CURRENT COURSE · 2026–2027
Understand institutions. Test arguments. Explain how power works.
Students work with founding documents, Supreme Court cases, political data, and contemporary questions. Discussion, simulations, and writing practice connect AP preparation to informed participation in civic life.
BOOKS & PRIMARY SOURCES
The current syllabus pairs a textbook and summer reading with original documents, court decisions, and selected political philosophy. The posted daily plan currently covers Unit 1.
An annotated guide to the Constitution, followed by a beginning-of-year assessment.
The main textbook named in the syllabus; chapter and page assignments appear in the daily sheets.
Read with Federalist and Anti-Federalist arguments, including Federalist Nos. 10 and 51 and Brutus No. 1.
Selected excerpts connect rights, the social contract, and self-interest with constitutional design.
Titles identify the readings; books are not reproduced here. See the assignment sheets for specific chapters and excerpts.
Eyeballs over screens: These activities reinforce prior learning. My approach →
I designed these activities with ChatGPT’s help. How I build them and explain their sources →
FROM THE ASSIGNMENT SHEET
Compare the arguments for and against a large republic. The assignment calls for teams, evidence, hints, and individual notes.
Open on ChatGPT Sites ↗Use with your notes after learning the topic. Works offline; separate from the interactive activity.
Use a case-based activity to explore judicial review and constitutional checks.
Open on ChatGPT Sites ↗Use with your notes after learning the topic. Works offline; separate from the interactive activity.
Classify features of the constitutional system and defend each choice with evidence.
Open on ChatGPT Sites ↗Use with your notes after learning the topic. Works offline; separate from the interactive activity.
Compare self-interest in economic life with the design of constitutional safeguards.
Open on ChatGPT Sites ↗The October 5 workshop asks students to score complete sample responses, identify the words that earn credit, and suggest the smallest useful revision. Students revisit concept application and their study of Marbury v. Madison before writing their own responses. This classroom exercise prepares students for the Supreme Court case comparison question.
CLASSWORK & HOMEWORK
Foundations of American Democracy
How did the framers attempt to protect individual liberty while promoting public order and safety—and does their design still work?
August 31–October 16, 2026 · Daily classwork, homework, and reflection questions. Textbook questions are referenced, not reproduced. The October 12 meeting is tentative.
Open printable assignment sheet ↗Read each day below: In class shows the work students do together; Homework / preparation shows what they complete outside class and when it is due. Use the search or dropdown to find a lesson.
Showing 24 of 24 dated entries · Unit 1
Special schedule: morning meeting, advisory, homeroom, and short class meetings.
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?
Continue introductions and review the syllabus, learning objectives, and expectations. Discuss the role of government in society.
None — camp.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Use with your notes after learning the topic. Works offline; separate from the interactive activity.
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.
Chapter 1 InQuizitive.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Use with your notes after learning the topic. Works offline; separate from the interactive activity.
Sukkot begins at sundown. Please plan with observing students in mind.
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?
Chapter 2 InQuizitive and the previously assigned Bill of Rights reading.
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.
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.
Jill Lepore, “How Originalism Killed the Constitution”; the multiple-choice article quiz; and Chapter 3, pp. 88–96. The article is a required class reading, although it is not a required AP foundational document.
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.
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.
Use with your notes after learning the topic. Works offline; separate from the interactive activity.
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.
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?
No AP Government lesson. Follow the school’s PSAT/SAT testing instructions.
No lesson or assignment listed for this date.
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?
Use with your notes after learning the topic. Works offline; separate from the interactive activity.
Tentative class meeting: Indigenous Peoples’ Day. School attendance on this date still needs confirmation.
Chapter 3 InQuizitive. Follow the updated class schedule for any school-calendar changes.
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.
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?
Unit 1 test — Day 1.
Unit 1 assessment: multiple-choice and free-response questions covering the material identified in our class review.
None.
Unit 1 test — Day 2.
Continue the Unit 1 assessment: multiple-choice and free-response questions.
None.
EXPLORE THE NEXT UNIT
The reference guide connects political values, socialization, polling, and policy. It asks students to define concepts, apply them to scenarios, and explain their reasoning.
Definitions, application checks, primary-source connections, and guided polling and policy practice.
Open on ChatGPT Sites ↗PURPOSE & PROTOCOLS
The course goals emphasize evaluating sources and data, analyzing Supreme Court decisions, discussing politics thoughtfully, and applying concepts to real situations.
The assignment page distinguishes AP-essential content from helpful context. A source described as optional within the AP framework can still be a required classroom assignment; students follow the explicit task directions.
The technology policy prohibits AI-assisted production unless I explicitly allow it. The assignment sheet does include a specifically assigned FlintAI comparison activity; that permission is task-specific.
Students prepare, meet deadlines, and seek help proactively. My feedback pledge holds me accountable too. The AP course’s published policy does not offer revisions or retakes; U.S. History has a different revision process.
READ · PRINT · REVIEW
Find classroom handouts, primary sources, readings, and review activities. Each resource shows where it belongs and what it helps students practice. Source labels distinguish my AI-assisted materials from archive documents and outside readings. Open “Source & reuse permission” for each item. Other websites may have their own access requirements.
41 resources
External source · apcentral.collegeboard.org
External source · apcentral.collegeboard.org
External source · gutenberg.org
External source · gutenberg.org
External source · archives.gov
External source · youtube.com
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
Use with your notes after learning the topic. Works offline; separate from the interactive activity.
External source · teachingamericanhistory.org
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
External source · gutenberg.org
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
External source · avalon.law.yale.edu
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
External source · oyez.org
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
Use with your notes after learning the topic. Works offline; separate from the interactive activity.
External source · archives.gov
External source · annenbergclassroom.org
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
External source · archives.gov
External source · portside.org
External source · archives.gov
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
External source · archives.gov
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
Use with your notes after learning the topic. Works offline; separate from the interactive activity.
External source · apcentral.collegeboard.org
External source · apcentral.collegeboard.org
External source · constitution.congress.gov
External source · oyez.org
External source · youtube.com
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
External source · oyez.org
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT
Use with your notes after learning the topic. Works offline; separate from the interactive activity.
My course materials · developed with ChatGPT