Period 2: Intro to Civil Law, Day 3 - Class Recap

We had a lot of rain over the weekend. I was reminded of this time in Aruba (2011), when it rained so hard that water was overflowing huge containment barrels and flooding the streets.

Hi everyone,

Even though I am feeling a bit under the weather, my day was brightened considerably by the excellent work and discussion we had in class. Thank you! Here's a recap of what happened.

Soundtrack: “Set Fire to the Rain” by Adele. Selected because it rained almost the entire weekend, making this September the rainiest on record. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/30/13:
Tort ReportNotebook Pass Back
Debrief Forced Choice
High School As A Prison
Torts Chapter Work

Homework: Turn in missing work! Start reviewing vocab. Check the blog! Tort Report assigned to: Brendan.

Tort Report/Notebook Pass Back: James brought in this article about a woman suing Donald Trump (and ultimately losing in court): Yahoo.com - 87-year-old woman loses to Trump in civil case. It seems as if Mr. Trump took particular relish in combating these charges and winning. Thanks for the article, James! Brendan, you are up next.

Debrief Forced Choice: For this section (which we kept short), I just wanted to hear thoughts about how the debate exercise last week went. I really enjoy them, but I do wonder if students find it hard to stay engaged in a two day long activity. Thanks for the feedback. You will have multiple opportunities to give me feedback during my time with your class!

High School As A Prison: I read this article the other day and thought that it was very relevant to our study of law, considering our setting at Westview. Here is the article online: RollingStone.com - When High School Students Are Treated Like Prisoners.

Here are the questions that we used in class to reflect on the article (which will be graded in the next notebook check):

1. Have you ever felt targeted by someone in power? If yes, what happened? If no, why do you think that is?
2. Do you feel more or less comfortable with SSOs with guns at Westview?
3. Do you feel like adolescent students deserve more rights than they currently receive? Can you think of an example? If you were to make a list of 10 rights that every student should have, what would it consist of?

We had small group discussions about these, then talked as a class. This discussion was so good and relating to what we are learning about that I actually just let it go until the end of the period. The five rights that we came up with so far as a class were: 

1. The right to defend yourself.

2. A process to evaluate and remove ineffective educators.

3. No cruel or unusual punishment.

4. Students will be treated equally, regardless of distinction.

5. Students should have the ability to self-govern.

Next class, we will finish up with this and then get down to work on learning more about what, specifically, torts are.

Please be sure to work on any missing assignments and get them turned in as soon as possible. Thanks!

Period 2: Intro to Civil Law, Day 2 - Class Recap

We talked about the death penalty today and various acts that could lead to it. This is a picture of what used to be Adolf Hitler's bunker in Berlin (taken this past June). Had he not committed suicide here, Hitler certainly would have faced the death penalty for his crimes against humanity.

Dear class,

Thank you for another fun, interesting, and productive conversation today! It is always so cool to hear where everyone is at in regards to the various issues of the day. Hopefully you remained engaged throughout! On to the recap.

Soundtrack: “I’m A Believer” by Smash Mouth. Selected because we talked in class about what we believe in regards to certain issues. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/26/13:
Tort Report
Finish Forced Choice
Reflection
Notebook Check

Homework: Have a great weekend! Make sure to have all work for your notebook check turned in or ready to turn in next week (see below for list). Read the blog! Next Tort Report assigned to James.

Tort Report: Sarah emailed me a Tort Report article, and it was really good. However, she missed class today, so I will hold onto it until next class, when both she and James will present.

Finish Forced Choice: I selected just a few of the questions to go over as a class, since we did not have enough time to address them all. Like I wrote above, I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and debate! Thank you for engaging each other respectfully. Here are the questions again:

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being listened to without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection.
2. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.
3. It bothers me that the National Security Administration/federal government can see whatever we do online.
4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.
5. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.
6. There are too many unnecessary  lawsuits in the United States.
7. The government of a country should have the power to make decisions that the majority of the people in it do not support.
8. Someone is always at fault for beginning a conflict.
9. I support the idea of a “three strikes” law, where criminals that are convicted of three different felonies automatically get life in prison.
10. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?
11. I agree that people who are convicted of taking the lives of others should have the death penalty available as an option for punishment.
12. Should convicted felons be allowed to vote?
13. A ban on all guns would reduce crime in the United States.
14. People in power are always corrupt in some way.
15. I think the idea of mandatory minimum sentences are a good idea (like Measure 11 in Oregon – 25 years for murder, 5 year and 10 months for second degree Assault).

