A New York Times Newspaper in Education Curriculum Guide
CHECKS
AND
BALANCES
Teaching American Government
and Law With The New York Times
nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222
10- 0 316
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
PAGE
Time Frame for the Lessons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Using The New York Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
New York Times Services for Teachers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
CORRELATION TO CIVICS STANDARDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
LESSONS PLANS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Checks and Balances and the Role of the Press . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
The Bill of Rights in 21st Century America. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The President and the Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Congress: Making Laws, Making News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The Supreme Court: A Critical Role in American Government. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
The Role of the Law and Lawyers in American Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
From Misdemeanors to Felonies: Categories of Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The Death Penalty in America: The Debate Continues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
The Right to Bear Arms: The Second Amendment in the 21st Century . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
The Juvenile Justice System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Civil Rights and Social-Justice Movements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
How Government and Business Interact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
When Regional Issues Make National News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
International Law in the News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
When Culture and the Law Are in Conflict. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Written by Elyse Fischer. Introduction and additional activities by Ellen S. Doukoullos and Saul Gootnick.
This educator’s guide was developed by The New York Times Newspaper in Education program. It did not involve the reporting or
editing staff of The New York Times.
©2010 The New York Times
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 1
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
INTRODUCTION
Students today seem to have little interest in how government works – even though many
laws and government actions affect them directly.
This series of lessons using The New York Times is designed to spark student interest in
government and law and the role they play in American life. High school students will
soon be eligible to vote, and their understanding of, and involvement in, our nation’s civic
life is important to the functioning of a healthy democracy.
■ TIME FRAME FOR THE LESSONS
Lesson topics were chosen to align with typical content of a government course for
secondary students. Each lesson is designed to spark interest and promote learning
activities that last well beyond a single class period. Use the lessons and select the
newspaper-based materials and activities that fit with your syllabus.
■ USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
Over the years, thousands of teachers have reported that beginning a lesson with The
New York Times is exceptionally motivating. They have found that it’s easier to teach
sophisticated concepts with real-life examples from current issues of The Times.
At first, some students may find the size of the newspaper and the detailed writing
daunting. But within a few days, as students turn through the pages of The Times,
teachers report a level of involvement that they hadn’t seen earlier. Students discover
powerful articles that capture their attention, while articles on ongoing topics in the news
help them understand how the political process and legal system work in America. “It
became addictive,” many teachers have told us. As a result, students developed the habit
of following the news and staying involved with current events. We encourage you to
connect The Times with your curriculum each day.
Political cartoons from various publications appear in the “Week in Review” section of
The Times on Sunday. We suggest that you and your students bring in favorites that
illustrate current topics under discussion. Post them on a bulletin board with related
Times articles. Ask artistic students in the class to draw their own editorial cartoons
to illustrate governmental or legal conflicts in the news.
■ USING THE STUDENT WORKSHEETS
The reproducible Worksheets may be photocopied for classroom use, or teachers may
create overhead transparencies for ease of instruction and to save paper. The
Worksheets are useful with in-class instruction and as homework; students will need
to take their copies of The New York Times home to complete assignments.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 2
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
NEW YORK TIMES SERVICES FOR TEACHERS
nytimes.com/nie
WEB SITE
nytimes.com/nie
Visit our Web site to download order forms for the print edition or Electronic Edition for classroom use.
You may also download a host of other free curriculum guides and activities to use with The Times.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
CALL: (800) 631-1222
FAX: (888) 619-6900
E-MAIL: schools@nytimes.com
Contact us with questions about ordering a classroom subscription or about your existing school account.
HOME DELIVERY AT THE EDUCATOR RATE
AND SCHOOL LIBRARY RATE
CALL: (888) 698-2655
If you are a teacher or school librarian, call (888) 698-2655 to order a single home delivery or library
subscription and get more than 50% off regular rates.
THE NEW YORK TIMES LEARNING NETWORK
learning.blogs.nytimes.com
The New York Times Learning Network offers interactive classroom activities based on the Monday – Friday
editions of The Times. The wealth of features on the site includes lesson plans linked to specific Times articles,
a lesson plan archive and search, an interactive daily news quiz, “Word of the Day,” “On This Day in History”
feature that links to historical Times articles, “6 Q’s About the News” activity linked to a Times article, “Times
Fill-Ins” sentence completion feature, Student Crossword and Student Opinion (for students age 13 and older).
TIMES TOPICS
nytimes.com/topics
Times topics is an excellent starting point for research, providing quality information on thousands of topics.
Each topic page contains featured Times articles, graphics, audio and video files, with additional links to
other good sources.
THE NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE ARCHIVE
nytimes.com/archive
You can use the “Search” function on nytimes.com for access to the complete backfile of The New York Times
from 1851 to the present.
THE NEW YORK TIMES IN COLLEGE
nytimes.com/edu
Our Web site for college faculty offers services for higher education, including course-specific instructional
strategies using The New York Times.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 3
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
CORRELATION TO CIVICS STANDARDS
The lessons in this curriculum guide are correlated with relevant national standards from the Mid-continent Research
for Education and Learning (McREL). These standards represent a compendium derived from most states standards.
Each McREL standard has subcategories, or benchmarks, for different kinds of instruction. For details see
www.mcrel.org/standards.
WHAT IS GOVERNMENT AND
WHAT SHOULD IT DO?
LESSONS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Understands ideas about civic life, politics, and government
Understands the essential characteristics of limited and unlimited governments
● ● ● ● ● ●
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the sources, purposes, and functions of law, and the importance of law
for the protection of individual rights and the common good
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the concept of a constitution, the various purposes that constitutions
serve, and the conditions that contribute to the establishment and maintenance of
constitutional government
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the major characteristics of systems of shared powers and of
parliamentary systems
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the advantages and disadvantages of federal, confederal, and unitary
systems of government
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands alternative forms of representation and how they serve the purposes
of constitutional government
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
WHAT ARE THE BASIC VALUES AND
PRINCIPALS OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
LESSONS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Understands the central ideas of American constitutional government and how this
form of government has shaped the character of American society
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the importance of Americans sharing and supporting certain values,
beliefs, and principles of American constitutional democracy
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the roles of voluntarism and organized groups in American social and
political life
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the role of diversity in American life and the importance of shared values,
political beliefs, and civic beliefs in an increasingly diverse American society
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the relationships between liberalism, republicanism, and American
constitutional democracy
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the character of American political and social conflict and factors that
tend to prevent or lower its intensity
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands issues concerning the disparities between ideals and reality in American
political life
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 4
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
CORRELATION TO CIVICS STANDARDS
HOW DOES THE GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHED
LESSONS
BY THE CONSTITUTION EMBODY THE
PURPOSES, VALUES, AND PRINCIPLES OF
AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Understands how the United States Constitution grants and distributes power
and responsibilities to national and state government and how it seeks to prevent
the abuse of power
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the major responsibilities of the national government for domestic and
foreign policy, and understands how government is financed through taxation
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands issues concerning the relationship between state and local governments
and the national government and issues pertaining to representation at all three levels
of government
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the role and importance of law in American constitutional system and
issues regarding the judicial protection of individual rights
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands what is meant by “the public agenda,” how it is set, and how it is
influenced by public opinion and the media
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the roles of political parties, campaigns, elections, and associations and
groups in American politics
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the formation and implementation of public policy
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP OF
THE UNITED STATES TO OTHER NATIONS
AND TO WORLD AFFAIRS
LESSONS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Understands how the world is organized politically into nation-states, how nation
states interact with one another, and issues surrounding U.S. foreign policy
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the impact of significant political and nonpolitical developments on the
United States and other nations
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
WHAT ARE THE ROLES OF THE
CITIZEN IN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY?
LESSONS
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Understands the meaning of citizenship in the United States, and knows the
requirements for citizenship and naturalization
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands issues regarding personal, political and economic rights
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands issues regarding the proper scope and limits of rights and the relationships
among personal, political and economic rights
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands how certain character trait enhance citizens’ ability to fulfill personal
and civic responsibilities
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands how participation in civic and political life can help citizens attain
individual and public goals
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
Understands the importance of political leadership, public service, and a knowledgeable
citizenry in American constitutional democracy
● ● ● ● ● ●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
SOURCE: Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education, by John S. Kendall and Robert J. Marzano (2000,
3rd ed.): Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), Aurora, Colo.; www.mcrel.org/standards/
Used by permission of McREL, 2550 S. Parker Road, Suite 500, Aurora, Colo. 80014; (303) 337-0990.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 5
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 1
CHECKS AND BALANCES AND THE ROLE OF THE PRESS
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be
able to explain how the
free press relates to the
checks and balances set
forth in the Constitution
of the United States.
TOOLS NEEDED
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Scan the newspaper for articles about the executive, legislative and judicial branches.
■ Pre-select an article with which to model the Worksheet activity.
■ Review Lesson 1 Worksheet.
■ Write the word “censorship” on the board.
BACKGROUND MATERIAL
The landmark 1803 Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison established the principle of
judicial review; that is, the Court may declare an act of Congress unconstitutional. This
is a check on the power of Congress and the president, and a reminder to the American
people that the basic powers of government are derived from the Constitution. A New
York Times article on this subject is in the Appendix.
●
A front page of
The New York Times
with several articles
about government
covered up with
dark paper
● The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 1
Worksheet.
WARM UP – “The Censored Newspaper”
Hold up the censored front page you have prepared, with articles about government
covered up.
ASK:
■ What questions does this censored newspaper raise in your mind?
■ What are the consequences of a government-controlled press or “censorship”?
■ If newspapers and other media didn’t report about what our government was doing,
how would you know?
■ Why are newspapers and other media so full of “bad” news?
■ Whose job is it to solve the problems reported?
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute Lesson 1 Worksheet and review with students.
■ Distribute today’s New York Times to each student.
■ Model Worksheet activity.
DISCUSSION
1. How does a free press fit into our system of checks and balances?
A free press is critical to keeping citizens informed of the activities of all branches of
government. Both the executive branch and the legislative branch are made up of elected
officials. If they don’t do the job that their constituents “hired” them to do, they may not get
re-elected. The need for the support of their constituents acts as a check on the decisions of
the president and Congress.
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 6
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 1
CHECKS AND BALANCES AND THE ROLE OF THE PRESS
2. Why are the Justices of the Supreme Court appointed, rather than elected?
The Supreme Court, which has the final say on the nation’s laws, was designed by the
Founding Fathers to be above politics. Operating independently of Congress and the
president, it can limit the powers and actions of the other branches of government. As a
result, the Constitution specifies that the president appoints, subject to Senate confirmation,
the Justices of the Supreme Court (and all federal judges).
