Name______________________________Period______ Date_______________
Judicial Branch Project Assignment 2015
You get to run the show by being the teacher for a lesson!!! You must create and present an interesting lesson on a
Supreme Court Case. Here are the details:
1.

As the teacher(s), you will research and present the facts and outcomes of a landmark Supreme Court Case.
(your group will be given the case from a docket of cases)
a. You must include a creative presentation to the class of the facts (scenarios) , arguments from both the
defense and prosecution (or plaintiff) sides, and all the issues of the case. This is a summary of the
main facts. Did your case restrict or expand rights? How the case made its way to the Supreme Court
(previous courts). You should also include an additional case on your topic (the Amendment it best
relates to). This other case can be prior to or after your case. You must also include the outcomes or
judicial decisions in the other cases. Make sure you connect all of the related amendments (including
Amendment 14, if it applies).
b. Allow your classmates to vote on their opinion of the case outcome (before you tell them)
c. Explain the outcome of your case and connected amendments.
d. Your team will be graded on your creativity, including all of the necessary information, presentation
skills (all members must participate), engagement of the class, following instructions and your
bibliography.
e. Research can come from:
Media Center Pathfinder Databases (U.S. Supreme Court link) Helpful sites include:
1. Gale Group
2. ABC-Clio
3. EBSCO
4. Landmark Supreme Court Cases
5. Summary Charts of Cases
6. Congressional Digest.com
7. Facts on File
8. 2facts.com
www.billofrights institution.org (Very helpful site – landmark Supreme Court cases)
www.landmarkcases.org
2. Develop creative ways to teach the class about your case. You will have a total of 10- 12 minutes for your
presentation including Questions and Answers. You can use a combination of the following teaching strategies:
 Chalk Talk
 Group Tasks activity/discussions
 Skits/Scenarios
 Handouts
 PowerPoint
 Word documents projected on LCD
 Games (Jeopardy…)
 The list goes on and on – see me with questions
(Please note that your project must include an informational piece (most likely a PowerPoint) and a creative piece that
demonstrates the big ideas or most important learning’s about the case.)
3.
Complete a bibliography of your sources. Use the Noodletools format (we learned this at the Media Center)
4.
As a student:
a. You will take guided notes on each presentation
b. For homework, write a journal reflection for each case (presentation) answering the question, Why is
the impact of _________________ V. __________________ important to our society?
c. You should use a separate journal page for each case.
i. Journal Format: Name of Case, Date, Class presenters, At least one full paragraph explaining
your answer.
5. Teaching groups will begin on February 2nd. (This is your due date for the
presentation.) ALL groups must be ready to teach that day. Journal entries and note
sheets are due on Friday 2/6.
Other helpful information:
•
The first name is the one who lost a case in the lower court and is trying to appeal the decision to the
U.S. Supreme Court
•
The second name is the winner of the lower court who is now defending the lower court ruling.
Name______________________________Period______ Date_______________
Judicial Branch Project Assignment 2015
Guided Note Sheet
Class Presenters: ____________________________________________
Case Name _________________________________ V. _________________________________
Date of Supreme Court Case________________
Facts of the Case
How did the case make its way to the Supreme Court?___________________________________________________________________________
Type of Case? Criminal or Civil
Outcome Guess:_________________________________________________________
Why:____________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Connected Amendments and Issues:__________________________________________
Actual Outcome:
Significance of the Case Outcome
Name_______________________________Period_____ Date:_______________________
Judicial Branch Project Assignment 2015
Supreme Court Case Docket
1. Bethel v. Frasier
2. Engel v. Vitale
3. Goss v. Lopez
4. Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeir
5. Santa Fe Independent School District v. Jane Doe
6. Wallace v. Jaffree
7. Gideon v. Wainwright
8. Mapp v. Ohio
9. Miranda v. Arizona
10. New Jersey v. T.L.O.
11. Brown v. Board of Education Topeka Kansas
12. Texas v. Johnson
13. U.S. v. Lopez
14. Miranda v. Arizona
15. Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association
16. Kent v. United States
17. Grutter v. Bollinger
Name___________________________Period__________ Date______
Other helpful information:

The first name is the one who lost a case in the lower court and is trying to appeal the decision to the
U.S. Supreme Court

The second name is the winner of the lower court who is now defending the lower court ruling.

Notes should include:
Constitutional Issues
Scenarios (what happened in the case)
Both sides of the case
Decision (Including: voting outcome, majority/minority positions)
Overall impact and other court cases that either upheld the decision or conflicted with the decision)