Reflection: After the Forced Choice exercise, I assigned a one page (in class, though if you did not finish it, it is homework) written reflection. The questions I wanted to be sure you addressed are: What was the most difficult or controversial question for you? Why? How do these sorts of questions relate to the study of law?

Notebook Check: Finally, to end class, I showed the grading rubric for the notebook check and collected notebooks. I will go through these after school today. Here's what needs to be in your notebook/attached for a grade:

1. What Is Law? PowerPoint notes and student definition of law: _____ (5 points)

2. Daily Activities and the Law handout (10 activities and how they are impacted by law): _____ (5 points)

3. Criminal Law vs. Civil Law notes/table of differences: ____ (3 points)

4. Street Law - Chapter 1 Definitions and/or Intro to Law PowerPoint notes: _____ (5 points)

5. Intro to Law Vocab Review sheet (checks and balances/federalism/rights on front): _____ (3 points)

6. Last Intro notes (human rights, common law, adversary system, inquisitional system, legislative intent: _____ (3 points)

7. Forced Choice Reflection: _____ (6 points)

Total: _______ (out of 30 possible)

If you are at all confused about this, you came to the right place. Here are the documents that will help you with completing these assignments, if you missed class or misplaced earlier papers:

1) Google Drive - What is Law? PowerPoint

2) The daily activities sheet was a handout in class. If you do not have one, please see me for another copy.

3) This was a table that we completed together in class on the overhead. Please see me for a copy of it.

4) The book has the definitions, or you could just read through this: Google Drive - Introduction to Law Vocabulary PowerPoint.

5) Again, this was a handout in class that we went through together. I have extra copies in the room if needed.

6) Google Drive - Last Introductory Vocab Document.

7) Please see the "Reflection" section above.

Have a great weekend (after classes tomorrow). See you on Monday!

Period 2: Intro to Civil Law, Day 1 - Class Recap

Our class today was somewhat like Olympic fencing, with the forced choice debates! On the right is Mariel Zagunis (picture taken on August 1, 2012), who carried the US flag at the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics and is the cousin of my good friend Joe Zagunis.

Hi everyone,

I love days like today and just getting to mostly listen to everyone talk about their perspective on issues. Thank you all for participating - I am really excited to continue next class!

Soundtrack: “Get Up, Stand Up” by Bob Marley. Selected as the entrance music for today because the class was asked to take a stand on various issues and explain why. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/24/13:
Tort Report
Blog Recap
Test Grades/Review
Forced Choice

Homework: Read the blog! Next Tort Report assigned to: Sarah.

Tort Report: Today's report on a civil case (this one is about civil liberties) was brought in by Shakti, who selected: PolicyMic.com - Florida v. Harris Supreme Court 2013 Decison: SCOTUS Sides Against Civil Liberties Argument. So this is actually the OPPOSITE of what Shakti said - in fact, the court ruled that drug sniffing dogs ARE enough to get probable cause to search someone. I will have to clear that up next class, because I don't want anyone thinking incorrectly when police dogs are around!

Blog Recap: I again went over this website and the importance of checking it to keep up with what is going on in class. If you did before the test, you knew one of the answers already! Please be in the habit of reviewing here before and after each class. This is also an important tool if you would like help with anything - just comment and I will get back to you ASAP.

Test Grades/Review: I passed back all the tests that were taken on Friday and went through the answers. I also explained how I scored it, with 25 being the maximum. Your full class grades as of about 7:15 AM this morning are posted in the classroom, by Student ID number. I will be refreshing these as the semester goes along so you know exactly where you are at. If you are unhappy with your test grade, you may retake a version of the same material by attaching full test corrections to your test (What did you get wrong? Why? How would you fix it to make it correct?) and turning it in to me when you are ready to retake it.

Forced Choice: If you missed class or want to review the statements again, here is what we are debating on in class as another introduction to thinking about the elements of law in our lives. Remember, you must select either YES or NO and be prepared to talk about it in class.

1. Giving up some of our rights (like our phones being listened to without a warrant) is necessary for our own protection. 

2. The Second Amendment means that everyone in the US has the right to have any weapons that they want.

3. It bothers me that the National Security Administration/federal government can see whatever we do online. 

4. Marijuana should be legalized everywhere for recreational use.

5. Organized prayer in public schools should be allowed.

6. There are too many unnecessary  lawsuits in the United States.

7. The government of a country should have the power to make decisions that the majority of the people in it do not support.