3. What is executive privilege?
Executive privilege is the right, often disputed, of the executive branch to withhold
information from Congress and the courts.
4. How can executive privilege exist side by side with a free press? When can executive
privilege be invoked?
■ ASSIGN HOMEWORK AND DUE DATES
EXTENSIONS
1. Distribute The New York Times. Direct the students to the international news pages.
Ask students to cut out articles with examples of nations that do not have a system of
checks and balances like ours. Paste the articles into a journal in which students
answer the following question: How does the operation of that nation’s government,
and life for that nation’s citizens, differ from what we have in the United States?
2. Brainstorm to come up with a list of systems of checks and balances that operate in
places aside from the government. For example, in business, there are often
stockholders and a board of directors to act as a check on the powers of the C.E.O.
Instruct the students to find articles that contain information about non-governmental
systems of checks and balances. In a chart, students compare such systems to that of
the federal government. Have students attach the articles to their charts.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 7
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 1 WORKSHEET
CHECKS AND BALANCES AND THE ROLE OF THE PRESS
NAME_______________________________________________________
1. Find and read a news report about an action taken by one or more of the three branches of government on the
front page of today’s The New York Times.
2. Headline of news article:______________________________________________________________________
Date/Section/Page___________________________________________________________________________
3. Which branch of government did what?__________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
4. What are the results of this action by that branch of government?______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
5. What might another branch of government do as a response to this action?_______________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
6. If this action had not been reported in the media, what might have happened or not happened?____________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
7. What questions are left unanswered by this report?_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
(Note: watch for follow-up articles on this action in future issues of The Times.)
HOMEWORK
Pretend you are on the editorial board of The New York Times. You have been assigned to write an editorial based on
the facts in this news article about an action by one branch of the U.S. government. Refer to the other branches of
government. Your editorial will represent the position of The New York Times. Study editorials in The Times as
models for your writing.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 8
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 2
THE BILL OF RIGHTS IN 21ST CENTURY AMERICA
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be able
to locate (and analyze) in
the news today, examples
of the rights and
protections guaranteed by
the Bill of Rights.
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 2
Worksheet
● Copies of the Bill of
Rights, one per student
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Review the Bill of Rights. Note the rights and protections guaranteed by each amendment.
■ Scan The New York Times for articles that directly or indirectly refer to one of the
rights and protections guaranteed by the Bill of Rights.
■ Review Lesson 2 Worksheet.
BACKGROUND MATERIAL
The trial of John Peter Zenger in New York in 1734 helped establish the principle of
freedom of the press in America, and led to the inclusion of freedom of the press in the
Bill of Rights.
In every issue of The New York Times, there are articles that relate in some way to the
Bill of Rights.
WARM UP
ASK:
■ The Constitution without a Bill of Rights is like an umbrella with holes in it.
Why or why not?
■ What rights and freedoms are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights?
Generate a list. Keep the list posted for students to refer to throughout the activity.
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute Lesson 2 Worksheet and review with students.
■ Distribute today’s New York Times to each student.
DISCUSSION
■ Distribute copies of the Bill of Rights.
1. What rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights came up most often in the articles you
read? Why do you believe certain issues came up more often than others?
More than likely, students will find articles that have to do with the rights of free speech,
assembly and the separation of church and state. It is also likely that they will find articles
that refer to an accused’s right to counsel, the death penalty and gun control.
Because the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791, it articulates some concerns that do not
directly relate to the concerns of 21st-century America: It is unlikely, for example, that
students will find articles about quartering troops (although it is part of the
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 9
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 2
THE BILL OF RIGHTS IN 21ST CENTURY AMERICA
Constitutional basis for the right to privacy). However, the Bill of Rights does speak to
many of the issues that modern Americans face daily.
2. Where in The New York Times other than in news articles might you find references
to the Bill of Rights?
Students may find references to the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights in
any of the news sections of The New York Times, as well as in Editorials, Letters to the
Editor, Op-Ed pieces, and advertisements.
3. How does The New York Times benefit from the protections in the Bill of Rights?
The Times benefits from freedom of speech and freedom of the press — both critical tenets
of our democracy.
4. Why do you think the founding fathers did not include a Bill of Rights in the
original Constitution?
How might your life be different if the Bill of Rights did not exist?
Many of the rights and freedoms that we enjoy might not be recognized without the
document that guarantees them.
5. Which rights guaranteed by Constitutional amendments are affected by technological
innovations ranging from electronic medical files to Internet access and even
new weapons?
■ ASSIGN EXTENSIONS OR HOMEWORK. ESTABLISH DUE DATES.
EXTENSIONS
1. Using vocabulary that they have chosen from articles in The New York Times,
students “translate” the Bill of Rights into contemporary English.
2. Assign each student or group of students an amendment. For one week, students
collect the articles that either directly or indirectly refer to their amendment. On a poster,
students display their amendment and how it is reflected in The Times.
3. The New York Times often publishes series on particular themes (e.g., Race in
America, Class in America). Direct students to think about a series of articles about
the Bill of Rights in the 21st century. As editors, what kinds of articles would they
assign to reporters? What articles from current issues of The Times would they include
in their series? Have students outline the articles they would include in this series.
APPENDIX
Teachers may find a printable version of the Bill of Rights on the National Archives Web
site: http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/billrights/billmain.html
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 10
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 2 WORKSHEET
THE BILL OF RIGHTS IN 21ST CENTURY AMERICA
NAME_______________________________________________________
■ Find an article in today’s issue of The New York Times that relates to the rights and protections guaranteed by
the Bill of Rights.
HEADLINE:_________________________________________________________________________________
DATE/SECTION/PAGE:______________________________________________________________________
REPORTER:_________________________________________________________________________________
Answer the following questions:
1. What is this article about? List the key points of the article.___________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Which right(s) or freedom(s) does this article refer to, either directly or indirectly?_________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Which amendment in the Bill of Rights discusses this right or freedom?_________________________________
HOMEWORK: Choose one of the following activities.
1. Respond to an article you’ve read in The New York Times by writing a Letter to the Editor. Discuss why you
believe that rights and freedoms are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights are being protected today or are
somehow endangered. Refer to the article. To submit your letter to The Times, see directions in the Information
and Services Directory (usually found at the bottom of the Weather page).
2. Read an article about a Supreme Court decision in The Times. How do recent decisions, as reported by
The Times, reflect on the Bill of Rights? Do you agree with the Justices’ interpretations of the issues involved?
Create an advocacy ad for one of the amendments in the Bill of Rights. Study advocacy ads that appear on the
Op-Ed page of The Times for ideas.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 11
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 3
THE PRESIDENT AND THE MEDIA
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be
able to identify
responsibilities and
concerns of the president
and give examples of the
impact of media coverage
of the president.
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 3
Worksheet
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Scan the newspaper for articles about the president.
■ Select an article from today’s Times to use as a model.
■ Review Lesson 3 Worksheet.
WARM UP
SAY: In order to make informed judgments about elected officials, citizens must have
access to fair and unbiased reporting about them. The president of the United States is
probably the individual who appears most often in the pages of The New York Times
and in other media. On any given day, the president is confronted by a host of issues and
takes a wide range of actions, many written about by Times reporters.
Brainstorm to come up with a list of qualities that students believe a president should
have or should not have, using these categories:.
1. Essential
2. Necessary
3. Unimportant
ASK:
■ Do they approve of this president’s policies?
■ Which of his policies do they agree with?
■ Which of his policies do they disagree with?
■ Overall, do they think he is doing a good job?
■ What kinds of issues do they think he deals with every day?
■ Would they want to be president?
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute newspapers.
■ Distribute Worksheet.
■ Model the activity; fill out the chart with the class using a pre-selected article from
today’s issue of The Times.
DISCUSSION
1. In your opinion, does The New York Times report on the president fairly and
accurately? Support your answer.
2. How does the president use the media to further his agenda?
3. How does a paper like The Times help shape public opinion about the president?
The New York Times is a key source of information for many people. They may form >>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 12
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 3
THE PRESIDENT AND THE MEDIA
their opinions of public officials like the president based on what they read in The Times
and what they read or see in other media.
ASSIGN HOMEWORK AND DUE DATES
EXTENSIONS
1. Read a few obituaries of prominent people with your class. Break down the obituaries
into their component parts – a short biography, outstanding achievements, a
quotation or two and quotes from friends, family members or colleagues. Explain that
obituaries are most often researched and written before a prominent person dies. In
fact, prominent people are often interviewed for their own obituaries. Have students
draft a list of questions they would ask the president if they were interviewing him for
his obituary.
2. Op-Ed pieces that are not written by Times columnists are often written by policy
and opinion makers. The authors are usually writing about an issue confronting
America. Discuss issues facing the American people today. Direct students to find an
article in today’s Times about any of the issues that appears on the class list. After
reading the article, students write an Op-Ed style piece on this issue in the voice of
the president.
3. Some of the president’s roles and responsibilities are listed below. (Nos. 1-6 are
derived from Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution.):
a. Commander in Chief : head of the nation’s Armed Forces
b. Chief legislator: proposes laws
c. Chief diplomat: oversees the nation’s foreign relations
d. Head of state: speaks for the nation, welcomes visitors, travels overseas
e. Appoint judges, ambassadors, other government officials
f. Delivers State of the Union address
g. Family man role-model (the First Lady and the rest of the First Family also play an
important role)
h. The only nationally elected leader (along with the vice president)
i. Leader of his party
j. Leader of the “free world”
Assign each of the roles to students. Have students clip articles from The Times for a
week or two that illustrate their roles. Students make posters with the clippings,
including photographs.
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 13
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 3
THE PRESIDENT AND THE MEDIA
Display the posters and have students answer these questions in an essay about what
they’ve read in The Times and seen on the posters:
a. How does The Times cover the presidency?
b. How does the president spend most of his time?
c. Which of the president’s roles seem to be more important, based on press coverage?
Why do you think that is?
d. How can one person perform all of these functions well?
e. How does what The Times reports about a president reflect or shape public opinion?
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 14
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 3 WORKSHEET
THE PRESIDENT AND THE MEDIA
NAME_______________________________________________________
■ Over a series of days, read the International and national pages of The New York Times, paying special attention
to articles in which the president plays a prominent role.
■ Discuss your opinions of the president’s performance in office.
■ Fill out the following chart about the president, citing particular articles as evidence.
