GoPoPro Activities
Affinity Diagram
Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (1884- 1886)
Up close, a painting like Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte (1884- 1886) looks like nothing but dots. As you step back a beautiful picture emerges. There are many data points to connect in AP Government and an Affinity Diagram Review will have your students up and moving their bodies and brains as they turn those dots into a meaningful picture.
Purpose:
Affinity Diagram Review allows students to organize large groups of information into meaningful categories, revealing new patterns, and generating more connective and creative ways of thinking.
Materials:
3x3” Post-it notes (1 or 2 per student)
Chart paper or large wall
Procedure:
1. State the issue to be examined in broad terms, such as an open-ended question or statement.
Money in American politics or How does money impact politics in the U.S.?
2. Students can either work individually or in pairs. Generate and record ideas using Post-it notes. Begin sticking them on a wall or large sheet of chart paper, in no particular order, and where everyone can see them. Ensure that everyone is included. Note the contributor’s initials.
Money in America has a huge impact on elections. $billions every election.
Money in elections is overseen by the FEC
Money in politics increased after the ruling of Citizens United
The most expensive presidential election ever was in 2020
The candidate who outspends their rival usually wins
Most campaign money is spent on advertisements on television, internet, radio, and print
3. Arrange the notes in related or similar groupings. Complete the groupings. This can be done by simply pulling up and replacing the post-its near others that are similar in nature. Involve the group in clustering the notes into 6-10 related groupings. Have everyone stand and do this silently. Be prepared for some loners. Avoid forcing them into a group. Some notes may need to be duplicated for different groupings and identical notes can either be thrown out or pasted on top of one another.
4. Choose a word or phrase that captures the intent of each group and place it at the top as a category name or title on the newsprint.
Campaigns
Effects
Government
5. Give each learner two dot stickies and ask them to vote on the categories they would most want the class to review together. Use these categories as guides to your further review.
6. Have volunteers rearrange the Post-it notes into different affinity groupings
7. Ask students to write then share what they learned from the experience.
8. Have students write about the topic or answer the question in writing.
Money in American politics or How does money impact politics in the U.S.?
9. Try again with other topics:
Democracy in America
Federalism in the U.S.
Voting in America
The Bill of Rights
The U.S. Constitution
Congress
10. What topics would you like to review with an affinity diagram?
10 Day Self-guided Exam Review Roadmap for your Students
10 Day Self-guided Exam Review Roadmap
For your students to prepare for the exam
Odd One Out
Review Game
Thanks for playing Odd One Out (Triple O) with us.
We'll give you a list of four GoPo terms and your job is to figure out which one does NOT belong, and WHY!
Your job is to make a claim about which of the four things doesn’t belong and then support your claim with a convincing reason that your answer is correct.
Example A Which one does NOT belong and WHY?
a) Judicial
b) Legislative
c) Executive
d) Ministry of Magic
Correct Answer
Claim - The Ministry of Magic does NOT belong.
Support - The Ministry of Magic is not one of the three branches of the US government…yet!!!!! Expecto Patronum!
Score
One Point! You would receive one point for this answer because the support for your claim was accurate, logical, and on topic.
By the way, your claim is only as good as your support. Also, any claim can be correct, if the support is strong enough.
Now that know the answer, let’s try another one.
Which one does NOT belong. And why?
Example B Which one does NOT belong and WHY?
a) Andrew Johnson
b) Donald Trump
c) Bill Clinton
d) An Anteater
Correct Answer
Claim - An anteater does NOT belong.
Support - an anteater has never been impeached - the others have.
Score
One Point! You would receive one point for this answer because the support for your claim was accurate, logical, and on topic. Remember, we are more interested in the why (support) than the what (claim). The teacher will award points for ingenuity and original thinking.
Okay. If you can be thoughtful, knowledgeable, persuasive, creative, and ingenious you might just be crowned our Triple O Champion!
Alright already, let's play!
Scroll down to play, or if you’d like, you can play on this google form (with answer key!).
1. Which one doesn’t belong and WHY?
a) Exercise
b) Filibuster
c) Establishment
d) Commerce
2. Which one doesn’t belong and WHY?
a) Cabinet
b) Conference Committee
c) Veto
d) Filibuster
3. Which one doesn’t belong and WHY?
a) New York Times v. U.S.
b) Engel v. Vitale
c) Tinker v. Des Moines
d) Schenck v. U.S.
4. Which one doesn’t belong and WHY?
a) 1860
b) 1896
c) 1980
d) 1932
5. Which one doesn’t belong and WHY?
a) FBI
b) AMA
c) NASA
d) FEC
6. Which one doesn’t belong and WHY?
a) Amicus Briefs
b) Conference
c) Oral Arguments
d) Trial by Jury
Now I’ll leave you with this and I won’t tell you the answer. See if you can figure it out.
Bonus
7. Which one doesn’t belong and WHY?
a) Lobbying
b) Extradition
c) Concurrent Powers
d) Interstate Commerce