8. Someone is always at fault for beginning a conflict.

9. I support the idea of a “three strikes” law, where criminals that are convicted of three different felonies automatically get life in prison.

10. Should the motto “In God We Trust” be removed from our currency?

11. I agree that people who are convicted of taking the lives of others should have the death penalty available as an option for punishment.

12. Should convicted felons be allowed to vote?

13. A ban on all guns would reduce crime in the United States.

14. People in power are always corrupt in some way.

15. I think the idea of mandatory minimum sentences are a good idea (like Measure 11 in Oregon – 25 years for murder, 5 year and 10 months for second degree Assault).

We were able to get through the first five questions with this class. On Thursday, we will continue talking (I doubt we will do all of them) and then write a reflection on the exercise. Again, I love this activity because it brings up such great student directed ideas and concepts. I also love just listening to various perspectives and thinking about the issues myself. Many of them are tough for a reason!

Period 2: Introduction to Law, Day 7 - Class Recap

This is quite possibly my favorite picture that I have ever taken. It is the view from my seat at the end of the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics. Hopefully, you are feeling great after your opening test of the class!

Hello everyone,

Welcome to your weekend! I hope that the test went well for you - I am looking forward to going through them and seeing how you did. Here's what happened today in class:

Soundtrack: “My Songs Know What You Did In the Dark (Light Em Up)” by Fall Out Boy. Selected for today because it is kind of a pump up song in the hopes of getting you ready to take the test. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/20/13:
Tort Report
Review Questions
Introduction to Law Test
Study Time

Homework: Read the blog! The next Tort Report is assigned to: Shakti.

Tort Report: Today's lawsuit was brought in by Magen, who chose this article: HuffingtonPost.com - Paula Deen Lawsuit Dismissed By Judge After Parties Reach Undisclosed Settlement. Yes, this is a very well known case, as Ms. Deen had been accused of racial discrimination, lost her shows on the Food Network and endorsement contracts, as well as being viewed publicly in a different light than she previously had been. Thanks, Magen! Shakti, you are up next.

Review Questions: Before I handed out the test, I was happy to answer any questions from the class about the vocabulary on the review sheet. I appreciated the willingness of the class to ask away here, because I am guessing that it helped on the test!

Introduction to Law Test: The rest of the class was devoted to taking the first test of the class, on the introductory concepts of law. I wanted to make sure you had more than enough time to complete it, so I did not plan anything for the rest of the class. Again, I am looking forward to going through these and seeing how everyone did! I hope it went well for you. Next class, we will review.

Study Time: Once the test was completed, I gave the rest of the class period as time to be studying - either for upcoming concepts in our class, or for any work you had for other subjects.

Period 2: Introduction to Law, Day 6 - Class Recap

How great is this? I LOVE the ball of yarn activity. Thanks for going along with it! :-)

Hi everyone,

Hopefully, you are visiting to try and study up for the test next class! This should help a lot. Let me know if you are confused about any part of what we have covered!

Soundtrack: “Say it Right” by Nelly Furtado. Selected for today because of the word "right" and because if you are saying/writing everything correctly on the test, you will do great on it. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/18/13:
Tort Report
Bill of Rights
Class Unity Activity
Test Study Guide

Homework: Study for the test by making sure you know the terms on the study guide and checking the blog! Tort Report assigned to: Magen M.

Tort Report: The case that was brought in today by Kaitlin was this: LawyersandSettlements.com - States Warn About Debt Collector Harassment. We discussed the lawsuits being filed by people that have been harassed by debt collectors, as well as avoiding situations like phishing while being on the internet. Thanks, Kaitlin!

Bill of Rights: For this section, we finished going through the Bill of Rights and some other Amendments to the Constitution that are applicable to our field of study. There were a lot of great questions brought up by some of the Amendments. Knowing what they are will be important for you on the test. If you missed class or wanted to see the answers/lesson again, here it is to download:

iCivics.org - You've Got Rights! Lesson Plan

I had the class fill out the closing worksheet, then we went through it together and talked about which category each part of the rights given in the Constitution goes to.

Class Unity Activity: As I wrote above, I always love doing this as an exercise to break up the "normal" class and get everyone communicating with and connected to each other. Thank you all for participating! It is always so cool for me to hear about all the places we came from to be in the same room. In the future, it will be great to remember that we are committed to following the ground rules and engaging in respectful interactions, even when it might be difficult.

