Curated OER
The Bill of Rights and the News
Students examine current news stories and from them develop "BIG" questions related to individual and group rights. They then relate their questions to the U.S. Constitution and supreme court decisions.
Curated OER
Vocabulary Related to the Attire, Accessories and Décor of the Parliament of Canada
Students become knowledgable about the attire, traditions, and protocols of the Senate and Supreme Court by doing research.
Civil Rights Movement Veterans
Timeline of Events: 1960’s Civil Rights Movement of St. Augustine, Florida
A timeline can be a powerful learning tool because it reveals a pattern in events. While few would consider St. Augustine, Florida a hotbed of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, a selection of background information and a timeline of...
Street Law
Mock Trial - Brooks v. Lawrence and the Metro City Police Department
An incident with a Swiss Army knife leads to a suit against the police department for battery, false arrest, and intentional infliction of emotional distress in the Brooks v. Lawrence & the Metro City Police Department mock...
Judicial Learning Center
About Federal Judges: Qualifications of Judges
"Help Wanted: A Supreme Court Justice." What should be included in the ad? Learners ponder the question during a lively activity that asks them to examine the qualifications for various federal offices and then create job postings....
Defining US
Integration of Education and American Society
How did the struggle for Civil Rights during the 1950s transform American society and politics? Why are American schools integrated today? Class members explore these essential questions by examining a series of primary and secondary...
Curated OER
Getting Smart About The Pill
By working in pairs your students can discuss choosing to take the birth control pill. After reading a pamphlet they test their knowledge through the use of a quiz using very delicate material. Quiz material and readings are provided....
Curated OER
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Students examine federalism and judicial review. In this Supreme Court lesson, students examine primary documents from Marbury v. Madison and discuss the implications of the decision.
Curated OER
Follow the Leader
Here is a phenomenal lesson on the three branches of government for your second and third-graders. It presents this often-confusing information in an easy-to-understand format. Many excellent activities and worksheets are embedded in the...
Curated OER
The Dred Scott Case (1857)
Students read and discuss Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court case, describe in writing Constitutional principles and results of case, explain how Supreme Court decision may have helped further tensions between states, and answer...
Curated OER
Racism, Discrimination, and the Law
Seventh graders examine the various racism and discrimination faced by various ethnic groups in the United States. In groups, they research the legal system and describe the purpose of the United States Constitution. They review cases...
Curated OER
The Death Penalty
Eleventh graders perform a study of the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and focus on the protection against cruel and unusual punishment in the Eighth Amendment as it relates to the death penalty. Prior to formulating a...
Curated OER
Procedures of the Court
Learners examine the role of the Michigan Supreme Court. They diagram the procedure one must follow to bring a case before the Court. They discuss the order of business for oral arguments as well.
Curated OER
Faces of the Bench
Students use primary source documents to gather information on justices in the Michigan Supreme Court. They write about the thoughts and experiences of the author. They identify and describe each justice briefly.
Curated OER
Leaders in the Judicial Branch
Learners examine the leadership roles and qualities of members of the judicial branch in public life. They view and discuss video clips from a federal judge and two Supreme Court judges.
Curated OER
In the Light of Reverence
Students watch a documentary prior to participating in a Supreme Court simulation in order to study how religious practices are protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. They interpret conflict from a number of perspectives...
Curated OER
Religion in the Schools
The requirements of the Equal Access Act are studied and applied to factual situations. By looking at the particular contexts suggested your class can examine the difficulties faced by administrators in whether they should permit...
Curated OER
America in the 1950's
In this America in the 1950's worksheet, students read about housing, education, entertainment, and the Cold War in the 1950s. Students then answer 5 questions about this time.
Curated OER
What is Public Use?
Explore the Fifth Amendment by examining the meaning of "public use" as learners read a scenario and role play their assigned parts to determine "public use." They also read Supreme Court Cases regarding the amendment and present their...
Teaching Tolerance
Civil Rights Activity Book
An activity booklet includes a timeline of the movement, a song, and various informational reading passages on leaders, events, and the Civil Rights Memorial in Washington DC. Reading response questions and word puzzles are sure to...
Curated OER
Fill-In : March Events in the News
What happened on March 13, 1868? What happened on March 21, 1965? Eager readers fill in the missing historical event occurring on one day in March from 1862 - 1995. There are 31 events each occurring on a different day in March. This is...
Anti-Defamation League
Sixty Years Later
Has any progress been made in desegregating schools since 1954's Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education? To find out, class members examine charts and graphs representing U.S. schools' racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic...
Anti-Defamation League
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Civil Rights
How far have we come and how far do we still need to go to achieve equality and full civil rights in the United States? Include a packet of materials collected in your observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Albert Shanker Institute
Dream Under Development
As part of their study of the 1963 March on Washington, class members do a side-by-side comparison of the original text of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech" with a transcript of the speech he delivered. The take away from the...