Rule of Law
Lesson Title: The Role of the Supreme Court
Topic: The Supreme Court and the Constitution
Subject/Course: American Government
Grade: 12th
Designer: Dan Knipfel
Essential Questions:
- How has the Constitution changed over time?
The Connection to Students’ lives:
As young adults, high school students are becoming more and more aware of the
impact government has on their life. Taking time to look at past and current court
cases dealing with real-world issues can help them organize an understanding of
their role in government and the world around them. Laws that cover health care
reform, legalizing drugs, affirmative action, and gun laws, for example, gives legal
knowledge to students entering the real world.
Sequence of Instruction:
Day 1: Examine the role of government.
o Discuss what students believe the role of government is.
o Briefly discuss what students know about the 3 branches of
government in America.
 Roles of each branch.
 What are checks and balances, and are they important?
o Discuss: What role does the Judicial System and the Supreme Court
play in Government?
 Who are the Supreme Court justices? Watch a short video
 Read Article III of the Constitution and discuss the powers of
the Judicial System.
 Article III: http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articleiii
Days 2-3: The Supreme Court and historical court cases
o Pair each student into small groups (2 or 3 students per group) and
analyze how the Bill of Rights has played a role in key court cases.
The students will research the following court cases and discover how
the Supreme Court ruled for each case. What constitutional
amendment(s) does each pertain to? Cause and Effect relationships.
o On a worksheet, analyze court cases using the Bill of Rights to
understand which right the case addresses. Use the following link to
read the Bill of Rights:
http://www.ushistory.org/documents/amendments.htm#amend
01
Use attached resource to read about the court cases found below:
http://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/getinformed/supreme-court/landmark-supreme-court-cases.aspx
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Plessy vs. Ferguson
Brown vs. Board of Education
Gideon vs. Wainright
Tinker vs. Des Moines
Miranda vs. Arizona
Texas vs. Johnson
Days 4-5: Prepare for Court Case
After looking at historical Supreme Court cases, the students will stay in the
same groups and “face off” against another group in a mock Supreme Court
case. A lottery system will decide who will compete against who.
o The following court cases will be researched, argued, and discussed:
 Legal definition of Marriage
 Legalizing Marijuana
 Healthcare Reform
 Gun Rights
o Each group will be designated one current court case and a side to
represent.
o Each group member will be required to play the role of lawyer and
help their team build a case on their side of the argument.
 Organize arguments/counter arguments using a worksheet
given to each student
o 9 Students will be chosen to play the role of Supreme Court judges.
 Each student will look at both pros and cons of each Supreme
Court case, as well as research the 9 Supreme Court justices.
o Lawyers will hand in a brief of their arguments before the trial for the
teacher to review.
Day 6-7: The Trial
o 9 students will draw out of a hat to decide who will be supreme court
justices
o Lawyers from both sides of each court case will be given 6-7 min. To
give their arguments
o Justices will review the information and take notes as they listen to
lawyer arguments.
Day 8: Evaluation
The Supreme Court justices will meet together to discuss and vote. Justices
will write their opinions and present them to the class.
Day 9: Assessment
Students will determine what they learned from the activity by finishing the
following sentences:
o The role of the government is to......
o The Supreme Court impacts people’s lives by.......
o The Bill of Rights is important to Americans because.....
Higher Order Thinking:
The students demonstrate the ability to research and analyze court cases, the Bill of
Rights, and current events. Students organize and discuss key arguments. Students
will consider alternative viewpoints to make decisions. Students interpret the role
of government and the Supreme Court.
What evidence will show that students understand?
- Reflection paper
- Arguments/Opinions will be written for each court case
- Students will debate points
- Specific tasks will be performed (lawyer, justice, court case review)
Learning Experiences and Instruction: How are your tasks mindful of the
learning styles?
Mastery: Organizing concrete facts and information from researching court cases to
support ideas.
Understanding: Arguments are presented and compared to each other.
Interpersonal: Small groups work together to discuss and empathize the best ideas.
Self-Discovery: Imagination and speculation are used to create future scenarios.
Materials Needed:
Computer and Internet Access
Paper and Pencil
Projector
Historical Supreme Court Cases
For each historical Supreme Court case, decide what the arguments were and what
amendments are questioned.
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Summary of Argument:
What amendment does this court case address?
Brown vs. Board of Education
Summary of Argument::
What amendment does this court case address?
Gideon vs. Wainright
Summary of Argument:
What amendment does this court case address?
Tinker vs. Des Moines
Summary of Argument:
What amendment does this court case address?
Miranda vs. Arizona
Summary of Argument:
What amendment does this court case address?
U.S. vs. Nixon
Summary of Argument:
What amendment does this court case address?
Texas vs. Johnson
Summary of Argument:
What amendment does this court case address?
Research on Recent Supreme Court Case
Name of Court Case:_______________________________________
Side you are supporting: __________________________________
What is your side of the case arguing?
What is the other side of the case arguing (counter argument)?
Defend your case by making list of arguments that support your cause.
Predict what the opposing side might reason against your arguments.