To gain an understanding of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, class members investigate the Jim Crow Laws, the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments of the US Constitution, and the 1898 Supreme Court case,...

How successful has American foreign policy been in the past? Pupils consider the question as part of a state examination in American history. Other prompts include a document analysis and essay of important civil rights cases decided by...

Why is Article III of the constitution so significant? Pupils discover the importance of Article III and how it relates to past as well as current events by completing Internet research using a provided handout. They learn everything...

Students read text of Fourth Amendment together as class, discuss necessity of Constitutional right to be free of unreasonable searches, and analyze landmark Supreme Court cases dealing with Fourth Amendment rights.

"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....

The Fourteenth Amendment was extremely important to civil rights and is a crucial one to remember. The resource teaches about the Supreme Court decisions related to the amendment through writing exercises, reading, and working in small...

Students explore desegregation in the courts. In this civil rights lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on Supreme Court cases Brown v. Board of Education and Plessy v. Ferguson. Students examine the...

Our elected officials are supposed to represent us, but what does it mean when they aren't like us? Budding citizens explore the demographic makeup of the US Congress, the role of money in political elections, and the Citizens United...

Ninth graders simulate a U.S. Supreme Court hearing concerning a First Amendment case about school prayer by participating in a hearing.

Students explore justice issues. In this social activism lesson, students watch "Social Activism in the United States," and then locate newspaper articles from the 1960's and 1970's about events during the era.

Students examine the Constitution for references to the relationship between state and federal governments. They examine Supreme Court cases for examples of the division of government between state and federal powers.

Seventh graders research Supreme Court cases. They formally debate court rulings, write a scenario portraying a possible futuristic America and participate in a field practicum for media production, while evaluating various social,...

Students investigate the recent federal appeals court decision finding the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional. They further investigate the notions of constitutionality and separation between church and state by analyzing a patriotic...

Students take on the role of Supreme Court Justices, after reading summary of a case and the arguments for and against a defendant's appeal. They make a decision, write majority and minority opinions, and report their decision.

Use Nathanial Hawthorne's immortal text on the influence of religion on the early American settlements, as well as its continued impact on American culture, with a unit that focuses on The Scarlet Letter. In addition to Hawthorne's...

Your class needs to prepare for a test on the US Constitution, but how? Pull out a handy slide show that contains nothing but perfect test preparation questions. Everything from Shay's Rebellion and the Articles of the Confederation to...

Is the death penalty unjust because it violates the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution, "cruel and unusual punishment"? Or is it just a form of permissible capital punishment? After weighing arguments for and against the...

Did you know that lawmakers have proposed more than 5,000 bills to amend the US Constitution in Congress? Your class learns intriguing facts about the process of choosing amendments. A variety of activities including before and after...

In this checks and balances in U.S. government worksheet, students read a 4-paragraph selection regarding the Supreme Court and then respond to 5 fill in the blank questions.

In this Supreme Court learning exercise, students respond to 14 short answer questions regarding equal protection and gay marriage issues in the United States.

In this Washington, D.C. government facts activity, students read ten facts associated with the United States and determine if they are true or false.

Students evaluate how the United States government has maintained a balance between protecting rights and maintaining order. They analyze the impact of Supreme Court decisions on governmental powers and the rights and responsibilities of...

Twelfth graders brief Supreme Court cases about student rights that they have studied over the past year, and apply them to a contemporary situation.

Students explore the basic Constitutional protections of due process and then consider the balance of these basic protections with issues of national security. A variety of segments of U.S. Supreme Court cases are examined in this lesson.