Lesson includes several activities to demonstrate to students that freedom of speech continues to evolve.
Civics Lessons
Teaching Strategy: Case Study
The First Amendment: What’s Fair in a Free Country?
I Can’t Wear What??
Students meet Ben Brewer and find out what happened the day he decided to wear his favorite band t-shirt to school in violation of a new dress code rule. Students read a summary of a Supreme Court case to figure out the “rule” that applies to Ben’s problem. This lesson lays the groundwork for students to write two short persuasive essays—one arguing each side of the issue.
Making Decisions: by Group: The Jury System
Students learn about the nation’s jury system and its importance to the rule of law in the United States. Students will experience the Sixth and Seventh Amendments at work as they engage in the main lesson activities, including one in which they will serve as jurors.
Equal Protection Analysis
Extends students’ understanding of the 14th Amendment, the Constitution, and the history of civil rights in the United States. Students apply knowledge about “equal protection of the laws” to a variety of fact situations and controversies.
Voter Identification and the Right to Vote
Students Research positions that divided the Supreme Court on voter identification case-Crawford vs. Marion County
Case of the Shipwrecked Sailors
Sudents review a case study which helps them distinguish between legal and ethical questions