Does the Westboro Baptist Church have the protection of the Constitution when protesting military funerals? High schoolers examine the 2011 Supreme Court case of Snyder v. Phelps before comparing the situation to a fictional scenario of protests against student loans.

Concepts

supreme court cases, the supreme court, freedom of speech, the first amendment, the bill of rights, mock trial, the united states constitution, constitutional amendments

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Include in a lesson about free speech and the Bill of Rights
• Have learners complete a full mock trial of the scenario in a government class
• Use the activity as a prompt for a larger argument essay in which class members discuss their opinions of the Supreme Court's ruling

Classroom Considerations

• Clarify the meaning of a flash mob before beginning the activity
• Links within the resource don't work, but all resources are available within the packet and as attached materials
• Lesson addresses the Westboro Baptist Church and their extreme views; establish a classroom atmosphere that allows for civil discussion of sensitive topics

Pros

• Encourages pupils to think critically about controversial topics in the context of the Constitution
• Compares a real case to a hypothetical scenario to reinforce analysis

Cons

• None

Common Core

RI.11-12.8 SL.9-10.1.a SL.11-12.1.a RH.9-10.1 RH.9-10.2 RH.11-12.1 RH.11-12.2