1 – Always
2 – Sometimes
President ________________
3 – Never
1
2
3
4 – Not enough evidence to make a judgment
4
Evidence (Headline and Dateline)
Has the respect of world
leaders
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Understands complex issues
and can articulate them to
the country
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Is well liked
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Makes his constituents feel
safe and secure
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Works well with Congress
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Agrees with me on
environmental issues
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Agrees with me on
social-welfare issues
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Agrees with me on
military issues
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Agrees with me on fiscal
and economic issues
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 15
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 4
CONGRESS: MAKING LAWS, MAKING NEWS
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be
able to:
● draft sample legislation,
informed by an article
in The Times
● identify the issues and
factors that lawmakers
must consider in
making decisions
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 4
Worksheet
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Scan today’s New York Times for articles about pending legislation.
■ Review Lesson 4 Worksheet.
WARM UP
ASK:
■ What laws would you like to see enacted?
Brainstorm to come up with a list of concerns that elected representatives must
balance while voting on legislation.
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute Lesson 4 Worksheets and review with students.
■ Distribute today’s New York Times to each student.
■ Divide students into small work groups.
DISCUSSION
■ Distribute copies of the Bill of Rights.
1. Why is it important for citizens to have access to a free press with a variety of viewpoints?
A free press is important for many reasons (as noted by Thomas Jefferson). In order to
make educated decisions, citizens must keep themselves informed on how their elected
officials are representing their needs. A newspaper such as The New York Times is a
primary means of following what elected officials are doing on an ongoing basis.
Newspapers and other media help shape public opinion, and so it’s important for elected
officials to read newspapers and follow other media coverage from the areas they represent
as well as nationally.
2. Should a newspaper such as The New York Times take an activist role in pending
legislation or should it just report on it? Where are opinions published in The Times?
News articles in The Times report and analyze pending legislation; they are not the place
for opinions. The editorial page features editorials with the opinions of The Times itself,
along with Letters to the Editor from Times readers. On the Op-Ed page, opposite the
Editorial page, you’ll find opinion essays by Times columnists and guest writers, including
experts and government officials, and on some days, paid “advocacy ads” on various issues
in the bottom right-hand corner.
2. Is the process by which a bill becomes law fair in all cases?
Fairness is difficult to judge. There are many factors that go into the passage or failure of a
particular piece of legislation, or even whether it comes up for consideration in the House
or the Senate.
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 16
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 4
CONGRESS: MAKING LAWS, MAKING NEWS
4. Before a Congressman or Senator votes on a bill, what are some of the issues he or
she must consider?
Among the factors any of our representatives must consider are: the needs of his or her
constituents, or at least a majority of those constituents (or those who vote); the needs of his
or her party — is it looking for solidarity on a particular issue?; his or her own moral,
social and political beliefs; possible ramifications for his or her state and the nation;
amendments that may change the meaning of the bill; the expense of enacting the
legislation, etc.
ASSIGN HOMEWORK AND DUE DATES
EXTENSIONS
1. Divide students into committees based on the committees of the House and the
Senate. (Four or five committees will suffice.) Select articles from The New York
Times that deal with pending legislation. Assign each committee an article, and have
them research the issue in question. Have each committee debate the proposed
legislation and vote. When each group has voted, reconvene the class and bring each
bill to the “full chamber” for a vote. Students write an article for The New York Times
about the passage or failure of the bill.
2. Engage students in a discussion about what they want in an elected representative.
Assign students an article from a recent issue of The New York Times about a member
of Congress, in either the Senate or the House. Students read the article, and research
additional information about the member. Have the class vote for or against this
Representative or Senator for another term. Following the vote, students write
a Letter to the Editor about the member and how he or she fared in the class vote.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 17
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 4 WORKSHEET
CONGRESS: MAKING LAWS, MAKING NEWS
NAME_______________________________________________________
1. In your groups, choose an article about pending legislation. Read the article individually.
2. Answer the following questions:
a. What committee will debate this legislation?
b. Who proposed the legislation?
c. Do you believe the bill will pass and become law?
3. On a separate sheet of paper, predict the concerns and positions of the following people on the pending legislation
in the article. Keep in mind that Congressmen and Senators are elected representatives and must balance many
different priorities (constituency needs, party needs, re-election, national security, etc.)
a. A Democrat from a large but poor state.
b. A Republican from a large but poor state.
c. A Representative or Senator currently running for re-election.
d. A Representative or Senator with large rural areas in his or her state.
e. A Representative or Senator with densely populated urban areas in his or her state.
f. Your own Representative or Senators.
HOMEWORK
1. Read the National pages of The New York Times. Choose an article about an issue that you feel requires either
new legislation or a change in current law. Identify the issues. Draft the legislation. If you were to send it to a
member of Congress to propose, on what committee would he or she sit?
2. Write a Letter to the Editor suggesting your legislation and making the case for its enactment. Study letters
published in the Times as models for your own.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 18
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 5
THE SUPREME COURT: A CRITICAL ROLE IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be
able to identify the
components of several
cases currently before the
Supreme Court, as
reported in The New York
Times. Students will
identify Supreme Court
decisions that affect their
daily lives.
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 5
Worksheet
● paper
● pens or markers.
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Review a recent article about a Supreme Court ruling or roundup of various Supreme
Court rulings in The New York Times.
■ Scan the newspaper for other articles that directly or indirectly refer to a decision of
the Supreme Court.
■ Review Lesson 5 Worksheet.
■ Write on the board “Is it right or is it legal?”
BACKGROUND MATERIAL
The New York Times publishes many articles about the Supreme Court and its decisions
(and occasional Supreme Court Roundups of various decisions) when the Court is in
session, and even when it is not in session — especially if there is a vacancy on the Court
and the president is nominating a successor. (The Court’s annual term begins on the first
Monday in October, and decisions are generally issued on Mondays through the end of
June and reported on Tuesdays in The New York Times.)
The Supreme Court decides on the constitutionality of laws and statutes, and in many
ways, acts as both the legal and moral arbiter of the nation. The Court has been known
to reverse itself: The most famous example may be Plessey v. Ferguson, an 1896 decision,
which was overturned by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. Supreme Court decisions
all have the potential to have a tremendous impact on the lives of Americans.
WARM UP
SAY: Brown v. the Board of Education, a case from Topeka, Kan., was the landmark 1954
decision that outlawed segregation in public schools by ruling that the doctrine of
“separate but equal” was unconstitutional. (Refer students to the question on the board.)
ASK:
■ If you were a Supreme Court justice, what would your philosophy be?
■ If something is right, how can you make it legal?
■ What would their lives be like without this decision?
■ Do they know of any other Supreme Court rulings that have had an impact on their lives?
■ Brainstorm to come up with a list of Supreme Court rulings that have affected
their lives.
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute Lesson 5 Worksheet and review with students.
■ Distribute The New York Times to each student.
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 19
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 5
THE SUPREME COURT: A CRITICAL ROLE IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
DISCUSSION
■ Distribute copies of the Bill of Rights handout.
1. What Supreme Court decisions are you familiar with?
2. How does The New York Times report on Supreme Court decisions?
The Times publishes articles about the most important Supreme Court rulings, and
Supreme Court Roundups of other decisions, when the Court is in session. It also publishes
many articles that involve people and issues affected by Supreme Court decisions (e.g.,
articles about the death penalty, abortion, due process, etc.), and articles about any
vacancies on the Court and the process for filling them (the president appoints Justices of
the Supreme Court, subject to confirmation by the Senate).
3. Should the Court be the ultimate judge of values in America?
4. How does a case get to the Supreme Court?
The Court decides which cases it will hear. (If the Justices want to perpetuate the status
quo, they may decide not to hear a particular case. If they want to reinforce a decision or
overturn a decision, they may decide to hear a specific case that will give them the
opportunity to do so.)
There are three primary ways that a case can come before the Court. First, an appeal
from a lower court. Second, a Writ of Certiorari, or request for a review. This generally
pertains to cases of national significance. Third, a rarely used process known as
certification, when the Court agrees to a request by a lower court to answer questions of
law in a particular case.
5. Why does the Court sometimes reverse its own decisions?
The Court’s decisions can change as American society changes. (See discussion of Plessey v.
Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education in Warm Up section.)
ASSIGN EXTENSIONS OR HOMEWORK. ESTABLISH DUE DATES.
EXTENSIONS
1. Discuss the process of bringing a case before the Supreme Court. Have students read
an article in the Supreme Court Roundup or in the National pages of The New York
Times that pertains to a case before the Court today. Students outline the points they
would make if they were to file an amicus (friend of the Court) brief about that case.
(An amicus brief is filed by individuals or organizations that have an interest in a case
before the Court. The brief details the individual’s or organization’s views on the case,
along with an opinion on how the Court should rule.)
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 20
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 5
THE SUPREME COURT: A CRITICAL ROLE IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
2. In over two centuries, the Supreme Court has heard more than 25,000 cases.
Some decisions have transformed American society. Some were ultimately reversed
by later decisions, while others have been rendered irrelevant by legislation or
constitutional amendments.
■ Discuss some of these decisions with students:
a. Marbury v. Madison (1804): the Supreme Court’s power to rule on the
constitutionality of laws
b. Scott v. Sandford (1857): the Dredd Scott case
c. Brown v. Board of Education (1954): public school segregation unconstitutional
d. Gideon v. Wainwright (1963): right to counsel
e. Miranda v. Arizona (1966): suspects must be read their rights
f. Roe v. Wade (1973): abortion
g. Elk Grove, Calif., School Board v. Newdow (2004): Pledge of Allegiance case
h. The New York Times v. Sullivan (1964): upheld The Times in a libel case brought by
a public figure
i. The New York Times v. the United States of America (1971): the Pentagon Papers case.
j. United States of America v. Nixon (1973): denied a presidential claim of executive privilege.
■ Direct students to choose three decisions and find articles in a current issue of
The New York Times that directly relate to these decisions.
APPENDIX
Teachers can find information about the Supreme Court online at
http://www.supremecourtus.gov.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 21
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 5 WORKSHEET
THE SUPREME COURT: A CRITICAL ROLE IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
NAME_______________________________________________________
ACTIVITY A
1. Turn to an article about a Supreme Court decision or roundup of various Supreme Court rulings in
The New York Times.
2. Choose one case and decision.
3. Read the article and summarize the following:
a. the facts of the case as presented
b. the major issues of the case (issues often appear in question form)
c. the arguments being presented
d. the legal basis for bringing the case before the Supreme Court
e. why you believe the Court chose to hear this case.
f. If you were a Supreme Court Justice, how would you decide this case?