Test Study Guide: To end class, I passed out the study guide for the first unit test. NOTE: You do not have to complete this, because I know most of you already have great notes on all the terms and themes we have talked about so far. However, it would be good to look at this and know that you will be expected to write about the vocabulary here:

Google Drive: Introduction to Law Unit Test Study Guide

Other documents that might really help you (with all the vocabulary we talked about) are:

Google Drive: Introduction to Law Vocabulary PowerPoint

Google Drive: Last Intro to Law Vocab Concepts Document

For checking the blog (which you are always supposed to do as homework), here is a heads up on one of the test questions: Is this a Federal, State, or Local law? "You must be 21 to purchase alcoholic beverages." The answer is that it is a State law (though every state has this law, partially because the federal government would reduce highway funding to them if they did not).

Please let me know if I can help you study at all! I will not be in the building tomorrow, but I definitely will answer any comments or emails that I can! Please study up and remember that although we are devoting almost the entire class to taking the test, it is unlikely that it will take all of your time, so feel free to bring other course work as well.

Period 2: Introduction to Law, Day 5 - Class Recap

I took this photo on take off from Las Vegas in the summer of 2011 - probably a place where the alien invaders we tried to base our thinking about rights in 2056 on would feel right at home at.

Hello everyone,

Welcome back - we have a good week of work ahead of us! We should be finishing up the introductory unit by Friday, with the test (please be studying) in class.

Soundtrack: “Billie Jean” by Michael Jackson. This song is obviously the start of some sort of domestic dispute! Check out the lyrics.

AGENDA 9/16/13:
Torts Report
Review Sheet
Last Introductory Concepts
Bill of Rights

Homework: Ask about your family background. Check the blog and post a comment!  Torts Report assigned to: Kaitlin L.

---

Torts Report: Miles L. brought in an article about a civil suit related to the Casey Anthony trial. Examiner.com - Casey Anthony forced to testify in civil case regarding death of daughter. This does happen frequently, where a civil trial will be the result of the proceedings in a criminal trial. An interesting article, for sure. Thanks Miles! Kaitlin, you are up for Wednesday.

Review Sheet: During this time, we went over the chapter 1 vocabulary review sheet from last class, which looked at checks and balances, federalism, and rights on one side, then mixing and matching vocabulary on the other. Copies of these sheets are in class.

Last Introductory Concepts: The last few concepts that I wanted to review for this opening unit were human rights, common law, adversary system, inquisitional system, and legislative intent. Here is the document of definitions if you missed class or wanted to see them again:

Google Drive: Introduction to Law Last Concepts

The video that we watched in class of the very tense interactions between a People's Court judge and a defendant can be found on YouTube, here.

Bill of Rights: At the end of class, we started going through and looking at the Bill of Rights. I handed out a sheet of possible rights for us if we had just defeated invading aliens in the year 2056. The class was asked to try and choose 10 from a list of 15. Then, I read a bit about the process of determining the Bill of Rights in the US Constitution. We ended class by trying to identify how the possible rights we chose in the alien invasion aftermath are related to the Bill of Rights. We will finish this activity next class, along with a class activity revolving around our backgrounds, and a final review before the test.

Thanks for checking in - let me know how I can be helping you!

Period 2: Introduction to Law, Day 4 - Class Recap

I took this picture of Jay Z singing a track off of his new album Magna Carta... Holy Grail in London this past summer. We talked in class about the Magna Carta (document of law) today!

Hello everyone,

Slowly but surely, we are getting there! I promise that class will get a little more interactive and probably interesting soon. We just really need to have some ground work done for how we discuss the subject. Thank you for working so hard today!

Soundtrack: “Mean” by Taylor Swift. Selected because if there were no mean people in the world, maybe we wouldn't need law at all! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/12/13:
Torts Report
Finish Reading Chapter 1/Definitions
Intro to Law PowerPoint
Review Sheet

Homework: Study/review vocabulary terms. Check the blog and post a comment! Tort Report assigned to: Miles L.

Torts Report: Daniel K. led us off with a really interesting case of a man being awarded $21.4 million in a judgement against two men convicted of attacking him and causing him to be paralyzed from the waist down. The article Daniel found can be viewed here: BalitmoreSun.com - Judge Awards $21.4 million to Randallstown High shooting victim. Great example of what I am looking for! The more interesting lawsuit, the better. Remember that I want it to be in the United States and within the last year or so, please.

