February 2017
Post date: Feb 9, 2017 6:29:52 PM
Constitution & Bill of Rights
What are our rights? What are our responsibilities as U.S. citizens?
What is the Bill of Rights? How did it come to be?
These are some of the questions we'll pursue today.
Watch this video, The Story of the Bill of Rights, for details about the writing of the first ten amendments.
5 Paragraph Essays
Here are two topics to practice writing your opinion. Each question comes from a bill currently under legislative consideration.
Question 1: Should street-legal ATVs be allowed to be driven on Salt Lake County roads?
Background: Currently, Salt Lake County is the only county in Utah that does not allow ATVs, with vehicle license plates and registered drivers, to be on our roads. Read HB82 to find out what "street legal" means here. As of 2/21/17, this house bill went to a Senate committee before moving to the Senate for a second reading.
Question 2: Should elected city leaders be required to live in the district or area in which they were elected?
Background: Representative Lee Perry discovered this issue in his hometown. The current law didn't clearly state that a person in city government had to live in the area that elected him. Read the HB186 to find out how Rep. Perry changed the language. As of 2/24/17, this bill was put on the Senate second reading calendar.
Goal Setting
Goal setting is an important aspect of helping know where we are going and when we've gotten there.
Vishen Lakhiani looks at goal setting from the point of view of listing experiences we want to have, growth we need to make these experiences a reality, and how we can contribute to society in the video Goal Setting Redefined: The Three Most Important Questions to Ask. Watch the video then make your three lists. What do your lists tell you about what your goals should be?
Legislators/Politics
Capitol Hill Trip Field Trip 2/22/17
The focus on this trip is to learn more about Utah as well as see our legislators in action.
8:45 Meet at east door (by lions).
8:50 Group photo
9:00 Scavenger Hunt - See Utah Capitol scavenger tour forms for blog.feb17.pdf below.
9:55 Meet outside Senate Chamber on north side of 4th floor (Enter Senate and participate in meeting.)
10:45 Move to House of Representatives Chamber (Entrance on south side of 4th floor) Participate in meeting.
11:30 Move to 3rd floor. Turn in green sheets. Wait for HR to meet with you.
12:00 Exit 2nd Floor on north side. Go to cafeteria for lunch (building on east side of water feature).
12:30 Visit monuments on capitol grounds.
1:00 Leave
Check out the state capitol's website. At the bottom of the home page is a timeline about the capitol - from 1850 to 2008. Check it out.
What do you know about Utah's state symbols? Check out this website for answers.
State flower?
State bird?
State insect?
State vegetable?
State song?
State rock?
State gem?
State hymn?
State fruit?
State tree?
Do you know the 100 civics questions you need to answer to get your HS diploma? Here they are in a written and an audio format.