Social Studies Curriculum Unit

Social Studies Class

The following lesson spans a 2 week period and includes 10-50 minute classes. The format of the lesson is divided by Day and Lesson Number, however, the unit can begin on any day and following the respective 10 class pattern in the case of scheduling anomalies. The final formal evaluation of the unit will be given on the last Friday or last day of the unit. The results of the tests will then be analyzed by the instructor in order to determine if re-teaching is necessary. If re-teaching is deemed necessary, the unit would then be expanded to go back over critical material that was not grasped by the class.

Overview

The student will understand the process of Supreme Court opinion forming and Constitutional interpretations and how this evolves to fit social and political climates through the exploration of several landmark cases spanning various relevant thematic. [The lesson will build on a previous lesson that fully explored the Constitution] Aims

*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 (critical thinking)

*The students will understand the salient characteristics of the landmark Supreme Court cases and be able to identify them

*The students will work in groups to develop cooperation team working skills.

*The students will work in groups to give a presentation and complete a 2 page paper.

Content

The cases that will be analyzed include are those that are considered of the "landmark variety" as designated by the Supreme Court Historical Society:

Marbury v. Madison (1803)
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
Dred Scot v. Sandford (1857)
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
Korematsu v. United States (1944)
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
Roe v. Wade (1973)
U.S. v. Nixon (1974)
Regents of CA v. Bakke (1978)
New Jersey v. TLO (1985)
Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeir (1983)
Texans v. Johnson (1989)

Since it is impossible to include every Supreme Court Case, the following list has been determined as being of sufficient scope to demonstrate the key thematic related to the Supreme Court and how it has ruled on Constitutional issues. Particularly care will be taken to examine how some opinions can change previous rulings. The evolutionary dimensions of the Supreme Court in this capacity will demonstrate to the students how the Constitution is still adaptable to modern standards. In terms of Civics, this should increase their confidence in their government and how their government is equipped to deal with Constitutional subjects as they arise in the future.

Materials

The materials necessary for completing this unit include the following [Some of the items are necessary and others are luxury]: Code: *necessity material item **luxury material item

* American Government Text Book- Standard student issue text for the course

* Landmark Cases Handout - This handout will include a list of all the aforementioned landmark cases with brief explanations of each one.

** Computer Lab - If a computer lab is available, the instructor will book two days (best case scenario) or one day for the groups to research their assigned cases.

** Library - The library can be used in addition to or instead of the computer lab if the computer lab is unavailable as a place to gather research and information for their respective projects.

* Standard classroom accessories including desks/tables and chalk/white board.

** If students need them for their visual aids, the teacher can also reserve smartboards, overhead projectors or alternate means of disseminating power points. Such technology is not required to complete the unit so if these types of items are not available in a district the unit can still retain its salient characteristics.

Monday Day 1 [Introduction]

The first class introduces the topic of the Supreme Court and Supreme Court decisions. The anticipatory will lead in covering past information in which they are familiar in addition to looking ahead by thematically tying in some of the more debated issues of our time. The discussion will include a reiteration of the salient characteristics of the Constitution, the Supreme Court and it will also define the concept of "Landmark" cases. This will be an instructor led class and consist mostly of lecture combined with question and answer. The students will be using a textbook and handout. The handout will include all of the landmark cases with a brief explanation for each.

Tuesday Day 2 [Assignment]

Students will get into groups preselected by the teacher through a random numbering system. Each group will be assigned two landmark Supreme Court Cases. Each group will be responsible for researching the cases, preparing a one page paper for each case and a presentation of the cases. For the presentation, every student is required to speak so no one in the group can not participate in all levels of the assignment. The assigning of the projects will not take the entire class. Prior to splitting the student up into groups, the instructor will present the assignment to them and the expectations of the assignments. Once they split off into groups, they can begin to delegate tasks and establish group dynamics to complete the assignment. The group component of the research is keeping in theme with the new organizational models that emphasize group and team work rather than individualized tasks (Acona et al. 2005). As a result, in addition to the subject, the unit will also be developing group work skills and task completion work skills that will serve them upon exit from high school at the conclusion of the year.

Wednesday Day 3 [Research]

The teacher will have prearranged computer lab and/or library time for the groups to research their two cases. Supervised by the instructor, the students will be able to use this time to gather all the information for their report, potentially start writing their report and also prepare their presentations.

Thursday Day 4 [Research/Rehearsal]

The students will have access to the computer lab to continue writing or they will be able to use the time to get their presentations together. The presentation requirements are: (1) each group member speaks (2) The presentation should last 10-12 minutes [5 per case] and (3) one visual aid. At the conclusion of the presentation the instructor will ask several questions and the answers the group provides to the questions will be part of their (understanding of the cases portion of the evaluation)

The presentation and papers should demonstrate the following: (1) an understanding of the cases and (2) an explanation of how those cases are relevant to modern times.

Friday Day 5 [Presentation Round 1]

1/2 of the class will present their projects. Students will already be aware on which day they are scheduled to present their material. The order in which they will present on that day will be determined by volunteers on the day of. Students will either be in group 1 (meaning they present on Friday) or group 2 (meaning they present on Monday).

Monday Day 6 [Presentation Round 2]

The final portion of the projects will be presented (The Group 2 portion)

Tuesday Day 7 [Critical Exploration Part 1]

This teacher led activity will cover all of the cases presented by the students and give the historical and social background of the material. The lesson will draw from the textbook and the key pages that correspond with what the instructor is presenting will also be designated to the students. Essentially, these lessons will be filling in the holes left by the student presentations and drawing parallels to critical thematic related to the case. The teacher will also delve into stakeholder positions on the topics as many of the cases were deemed "controversial" in their respective eras. Students will also have a chance to voice their perspectives on the subject with a greater informed perspective.

Wednesday Day 8 [Critical Exploration Part II]

This will be a continuation of the Day 7 information presentation. It will also go further into the implications of the cases in modern times and also ask the students their perspectives on possible issues that may become landmark cases in the future. In terms of current events, if there is something that is related to the Supreme Court or a landmark case in the current events at the time of the lesson the instructor could bring in material to show the connectivity between the current event and the subject in which they are learning. This may not always be possible depending on when the unit is being conducted and what is going on in the media at that time.

Thursday Day 9 [Review]

The class will review all of the material that has been presented in the previous days with particular attention to material that will be on the examination. The formal written examination will announced for the next day.

Friday Day 10 [Formal Examination]

The final unit examination will consist of a written test where students must be able to identify the salient characteristics of each of the landmark Supreme Court Cases. The test will be 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.

Unit Evaluation

At the conclusion of the unit there will be 2 grades for each student. One grade will be the collective presentation grade and the other grade will be the individual test score. The final test will have 3 versions to stagger in case that there are multiple 12th classes doing the same unit at the same time.

It is also important to note that informal evaluations will be going on throughout the development of the unit. While the students are working in groups and while the instructor is presenting material, questions will be asked and the students progressed will be routinely inquired about. In those cases where the instructor feels that something unclear is proliferating the group, time will be taken accordingly to clarify the subject in question.

References

Acona, D. Et Al. 2005. Managing for the Future. New York: Thomson. Kownslar, A. & T.L. Smart. Civics, Citizens and Society. New York: McGraw Hill.