OR
ACTIVITY B
Find an article in The New York Times that either directly or indirectly refers to a notable Supreme Court decision.
a. How does the article refer to the decision?
b. How has this decision affected the lives of the people in the article?
c. Why are the events in the article newsworthy?
Write a news article in the style of The New York Times about an important Supreme Court decision of the distant
past. Include factual material about the impact of the decision on people at the time and in later decades. Create a
classroom newspaper of articles about past decisions or submit the articles to your student newspaper as a series.
ACTIVITY C
Name all nine current U.S. Supreme Court justices:
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 22
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 6
THE ROLE OF THE LAW AND LAWYERS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be
able to:
● define legal terms
● demonstrate knowledge
of the role of the law
and lawyers in the
United States by
summarizing legal
issues reported in
The New York Times.
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● copies of Lesson 6
Worksheets
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Scan The New York Times for articles that explicitly or implicitly refer to lawyers and
the rule of law.
■ Copy the Sixth and 14th (Section 1) Amendments on the board (or distribute copies
or refer to textbooks).
■ Review Lesson 6 Worksheet.
■ Find the Sixth and 14th Amendments in student texts or create handouts.
BACKGROUND MATERIAL
The law provides a backdrop for many of the articles found daily in The New York
Times. Careful reading of the newspaper will also give students insight into the
role of lawyers in American society. For example, all states are required by law to
provide attorneys for indigent defendants accused of a felony. Some states also provide
counsel for indigent defendants accused of a misdemeanor that is punishable with jail
time. There is also frequent coverage in The Times of high-profile lawyers and cases.
WARM UP
Have students read the Sixth and 14th (Section 1) Amendments aloud to emphasize
vocabulary terms.
Discuss the implications of these Amendments.
ASK:
■ What does a right to counsel mean?
■ Why is it important that people are tried by a jury of their peers?
■ Who are their peers?
■ What is meant by “the rule of law”?
■ Are law and justice the same thing?
■ If a defendant doesn’t have the money to hire a private attorney, who pays for
the attorney?
■ Does having more money to hire a lawyer ensure that you end up with a better
lawyer? (Have students watch for articles about public defender compensation and
pro bono work.)
■ What do the words “due process” and “equal protection under the law” mean to you?
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute Lesson 6 Worksheet and review with students
■ Distribute today’s New York Times to each student.
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 23
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 6
THE ROLE OF THE LAW AND LAWYERS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY
DISCUSSION
1. How hard was it to find articles pertaining to the law or lawyers?
It should have been fairly easy to find articles; understanding the issues, however, can be
more difficult.
2. Why is it so important to understand your rights under the law?
It is important for every citizen in a democracy to understand his or her rights so that they
cannot be taken away.
3. What are a citizen’s responsibilities under the law?
To understand and follow the basic principles of the law.
4. How can carefully reading a newspaper like The New York Times help you to learn
about your rights under the law?
By reading a newspaper, students can make connections to their own lives. For example, if
they read an article about a young person being denied due process because of his or her
age, they might be better prepared to ensure that it doesn’t happen to them.
ASSIGN EXTENSIONS OR HOMEWORK. ESTABLISH DUE DATES.
EXTENSIONS
1. Discuss the moral implications of defending someone who is guilty. Have students
find an article in The Times that features a defendant whom they believe to be guilty.
Using the article as a writing prompt, have students write an essay about how they
would defend this person.
2. How have laws evolved since 1851 when The New York Times began publication as
The New-York Daily Times? (Civil rights laws, abortion laws, antitrust laws and
child-labor laws are just some examples of laws that have been written or changed
since 1851.) Using all classroom resources, students research the laws of the United
States in 1851. Using current Op-Ed pieces as models, have students write an Op-Ed
piece for an 1851 issue of The New-York Daily Times, calling for a change in the law.
Students may argue for legislation that exists today but did not exist in 1851. (Op-Ed
pieces, which always appears opposite the editorials, are opinion pieces written by
Times columnists or guest writers.)
3. Popular culture is filled with images of lawyers. Have students read the Arts section
and book reviews of The Times to find portrayals of lawyers in current movies,
theater, TV and books. Using only information about lawyers they receive from
movies, TV, theater, music and books (as reviewed or advertised in The Times),
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 24
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 6
THE ROLE OF THE LAW AND LAWYERS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY
students should create a character sketch of an attorney. Discuss whether portrayals of
lawyers in the arts and in students’ character sketches are realistic.
4. Create a bulletin board or posters of clippings from Times reports on the issues of
“due process” and “equal protection under the law”.
APPENDIX
Sixth Amendment
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial,
by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been
committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be
informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses
against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have
the assistance of counsel for his defense.
14th Amendment
Passed by Congress June 13, 1866; ratified July 9, 1868.
Section 1
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State
shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens
of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal
protection of the laws.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 25
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 6 WORKSHEET
THE ROLE OF THE LAW AND LAWYERS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY
NAME_______________________________________________________
■ Scan The New York Times for articles that explicitly or implicitly refer to lawyers and the rule of law
1. Select an article in The Times that deals primarily with the law or lawyers. Summarize the legal issues in
the article.
2. Look for specialized legal vocabulary, such as “burden of proof,” “due process,” “precedent,” etc.
3. Write the vocabulary terms below.
4. Using all of the resources available to you, look up and define the legal terms below.
Headline:_______________________________________________________________________________
Reporter:_______________________________________________________________________________
Dateline:_______________________________________________________________________________
Summary:______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Vocabulary:_____________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
HOMEWORK
Research Gideon v. Wainwright, a 1963 Supreme Court case.
What important principles were raised in this case? If you had to defend yourself in court, what sorts of problems
might you encounter? Why is it important to be well-versed in the vocabulary of the law, even if you are guaranteed
counsel? Write an essay in the style of a New York Times Op-Ed piece with your views on these questions.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 26
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 7
FROM MISDEMEANORS TO FELONIES: CATEGORIES OF CRIME
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be
able to identify:
● categories of crimes
reported in The New
York Times
● statements of intent
and motive reported
in crime reports
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Review the definitions of misdemeanor, felony, murder and manslaughter.
■ Scan the newspaper for articles that refer to any of these types of crime.
■ Review Lesson 7 Worksheet.
BACKGROUND MATERIAL
In every issue of The New York Times, there are articles that relate in some way to the
Bill of Rights.
The trial of John Peter Zenger in New York in 1734 helped establish the principle of freedom
of the press in America, and led to the inclusion of freedom of the press in the Bill of Rights.
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 7
Worksheet
WARM UP
Create a semantic map for the word “crime.”
ASK: What rights and freedoms are guaranteed by the Bill of Rights?
■ Why do we distinguish between categories of crime?
■ What is a felony?
■ What is a misdemeanor?
■ When is killing someone considered murder? Manslaughter?
■ Should murder and manslaughter be punished differently?
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute Lesson 7 Worksheet and review with students.
■ Distribute today’s New York Times to each student.
DISCUSSION
1. Is it fair to allow the circumstances that surround the death of a person caused by
another to influence or dictate the punishment?
2. Based on articles you’ve read in The New York Times, do you believe that jail is for
punishment or rehabilitation?
ASSIGN EXTENSIONS OR HOMEWORK. ESTABLISH DUE DATES.
EXTENSIONS
1. Crime is often romanticized or glamorized in popular culture. Have students read the
movie and book reviews and TV program guide in The New York Times. Students
then chart the portrayal of crime in the books, movies and TV shows they’ve read about.
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 27
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 7
FROM MISDEMEANORS TO FELONIES: CATEGORIES OF CRIME
2. Hate crimes are often in the news. Discuss with your students the pros and cons of
hate-crime laws, and develop a working definition of hate crimes. Distribute The
New York Times. Scan the newspaper with students for articles about crime. Decide
with your students whether any of the crimes in the articles you’ve found meet your
definition of a hate crime.
For homework, have students research your municipality’s or state’s hate-crime laws, if
they have such laws. Going back through the paper, students review articles about
crimes that they think met the local definition of a hate crime. In a later class,
students discuss those articles and the crimes they reported.
APPENDIX
Felony: A serious crime usually punishable by more than a year in prison or death.
Felonies are generally recognized nationwide and around the world as crimes; they are
“naturally” wrong and are inherently dangerous to the public welfare.
Misdemeanor: Any crime that is less serious than a felony and usually punishable by less
than a year in jail. Misdemeanors are prohibited by law, but are not consistently
considered crimes in different jurisdictions.
Manslaughter: While the definitions of murder and manslaughter vary from state to
state, there are commonalities. Manslaughter is the unlawful killing of a human being
without malice or premeditation, either express or implied. Manslaughter is voluntary
when it happens in sudden heat, and involuntary when it takes place in the commission
of some lawful act.
The cases of manslaughter may be classified as follows: Those which take place as a result
of: (1) provocation (2) mutual combat (3) resistance to public officers acting under a
void or illegal authority or out of their jurisdiction (4) killing in the prosecution of an
unlawful or wanton act (e.g., a person throws stones down a coal pit, killing a miner)
(5) killing in the prosecution of a lawful act, improperly performed, or performed
without lawful authority.
Murder: Murder requires malicious intent. It must be premeditated. (However,
premeditation may be presumed in certain circumstances; for example, when someone
is killed during the commission of a dangerous felony, such as rape, robbery, burglary
and arson.)
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 28
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 7 WORKSHEET
FROM MISDEMEANORS TO FELONIES: CATEGORIES OF CRIME
NAME_______________________________________________________
1. To the best of your knowledge (and without using a dictionary), define the following terms:
a. murder:____________________________________________________________________________
b. manslaughter:_______________________________________________________________________
c. felony:_____________________________________________________________________________
d. misdemeanor:______________________________________________________________________
2. Find and read a crime-related article in The New York Times. Using your definitions from question 1, decide in
which category the crime or crimes fit. (Remember that manslaughter and murder are both felonies.)
3. Fill in the chart below.
HEADLINE
__________________________________________________________________________________________
REPORTER
__________________________________________________________________________________________
DATELINE
__________________________________________________________________________________________
CRIME
__________________________________________________________________________________________
CIRCUMSTANCES
__________________________________________________________________________________________
MOTIVE
(stated in the article – give source)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
SENTENCE (if any)
__________________________________________________________________________________________
TYPE OF CRIME
(Murder and manslaughter
are both felonies.)
