s) you want it to go
*Remember, this is not only a presentation; it is a discussion where you must elicit whole-class conversation. Thus the above requirements do not need to be presented in order. Instead, plan your discussion in a way that will eventually address those requirement.
**How you go about leading this discussion is completely up to you and your partners. You can use any supplemental materials you need to best lead this discussion.
***The student-led discussions are to be about 30 minutes each.
The issues to be examined, using a focus question as the basis, are as follows:
1. Should America adopt public financing of political campaigns?
2. Does Affirmative Action advance racial equality?
3. Do we need national health insurance?
4. Are Americans overtaxed?
5. Should border security come first in stopping illegal immigration?
6. Is indefinite detention of suspected terrorists justified?
7. Is the use of torture against terrorist suspects ever justified?
8. Should the United States send troops to battle ISIS?
9. Should the death penalty be abolished?
10. Should the federal government protect the right of gays and lesbians to marry?
Step 1: Preparing the Presentation Due:
Create a PowerPoint, Prezi, or GoogleDoc to show the class explaining the issue at hand. We will have time in class for research, but your group will likely need to dedicate additional effort outside of class to complete the presentation.
All presentations will be due with ample time before the actual presentation so the teacher may score them and have students revise them before presenting them to the class.
Each presentation should include the following information:
· Enticing introduction
· History of the issue
· Relevant statistics
· Explanation of both sides of the argument
· Final slide: state the question for debate
Additional resources are always encouraged in the presentation, including video clips (no more than 10 minutes unless granted by teacher beforehand), pictures, quotes, etc.
Presentation must be handed in printed for review!
PowerPoint RubricExcellent / Meets Requirement / Needs Work / Comments
Introduction
5 Points / · Thought-provoking introductory slide and statement / · Introduces the topic effectively / · No clear introduction – jumps right into content
History of the Issue
10 Points / · Fully explains the origins of the issue
· Characterizes the path the issue has taken over time
· Leads into the present debate with a smooth transition / · Explains origins of the issue
· Gives details of some major events or concepts related to the issue
· Leads into the present debate, but transition could be better / · Insufficient background information of the issue’s origins or its development
Statistics
5 Points / · Includes a minimum of 4 statistics (percentages, Gallup poll results, etc.)
· Statistics are represented in a variety of ways (charts, graphs, numerically, etc.) / · Includes a minimum of 3 relevant statistics / · Includes at least 1 relevant statistic
Explanation of PRO Side
15 Points / · Effectively explains at least 3 reasons
· Includes quotes or citations from experts or news articles / · Effectively explains at least 2 reasons
· May address quotes / · Explains at least the most central reason, but leaves matters unclear
Explanation of CON Side
15 Points / · Effectively explains at least 3 reasons
· Includes quotes or citations from experts or news articles / · Effectively explains at least 2 reasons
· May address quotes / · Explains at least the most central reason, but leaves matters unclear
Final Slide
5 Points / · Presents the question up for debate
· Assigns or introduces article(s) for homework / · Presents the question up for debate / · Does not present the question up for debate
Mechanics & Quality
15 Points / · No errors in spelling, grammar, etc.
· Appropriate use of pictures, videos, quotes, etc.
· Legible on projector screen
· Appropriate transitions
· Limited text / · Minor errors in spelling, grammar etc.
· Includes pictures, quotes, etc.
· Mostly legible
· Some transitional errors
· Appropriate text / · Excessive errors in spelling, grammar, etc.
· Few pictures
· Illegible fonts or colors
· Distracting transitions
Total _____/70
Step 2: The Presentation Due:
Explain your issue to the class using a visual aide (PowerPoint, Prezi, GoogleDoc, etc.). Each presentation should last about 30 minutes in class, but may be longer if needed. Students will have access to the SmartBoard and a clicker to present their work.
Presentation RubricExcellent / Meets Requirement / Needs Work / Comments
Nonverbal Skills
15 Points / · Holds attention of audience with direct eye contact; rarely looking at notes
· Fluid movements & gestures
· Relaxed, confident poise / · Consistent use of direct eye contact, but refers to notes
· Movement enhances articulation
· Minor mistakes in poise; recovers from them / · Minimal eye contact
· Reliant on visual aide or note cards
· Very little movement or descriptive gestures
· Tense, nervous appearance
Verbal Skills
15 Points / · Enthusiastic about subject
· Clear voice
· Precise articulation & pronunciation enhances presentation / · Occasionally shows positive feelings about the topic
· Clear voice
· Audible volume / · Little interest in topic
· Noticeable mispronunciation
· Inappropriate volume
Content
20 Points / · Demonstrates full knowledge of content by answering class questions
· Information flows in logical order / · Answers questions from class, but not with much elaboration
· Information flows in logical order / · Does not effectively explain content
· Difficulty in answering questions completely
· Sequence is illogical
Visual Aide
10 Points / · NO misspellings or grammatical errors
· Includes pictures, videos, quotes, headlines, etc.
