L13: The Obama Presidency: What is our Current Understand of the Role of Government?

The Shifting Size and Scope of the National Government:

Part TwoAgenda

Objective:1. To evaluate the

recently proposed Obama administration budget in order to analyze the purpose/role of government by 2013.

Schedule: 2. Group Work3. Discussion

Homework:

1. Closing Summative Assessment: (Tan = Wed 4/24; Red = Mon 4/29; Blue = Fri 4/26)

Focus for Day• Today is the last day in our

unit on the shifting size and scope of the national government (!)

• We will end by examining the current presidency of Barack Obama

• Our goal will be to understand where we are by 2013 in terms of how our leaders, and we as a people, think about the purpose and role of government.

Tasks• Task One: Understanding the Obama Presidency through a

Budget Analysis– On April 10, President Obama posed a new budget for the 2014 fiscal year.– Working independently (but sitting with a whole group) you will read about the

Budget on the New York Times website: • You will:

1. Read the main article on the budget: Google “Obama Budget” http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/11/us/politics/obama-budget-seeks-deal-in-mix-of-cuts-and-spending.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&

2. Look at the interactive graphics3. Read at least ONE of the Related Articles or Related Opinions4. Answer the following questions alone or with group:

» What are the main proposals of Obama’s budget?» In light of spending & cuts in the budget, what can we infer is the

role/purpose of government according to Obama?» Which American president would you most closely align Obama

with?» How would you define the role/purpose of government by 2013?

• Task Two: Whole Class Discussion