>>>
29
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 29
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 7 WORKSHEET
FROM MISDEMEANORS TO FELONIES: CATEGORIES OF CRIME
NAME_______________________________________________________
4. Using the following criteria, read the article again, and add any of the following terms that are relevant to the
appropriate spots in your chart:
■ Motive: Was the crime…
accidental or unintentional
justifiable – the person could not help it
● the result of insanity – the person could not assist in his or her defense and did not understand the nature or
severity of the crime
●
●
■ Intent: Was the crime…
premeditated – planned with malice
intentional – without malice, but done purposely
● negligent – done recklessly, but without premeditation
●
●
■ Category: Was the crime…
recognizable anywhere in the world as a crime; that is, “naturally” wrong
● dangerous to the public welfare
● punishable by a year or more in jail
● punishable by less than a year in jail
● prohibited by law but not necessarily in all jurisdictions; that is, is illegal in some places, but not others
●
HOMEWORK
Look up the definitions of felony, misdemeanor, manslaughter and murder. Look at your chart again. Were your
answers correct? Find an article in today’s New York Times that refers to a homicide and create the chart on another
sheet of paper, using the dictionary definitions of felony, misdemeanor, murder and manslaughter.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 30
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 8
THE DEATH PENALTY IN AMERICA: THE DEBATE CONTINUES
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
multi-plan lesson, students
will be able to:
● find and summarize
articles in The New
York Times that
implicitly or explicitly
refer to death penalty
cases or capital crimes.
● articulate their own
views on the death
penalty.
● research and report on
the circumstances in
which prosecutors can
ask for and juries can
decide on sentences
of death.
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 8
Worksheets
● Copies of outline map
of the United States (see
sample with this lesson)
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Review the Supreme Court decisions in Furman v. Georgia (1972), Gregg v. Georgia
(1976) and Thompson v. Oklahoma (1988).
■ Review the Eighth and 14th Amendments.
■ Select an article from The New York Times to model the activity. The article should
implicitly or explicitly refer to the death penalty or a capital crime.
■ Review the Worksheet and student roles.
■ Model each role for the students, giving examples from the article.
BACKGROUND MATERIAL
In nearly every issue of The New York Times, you can find articles referring to capital
punishment or capital crimes. Any article involving a capital crime may be used as a
springboard for this lesson.
Three seminal death-penalty cases that were decided by the Supreme Court in the 1970’s
and 1980’s are Furman v. Georgia, Gregg v. Georgia and Thompson v. Oklahoma. Furman
v. Georgia (1972) essentially imposed a moratorium on the imposition of the death
penalty for four years, by ruling that it could not be imposed without clear and
consistent guidelines to both the judge and the jury. Gregg v. Georgia (1976) upheld the
imposition of the death penalty as long as the jury acted without passion or prejudice.
Thompson v. Oklahoma (1988) ruled that executing a person under the age of 16
constituted cruel and unusual punishment. And in March 2005, in Roper v. Simmons, the
Court ruled that the Constitution bars capital punishment for crimes committed before
the age of 18. The Eighth and 14th Amendments were both tested in these and other
death-penalty cases. The death penalty remains one of the most divisive issues in
American politics today.
WARM UP
Engage the students in a discussion of the death penalty, using the following questions to
guide the discussion.
ASK:
■ Do you believe in the death penalty?
■ If so, for what crimes should people be executed?
■ Do you think you could sentence someone to death if you were a member of a jury?
■ Is the death penalty fair?
■ How have recent scientific advances in areas like DNA testing changed how the death
penalty is administered, and even how people think about the death penalty?
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 31
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 8
THE DEATH PENALTY IN AMERICA: THE DEBATE CONTINUES
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Discuss the death penalty cases reviewed in the Background Material section.
■ Divide students into groups with at least one student playing the following roles in
each group: prosecutor, defense attorney, jury, “summarizer.”
■ Distribute Lesson 8 Worksheets for role-play: Prosecutor, Defense Attorney,
Jury, Summarizer
■ Model each role with a pre-selected article.
■ Distribute today’s New York Times to each student.
■ Allot time for group work.
■ Reconvene class for presentations by each group.
DISCUSSION
■ Distribute copies of the Eighth and 14th Amendments.
1. How do the Eighth and 14th Amendments relate to the death penalty?
The Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and usual punishment. The 14th Amendment
guarantees equal protection under the law and prohibits the state from depriving any
citizen of life, liberty or property without “due process.”
2. How has the Supreme Court ruled on various death-penalty cases in the last 30 years?
In 1976, in Gregg v. Georgia, the Court ruled that the death penalty does not violate the
Constitution. (Four years earlier, the Court had ruled against the arbitrary nature of the
imposition of the death penalty at the time, essentially putting a moratorium on
executions.) In 1988, in Thompson v. Oklahoma, the Court ruled that executing a person
under 16 constituted cruel and unusual punishment and therefore violated the Eighth
Amendment. In March 2005, in Roper v. Simmons, the Court ruled that the Constitution
bars capital punishment for crimes committed before the age of 18.
3. Do you believe in the death penalty? If yes, for what crimes and under what
circumstances? How did you come to your beliefs about capital punishment?
4. Do you believe that a newspaper like The New York Times has a responsibility to
report on all executions?
5. How have recent scientific advances such as DNA testing changed how the death
penalty is administered or how people think about it?
ASSIGN EXTENSIONS OR HOMEWORK. ESTABLISH DUE DATES.
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 32
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 8
THE DEATH PENALTY IN AMERICA: THE DEBATE CONTINUES
EXTENSIONS
1. Distribute blank maps of the United States. Using information gathered from reading
the National and New York Metro pages of The New York Times, students note
which states have the death penalty and which states do not. (Students may keep a log
of articles about the death penalty and note their datelines; they should then guess,
based on information found in The Times and their own knowledge, about states they
have not read about.) When they feel that their maps are complete, students research
which states actually have the death penalty and revise their maps accordingly. (The
New York Times Archives have maps showing which states have the death penalty.)
2. Students write a Letter to the Editor in response to a particular article about a crime
or the death penalty, or an Op-Ed piece about their views on the death penalty.
Students should cite the specific case and article, and include information about the
methods of execution that states may use.
APPENDIX
Furman v. Georgia (1972)
The Supreme Court heard three cases regarding the death penalty and possible racial bias
in the jury selection and sentencing processes. In all three cases, juries had imposed the
death penalty without guidelines from the judge or the state. The Court ruled that the
imposition of the death penalty in these three cases was arbitrary, and therefore violated
the cruel and usual punishment clause of the Eighth Amendment: Because the jury had
complete discretion to impose or withhold the death penalty, the sentences were deemed
inherently unfair. The decision actually created three options for use of the death penalty:
a mandatory death sentence for certain crimes, development of standardized guidelines
for juries to use in imposing the death penalty and outright abolition of the death
penalty. It effectively created a moratorium on the death penalty until Gregg v. Georgia
four years later.
Gregg v. Georgia (1976)
In this case, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was constitutional,
upholding the use of statutes to guide judges and juries in sentencing. Troy Gregg had
been convicted on two counts of armed robbery and two counts of murder. The jury was
instructed by the trial judge, as prescribed by Georgia state law, to return a decision of
life imprisonment or the death penalty. The Supreme Court concluded that the decision
to impose the death penalty had not resulted from passion or prejudice or any other
arbitrary factor, and was not excessive or disproportionate to the penalty applied in
similar cases. For the first time, the majority opinion stated that the Court finds that
“punishment of death does not invariably violate the Constitution.”
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 33
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 8 OUTLINE MAP
THE DEATH PENALTY IN AMERICA: THE DEBATE CONTINUES
NAME_______________________________________________________
■ Using information gathered from reading the National and New York Metro pages of The New York Times,
note which states have the death penalty and which do not. Keep a log of articles about the death penalty and
note their datelines; then, based on what you’ve read and your own knowledge, guess about the other states.
After you’ve filled in all the states, research which states actually do have the death penalty and revise the
map accordingly.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 34
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 8
AMENDMENTS
AMENDMENT VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments
inflicted.
AMENDMENT XIV
Passed by Congress June 13, 1866; ratified July 9, 1868.
Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are
citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce
any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall
any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to
any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 35
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 8 WORKSHEET
| PROSECUTOR
THE DEATH PENALTY IN AMERICA: THE DEBATE CONTINUES
NAME_______________________________________________________
1. With your group, find an article in The New York Times that refers to the death penalty or a capital crime. Review
precedent cases and the Eighth and 14th Amendments.
2. Your job is to decide how you would prosecute the crime in the article.
a. Headline of article:____________________________________________________________________
b. Reporter:___________________________________________________________________________
c. Dateline:___________________________________________________________________________
d. What are the facts of the crime?__________________________________________________________
e. Will you ask for the death penalty?________________________________________________________
f. What sentencing guidelines must a judge give the jury in the state in which the crime was committed? ______
__________________________________________________________________________________
g. How will you use precedent cases in your prosecution?_________________________________________
h. How will you use the Constitution in your prosecution?________________________________________
3. Present your case to your group.
HOMEWORK
If The New York Times were to report on the actions and decisions of each member of your group, what would it
say? Write an article in Times style about your group’s role-playing of the case.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 36
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 8 WORKSHEET
| DEFENSE ATTORNEY
THE DEATH PENALTY IN AMERICA: THE DEBATE CONTINUES
NAME_______________________________________________________
1. With your group, find an article in The New York Times that refers to the death penalty or a capital crime. Review
precedent cases and the Eighth and 14th Amendments.
2. Your job is to decide how you would defend the person in the article.
a. Headline of article:____________________________________________________________________
b. Reporter:___________________________________________________________________________
c. Dateline:___________________________________________________________________________
d. What are the facts of the crime?__________________________________________________________
e. How will you defend your client? _________________________________________________________
f. What sentencing guidelines must a judge give the jury in the state in which the crime was committed?
__________________________________________________________________________________
g. How will you use precedent cases in your defense?____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
h. How will you use the Constitution in your defense?___________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
i. How will you argue against the death penalty for your client?____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. Present your defense to your group.
HOMEWORK
If The New York Times were to report on the actions and decisions of each member of your group, what would it
say? Write an article in Times style about your group’s role-playing of the case.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 37
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 8 WORKSHEET
| JURY
THE DEATH PENALTY IN AMERICA: THE DEBATE CONTINUES
NAME_______________________________________________________
1. With your group, find an article in The New York Times that refers to the death penalty or a capital crime.
Review precedent cases and the Eighth and 14th Amendments.
2. Your job is to decide what the sentence should be for the crime in the article
(on the assumption the defendant is convicted).
a. Headline of article:____________________________________________________________________
b. Reporter:___________________________________________________________________________
c. Dateline:___________________________________________________________________________
d. What are the facts of the crime?__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
e. What are the sentencing guidelines in the state in which the crime was committed?___________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
f. What sentencing guidelines must a judge give the jury in the state in which the crime was committed?
