DAVID CUTLER · 2026–2027
Public reading edition · October 10, 2026. Read the daily classwork and homework here; no school login is required. This course is a work in progress. I will update it as I build out the class. Future entries are plans, not completed lessons. The October 12 meeting is tentative.
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Eyeballs over screens. Screens only reinforce what students have already learned; they never introduce new content in my classroom. I developed the linked public activities with ChatGPT’s help, directing and reviewing the work.
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Monday, August 31, 2026
Introductions, syllabus review, course expectations, and an introductory Kahoot with an anonymous quiz.
Read the syllabus and get your textbook. For Tuesday, September 1.
What is one thing you hope to learn in this course?
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Continue introductions and review the syllabus, learning objectives, and expectations. Discuss the role of government in society.
None — camp.
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Take the summer reading comprehension test. Afterward, begin a brief introduction to Unit 1.
Due Thursday, September 10: Read Chapter 1, pp. 6–8, “Why do we have a government?” Answer AP Study Guide questions 1, 3, and 4, beginning on p. 36. Prepare to share your responses.
Thursday, September 10, 2026
Review democratic ideals, then complete the FlintAI comparison activity. Compare Locke and Hobbes on the state of nature, sovereign power, and the social contract. Read selected passages from Locke, Second Treatise of Government and Hobbes, Leviathan, Part II.
Homework #2 — due Friday, September 11: Read the Declaration of Independence and complete the homework portion of the FlintAI activity.
How do the Declaration’s ideals still influence American politics?
Friday, September 11, 2026
Continue the Declaration close reading and connect its arguments to our Enlightenment discussion. Listen to John F. Kennedy’s reading of the Declaration. Annotate the opening ideals, select five grievances you consider most serious, and identify the colonists’ proposed action in the conclusion.
None — Rosh Hashanah no-homework weekend.
Explain how one idea associated with Locke appears in the Declaration.
Monday, September 14, 2026
Begin the selected Federalist No. 10 passages and the Brutus No. 1 work in class following the no-homework weekend. Bell ringer: the democracy-models infographic on p. 37, questions 7–8. Distinguish participatory, pluralist, and elite democracy. In pairs or trios, complete the Federalist No. 10 and Brutus No. 1 team challenge below. The activity supplies the passages, questions, hints, and practice points.
Homework #3 — due Tuesday, September 15: Finish Federalist No. 10: selected essential passages and AP takeaways and Brutus No. 1. Bring annotations for our comparison activity.
Which democratic ideal is most challenged today? Support your answer.
Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Apply Madison’s argument about factions to modern groups. Compare Federalist No. 10 with Brutus No. 1. Build a chart with three columns: democracy model / evidence from either document / contemporary example. Review our already-completed work on Federalist No. 51: selected passages and AP takeaways to connect these arguments to separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism. Use AP Study Guide questions 2–4 beginning on p. 84.
For Thursday, September 17: Review your Enlightenment and Declaration notes. Prepare to connect political liberty and self-interest to Adam Smith. No new Federalist No. 51 reading.
Do you agree with Madison’s solution to factions? Use evidence.
Thursday, September 17, 2026
Introduce activity and core principles from The Wealth of Nations. Read selected excerpts together and explain self-interest, market competition, resource allocation, and limited government regulation. Use the pin-factory example to explore specialization. Compare Smith’s treatment of self-interest with Madison’s checks and balances in Federalist No. 51.
Homework #4 — due Friday, September 18: Read the Articles of Confederation.
Complete the Madison & Smith practice activity. Respond before reviewing the answers and explanations.
Friday, September 18, 2026
Analyze the Articles’ structure and weaknesses. Discuss what happens when states retain extensive power and the national government struggles to act. Use the chart on p. 49. Connect Shays’ Rebellion, taxation and enforcement problems, the absence of a separate executive and general national judiciary, interstate commerce, and currency issues.
Homework #5 — due Tuesday, September 22: Read Chapter 2, pp. 40–49, focusing on the circumstances that led to the Constitutional Convention. Keep the reading light and plan around Yom Kippur.
Which weakness most seriously undermined the Confederation? Explain.
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Compare powers under the Articles and the Constitution. Connect the changes to the Federalist–Anti-Federalist debate. In pairs or trios, use pp. 50–59 to build an organizer on the Great Compromise, Electoral College, Three-Fifths Compromise, slave-importation provision, and the later ratification assurances about a Bill of Rights.
For Thursday, September 24: Continue the assigned Chapter 2 reading.
Would Federalists or Anti-Federalists be more satisfied with government today? Explain.
Thursday, September 24, 2026
Role-play states’ interests in the Great Compromise, Three-Fifths Compromise, Electoral College, and commerce/slave-trade negotiations. Introduce Marbury v. Madison (1803) as a connection to constitutional checks. Use “Amending the Constitution,” p. 74, and Table 2.1, p. 75, to distinguish proposal from ratification.
Due Friday, September 25: Finish the assigned Chapter 2 reading.
Which compromise was most essential to securing agreement? Defend your answer.
Friday, September 25, 2026
QUIZ. Examine why opponents wanted explicit protections for individual liberty. Rank amendments and apply them to scenarios. Watch selected portions of Annenberg: “Key Constitutional Concepts”; discuss Shays’ Rebellion, checks and balances, Article V, and the original absence of a Bill of Rights. Use the Take-a-Stand activity on p. 73 for a seminar on constitutional interpretation. Alternative written practice: AP Study Guide questions 5–9 beginning on p. 85.
