Curated OER
New Supreme Court Justice Sworn In
Students react to a series of statements about the Supreme Court, then read a news article about the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and...
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No Racket Tennis
Students explore scoring and positioning of players on a tennis court during a game of tennis. after learning the basics behind the game, students will stand on a court and throw a ball back and forth to practice their positioning. This...
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Volleyball Notes
Pass, set, spike! That's right, volleyball. Teach the basics of volleyball using this presentation. Review court, positions, serving cues, passing cues, and setting cues. Teach the terminology of a volleyball game using this PowerPoint...
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It's Your Right: A Civil Rights Brochure
Learners examine the US Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Supreme Court cases in order to broaden their understanding of the US Judicial System. They research a variety of textual and Internet resources to create a tri-fold brochure,...
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Your Own Classroom Court
Students role play a court with lawyers, a judge, jury, and more. In this classroom court lesson plan, students review rules of the law in the judicial system.
Curated OER
Your Own Classroom Court
Create your own classroom court. After studying courtroom proceedings, with a focus on the concept of a trial by a jury of your peers, pupils create a set of classroom rules and develop a procedure for solving conflicts. They then are...
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Debates On Important Court Cases
Learners debate important court cases. Divided into three groups, students accept a position as first debater, second debater and the third group is neutral. At the conclusion of each debate, learners vote to determine the winning side.
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Founders of the Children's Rain Forest (Open Court)
Fifth graders read a narrative nonfiction piece describing the formation of the Students's Rain Forest organization from the SRA/McGraw-Hill Open Court Reading Anthology entitled, Cooperation and Competition. Founders of the Students's...
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What is a Court?
Students examine and discuss the judicial branch of the U.S. government. They define what a court is, list three characteristics of a trial court and an appellate court, and analyze various trial and appeal situations.
Administrative Office of the US Courts
Engel v. Vitale
"Is school-sponsored prayer in public schools unconstitutional?" That is the question teams debate as they consider the arguments presented to the Supreme Court in Engel v. Vitale. The attorneys study the provided talking points and...
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What Makes a Good Law?
Why were laws created? Spark a group discussion on why we need laws to co-exist. Should the sale of some things be outlawed on Sundays? Read a case summary between Target and the state of Minnesota that debated this issue. Ask your...
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Everyone Wants to Be President
How can you help your class understand the breadth of duties and the challenges of being the leader of the United States?
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State v. Russell, Minnesota Supreme Court
Students examine the impact of court decisions. In this Minnesota Supreme Court lesson, students read the State v. Russell case study regarding cocaine drug use. Students take notes on the case and respond to discussion questions...
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Equal Rights for Men?
Study the issue of gender bias in court cases with a resource that ponders the extent of gender equality. Learners examine cultural images of men and women and examine court cases dealing issues such as women in the military.
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Justice For All?
Students study about President Bush's nomination of federal appeals court judge John G. Roberts to the Supreme Court. They compare coverage of the nomination in different sections and articles in The New York Times.
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Mock Trial
Students rewrite a traditional fairy tale to represent the viewpoint of the villain. They participate in a mock trial of that villain in which all regular court participants (judge, jury, defendant, witnesses, plaintiff, etc) play roles.
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Bill of Rights
Twelfth graders list, describe, and illustrate the specific rights guaranteed to individuals and how they are secured. Then they examine landmark Supreme Court cases, such as, Airport Commissioner vs. Jews for Jesus, New Jersey vs. TLO,...
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Sandra Day O'Connor
No unit on important women in history would be complete without a instructional activity on Sandra Day O'Connor. After reading background information about the first female Supreme Court justice, middle schoolers engage in several...
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The Race to Learn
Students explore the history of education and race in the United States. By researching Supreme Court cases dealing with race and education, students examine the ways in which these cases have reflected changing social and cultural norms.
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Why a Mock Trial?
Students participate in a mock trial. They discover how U.S. courts resolve conflicts.
Administrative Office of the US Courts
US v. Alvarez
Is it illegal to lie about military service? Discuss the ways the First Amendment affects the Stolen Valor Act with a lesson that focuses on the Supreme Court case U.S. v. Alvarez. As high schoolers learn more about the history of the...
Ohio Center For Law-Related Education
Four Activities: Thurgood Marshall and the Nomination and Confirmation of Federal Judges
The process of nominating and confirming federal judges can sound like a lot of bureaucratic hoops, but a resource breaks down the steps of the Supreme Court nominations in a simpler manner. Learners participate in four activities that...
State Bar of Texas
Baker v. Carr
Can the federal government override the state government to protect the citizens of the United States? The 1962 Supreme Court case Baker v. Carr outlines the issue of equal protection under the law. Scholars investigate with a short...
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Volley Tennis
A combination of Tennis and Volleyball, this activity will help with court positioning and the volley shot in tennis. They practice volleying the ball and working together in teams.