__________________________________________________________________________________
g. Were there any extenuating circumstances that you should take into account as you decide on a sentence?
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
h. Do you believe in the death penalty?_______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
i. Do you believe that you could sentence an individual to death?___________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. Listen to the cases presented by the prosecution and the defense. Assuming the defendant should be convicted,
decide whether or not to sentence him or her to death. Explain your reasoning.
HOMEWORK
If The New York Times were to report on the actions and decisions of each member of your group, what would it
say? Write an article in Times style about your group’s role-playing of the case.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 38
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 8 WORKSHEET
| SUMMARIZER
THE DEATH PENALTY IN AMERICA: THE DEBATE CONTINUES
NAME_______________________________________________________
1. With your group, find an article in The New York Times that refers to the death penalty or a capital crime.
Review precedent cases and the Eighth and 14th Amendments.
2. Your job is to summarize the facts of the case in the article.
a. Headline of article:____________________________________________________________________
b. Reporter:___________________________________________________________________________
c. Dateline:___________________________________________________________________________
d. Who is being tried or sentenced?_________________________________________________________
e. For what crime or crimes?_______________________________________________________________
f. Were there any extenuating circumstances in the crime or the sentencing? If yes, describe them.__________
__________________________________________________________________________________
g. Why is this crime or sentencing newsworthy?________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
h. Is this a crime that is eligible for the death penalty in the state in which it was committed?____________
__________________________________________________________________________________
i. Are there Eighth or 14th Amendment issues involved in this case or sentencing?______________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. Present your summary of the case to your group.
HOMEWORK
If The New York Times were to report on the actions and decisions of each member of your group, what would it
say? Write an article in Times style about your group’s role-playing of the case.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 39
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 9
THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS: THE SECOND AMENDMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be
able to identify arguments
in the debate over gun
control and articulate and
defend their own views on
the subject.
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 9
Worksheet A
● Copies of Lesson 9
Worksheet B — the
outline map of the U.S.
(see page with this
lesson) for homework.
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Scan the newspaper for articles about gun-related violence and gun control.
■ Review the Second Amendment.
■ Review the Worksheet.
WARM UP
ASK:
■ What have students read, heard or seen in the media concerning gun control?
Brainstorm to come up with a list of “stakeholders” in the debate over gun-control legislation.
Review the Second Amendment with students.
ASK:
■ Why is the second amendment so controversial?
■ Why is the interpretation of this amendment by individuals so different?
■ What role has technology played in this interpretation?
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute Lesson 9 Worksheet A and review with students.
■ Distribute The New York Times to each student.
DISCUSSION
1. Why is gun control so often the subject of articles in The New York Times and in
other media?
The issue of gun control is a big political and personal issue for many people. Guns are big
business and the National Rifle Association is a powerful political force and a major
contributor to political campaigns. It is difficult for elected officials to deny the place of
guns in American society, particularly in the West and South. On the other hand, the
gun-control lobby, which is more of a force in other parts of the country, has a compelling
argument for its views: statistics show that the United States is first among nations in
gun-related deaths and crimes.
2. How do you feel about gun control?
3. Do you think that gun-control legislation already in effect has been successful? Do
you think additional legislation is needed?
4. How many articles in today’s issue of The New York Times focus in some way on
gun-related violence?
5. How many articles with international datelines about gun violence are featured in
today’s issue of The New York Times? What is the context of the gun violence? >>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 40
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 9
THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS: THE SECOND AMENDMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
ASSIGN HOMEWORK AND DUE DATES
EXTENSIONS
1. Assign students an article from The New York Times about the gun-control debate.
Direct students to outline the “stakeholders” mentioned in the article. What lobbies
are involved? Which gun-control advocates were cited? Which gun-control opponents
were cited? What were the main arguments of both sides? Students create a chart of
the stakeholders and their arguments.
2. In the wake of school shootings in recent years, gun control has attracted more
attention. Working with your students, draft questions to ask local opinion makers —
the principal, local businesspeople, parents, etc. — about their feelings on gun
control. Conduct a survey of people’s opinions about gun control. Using graphs found
in The New York Times as models, have students create graphs from the anecdotal
evidence they’ve gathered. Students write an article for their school newspaper, using
their graphs as evidence.
APPENDIX
■ The Bill of Rights
Amendment II
A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the
people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 41
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 9 WORKSHEET A
THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS: THE SECOND AMENDMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
NAME_______________________________________________________
The Second Amendment to the Constitution: A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a
free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
1. Find and read an article on gun violence in the National pages of today’s issue of The New York Times.
2. List the individuals (and their roles) reported on in the Times article.
3. Fill out the chart below, predicting the reaction of people in the article to two gun legislation options.
Person (source)
Gun ownership should
be restricted.
Buyers should have to wait
at least a week until they
are thoroughly vetted.
Concealed weapons should
be strictly prohibited.
Guns ownership should be less
restricted; it is a right guaranteed
by the Second Amendment. Buyers
should have to wait no more than a
day to purchase their guns. It should
be legal to conceal guns in one’s
purse or on one’s person.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 42
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 9 WORKSHEET B
THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS: THE SECOND AMENDMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY
NAME_______________________________________________________
HOMEWORK
For one week, keep a journal of articles found in The New York Times dealing with gun-control legislation and gun
violence. Summarize the articles and log the datelines. Using the datelines in your journal, on a blank map of the
United States, indicate the areas where gun violence and developments with regard to gun control have been reported
in The New York Times. Compare your map to your journal. In your journal, answer the following question:
■ How do the areas of heavy gun violence correlate with the datelines of articles about gun-control legislation?
Using your journal and map as a starting point, debate the constitutionality and the effectiveness of gun-control
legislation in class.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 43
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 10
THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be
able to:
● identify key issues in
the debate about
juvenile justice
● analyze trends in
juvenile justice
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 10
Worksheet
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Scan The New York Times for articles about the juvenile justice system or
juvenile offenders.
■ Review Lesson 10 Worksheet.
WARM UP
SAY: The New York Times publishes many articles about youthful offenders and the
juvenile justice system. The system is open to criticism from all parts of the political
spectrum; there are those who feel that youthful offenders, particularly those who have
committed heinous crimes, are punished too leniently in juvenile courts; others say that
juvenile prisons do little to prevent troubled young people from embarking on lives of crime.
Students brainstorm to come up with a list of arguments for both sides.
ASK:
■ For what crimes do you think juveniles should be tried as adults?
■ Do they believe that children should be tried as adults?
■ Under what circumstances?
■ At what age?
■ What should the purpose of prison be? Rehabilitation or punishment or a
combination of both?
■ Where should juvenile offenders tried as adults serve their time?
■ Should The New York Times report juvenile crime?
■ If you were the editor of The Times, where would you place articles on juvenile
crime in the paper?
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute Lesson 10 Worksheet and review with students.
■ Divide students into small work groups.
■ Distribute today’s New York Times to each student.
DISCUSSION
1. Have you noticed increased coverage of juvenile crime?
It’s difficult to quantify coverage. But a rash of school shootings in recent years has generated
tremendous media attention and may give people the impression that there is more coverage
than before. This has increased scrutiny of the juvenile justice system.
2. Are any trends apparent when you read about juvenile justice?
More and more young people are being tried and punished as adults.
3. What type of juvenile crimes and sentences make the news?
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 44
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 10
THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM
In a national paper such as The New York Times, it is the most heinous crimes and most
controversial or precedent-setting sentencings that are covered.
4. Do news reports assign blame for juvenile crime? If so, what words indicate “blame”?
ASSIGN HOMEWORK AND DUE DATES
EXTENSIONS
1. Distribute The New York Times to your students for a week. Have them log any
articles referring to the trial of a juvenile. Have them read all coverage of the trial:
news articles, Letters to the Editor, Op-Ed pieces, etc. From the information they’ve
gathered and the trends they’ve noticed, ask students to write an essay predicting the
outcome of the trial or the sentencing. Have students continue to follow the case in
The Times to see how it actually turns out.
2. Distribute The Times to your students for a month. Ask them to scan the newspaper
for articles on juvenile crime and the juvenile justice system. Ask students to chart the
coverage of juvenile crime and the juvenile justice system around the country. On
their charts, have them note differences in approaches to juvenile justice in various
states. What can they generalize about these states’ juvenile justice systems from what
they’ve read in the paper?
3. For a specific period of time (a week, a month, etc.), distribute The Times to your
students. Direct them to log the articles that they’ve read about juvenile offenders in a
journal and answer the following questions:
a. What makes the events being reported in these articles newsworthy?
b. What crimes do the articles report?
c. Can they make any generalizations about juvenile crime from their reading?
At the end of the time period, students write an Op-Ed style essay about juvenile crime
and justice.
4. Use the headline of an article from The Times about the sentencing of a juvenile
offender as a writing prompt. Direct students to explore issues the headline and the
article raise: for example, punishment vs. rehabilitation, inconsistencies in sentencing
from state to state, the suffering of the victims and their families, etc. Encourage
students to publish their essays in the school newspaper.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 45
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 10 WORKSHEET
THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM
NAME_______________________________________________________
1. In your work group, scan today’s issue of The New York Times for an article about a crime committed by a
juvenile or the trial and sentencing that followed. Read the article carefully and think about the “stakeholders” in
the case: all the people involved who have a stake in the case and its outcome.
a. Juvenile offender
b. Victim
c. Prosecutor
d. Defense attorney
e. Potential juror
f. Family of the victim
g. Family of the juvenile offender
h. Judge
2. Are there other possible stakeholders?
3. Take on the perspective of one of the stakeholders. (Try to have at least one member of your group assume the role
of each stakeholder.) Individually, on a separate piece of paper, answer the following questions from the
perspective of your stakeholder:
a. What crime was committed?
b. How old was the accused?
c. Were there extenuating circumstances that led to the criminal behavior?
d. Who was the victim?
e. Should the juvenile offender be tried as an adult or as a juvenile?
f. To what kind of punishment should the juvenile offender be subject?
4. Reconvene as a group. Discuss your answers to the questions above, particularly the last two. Decide as group
(through negotiation and debate) how the juvenile offender should be tried and sentenced. Present your article
and your decision about the trial and sentencing to the class.
HOMEWORK
Imagine that you are a reporter for The New York Times. Create a list of interview questions for one of the
stakeholders. Now, answer the reporter’s questions from the perspective of that stakeholder.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 46
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 11
CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL-JUSTICE MOVEMENTS
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be able
to identify social-justice
and civil-rights movements
in American history,
analyze how today’s
movements try to build on
their accomplishments and
refer to the 14th
Amendment in discussions
and written reports.
