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Lesson Plan
State Bar of Texas

Baker v. Carr

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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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Lesson Plan
State Bar of Texas

Schenck v. US

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Freedom of speech is absolute—or is it? The Supreme Court case Schenck v. United States has learners research what free speech really looks like. A short video along with paired work creates open discussion and thought on what speech is...
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Lesson Plan
State Bar of Texas

Sweatt v. Painter

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Is separate but equal actually equal? The 1950 Supreme Court case Sweatt v. Painter discusses the law of segregation and inequality. Scholars investigate the impact of the case on the desegregation of public schools across the nation...
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Lesson Plan
State Bar of Texas

Hernandez v. Texas

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What if the jury is not made up of people from your ethnicity or background—are they still considered your peers? Scholars analyze the impact the Supreme Court case Hernandez v. Texas had on jury selection across the nation. Paired...
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Lesson Plan
State Bar of Texas

Grutter v. Bollinger

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A university decides not to allow a qualified scholar to enter its institution based on skin and gender—but this case is about a white female? The 2003 Supreme Court case Grutter v. Bollinger lays the foundation for open discussion and...
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Lesson Plan
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C-SPAN

14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Two Supreme Court cases, Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education take center stage in a lesson about the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Class members research both cases to compare and contrast the rulings.
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Lesson Plan
State Bar of Texas

Mendez v. Westminster and Delgado v. Bastrop ISD

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
You arrive at school only to be told you have no place there. Scholars research the Supreme Court cases Mendez v. Westminster and Delgado v. Bastrop ISD, both dealing with school segregation. Two short video clips as well as small group...
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Lesson Plan
Federal Judicial Center

Amistad and Dred Scott—a Comparative Activity

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
What do slaves fighting for their freedom on board a ship and a slave fighting for his freedom in a courtroom have in common? Budding historians investigate the two different cases of the Amistad slave revolt and the Dred Scott argument....
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Lesson Plan
State Bar of Texas

Edgewood ISD v. Kirby

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Have you ever wondered where the money comes from to pay for your school, teachers, supplies, and building? The 1989 Supreme Court case Edgewood ISD v. Kirby lays a framework for open discussion on the funding of public schools. Using a...
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Lesson Plan
State Bar of Texas

Tinker v. Des Moines

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Freedom of speech allows anyone, even those in school, to say and do what they feel—right? The 1969 Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines serves as the backdrop for a study on First Amendment rights. Scholars use a short video along...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The ADA, the Supreme Court, and Self-Advocacy

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students study the role the Supreme Court plays in laws and decisions that affect individuals with disabilities and examine the policies of the American with Disabilities Act. They draw parallels between policies enacted by the ADA and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Religion and Politics: The Battle Over the Judiciary

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the relationship between religion an politics. In this Supreme Court instructional activity, students examine the results of the 2004 presidential election and explore how the results impacted George W. Bush and his...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding and Applying the Miranda Decision

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore Miranda v. Arizona. In this U.S. Supreme Court lesson plan, students examine primary sources from the trial and watch the provided QuickTime videos to examine the case as well as the court's decision regarding it.
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Lesson Plan
National Constitution Center

Dred Scott v. Sanford

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Dred Scott v. Sanford was a watershed moment for the country—and a key moment leading up to the Civil War. Using videos and analytical worksheets, scholars consider the facts of the case and then develop their own arguments before the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Minorities in Mainstream American Society

For Teachers 11th Standards
So many people fought for Civil Rights in the United States. Read about the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and discuss what the act guarantees. Then pass out a slew of magazines and encourage them to observe how often minorities appear in...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Understanding and Applying the Miranda Decision

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How does the Supreme Court Miranda decision affect court cases? Scholars watch a video about the decision, discuss its application in various cases, fill out multiple handouts, and work in groups to better understand how much weight the...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Explicit and Implicit Language – Interpreting the Meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
How do Supreme Court justices interpret amendments to the Constitution? The resource helps answer that question by discussing how people use explicit and implicit language to interpret the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment. Learners...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Worcester v. Georgia: Cherokee Sovereignty and Actions of the U.S. Government

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Young historians study the Supreme Court case "Worcester v. Georgia"  and note instances where the Justices defended the sovereign rights of the Cherokee. They also examine the actions of President Andrew Jackson and the provisions of...
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

You Can't Say That in School? The Case of Lee v. Weisman

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The Supreme Court case Lee v. Weisman is the focus of a lesson that examines religion in public schools. After reading a summary of the case and before reading the verdict, pupils use their knowledge of the First Amendment to discuss the...
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Minnesota v. White: Exploring a Judicial Candidate’s First Amendment Rights

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
After watching a documentary on the Supreme Court case Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, class members research how the First Amendment and free speech issues influence judicial elections and then conduct a mock judicial election.
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Lesson Plan
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Teaching Tolerance

Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice | Confronting Unjust Practices

For Teachers 6th - 12th
A powerful photograph of the Freedom Riders of 1961 launches an examination of the de jure and de facto injustices that the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s addressed. Young historians first watch a video and read the Supreme...
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Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Prayer and Friday Night Lights? An Establishment Clause Case from Texas

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Is a Christian prayer before a Friday night football game a nice gesture or the imposition of religion on the rest of the community? A resource asks the question using a clip from the popular movie "Friday Night Lights" and readings...
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

Compare Coverage of Brown v. Board Ruling

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Young journalists analyze how The Topeka State Journal, the Jackson Daily News, and The Providence Journal reported on the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v Board of Education. Scholars scrutinize the headlines, photographs,...
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Preventing Voter Fraud or Encouraging Voter Suppression?

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
The issues of voter fraud and voter suppression are relevant in every election, local as well as national. Soon-to-be voters learn about a recent bill proposed in North Carolina, the Voter Information and Verification Act, and decide for...

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