Equal Protection Under the Law

Equal Protection Under the Law

Introduction

This lesson is designed to teach students about the Supreme Court. They will operate just like the Court's justices, by examining relevant laws and precedents in order to make a decision on a case before them.

Content Area and Grade Level

This webquest is designed for 12th grade students of American government.

Curriculum Standards

The students will gain an understanding of how the Court makes its decisions.

Social Studies Standards Addressed: VA SOL 12.4

The student will summarize landmark Supreme Court interpretations of the United States Constitution and its amendments, with emphasis on basic freedoms, due process, equal protection of the law, and government powers, and will analyze the historical trends and contemporary patterns of U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

Most lessons don't just teach a block of content; they also implicitly teach one or more types of thinking. This project involves critical thinking as students analyze opinions on past cases and their possible impact on the future. They must work carefully through many issues as they determine their opinion on the case at hand. Good communication skills are necessary in communicating ideas during the group discussion. Students must also work cooperatively to be sure that the written opinions reflect all of their opinions. Good writing skills are also critical in conveying the argument to the reader.

Implementation Overview

This class should be taught over about 4 class periods.

Day 1: The pairs read through their cases and discuss opinions for each one.

Day 2: The entire group meets to discuss the case.

Day 3: The group divides into majority and minority and writes the opinions for each side. (The students should then be given at least a week to write their opinions outside of class time.)

Day 4: On the day that the opinions are due, the class should meet as a whole to discuss the way that each court ruled and how they focused on certain aspects of the case rather than others.

Although it involves the use of writing, communication, and organization skills, this is really a single disciplinary project.

Resources Needed

The cases used for precedents can be found at Cases and Codes: Supreme Court Opinions.

Entry Level Skills and Knowledge

Before this lesson, the students should have a basic knowledge fo the role of the Supreme Court and the way that it works. This information is provided in Phase 1 of the WebQuest.

The teacher will need a strong knowledge of relevant laws and rulings that may be used as precedent in order to effectively assist students in writing their opinions.

Evaluation

The length of the students' written opinions is up to the discretion of the teacher. However, it should include at least three relevant precedents. The opinions should be graded on an accurate interpretation of the cases presented. The students should be able to effectively incorporate past decisions and extend the guidelines set there to determine the case in question. The organization and clarity of the opinion are also important. Keep in mind that the decisions should be based on the facts and the law, not emotion.

Conclusion

Rather than just telling your students how Supreme Court Justices make their opinions, this project allows them to try it first hand. It will teach them to interpret various cases and to think critically in order to determine what their own beliefs are.