Name: Lindsay S. Rice
Subject: Honors Government
Major Content: Supreme Court
Date: 4/15/08
Age/Grade Level:9th Grade
# of Students: 30 # of IEP Students: 2
Unit Title: The Judicial Branch
Goals and Objectives:
Goal: The student will understand the role of the Judicial Branch in the United
States Government.
Objectives:
 1.1: The student will be able to explain the role of the Supreme Court.
 1.2: The student will be able to describe how a case reaches the Supreme
Court.
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Essential Questions to address:
What is the Supreme Court?
How a case reaches the Supreme Court?
Context:
We will be studying the judicial branch of government. The judicial branch deals
with the Supreme Court and the lower court system. The students will learn about
how a case reaches the Supreme Court from the lower federal court system,
discuss the duties and roles of the Supreme Court.
Materials:
 Document Camera
 Projector
 Airliner
 Video Clip via Youtube and VHS tape/lecture/political cartoon
 Preview and The Nine
Procedures:
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Bellringer: A bellringer will be used at the beginning of class as a setinduction to the lesson. The bellringer will be a political cartoon
projected onto a screen by using the document camera. Questions
will be written on the board and students will answer questions. Once
students have completed bellwork, will discuss the cartoon and how it
portrays the Supreme Court of the United States. (10-15 minutes)
Rice 2
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Introduction of Topic: Will introduce the Supreme Court and tie in
real world connections by discussing the 2nd Amendment case that
just had their oral arguments last week. The Second Amendment will
be projected on the screen by using the document camera. Will talk
about the importance of the court and their influence on common law
in the United States. (5 minutes)
Video Clip: Students will watch a 3 minute video clip through the
computer onto the screen about the Supreme Court building. This will
allow students to visually interpret the Supreme Court and understand
the topic when discussed in lecture. (3 minutes)
Lecture: PowerPoint with clips and pictures. The Powerpoint will
consist of 12 slides. (35 minutes)
o Powerpoint will include:
o A movie clip of Sandra Day O’Conner will be included in the
Powerpoint/Smartboard feature, as well as, pictures of the
current Supreme Court Justices.
o A visual diagram will also be shown by using the document
camera in order to demonstrate and re-state visually how a
case reaches the Supreme Court from a District Federal Court.
o Extra time will be spent bringing in real-world cases in order to
show examples of the Writ of Certorari and Amicus Curiae
Briefs.
o Preview (February 2008) edition will also be used in order to
tell students about the current Supreme Court cases in order
to add to the discussion and real-world application. Student will
be shown the article by using the document camera. Students
can also access an article from the Preview website.
o Will also provide links to the Supreme Court website and offer
this as a place for student to find other information such as
www.oyez.com; students can also check my delicious account or
course website.
Questions: After and during lecture, I will answer any questions that
may be needed for clarity. This is a great way to make sure that I
have reached all the students in the day’s lecture. I also ask the
students questions as feedback on how the lecture impacted the
lesson. (2 minutes)
Rice 3
Activity: Reading excerpt from The Nine. The students will each
have their own copy of the introduction of the book (8 pages), The
Nine. Will show students the cover of the book by using the
document camera. This book will allow the students to read about the
justices and give them a glimpse into the Supreme Court of today.
(20-25 minutes)
 Conclusion: Discuss the reading and talk about how the court works.
Ask for any questions and end the lesson with a strong wrap-up or
conclusion. (5 minutes)
 Homework: Students will be assigned a DBQ on Gideon v Wainwright
(1963). Will review questions by using the document camera.
Students will need to access this information from the course
website at www.schoolrack.com/Lindsayrice or email me/USB the
assignment and it will be due on Monday.
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Student Assessment
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Students will be assessed verbally by questioning and discussion of
materials. They will be praised for correct answers and for incorrect
answers, we will try to analyze why the student might not understand
the concept by working through the question so that other students
will better understand.