Plans/Assignments:

Sept. 4:     Summer Assignment Choice Due

Plans: 09/01/-09/05/08

Links:
Links to Campaign 2008 Sites:

Sen. Barack Obama - Democratic Party Nominee

Sen. John McCain - Republican Party Nominee

Ralph Nader - Independent Candidate

AP Government and Politics U.S. Online [College Board]
AmericanHistorical Association
UnitedStates Information Agency Page
U.S.Constitution & Related Constitutional Links
NationalArchives Constitution Page
FederalistPapers Search
SupremeCourt WWW Resource
SocialStudies Links from Ogdensburg High School Social StudiesHomepage

Links from Canton Central's AP Government & Politics US Website:

Blogs from the New York Times Staff

Blog directory from Campaigns and Elections Magazine

Other links:NPR Podcast Directory: http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_detail.php?siteId=5183228

The following is taken from MyPoliSciLab.  It is a listing of sources for political news.ALLPOLITICS
http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/
Comprehensive political site with news reports from CNN and Time magazine.Political Nation
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/
National and international political news as reported by ABC news and its affiliates.Capitol Hill Blue
http://www.capitolhillblue.com
Political news and views from a conservative perspective focusing on Congress.PBS
http://www.pbs.org/fredfriendly/disconnected/
Site looks at political coverage from the perspective of whether people are getting the political news they want and need.Fox News
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/index.html
National and international political news and views as reported by Fox news and its affiliates.Hill News
http://www.hillnews.com
Political news and views with a focus on Congress.C-SPAN
http://www.c-span.org
Up to the minute public affairs reports including political news. Users may browse web site by issue area.Center for Investigative Reporting
http://www.muckraker.org
In-depth reporting on current public affairs and political issues.evote.com
http://www.evote.com
Full service political site containing current political news as well as political polling data and cartoons.MSNBC
http://www.msnbc.com/news/
General news with slight tilt toward political and public affairs issues.News Max
http://www.newsmax.com
Current political news and views focusing on national and international issues.Salon.com
http://www.salon.com/politics/
Daily updates on political and public affairs news and commentaries.The Drudge Report
http://www.drudgereport.com
Compilation of national and international political and public affairs news.The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/politics/
Articles on national and international politics and public affairs from Washington Post reporters.The Political Wire
http://www.politicalwire.com
Comprehensive political site providing hourly political news updates as well as political services.Washington Times
http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/
Comprehensive political and public affairs coverage with emphasis on conservative issues.Dissent
http://www.dissentmagazine.org
Quarterly magazine of the left focusing on politics and culture.Congressional Quarterly
http://www.cq.com
"Comprehensive source for news and analysis on government, politics and public policy."

Special Projects:

George H. Snyder
AP Government and Politics U.S. Teacher
Ogdensburg Free Academy High School
1100 State Street
Ogdensburg, NY 13669

June 26, 2008

To Prospective AP Government and Politics U.S. students and their parents:

It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Advanced Placement Government and Politics U.S. course here at O.F.A. The year ahead will be an intellectual challenge filled with many exciting and different experiences
that will enrich your understanding of Government and Politics in the U.S.

The AP course in Government and Politics United States will give students an analytical perspective on
government and politics in the United States. This course includes both the study of general concepts used to
interpret U.S. government and politics and the analysis of specific examples. It also requires familiarity with the
various institutions, groups, beliefs, and ideas that constitute U.S. government and politics.

The course involves an extensive amount of reading, essay writing, and discussion. The course has a
number of interesting activities during the year including; a possible Constitutional Convention, a possible
Mock Congress, a number of Debates on Historical Issues, and in depth analysis of Presidential Politics, along
with many different internet assignments. The internet is used in this course as are the resources and databases in our Senior High Library.  Remote usernames and passwords have been provided, as an attachment to this letter, for the resources and databases on the library website found at http://www.ogdensburgk12.org.  I ask that students get signed up for internet usage at the beginning of the year. If this is a problem, we can work on an individual basis. The class has its own homepage on the World Wide Web for assignments and special projects. You can check this out at http://ofahs.ogdensburgkl2.org/~gsnyder/APGOVT/APGOVPOLUS.htm.

