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.

How do Supreme Court justices determine which cases to consider? What happens when the Supreme Court decides not to take a case?  The lesson explores important questions and others in the field of criminology. It focuses on the...

Americans love to learn about their rights, especially those that protect them from the government's power to invade their privacy. Young people are especially engaged by this topic. An informative lesson explores four Supreme Court...

Why study landmark Supreme court cases? A helpful lesson offers a brief but valuable argument for the importance of these cases in the field of criminology. It introduces scholars to some key terms necessary for studying court cases and...

Not just anybody can do the job of a federal judge, but according to the United States Constitution just about anybody can be appointed. The lesson outlines the process and requirements for becoming a federal judge, focusing on the...

Unless you are a lawyer, you might not understand just how unrealistic Law and Order and other legal dramas actually are. Here's a great resource to help scholars of criminology gain a more realistic perspective. The lesson outlines the...

Who has the power? The founding fathers asked the same question when the United States was formed. Learners explore issues that arose during Madison’s presidency that raised constitutional questions. Through discovery, discussion, and...

Students consider the demands of the judicial process and work in small groups to write editorials in response to the one that is read in class. For homework, they grade a television judge and write reflective essays.

US history classes explore constitutional rights as they relate to court cases involving teens. Your class must already be familiar with the Bill of Rights before beginning this series of exercises. In preparation for a debate-style...

Learners write about working in one branch of government.  In this branches of government lesson plan, students read about the three levels of government using various websites and then work in groups to discuss, illustrate and...

Students investigate the importance of separation of powers, checks, balances, and judicial review. They also investigate how national and state governments are linked.

Learners investigate the influence of political and societal forces on judicial decisions. Among the topics they examine are the selection of judges and the cause and effect relationship between politics, society, and the law. to...

Students review Watergate Files and the Watergate Trial using Internet sites. They read about the people involved in Watergate. They discuss the events leading up to and after Watergate.

Students explore concepts about civil liberties, research the history of sedition-related legislation in the U.S. and create a position paper on the topic.

Eighth graders identify how to be responsible citizens. In this civics activity, 8th graders review websites of congressional members and then create questionnaires about the responsibilities of citizens.

Learners research and evaluate a case considered by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. They watch a Bill Moyers video, conduct a debate, and write about the decision they would make if they were a...

Learners debate the pros and cons of affirmative action. In a small group role play, students act as university admissions officers, making recommendations on admissions policy.

Students discuss steps cases go through to reach Supreme Court, examine Bill of Rights, and rank rights in order of importance to them. Students then research Supreme Court case dealing with one of first ten amendments, and write about...

Students examine Supreme Court cases. In this U.S. government lesson, students watch a video about the Bill of Rights and then research 4 Supreme Court cases using the noted web site. Students analyze the presented information and write...

Young scholars analyze the role of the U.S. Supreme Court. They read a handout and Article III, section 1 of the Constitution, analyze and rate by relevance noteworthy Supreme Court cases, and write how they decided each rating.

What does it mean to be American? Explore the constitution and what it really means to be a citizen here. First, learners of all ages will investigate different primary source documents. Then, they establish each document's...

Students examine the roles and responsibilities of the U.S. president and their own roles as citizens of a democracy. They explore various websites, listen to a State of the Union address, and write a letter to the President of the...

Students identify the powers of national and state governments. They evaluate the balance of national versus state power. They utilize worksheets imbedded in this plan to gain a deeper perspective of how the government powers are separated.

Students explore and identify the power of national and state governments. They discuss the concept of federalism and the distribution of governmental powers. As a class, they examine the balance of power between the federal and state...