Wednesday 9/28: Checks and Balances Test and Political Misinformation

Starter (not for your google doc)
Take the next 10 minutes to review for today's test.

Whole Class Q and A with Ashley

VRA Checks and Balances Test

Transitioning into Model Senate!  General timeline…

1. A few weeks looking at political parties/positions/values and the question, “Is Congress Broken?”
2. We’ll also do senator assignments during this time
3. Issue Studies: Overview of each issue, followed by party caucuses to determine the general guidelines for your legislation.  Issues we'll tackle this year are:  Climate change/energy policy, College loans/tuition, and Immigration.
4. Writing legislation, consulting with experts, revising legislation
5. Parly pro practice
6. Model Senate! (2-3 days, end of November)

 
Big Questions for Today:  

1. How much do truth and fact matter in political opinions?
2. How do different cognitive biases and other trends impact the information we’re exposed to and how we react to it?

 
A note on today's lesson:  May feel repetitive from Jmac's and my classes last year, but it does take a different twist AND is an important frame and foundation to launch us into our Model Senate work.

Bill Bishop interview on Daily Show 
Watch the video of author Bill Bishop talking about the Big Sort (note…the data in this interview is old, but more recent research has actually shown that not only is what he talks about still happening, it’s actually gotten more pronounced!)

1. Discuss: What’s the Big Sort?  Describe it in as much detail as possible.
2. Discuss: How do you see the big sort in Durango?  In your own life?  Think about the lifestyle markers he talks about, and what lifestyle markers you see around you!  Try to give specific examples.

 
Big Sort Brainstorm

1. Data old, but still relevant
2. In your group, brainstorm all the ways we are sorted- make the list as big as possible
3. Make a BIG list on the whiteboard
4. How does being sorted that way impact the information you take in?  Your political views?

 
Power of Political Misinformation

1. Read it
2. Highlight/underline phrases/words that particularly strike you.
3. With your partner, summarize the main ideas and findings
4. Quickwrite:  How much do you think this applies to you?  Explain.  (10 min)

 
Group Discussions

1. What is the main source where you get information about the world?  What perspective does that source show you?
2. What is “the Big Sort?”  How do you see it in your own life? 
3. What is the message of the article “The Power of Political Misinformation?”  How does it connect to you?  Do you see this trend?
4. How does “The Power of Political Misinformation” connect to the Big Sort? 
5. How do both of these articles/concepts connect to naïve cynicism?
6. What implications do these articles have for democracy?
7. Is there a way around the problems these articles pose?  Are there solutions, or are we doomed to a misinformed life in a bubble?
8. How does this connect to the debate?  To what you observe in politics and our community today?