As a preparation to begin the year, students will need to complete one of two Summer Assignment
choices. The Summer Assignments can be found on the back of this letter. Students should also become
familiar with and reading a variety of media including; Major Newsmagazines [Newsweek, Time, U.S. News &
World Report], Internet Blogs [Linked through our website]. Online media or television sources [Fox News,
CNN, MSNBC, ABC, or CBS].  Newspapers, such as the New York Times, are a great source of political coverage and the high school library has a subscription.  Other newspapers whether online or local also provide a wealth of information on National, State, or Local Issues.

The student should have at least a three subject notebook, five preferable, a binder or folder to hold a
good amount of materials. I will be giving out many handouts for text chapters as well as review assignments.
Another avenue to pursue in preparing for the course is to watch the History channel [if it is on your
cable or dish service, or online]. Especially in this presidential election year many specials and events are held
on the History Channel that can provide great information to the students.

I wish all the students that have been selected to participate in AP Government and Politics U.S. the best
for the coming year, and strongly encourage you and your parents to read over the guidelines set forth in the AP
Government and Politics U.S. Contract. It needs to be understood that certain things are expected of students in
the AP Government and Politics U.S. course. Among those requirements are; completion of one of the Summer
Assignment Choices to be handed in on September 4, 2008; obtaining and retaining an 85% average to remain
in the course, and sitting for the AP Exam in May.

I am looking forward to having you in my class during the 2008-2009 school year. I believe that your
son/daughter will benefit greatly by putting forth an honest effort in the course.

Sincerely yours,

SUMMER ASSIGNMENT CHOICES
AP Government and Politics U.S. Teacher
Ogdensburg Free Academy High School

Purpose:
The Summer Assignment will assist the student to become more attune with the subject matter of
AP Government and Politics U.S. The completion of the assignment will show the degree of commitment that
the student has to the course and the subject matter. The summer assignment will open the student's eyes to thi
course material and hopefully inspire further research.

Requirements:
The student will:
• select one of two choices below to complete the assignment which is due September 4, 2008:
Choice A:

• write a 5 - 7 paged, double spaced, no larger than 12 point font paper explaining the platform of

      each of the major political party candidates for President of the United States.

• this paper should make reference to the candidates stands on at least two major issues of the

      campaign, i.e. The War in Iraq, The Price of Oil, Healthcare, etc. [2-3 typed pages] At least 4 Sources Required.

• this paper should include reference to media attention given to the candidates through different

      media outlets, i.e. television, internet, talk radio [differing views of the candidate, both conservative and liberal
      should be explored]. [2-3 typed pages]At least 2 “Conservative Sources” | 2 “Liberal” Sources Required.

• conclusions on the candidates campaigns and your personal feelings of their stands on the issues

       should be presented. [1 typed page]

• a Pathfinder has been provided by the librarian for this assignment: 1. CQ Researcher | 2. Electric Library | 3. EBSCO | 4. ProQuest | 5. Galenet: SRC Gold, Opposing Viewpoints, NYS Newspapers, Custom Newspapers, Business and Co. ASAP, Biography Resource Center, National Newspaper Index, History Resource Center: U.S. & World | 6. SIRS Researcher & Government Reporter | 7. World & I
• proper in text citation and bibliography formats should be utilized for the required sources.

Choice B: The following are autobiographies of the three most prominent candidates of the 2008 Presidential
Race; Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. John McCain, and Sen. Barack Obama.  Below are prices from Amazon.com,
but they may be purchased from any book store or loaned from the High School Library or Ogdensburg Public
Library.

• select one autobiography to read and write a write a 5 - 7 paged, double spaced, no larger than 12 point font paper that chronicles the life experience of the candidate. [2-3 typed pages] At least 4 Citations Required.
• describe a life changing experience that the candidate encountered and how that event influenced their life decision to be a public servant. [2-3 typed pages] At least 2 Citations Required.
• conclusions and perceptions that you had about the candidate that were possibly changed or were
  affirmed after reading the book. [1 typed page]
• proper in text citation and bibliography formats should be utilized for the required citations.

  Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton (Paperback - April 2004)
                  Buy new: $16.00 $10.88
                  195 Used & new from $0.47

Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir by John Mccain and Mark Salter (Paperback - Aug 22, 2000)
                Buy new: $14.95 $13.18
                76 Used & new from $6.48

The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama (Paperback - Nov 6, 2007)
                Buy new: $14.95 $8.97
                88 Used & new from $7.69

Senior Service Project: Due January 1, 2009