AP Government Federalism Create-A-Skit project
Remember, I’ll be gone. Please direct questions to me before I leave, and be on your
best behavior on Friday and Monday, which goes without saying.
Task: Create a 15-minute skit to describe one of three court cases with your small group:
McCulloch v. Maryland, 17 U.S. 316 (1819)
South Dakota v. Dole, 483 U.S. 203 (1987)
Printz v. United States, 521 U.S. 898 (1997)
Due date: Skits will be presented on Wednesday, September 19, in class.
Directions: Each skit should be comprised of three parts. Part one should be a reenactment, with
narration, of the facts of the case; part two should be a reenactment of the oral argument of the
case, using actual quotations from the presentation; and part three should be a discussion of the
decision and its implications on the US system of federalism, using quotes from the judges in the
decision.
Props: Any props you choose to bring would be helpful, but nametags for characters, held up by
or affixed to the actor while they are speaking, are mandatory to help the audience keep track of
what is being said, and by whom.
Script and Memorization: memorization is not required; however, group grades will increase if you
are not reading word for word from the script. The skits should practiced ahead of time, and not
be the first presentation in class. One copy of your group’s script is due to Mr. Hull on
Wednesday.
Absences: will result in ½ credit of group score until adequate make-up work, decided upon by
team members present for the skit, may be scheduled, approved by Mr. Hull, and completed.
Grading and Evaluation: Skits will be scored on a 50 point scale and will be credited as a
Community service/WTP Draft grade (15%).
Divorces: Group members who choose not, verbally or through their actions, to participate in the
process will be granted or notified of “divorced” status. Divorced members will complete a more
lengthy and onerous assignment on their own.
Research: You will have two class periods, Friday September 14, and Monday, September 17, to
work on your skit. Computer lab access will be provided in the following labs (Ms. Maza will be
available sporadically to help), where you are to report and where the substitute will be waiting
with bated breath:
Bl. 7 Friday: Sheldon 412
Bl. 8 Friday: Sheldon 412
Bl. 7 Monday: Media Center 639
Bl. 8 Monday: Media Center 639
Starting point: I highly recommend that you begin with, BUT DO NOT LIMIT YOURSELVES TO,
the Northwestern University Supreme Court Database, found at http://www.oyez.org/. Explore it
thoroughly, and then look at other sites found on the Social Studies homepage,
https://www.greenwichschools.org/page.cfm?p=3821#Constitutional%20Law, and those you can
discover yourself.
Good luck, legal thespians! 