· Limited text / · Minor errors in spelling, grammar, etc.
· Includes pictures and/or quotes
· Sometimes includes too much text / · Excessive mechanical errors
· Does not include additional resources like pictures
· Too much text or distracting features
Total _____/60
Step 3: The Debate Preparation Due:
Each group must assign a reading and analysis worksheet to the class for homework to prepare for the discussion. The reading should be no more than 4 pages from reputable resources and there should be at least 5 analysis questions. Analysis questions require further thinking than identification of concepts, rather, they often feature prompting words such as: Why, How, Evaluate, Assess, Justify, Hypothesize, Examine, Compare, etc.
For example:
1. What does author x believe about this issue? < This is too straightforward and does not require any interpretation of material, just comprehension and reiteration of an opinion.
2. Compare the opinions of author x and author y. < This question requires students to use information and look for similarities and differences, so it is acceptable.
3. Evaluate the opinion of author x – is he justified? < This question requires students to apply their own interpretation of the author’s opinion, so it is acceptable.
The article(s) should reflect both sides of the argument to help students develop their own perspective on the issue.
The article(s) must be formatted single spaced, 0.5-1” margins, and 11-12 point font. Titles may be up to 14 point, bold, or underlined. The questions worksheet must be separate from the articles and provide ample space for student-generated responses.
Articles and questions worksheets must be submitted to the teacher for review and to make copies/place online at least 3 days before your scheduled presentation.
Debate Preparation RubricExcellent / Meets Requirement / Needs Work / Comments
Quality of Information
10 Points / Source(s) are well respected in their field; articles are of an appropriate, but challenging reading level / Source(s) are from reputable journals or news services at an appropriate reading level for high school seniors / Includes multiple sources that are not peer-reviewed
Length of Information
5 Points / Article(s) are 4 pages in length / Article(s) are slightly more or less than 4 pages in length / Article(s) are considerably too long or too short
Analysis Questions
10 Points / All questions are analytical and challenging, requiring synthesis and interpretation of information / All questions are analytical and require higher-level thinking / Most questions are analytical, but some only require identification or repetition of information
Formatting
5 Points / Articles and analysis questions appear neat with legible fonts / Articles and analysis questions are legible / Articles and analysis questions do not meet the designated formatting requirements
Total ____/30
Step 4: The Discussion Due:
Each set of partners will lead a 30-minute class discussion of the question given to students for debate. The partners are responsible for:
· Submitting a list of prompter questions after the discussion
· Facilitating discussion
· Monitoring discussion content & keeping on task
· Ensuring all students participate
Discussion RubricExcellent / Meets Requirement / Needs Work / Comments
Prepared Questions
10 Points / · Bring & utilize at least 8 additional questions to further the discussion
· Effectively redirect group to main points again / · Bring & utilize at least 5 questions to further the discussion
· Maintain logical flow of discussion / · Lacks prepared questions
· Discussion loses focus
Facilitation
10 Points / · Maintains good flow of conversation
· Socratic questioning
· Engages all students / · Overall the conversation flows positively
· Effective questioning
· Most students engaged / · Awkward silences
· Lags in questioning
· Students reluctant to participate
Connection to Core Concepts
5 Points / · Effectively incorporates course terms and concepts within the argument / · Attempts to address some concepts, terms, etc. from the course / · Little to no effort to address course concepts
· Errors in explanation of concepts
Full Group Participation
10 Points / · All group members are active in the discussion
· All classmates participate in discussion
· Discussion is NOT dominated by 1-2 students / · All group members are active in discussion
· All classmates participate, albeit unevenly / · Not all group members participate fully in discussion
· Some classmates do not participate
Willingness to Engage & Challenge Classmates
5 Points / · Further the discussion with new, non-prepared questions
· Encourage classmates to justify positions / · Some reluctance to address classmates on their opinions
· Effectively questions at times / · Debate fails to take form of a ‘discussion’ about the issue
Demeanor
10 Points / · Maintain a “devil’s advocate” position
· Challenge classmates politely
· NO banter from group members or classmates / · Bias is evident, but not dominant
· Challenge of a classmate’s opinion redirected if detracting from the overall debate / · Bias becomes too evident for a fair debate
· Bantering between group members and/or classmates
Total _____/50