Slawek Podraza

11/15/2010

Name: Supreme Court Case Debates

Class/Subject: Civics

Date: November 15, 2010

Student Objectives/Student Outcomes:

Student will gain the knowledge about court cases which are relevant to their current position as students
Students will engage in a court case debate in order to discover two sides of the argument of particular cases.

Content Standards

ILS 16.B.3c (U.S.): Describe the way Constitution has changed over time as a result of amendments and supreme
court decisions.

ILS 16.D.5 (W): Analyze the relationship between an issue in world social history and the related aspects of
political, economical, and environmental history.

Material Resources

Smart Board
Computer/Projector
Power Point

Teacher’s Goals

Present backgrounds of 3 court cases for students to debate

Demonstrate how the supreme court cases are relevant to the lives of students today

Time

5min Start of Class

A brief introduction of the supreme court cases that will be covered, objectives, and a quick mention of
the upcoming class debate. The teacher will ask the students how law might be influencing the students
within the school setting
5min Formal Lesson Introduction
The teacher will explain the significance of 3 supreme court cases that are relevant to the lives of the
students within the school setting. The teacher will explain the procedure of the upcoming debate.
38min Instructional Procedures
The teacher will present a quick background to a curt case in order to make sure that students have a
basic knowledge about its origin.
Using a smart board, 3 students will be selected as supreme court justices. Their role is to listen to the
debate and ultimately make a decision once the debate is concluded.
The class will be divided in half in order to represent the two sides of the case. As a whole group, the
students will have 5min to prepare their argument.
Two sides will than come together and debate their issue and protect their side of the argument.
Once the debate is concluded, the judges will make a decision as to which side won the argument.
This procedure will be repeated 2 more times with new groups and judges and curt cases.
5min Assessment
The students will place themselves in the shoes of a judge. Based on the 3 debate they have just
conducted, they will write a response which enraptures all sides of the case and present why a certain
side deserves to win or loose.

5min Closure/Wrap-Up/Review
The teacher will restate the result of the 3 court cases. And explain how they go beyone their regular
result and can shape policy in different areas.