Homework #7 — due Monday, September 28: Read the Bill of Rights, Amendments 1–10. Begin for Thursday, October 1: Jill Lepore, “How Originalism Killed the Constitution”. This is assigned enrichment with a required class quiz; it is not a required AP foundational document.
How did the Bill of Rights address Anti-Federalist concerns?
Monday, September 28, 2026
Begin with a Bill of Rights retrieval question: which government did its protections originally restrict? Preview the relevant provisions of the 13th and 14th Amendments with Mr. Cutler: 13th Amendment, Sections 1–2; 14th Amendment, Sections 1 and 5. Then open the simulation using the button below. Focus on constitutional mechanisms and the national–state relationship.
For Tuesday, September 29: Prepare for the scheduled multiple-choice quiz using the previously announced scope. Due Thursday, October 1: Continue Jill Lepore, “How Originalism Killed the Constitution”. Be ready to identify the thesis, one supporting example, and one question or counterargument. The article quiz remains scheduled for Thursday; we will complete its simulation in class afterward.
In 3–4 sentences, distinguish the proclamation from the 13th Amendment. Then identify one 14th Amendment protection and apply it to a state or local government action.
Tuesday, September 29, 2026
Take the scheduled multiple-choice quiz. Read Federalist No. 78: selected essential passages and AP takeaways in class and practice AP free-response questions. In pairs, search Articles I–III of the U.S. Constitution: who declares war, taxes, creates lower federal courts, impeaches, tries impeachments, and selects judges? Cite the relevant provisions. Compare pp. 64–65 and discuss the p. 65 Critical Thinking questions.
Homework #8 — due Thursday, October 1: Read Chapter 3, pp. 88–96. Finish Jill Lepore, “How Originalism Killed the Constitution” and prepare for the article quiz on Thursday.
Explain how impeachment functions as a check and balance.
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Take the article quiz, then open the simulation using the button below to evaluate constitutional change. Discuss three brief Lepore excerpts with questions, test Article V vote thresholds, hold an interpretation hearing, and write an individual verdict. Finish by distinguishing checks and balances among branches from federalism between national and state governments.
Homework #9 — due Friday, October 2: Read Chapter 3, pp. 97–113, focusing on changing interpretations of national and state power.
What is the difference between changing constitutional text and changing how existing text applies? Explain one advantage and one cost of a difficult amendment process.
Friday, October 2, 2026
Read Federalist No. 39: selected essential passages and AP takeaways. Chart the Constitution’s national and federal features through ratification, the House, Senate, presidency, and amendment process. Connect the chart to the ratification debate and the distribution of power.
For Monday, October 5: Review your Federalist No. 39 chart.
Is the Constitution more national or more federal? Use a specific feature to defend your answer.
Monday, October 5, 2026
Learn how to answer an FRQ directly. First, practice Concept Application using Unit 1 content. Then, practice a SCOTUS response using only Marbury v. Madison. Score sample answers, explain your scores, and write your own responses.
No new written assignment. Bring today’s work and your notes for Tuesday’s McCulloch v. Maryland lesson.
Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Analyze McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), the Necessary and Proper Clause, and federal supremacy. Use “How a Case Gets to the U.S. Supreme Court” as support. Build paired-case comparisons: McCulloch with United States v. Comstock (2010), and Lopez with Gonzales v. Raich (2005). Compare facts, constitutional issues, holdings, and reasoning.
Due Friday, October 9: Read Chapter 3, pp. 113–122. Answer AP Study Guide questions 1–10 beginning on p. 123. Begin Unit 1 review.
How did McCulloch expand federal authority?
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
No AP Government lesson. Follow the school’s PSAT/SAT testing instructions.
No lesson or assignment listed for this date.
Friday, October 9, 2026
Conduct a moot-court activity on United States v. Lopez (1995). Compare Lopez with McCulloch and build a timeline of Commerce Clause interpretation.
Continue Unit 1 review and prepare for the Chapter 3 InQuizitive deadline on October 12.
How do McCulloch and Lopez illustrate different boundaries of federal power?
Monday, October 12, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Jigsaw and gallery-walk review, followed by practice multiple-choice questions on Topics 1.1–1.5. Review the documents and concepts we have covered in class; follow the class review guide for the assessment scope. Complete the Unit 1 Progress Check questions in AP Classroom as assigned and analyze missed items. Use AP Daily videos for targeted review.
For Tuesday, October 13: Review notes and practice questions, focusing on errors and gaps.
Which document best helps explain a current political issue? Support your choice.
Tuesday, October 13, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Review separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and the assigned cases. Complete timed FRQ practice in class and use peer feedback. Revisit Federalist No. 51’s selected passages and AP takeaways as previously taught. Include the Adam Smith, judiciary, and civil-rights material introduced during this unit in the class review.
For Thursday, October 15: Final review. Focus on weak areas and the class review materials.
Which topic needs your final review, and what will you do to address it?
Thursday, October 15, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Unit 1 assessment: multiple-choice and free-response questions covering the material identified in our class review.
None.
Friday, October 16, 2026 · Upcoming lesson
Continue the Unit 1 assessment: multiple-choice and free-response questions.
None.