Finish Reading Chapter 1/Definitions: I know this is not the most exciting stuff. Thank you for working so hard and for hopefully understanding why we are doing this. As a review, the terms we are primarily concerned with learning in Chapter 1 are: Jurisprudence, Criminal Law, Felony, Misdemeanor, Civil Law, Civil Action, Defendant, Plaintiff, Prosecutor, Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, Preponderance of the Evidence, Limited Government, Separation of Powers, Statutes, Checks and Balances, Judicial Review, Unconstitutional, Federalism, and Bill of Rights.

Intro to Law PowerPoint: Next, I tried to go over the same terms and explain them in a way that hopefully made more sense. Here is a link to the PowerPoint, if you want to review it:

Google Drive: Intro to Law PowerPoint

Complete with all sorts of photos I have personally taken! Here's the link to the Judge Judy clip I showed as a part of the presentation.

Review Sheet: At the end of class, I passed out a review sheet for the terms we went over (along with a few new ones). Many students seemed to finish this in class. We will go through it together next Monday (sorry, I do not have an electronic copy to post).

Have a great weekend and let me know if I can be helping you at any point with the material we are covering!

Period 2: Introduction to Law, Day 3 - Class Recap

We talked a bit about the differences between Civil Law and Criminal Law today, and also touched on a bit of International Law. This is me at the border of the United States and Canada (at the Peace Arch) in the summer of 2009!

Hello everyone,

Welcome to another blog! Sorry this is up so late - I was watching the USA vs. Mexico World Cup qualifying soccer match. The USA won and we will be heading to Brazil next year! Fun stuff. In any case, here's what we did today in class.

Soundtrack: “Evil Ways” by Santana. Selected because if someone is doing something evil, a possible consequence is that they will get in trouble with the law. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/10/13:
Law in Our Lives
Civil vs. Criminal Law
Introduce Tort Report
Read Chapter 1/Do Definitions

Homework: Get the syllabus signed. Check the blog and post a comment! Tort Report assigned to Daniel K.

Law in Our Lives: We finished up this worksheet in thinking about different ways that laws impact our day to day lives. My point here was that many of the laws we were talking about were probably more Criminal if violated. Civil laws are more about disputes between individuals, rather than the government/society at large.

Civil vs. Criminal Law: For this section, we went through and made notes on the differences between Civil and Criminal Law. We had a good in class discussion about these differences, like who is represented, what the standard of proof is, and how the Constitution impacts both. Those notes will be available in the class (I do not have an electronic copy). Make sure to keep them with you for any upcoming quizzes/tests.

Introduce Tort Report: This is basically like a current event, but I want to have it focused on some element of Civil Law here in America. I asked Daniel K. to go first, because I know he knows what I am looking for (being in my Global Studies class last year). Basically, I just want to have something to start the class off each session that reminds us of why what we are learning is relevant.

Read Chapter 1/Do Definitions: To end the class, I had students start reading Chapter 1 in the "Street Law" textbook we keep in class, and start to define the vocabulary words in it. I will give you multiple chances to learn these, through multiple different avenues (like a PowerPoint next class, probably), so that I know we are good on them before moving on. Thanks for your work here! We will get back at it next class.

Period 2: Introduction to Law, Day 2 - Class Recap

One of the places I went this summer was Berlin. This is the top of the Bundestag building, where the German Parliament makes laws. Taken on June 16th, 2013.

Hi everyone,

Welcome to your weekend! I enjoyed class today and I am really looking forward to reading your letters. 

Soundtrack: “Woke Up This Morning” by A3. Selected for today because it was the theme song to The Sopranos TV show (which obviously has a lot to do with Law) and because it was another early morning back at school for all of us. Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/6/13:
Blog Recap
Letter to Class/Mr. Fritz
What is Law?
Law in Our Lives

Homework: Check the blog, post a comment if you have not already! Get your syllabus signed and turned in. Try to make sure you have about 10-15 minutes of work left on the 10 Daily Activities worksheet.

Blog Recap: After taking attendance, I showed this website and talked about the importance of following along if you have the ability to. Hopefully it is a good resource for you!

Letter to Class/Mr. Fritz: I always begin my time with classes by writing a letter and reading it aloud, so that everyone can know a little bit more about me. In response, I asked students to write about themselves. If you missed this part of class, here are the prompts I wanted you to answer (hand written, one page):

Who are you outside of the classroom? What are your goals in life? What is important to you? Tell me something quirky or interesting about you. What did you do over the summer? What do you want me to know about you? What kinds of music do you listen to? What movies do you like? Why are you in a Law class? Are there topics you want to learn more about? Make a list! What do you like about high school? What do you not like? What do you think your strengths and weaknesses as a student are? Finally, do you have any concerns, questions, or comments for me about this class?

