National Council for Social Studies and Learning Standards Standards

U.S. Government: Constitution and the Supreme Court Unit

1. Rationale

"We are surrounded by other people [and] We depend on other people and others depend on us" (Kownslar & Smart). This statement, taken from Civics and Citizenship textbook, may seem rather elementary; however, it provides the foundations on which humans have developed societal systems in order to promote safety and cooperation. As American citizens, understanding the intricacies of how the U.S. system of governance operates is of the utmost importance for its citizenry. Through working according Federal and State standards, these foundations should have already been firmly entrenched in the minds of public school students, as by the time students reach 12th grade they are at their final phase of public school. For both students going on to college and those going directly to the job market or the armed forces, having a more complete idea of how the Constitution works for them and has evolved over the course of U.S. history is the next obvious level necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the topic.

To help complete the transition from understanding the basic concepts of Civics as designed in 9th Grade curriculum to a more in depth study of Constitutional law, the following 2 week unit [See Unit Portion of Discourse] has been proposed to teach how the Supreme Court has ruled on Constitutional issues over the years. While the sheer size of Supreme Court cases makes it impossible to examine every case, major issues of historical and contemporary importance will be analyzed thematically so students can understand how the laws and political subjects today have gotten to the point at which they are currently resting. From search and seizure questions to the Patriot Act and from human rights questions to abortion, this unit is not of sufficient scope to be considered comprehensive, but of sufficient scope to offer general highlights of constitutional law, how the Supreme Court operates and how opinions can change with societal expectations. The students will be able to see how the Constitution, though drafted Centuries prior, is still of sufficient elasticity to be relevant to modern standards of governance.

The proposed U.S. Constitution and Supreme Court Case Unit for a 12th grade U.S. government class is firmly within the realms of the National Council for Social Studies Standards as well as the New York State Social Studies Learning Standards. On the level of the 10 thematic Federal Standards, the following categories have been identified for academic curriculum development: culture, time, people/places/environments, individual development/identity, individuals/groups/institutions, power/authority/governance, productions/distribution/consumption, science/technology/society, global connections and civil ideas and practices (National). The proposed unit directly interacts on the following thematic levels: (A) time, (B) power/authority/governance and (C) civil ideals/practices.

While these are the foundations of the unit, the cases described will indirectly interact on the following levels: people/places/environments, individual development/identity, individual groups/institutions and science/technology society. In this regard, the unit on the basic foundational level and on the indirect foundational levels cover 7 of the 10 thematic with exception to culture, production/distribution/consumption and global connections. Even in the case of the exceptions, there could be a case made for them with the correct perspective. On the New York Social Studies Learning Standards level, the unit is firmly set on the History of United States and New York Standard as well as the Civics, Citizenship and Government Standards level (New York). Holistically, the proposed curriculum is designed within the scope and spirit of both Federal and State expectations of Social Studies classrooms. By understanding how the Supreme Court works and how the Constitution has been interpreted on matters of historical and contemporary consequence, students will be better equipped to understand how the judicial process works in the United States.

Holistically, the unit works on two levels, those of Piaget's concrete operations stage of development and those of the formal stage of development (Piaget). Being that the class is of a heterogenous grouping with some included students, it is possible that the learning curve for all students may not extend into the formal stages and the advanced considerations that would be a part of this process. The way in which the unit is designed, however, makes it possible for either stage level to get something important from the unit. On the concrete operations level, the identification of the landmark Supreme Court cases will be foremost. Using the landmark cases as designated by the Supreme Court Historical Society, all students at the conclusion of the unit will be able to identify the cases and what the result of each case was. For example, if a student were to come across Marbury v. Madison, he/she would know that this case established judicial review in the U.S.

On the formal stages of operation, students would be able to see more complicated thematic. For example, they would understand how these Supreme Court cases shaped U.S. history, how they keep the Constitution relevant to modern consideration and how some of the cases are directly linked to current events today. This phase requires abstract thinking (Piaget) and not all of the students will be able to make the connections. Being a 12th grade class, however, it is estimated by the candidate that most of the students will be able to make some degree of formal connections related to the topic. A full concrete and formal connection would be the level of achievement that will have the greatest score. For examples, students that meet the operational and formal objectives of the unit will be those who receive the highest scores and vice versa. The expectations of the presentation portion will be clearly articulated to the students in the form of a grading rubric so they know exactly how they are being evaluated. The test that will come at the end of the unit will be a standard evaluation method that employs a combination of short answer, multiple choice and essays. Strong scoring on the test will necessitate that students are familiar with the cases and the implication of the cases.

Though the unit thematically addresses important issues related to being a United States citizen, the cooperative aspect of the project also will help to facilitate: spoken communications, written communications, teamwork and deadline oriented task completion. It is recognized that the modern organization is now one where team work is the norm rather than the exception (Acona et al.). Furthermore, it is recognized that communication skills are a valuable part of any job and the success rate of the individual at that respective job. In terms of communication skills, the students will be working in groups to give a presentation and a submit a written paper. As a result, they will have to communicate to group members and then ultimately to the professor and class through a paper and oral communication. In terms of the latter, as indicated in the unit, each group member will be required to speak in the presentation. In terms of team work and deadline oriented task completion modalities, it will be up to the respective teams to delineate tasks and make sure that they have their product and presentation ready by the necessary due date. This atmosphere simulates a typical modern workforce scenario with the teacher playing the role as the supervisor. In terms of preparing for life after high school, the project does so on a concrete level (the team work aspect) and on the aforementioned thematic level (civic).

The lesson is also quite flexible and could persist with modifications to extend it and also to go back and re-teach if this is required after the final formal evaluations are examined by the instructor. Technology could be implemented into the presentation and research portion of the project if it is available. Computers, smart boards, powerpoint, projectors and general multi media could all easily be part of the teacher presentation portions and the student presentation portions. With the availability of such devices differing from school to school, even if they are not included, the necessary flexibility exists for the unit to retain its value and objectives.

It is the perspective of the candidate that the most interdisciplinary and life preparing mechanisms that can appear in a unit that is already based on the Federal and State standards the better. The proposed unit is firmly within most of the Federal Paradigms and on two critical levels of the New York State social studies paradigms. As a result, the unit exceeds the expectations of both the Federal and State guidelines. If every unit could extend beyond the Federal and State guidelines the quality of education in the country could drastically be improved. The lesson also addresses the three types of learners: Audio, Kinesthetic and Visual. The unit will have lectures, visual aids and hands on activities in its two week run to ensure that each type of learner has their needs met.

References

Acona, D. Et Al. Managing for the Future. New York: Thomson. Kownslar, A. & T.L. Smart.

Civics, Citizens and Society. New York: McGraw Hill. National Council for Social Studies. 10 Thematic Standards.

New York State. Social Studies Learning Standards.

Piaget's Stages of Development. San Diego State University.

Supreme Court History Society. Landmark Supreme Court Cases.