State Bar of Texas
Marbury v. Madison
Who has the final say in matters dealing with the rules under the United States Constitution? The case Marbury v. Madison brings to light the issue of judicial review. Learners investigate the Supreme Court's opinion in the case with a...
DocsTeach
Prohibition and Its Consequences
Organized crime and speakeasies ... just another day during Prohibition. An intriguing activity explores the world of Prohibition and its consequences on life in the United States. Scholars analyze primary sources and place them on a...
School Improvement in Maryland
Political Systems: Advantages and Disadvantages
Every political system has advantages and disadvantages. To gain an understanding of these differences, groups investigate the political system of another country—oligarchy, monarchy, dictatorship, parliamentary—and prepare a...
EngageNY
Studying Conflicting Interpretations: Perspectives on Plessy v. Ferguson: Part 3
Scholars closely read Justice John Marshall Harlan's dissenting opinion in the Plessy v. Ferguson case, seeking to understand why he disagreed with the court's decision that racial segregation laws for public spaces were constitutional....
Curated OER
Role of the Government
Namely through discussion, get your opinionated scholars examining the roles of government- is it even necessary? They analyze the quote: "To be free, one must be chained," writing what it represents and then sharing. Consider...
Curated OER
Legal Rights, the Charter, and Canada's Constitution
Students explore the issue of human rights in Canada and compare and contrast the Bill of Rights and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They debate whether Canadians are giving up certain democratic rights in exchange for the greater good.
Curated OER
Inspiration for and Application of the Bill of Rights
Students examine individual rights. In this case law lesson plan, students discuss the from and function of the Bill of Rights prior to investigating several cases that deal with Constitutional rights. Students discuss the outcome of the...
Curated OER
The Ongoing Debate: Crime Control v. Due Process Protection
Students investigate the Exclusionary Rule and other ways of to enforce the protections found in the Bill of Rights. They study how effective criminal control and public safety is carried out while citizens Constitutional rights are...
Curated OER
First Amendment and the Future
Students read the Knight report and discuss key findings before deciding what aspects of the findings students can replicate in their own school and conduct a survey. They write survey questions and test them on sample group before...
Judicial Learning Center
The Appeal Process
Why doesn't the Supreme Court hear testimony from witnesses? How do they complete an entire proceeding in less than two hours? A helpful lesson guides scholars of criminology through these and other questions by explaining how appeals...
Curated OER
Citizenship and the Constitution
Students identify government officials and resources on a local, state and national level. They determine the structure of local, state, and national governments.
Curated OER
Obama Hope Poster
Young scholars consider constitutional rights. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students complete an activity guide regarding the property rights regarding the Obama "Hope" poster. Young scholars respond to discussion questions pertaining...
Curated OER
We Are the Government
Students read primary documents to find the motivations of the founding fathers of the United States. In this primary documents lesson, students discuss the meaning of the Preamble to the Constitution, read parts of the Constitution...
Curated OER
Bill of Rights and Lawmaking
Ninth graders consider how the Bill of Rights impacts the lawmaking process in the United States. In this Bill of Rights lesson plan, 9th graders discuss the amendments and their limitations. Students research the role of the Legislative...
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights is a-Rockin
Young scholars explore the U.S. Constitution through music. For this Bill of Rights lesson, students discuss a hypothetical case regarding lyrics by Madonna and the historical Massachusetts Blue Laws. Young scholars use the Bill of...
Curated OER
Toxic Torts
Twelfth graders examine the role of courts in environmental law enforcement. Using examples, they identify civil cases brought against large corporations for violating environmental laws. They define new vocabulary and discuss the...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan for Reading
Students in an adult ESL classroom are introduced to the definition of freedom of speech. Using the internet, they discover the differences between the rule of law and rule of men. To end the lesson, they examine how the court system...
Curated OER
The Roots of Our Rights
Students examine the Preamble to the Constitution. In this government lesson, students read the Preamble of the Constitution and define the meaning of unknown words. Students write about examples of how the Constitution protects our rights.
Curated OER
Supreme Court June 2010 Decisions Wrap-Up
Students consider constitutional rights. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students complete an activity guide that requires students to examine Bill of Rights-related cases of 2010. Students respond to discussion questions pertaining to...
Curated OER
Citizen Juries: Zacarias Moussaoui - May 1, 2006
Young scholars consider deliberations by juries. In this citizen jury lesson, students complete readings regarding the constitutional right to a trial by jury as well as on the civic responsibility to serve on a jury.
Curated OER
Supreme Court in Our Lives: Key Cases
Students analyze Supreme Court decisions and their effect on students. They discuss current events realted to the U.S. Constitution and review cases that impact students. They identify each case with its facts, issues, and arguments.
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights
Seventh graders determine why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution. In this U.S. government lesson, 7th graders discuss the first 10 amendments and any vocabulary they may be unfamiliar with. Students then read different...
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights
Students examine the intent Bill of Rights. In this American government lesson, students watch segments of the Discovery video "The Bill of Rights." Students discuss and debate the 4 Supreme Court cases featured in the video.
Curated OER
I'm Just a Bill
Fourth graders study the three branches of government and the process of how a bill becomes a law. They watch the School House Rock video "I'm Just a Bill" and sing the song after viewing the video. They answer question regarding a bill...