U.S. Government (12th Grade) Honors Summer Project Kemp High School Requirements for all U.S. Government Honors Students – The following projects are a mandatory requirement for any student who wishes to participate in the honors U.S. Government class. These projects are due on July 29, 2015. You may email these assignments to [email protected]. Missing, late, or incomplete work are all grounds for a student and parent mandatory Academic Progress Meeting to determine reassignment to a regular Social Studies class. These projects will be graded and used for the first nine week grading period. Students are encouraged to complete their assignments and turn them in on time, as this would be grounds to be rescheduled in a regular U.S. history class. The Honors program is geared toward the self motivated student who has a good work ethic and understands the importance of being challenged academically. Honors students are being prepared for college and further post secondary education. The course work will be rigorous and relevant to the student. Project Assignments * Research the platform of a current political party in the United States. Write a letter to the editor endorsing or opposing that party's point of view on important issues. Support your arguments with specific details that support your position. Student's letter will provide evidence that the student has researched and understands the platform and historical perspectives of at least two political parties. The student's examples and supporting evidence are accurate, and there are no faulty generalizations included. Student has mastery of details. The letter to the editor should be typed, 3 pages long, Times New Roman font in size 12pt., double spaced with one inch margins. * Write a position paper answering the following question: “Is the U.S. Congress truly 'The People's Branch?' ” To support the position, include an analysis comparing the House of Representatives and the Senate in the following areas: qualifications, leadership qualities, responsibilities, and election process. Your position paper will be typed, 3 pages long, includes specific examples, Times New Roman font in size 12pt., double spaced with one inch margins. *Create a power point presentation about a Supreme Court case that raised issues pertaining to the first amendment. The power point will include the title of the case, the year it was heard in the Supreme Court, a summary of relevant facts of the case, the Constitutional question or issue in the case, arguments for each side, and the Court's opinion and reasoning as well as any dissenting opinions if applicable, and a bibliography. The power point should be at least 10 slides.