Plagiarism Activity

As we begin work on our Supreme Court Analysis Papers, we are going to start by learning more about plagiarism.

1. First go to this website: http://library.acadiau.ca/tutorials/plagiarism/ Be sure to click on the red boxes to answer the questions on find out more information.
2. Next check out this PowerPoint on plagiarism. http://www.lycoming.edu/library/instruction/tutorials/plagiarism.aspx
3. Now go to this site http://www.lycoming.edu/library/instruction/tutorials/plagiarismGame.aspxand play the game. When you finish, take a screen shot. Paste it in Word and under the picture tell me 5 things you learned about plagiarism today. This will be graded. If you do not know how to take a screenshot, there are directions on the Dropbox site, called, “to save a screenshot” in the AP Gov folder. Also directions on http://take-a-screenshot.org/
4. Finally upload the document from Word with your screenshot and 5 things you learned onto dropbox. Directions for uploading on dropbox can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/help/90/en (scroll down for the on the website directions).

Go to www.dropbox.com

Username: cgdelong@bedford.k12.va.us
Password: ilovegov
Folder: AP Gov, then Plagiarism Activity

Afterwards, you can research court cases. Narrow down to the ones you are interested in. You could start here: http://www.streetlaw.org/en/Landmark/Cases

Researching Skills

We discussed in class today the importance of good research skills. Researching well will help you write a better paper. Hopefully we now know more about plagiarism and understand how to properly cite and paraphrase sources.

Remember the importance of evaluating websites. Look for:

• a bibliography
• author
• a credible source (like a university)
• keep in mind when it was last updated

We also discussed academic vs. non-academic sources. Academic sources are things like journals that have been peer-reviewed. While Wikipedia can be a good starting point, keep in mind it is open-source and should not be used in your paper. Go to the original source for information. Here are a couple of sources for finding journal articles: http://www.doaj.org/ and http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/dean/peer_reviewed.htm You can also go on the library wiki site http://libertyhslibrary.wikispaces.com/Before+you+go+a-Googlen%27 and try the Gale search engine, specifically the Criminal Justice one. And maybe one of your best discoveries today for this paper, Google Scholar.

Remember to keep a list of your sources linked to your notes. General formatting guidelines for APA can be found here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ Remember that Word can do citations and keep a bibliography for you. If you don't have Word on your computer, OpenOffice is an open-source free word processing program.

Your Tax Receipt

National Budget Computer Lab Assignment

Objective:  The learner will create a national budget.

Goal: To see how difficult it is to create a national budget.

1. Try a little practice at http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/13/weekinreview/deficits-graphic.html?_r=0
2. Now go to http://www.nathannewman.org/nbs/
3. Click on "The Long Version: Getting into the Nitty-Gritty Details"
4. Play the game by lowering, keeping the same, raising, or eliminating spending on some areas.  Google any item that you are not sure what it is.
5. When you are done, and are satisifed with the budget you created, print it out, and then write a justification for your spending and cuts.
• Justify the general areas where you made cuts
• Justify the general areas where you increased spending
6. Part of your grade will be based on if you were able to balance the budget, or even better yet, create a surplus. 

Worth a read: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/22/business/economy/22leonhardt.html?scp=1&sq=the+deficit+real+versus&st=cse

 

Campaign Finance Reform Current News

http://wapo.st/15Lx6cP

http://www.cleanvideosearch.com/media/action/yt/watch?v=2WxckedZTuA

Review for Unit 2 & 3 Test

This AP Government teacher has a great site with links under each unit that matches our textbook.  You can read the chapter summary, with highlighted key words, and even take a practice quiz.
http://www.meridian.wednet.edu/~slawrenc/apgov.htm

I like this Prezi on Nominations and Campaigns http://prezi.com/zervq3w0hk4_/ap-gov-ch-9-nominations-and-campaigns/ (also covers Campaign Finance).

The Amazingness of Dropbox

Follow this link to signup for Dropbox: http://db.tt/JuEhUj60
*You do not have to sign up for dropbox, you can always login under our class and upload your work.

How to login to Dropbox for our class:
username/email: cgdelong@bedford.k12.va.us
password: ilovegov

What is Dropbox? Well Miss DeLong thinks it is amazing and loves that it has allowed her to not carry around USBs or worry about emailing a document. Here's what Dropbox has to say about itself:


"Dropbox is a home for all your photos, docs, videos, and files. Anything you add to Dropbox will automatically show up on all your computers, phones and even the Dropbox website — so you can access your stuff from anywhere.

Dropbox also makes it super easy to share with others, whether you're a student or professional, parent or grandparent. Even if you accidentally spill a latte on your laptop, have no fear! Relax knowing that your stuff is safe in Dropbox and will never be lost."

Citation: "The Dropbox Tour." Dropbox. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Aug. 2013.