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Scan today’s Times for articles about civil rights or social-justice issues.
■ Review the Lesson 11 Worksheet.
■ Review a short history of the civil-rights movement.
■ Review the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
BACKGROUND MATERIAL
The civil rights movements of the 1950’s and 1960’s resonate today in reports in The
New York Times. For many people, the struggle for civil rights continues. Race, ethnicity,
gender, sexual orientation, marital status and physical disability are all factors that many
people say cause cultural alienation or “otherness.” While civil rights and social-justice
movements tend to be focused on particular issues, they all have in elements in common.
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 11
Worksheet
● Textbooks, encyclopedias,
the Internet.
WARM UP
ASK:
■ What social-justice or civil-rights issues do you believe are important, nationally
or internationally?
As a class, come to a definition of civil rights and social justice. List the choices, then
create a master list for the class.
Allow a few minutes for students to list their choices, then reconvene and create a class
listing. Post in the room for reference during this lesson and beyond.
■ How does the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution apply to civil rights?
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute Lesson 11 Worksheet and review with students.
■ Divide students into small work groups.
■ Distribute today’s New York Times to each student.
DISCUSSION
1. What evidence does today’s issue of The New York Times provide about the successes
of the civil rights movement?
2. What evidence does today’s issue of The Times provide about unrealized ideals of the
civil rights movement?
3. What modern social-justice movements, national or international, are featured in
today’s issue of The New York Times?
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 47
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 11
CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL-JUSTICE MOVEMENTS
4. How would you define a social-justice movement?
5. What social injustices do you see or read about in the United States today?
ASSIGN HOMEWORK AND DUE DATES.
EXTENSIONS
1. With your students, scan the National, International and New York Metro pages of
The New York Times. Are there any articles that focus on issues your class feels need
to be addressed? Do any of the news stories anger your students for any reason? As a
group, discuss various ways in which people react to issues that affect or anger them.
Divide students into small groups in which they develop plans to find and mobilize
other people who feel the way they do.
2. Distribute The New York Times. Guide students to the Arts section and have them
read the music reviews – of live performances and CD’s. Music is often a vehicle for
protest, acting as both a catalyst for and a response to change. Brainstorm to come up
with a list of songs, CD’s or artists using music as a means of protest. Using the Times
reviews that they’ve read as models, students review music from the class list.
3. Distribute today’s New York Times. Lead your students in a search for an
article about a possible violation of civil rights or oppression of a group or class of
people. The dateline may be national or international. Ask students to write Letters to
the Editor in response to the article. They should include the following in their
letters: a synopsis of the situation, citing the article; the motivation of those
behind the possible violation or oppression; the historical background of the issue or
conflict involved; and suggestions for resolution or action.
4. Assign students a period in U.S. history to research. What civil rights issues were of
concern at the time? (For instance, during World War II, there was segregation in the
armed forces, and the Secretary of War was given the power to intern American
citizens of Japanese descent.) Are there parallels today to these civil rights issues? Have
students try to find articles that show such parallels.
5. Create a semantic map for the term “affirmative action.”
APPENDIX
Short histories of the civil-rights movement can be found on many Web sites.
The prologue to the Civil Rights Act of 1964:
An Act
To enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts
of the United States to provide injunctive relief against discrimination in public
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 48
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 11
CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL-JUSTICE MOVEMENTS
accommodations, to authorize the attorney General to institute suits to protect
constitutional rights in public facilities and public education, to extend the Commission
on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a
Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America
in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the “Civil Rights Act of 1964.”
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) is a seminal case in the history of civil rights in
the United States, outlawing segregation in public schools by overturning the doctrine of
“separate but equal.”
Social-justice movements today include:
Women’s rights, family planning, gay and lesbian rights, the rights of those with physical
and mental disabilities, labor issues, immigrants’ rights, etc.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 49
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 11 WORKSHEET
CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL-JUSTICE MOVEMENTS
NAME_______________________________________________________
■ Read about the civil-rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s in your textbooks.
1. What were people fighting for?______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Research a current social-justice movement of your choice. What are people in this movement advocating?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Compare the past with the present.
Scan today’s issue of The New York Times. Find evidence of both the successes and unrealized goals of the civil rights
movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s, and fill in the first half of the chart below. Then, look for reports of the successes
or unrealized goals of the social-justice movement that you researched, and fill in the second half of the chart.
Successes
Unrealized goals
Evidence from
New York Times
article
Civil rights movement
1950’s and 1960’s
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Social-justice
movement now
__________________________________________________________________________________________
HOMEWORK
1. Read some of the obituaries in today’s New York Times.
2. What kind of information do obituaries usually contain?
3. Research and write the obituary of a civil rights or social-justice activist. You may choose a person of local,
national or international importance.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 50
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 12
HOW GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS INTERACT
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be
able to identify how and
why the government gets
involved in the activities
of the business world.
Students will also assemble
a glossary of business
terms to use in writing
their own business articles.
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 12
Worksheet
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Scan the newspaper for articles about government involvement in the world of business.
■ Review the Lesson 12 Worksheet.
■ Write vocabulary words from Warm Up on the board.
WARM UP
ASK:
■ What are the restrictions on making money? (List on the board.)
■ Should government regulate business, making money?
SAY:
The government has long been involved the world of business. You can find many
articles about business — and the government’s role in regulating and working with
business — in The New York Times. Issues investigated can include:
■ Working conditions
■ Pollution
■ Antitrust
■ Child labor laws
■ Subsidies or tax breaks
■ Lobbyists
Today we’ll use The New York Times to find out more about restrictions on making
money and other aspects of business and government.
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute newspapers.
■ Distribute Lesson 12 Worksheet and review with students.
■ Distribute today’s New York Times to each student.
DISCUSSION
1. Why are articles about business so often found in sections of The New York Times
other than the Business section?
What happens in the world of business can have a significant impact on the economy,
politics and culture. Therefore, articles with a business focus may run on the front page of
The Times, or in the National, Arts, Sports or other sections that are also affected by
whatever the news is.
2. Why does the government intervene in the affairs of business?
There are many reasons. For example, the government may offer tax incentives for
businesses to expand, hire more workers or open facilities in depressed areas. The
>>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 51
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 12
HOW GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS INTERACT
government may oppose a merger on antitrust grounds or call for the breakup of a
monopoly. It may force a company to recall a defective product or reduce the pollution its
plants produce. It may prosecute a company for illegal activities. Regulatory agencies of the
government are responsible for overseeing commerce, trade, media, pharmaceuticals,
environmental policies, insurance, etc. Discuss the term laissez faire. Discuss the expression.
“The government that governs best, governs least.”
3. How do other national governments regulate businesses?
Governments around the world vary widely in how heavily or lightly they regulate business.
This can be a factor when American and foreign companies decide where they want to
locate their operations.
4. Research The New York Times Company. What other businesses does the Times
Company own in addition to The New York Times? What sort of regulations do the
Times Company and other media companies have to deal with?
The New York Times Company owns newspapers around the Northeast, including the
Boston Globe; other newspapers in the Southeast and California; a radio station and
several television stations. It also owns New York Times Digital, which produces
nytimes.com and About.com. Like other media companies, the Times Company is not
allowed to own a newspaper and television station in the same market.
ASSIGN HOMEWORK AND DUE DATES
EXTENSIONS
1. Distribute the Business section of The New York Times. Have students scan the
articles. Direct the students to create a chart of the businesses reported on, ranked in
terms of corporate responsibility, environmental practices, hiring practices, legal
problems, workforce retention, and products or services created.
Students may come up with the criteria for the ranking or you may lead the class in
developing them. They may need to do additional research about the companies. Can
students make any generalizations about the businesses covered in The Times?
2. Direct the students to find and read an article about layoffs or downsizing. Students
write a Letter to the Editor or to appropriate members of Congress (who sit on certain
committees or represent the individuals and companies affected). In their letters,
students suggest actions the government should take, or discuss why they feel this is
not an area for government intervention.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 52
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 12 WORKSHEET
HOW GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS INTERACT
NAME_______________________________________________________
1. Find and read an article in The New York Times about a publicly traded company undergoing a significant
restructuring that involves some kind of government involvement: a merger (approved or rejected by regulators),
deregulation, antitrust action, layoffs, incentives, tax breaks, class-action lawsuits, etc.
2. Track the performance of the company’s stock for a week in the stock listings in the Business section of The Times.
Make a chart of the results.
3. Has the news about the company affected the company’s stock price? Be prepared to discuss.
4. Collect articles that report on government involvement in business. Evaluate any why, when and how
government gets involved in the activities of business — write about your conclusions concerning
government involvement.
HOMEWORK
Compile a business glossary based on your reading of the Business section of The New York Times. Identify business
and industry terms in articles you’ve read and use a dictionary or the Internet to research and define them. Write your
definitions so that people with little or no knowledge of business will understand them. Write an analysis of your
findings in the style of a News Analysis piece in The Times, and use some of your glossary of terms.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 53
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 13
WHEN REGIONAL ISSUES MAKE NATIONAL NEWS
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be
able to articulate how state
and regional issues may
define individual and
collective approaches to
law and justice. Students
will identify important
state and regional issues in
the United States.
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 13
Worksheet
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Scan today’s New York Times for articles on state and regional issues in law and justice.
■ Pre-select one article with which to model Lesson 13 Worksheet assignment.
■ Review Lesson 13 Worksheet.
■ Assign as pre-lesson homework — define these vocabulary words: unitary, confederate,
federal, federalism.
BACKGROUND MATERIAL
In any issue of The New York Times, readers will find articles about many different states
and regions of the United States.
Regionalism is reflected in many aspects of the justice system. Longstanding traditions,
demographics, cultural differences, language, population density, location, etc., all help
account for regional differences in state and local systems of justice. (Federal laws, of course,
apply nationwide.) These topics offer opportunities for critical thinking about federalism,
drawing on examples from The New York Times.
WARM UP
ASK:
■ Is justice served by having the same laws for everyone?
■ Should regional differences affect what the law is and how it is administered?
Brainstorm to come up with a list of issues that directly affect your students’ daily lives,
but do not have the same impact in other parts of the nation. List on the board.
■ Discuss vocabulary words.
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute Lesson 13 Worksheet and review with students.
■ Model the Worksheet assignment with an article about a particular region or state.
■ Distribute today’s New York Times to each student.
DISCUSSION
1. Do you believe that all states should have the same laws, regardless of regional
differences? How does your view work with, or conflict with, the rights of states as
outlined in the Constitution?