Thank you for everyone that was in class and completed this! Like I said, I love reading these and I will try to have them back to you with comments next class.

What is Law? Next, we started getting into what, exactly, "law" is. I went through a short PowerPoint of different definitions, then asked students to create their own. Here is that PowerPoint, if I went too fast, or you missed class:

Google Drive: What is Law? PowerPoint

Remember that you need a spiral notebook (or something you can keep your notes/assignments in) that you will eventually turn in to be checked off.

Law in Our Lives: To end the class (I do not think many students finished this), we started thinking about how law impacts our day to day lives. I handed out a worksheet that asked students to list 10 daily activities, how they were affected by the law, if the law(s) were Federal, State, or Local, the possible reason for the law, and if they thought it should be changed.

We will keep working on this next class, then talk about it as a group. Obviously, this exercise is for us to begin to realize how important laws are in our society.

That was it for today! Thanks again for the focus. Have a great weekend!

Period 2: Introduction to Law, Day 1 - Class Recap

The Ground Rules that everyone in the class agreed to follow. We might refer to these during some discussions about the law!

Hello everyone,

Thanks for checking out the first class recap! Here's what we did today during our short time together. You can look forward to more detailed recaps for future classes.

Soundtrack: “Changes” by 2Pac. I will always have some sort of relevant music playing before class starts - for many reasons. I always start new classes with this song, because my classroom should be a little different than what you've had in the past, but some things never change. Also, this song has a lot to do with the role of law! Lyrics here.

AGENDA 9/4/13:
PRIDE Lesson
Syllabus/Blog/Class Expectations
Student Introductions
Ground Rules Creation

Homework: Get the syllabus signed. Bring a spiral notebook that will be dedicated to this class. Check the blog and post a comment!

PRIDE Lesson: The lesson for second period today was about the Student Education Plan and Profile (StEPP), which is a requirement to graduate and is worth .5 career education credits. Here's the timeline for completing it, in case you wanted to see it again.

Syllabus/Blog/Class Expectations: During this section, I read the course syllabus (linked in the homework section), showcased the blog and how to post a comment, and talked a little bit about class expectations. Please get the syllabus signed, so someone else can help look out for you and follow along this website, if need be!

Student Introductions: I always love getting to meet new students and hearing about what they are up to! I enjoyed our conversations about what we did this summer. Next class, I will read a welcome letter that will let you know a bit more about me. There are plenty of new names and faces for me to try and remember, so give me a little time, please!

Ground Rules Creation: Because this class had a little more time than others, we were able to finish this up today. Great! Your class ground rules are:

1) Focus on What is Happening in Class

2) Be Responsible

3) Respect

4) Participate

5) Ask for Help When Needed

Great ground rules! I look forward to making sure we are all following them.

Have a great day - see you again on Friday!

Welcome to the Blog!

The Supreme Court of the United States, in Washington DC. I took this picture while visiting during Spring Break of 2010.

Hello all,

Welcome to the Civil Law blog for my long term substitute teaching at Westview in 2013! Before I begin with posting updates, let me give you a little introduction to this website.

First off, comments can be made on any post by anyone, and they can be anonymous (though I would really prefer that you leave your name - by selecting "Name/URL" on the right, underneath the comment box - so that I can follow up with you in person). Please try to use good spelling and grammar in your comments! I have to approve the comments before they are posted, so don't worry if you don't see your comment right away.

Secondly, because I will be putting up the class agenda and homework, as well as any interesting links (after class has met), I will attempt to give you ways to download the relevant files and documents you may have missed in class or would be interested in seeing again for your homework (or just because). For instance, here is the course syllabus for you and your parent/guardian to sign:

Google Drive: Civil Law Course Syllabus

Finally, to contact me personally (other than leaving a comment - which I may or may not see immediately), please e-mail me at luke_fritz@beaverton.k12.or.us - this can always be found by clicking on "View My Complete Profile" on the right, where my picture is, then clicking on "Email" on the left sidebar. I will get back to you ASAP! Again, please use grammatically correct language and spelling, to the best of your ability. It really is appreciated and will go a long way for you in the future!

I know it might be a lot to take in, but hopefully we will all get used to it! I envision this blog as a place where you will be able to come to converse with your classmates and me, as well as get all the latest assignments, updates from class, and further information.

If you have any questions or comments, please never hesitate to let me know!

Welcome again - thanks for visiting. Please bookmark this site and come back soon! :-)