2. Why is it important for citizens to be informed about issues and news developments
in other states and localities? Why is it necessary for The New York Times to report
>>>
from various parts of the country on its National pages?
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 54
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 13
WHEN REGIONAL ISSUES MAKE NATIONAL NEWS
Issues and developments in one area of the country can have consequences in other parts of
the country. And what is an issue in one area now may soon be an issue in others.
3. Who has the greater influence in your life today: the national, state or local government?
4. Why are local laws so important?
ASSIGN HOMEWORK AND DUE DATES.
EXTENSIONS
1. Assign students the following writing prompt: Imagine that you must move to
another region of the United States or the world. Using the information gleaned from
a thorough reading of The New York Times, where would you choose to live? Use
evidence from articles in The Times to support your answer. Use World Journal
articles on page A4 of the newspaper as a model.
2. Assign students the following: Using a glue stick and scissors to cut and paste articles,
repaginate The New York Times to reflect a regional focus. Choose any region of the
country and collect all articles about that region in one newspaper section.
3. Research education laws in various states. Create a chart showing significant
differences. Include articles on education from The Times to illustrate the chart.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 55
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 13 WORKSHEET
WHEN REGIONAL OR STATE ISSUES MAKE NATIONAL NEWS
NAME_______________________________________________________
1. Scan the National pages of today’s New York Times.
2. Using what you’ve read, identify issues that are particular to one state or region. Fill out the following chart, citing
one article as an example for each region:
Region
Headline
Dateline
Conflict
Resolution
(issue of law and justice)
(if any)
Northeast
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Southeast
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Midwest
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Southwest
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Northwest
__________________________________________________________________________________________
West
__________________________________________________________________________________________
HOMEWORK
1. Choose an article from The New York Times that refers to an issue of law or justice in a state or region of the
country with which you are not familiar. In a journal or on a separate piece of paper, summarize the article: State
the issue or conflict, the stakeholders and any possible resolutions that are reported.
2. Research the issue further with other resources. Write an essay to raise national awareness of the issue in the style
of a New York Times Op-Ed piece. Study essays on the Op-Ed page as models for your writing.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 56
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 14
INTERNATIONAL LAW IN THE NEWS
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be
able to compare and
contrast issues of law and
justice in the United States
and other nations.
Students will be able to
give examples of the
mechanisms by which
international justice is
administered.
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 14
Worksheet
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Review Lesson 14 Worksheet.
■ Select a Journal feature article on page A4 of The New York Times.
■ Select an article from the National pages that has similar themes or conflicts.
BACKGROUND MATERIAL
On any given day, The New York Times reports on ethics, human rights, democracy and
the quality of life both in the United States and abroad. All these subjects are addressed
in various aspects of international law, including reports about international agencies that
make laws. Covering The Court of International Justice in The Hague and the United
Nations are two examples.
WARM UP
ASK:
■ Does the United States have the right or the responsibility to be an international
police force?
■ Are there any laws that you feel should be enacted globally? If so, what are they?
■ Are there any universal values? What are they? If we have universal values, why
not universal laws?
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute Lesson 14 Worksheet and review with students.
■ Divide the class into pairs.
■ Distribute today’s New York Times to each student.
■ Model the Worksheet activity using a pre-selected Journal and National articles
from The Times.
DISCUSSION
1. What are the global activities of the United States, as portrayed in today’s issue of
The New York Times?
2. How do problems of sovereign nations affect other nations? What examples can you
find in today’s issue of The New York Times?
3. Why are issues of everyday life and liberty considered issues of international law?
4. What is the role of tradition in laws around the world?
5. How does news coverage affect how the United States responds to international situations?
Because news coverage is the cornerstone of national opinion, it has a tremendous effect on
international relations. Demands made by concerned citizens, if loud enough, will >>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 57
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 14
INTERNATIONAL LAW IN THE NEWS
often get results. On the flip side, politicians can use news coverage to get the response that
they need for otherwise unpopular programs.
ASSIGN HOMEWORK AND DUE DATES.
EXTENSIONS
1. Direct students to an article in today’s issue of The Times that deals with an
international conflict. Direct students to follow that conflict for an allotted period of
time. In addition to coverage in The New York Times, students should read
English-language editions of local newspapers online. Students should make daily
journal entries about their reading on this conflict. After the allotted time, students
write Letters to the Editor of The Times and the local papers they’ve been reading,
suggesting possible resolutions to the conflict or suggesting a U.S. response
to the conflict.
2. Distribute a blank world map. For one week, direct students to the International
pages of The New York Times. Using Times articles to guide them, students mark any
nations involved in a conflict with another nation in red. Students mark any nation
that is involved in a peacekeeping effort in blue. Nations involved in civil war should
be labeled in green. Nations cited in the paper for human rights abuses should be
marked in yellow. Nations cited in the paper for signing international treaties or
agreements should be marked in purple.
At the end of the week, students study their maps; pair students and have them answer
the following questions:
■ Are there overlaps or patterns?
■ How do affairs in one country affect affairs in other countries?
■ Students share their findings in pairs with. Do both students in each pair have
similarly colored maps? Did they define international conflict, peacekeeping, etc.,
in the same way?
3. Debate the role of the United States as an international police officer. Students not on
the debating team should act as reporters, taking notes and writing up the debate in
the style of a Times news report. Submit the most accurate and best-written report to
the student newspaper.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 58
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 14 WORKSHEET
INTERNATIONAL LAW IN THE NEWS
NAME_______________________________________________________
A
Working with your partner, read and summarize the World Journal article found on page A4 of today’s issue
of The New York Times.
HEADLINE:_________________________________________________________________________________
DATE/SECTION/PAGE:______________________________________________________________________
REPORTER:_________________________________________________________________________________
1. What is the conflict described in the article?________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What are the results of the conflict?______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
B
Find an article in the National pages of The New York Times that describes themes or conflicts similar to
those in the World Journal article. Read and summarize the article from the National section.
HEADLINE:_________________________________________________________________________________
DATE/SECTION/PAGE:______________________________________________________________________
REPORTER:_________________________________________________________________________________
1. What is the conflict in the article?_______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
2. What are the results of the conflict?______________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Compare and contrast the issues and conflicts in the articles and how they are dealt with or resolved in both places.
Issue/Conflict
Foreign Country
United States (National)
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 59
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 15
WHEN CULTURE AND THE LAW ARE IN CONFLICT
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this
lesson, students will be
able to explain how
cultural values influence
a group’s understanding
of the law and its
relationship to society at
large — with details on
how the law and culture
interact.
TOOLS NEEDED
●
The New York Times,
one copy per student
● Copies of Lesson 15
Worksheet
PREPARATION:
■ Assemble tools.
■ Scan the newspaper for articles that reflect cultural conflicts in a diverse society.
■ Review the Lesson 12 Worksheet.
BACKGROUND MATERIAL
The population of the United States is made up of a large number of diverse and vibrant
cultures, each with and traditions of its own. Traditional cultural practices sometimes
conflict with the laws, values and traditions of “mainstream” America (although defining
“mainstream” is now a task unto itself). The New York Times reports these events.
WARM UP
ASK: What is “mainstream” America? Who decides? How does this change?
Write down the five words they believe most closely define them. (Descriptors may
include, but are not limited to: race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, geography, family
status, age, occupation, hobbies or diversions, religion, sexual orientation.)
ASK: Do any of these “descriptors” conflict with the definition of “mainstream America”?
USING THE NEW YORK TIMES
■ Distribute Lesson 15 Worksheet and review with students.
■ Distribute today’s New York Times to each student.
■ Model activity using a World Journal article and an article from the National page.
DISCUSSION
1. Should we re-evaluate how our laws relate to diverse cultural practices?
2. Can legislators and other government officials make decisions that don’t conflict with
the traditions of any of their constituents?
3. If legislators cannot consider the traditions of all their constituents in making policy,
whose should they consider?
4. What traditions should the president and the courts consider?
ASSIGN HOMEWORK AND DUE DATES
EXTENSIONS
1. Assign students to read articles from The New York Times reporting a Supreme Court
decision that refers to cultural values in conflict with the law. Have students create >>>
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 60
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 15
WHEN CULTURE AND THE LAW ARE IN CONFLICT
a poster that depicts the issues brought up in the case and the resolution, using
clippings from the New York Times.
2. Assign students to follow in Times reports an issue involving an innovation in science
that raises religious controversy. Have students create a Time Line poster that identifies
the different cultural groups in conflict and charts developments in the conflict during
the school term.
3. Using the reprint, “Schiavo Lesson on Judiciary Trump Card,” (Thursday, March 24,
2005) on the next page, assign students to write an essay in the style of the Op-Ed page
of The New York Times, taking a position and citing resources to support the position.
4. Assign students to research the impact of technology on mainstream America, citing
reports in The New York Times and other sources.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 61
Checks and Balances: Teaching American Government and Law With The New York Times
LESSON 15 WORKSHEET
WHEN CULTURE AND THE LAW ARE IN CONFLICT
NAME_______________________________________________________
1. Examine the contents of your wallet, locker or backpack. Read the doodles on your notebook. Examine the way
you dress. What do the items that you carry or wear say about you and your culture? (For example, a driver’s
license might speak to an “American” love of mobility; a doodle might say that you love a particular band or
team.) List the values or cultural “definers” that your possessions suggest about you.
2. Scan today’s issue of The New York Times. Find an article about a bill pending in Congress that is reflective of
some or all of the values or cultural “definers” you included on your list. Answer the following questions:
a. What in this article reflects you?
b. Is it important to see yourself reflected in the popular media?
c. Do you believe the bill will pass and become law?
Write an essay in the style of a Times Op-Ed piece about the importance, or unimportance, of people seeing
themselves reflected in the media.
3. Imagine a law prohibited one of the items you listed in Question 1. Imagine that some of the things on your list
do not appear on any of your classmates’ lists. Answer the following questions:
a. How would it feel to have one of your cultural “definers” absent from the culture in which you live or
prohibited by law?
b. How does this change the essay that you’ve written?
HOMEWORK
1. Scan today’s issue of The New York Times for an article that reflects a cultural conflict, nationally or abroad.
Analyze the conflict by answering the following questions:
a. What is the conflict? What law, if any, is being broken or compromised?
b. Who are the “stakeholders” in the conflict?
c. Can you think of any possible resolutions to this conflict?
2. In a Letter to the Editor or an Op-Ed piece, suggest a resolution to this conflict or explain why this conflict
can’t be resolved.
| nytimes.com/nie | (800) 631-1222 62