How do we use technology to research famous Supreme Court decisions?

This is an assignment that will allow students to use technology to research and find out how these famous Supreme Court decisions have come about. It will give insights and understanding of how the judicial process is developed, and its effect upon the system of  "checks and balances."

Goals and Objectives: Students will understand how famous Supreme Court decisions came about. Critical thinking skills are a must to understand the reasons for the court decisions. Cognitive abilities come into play as students are thinking about how these decisions can affect their lives. Deductive skills are necessary to search through the websites to find the pertinent information.  Upon completion of this unit, students will have the ability to understand the concept of checks and balances in regard to how the Supreme Court can make rulings that are binding and irrefutable. Within the framework of the Supreme Court the nine justices may be divided, therefore showing that even at the highest level of the Judicial branch, there can be disagreement about what is proper.

Time Frame: 2-4 days
Setting:  the computer room where students can access the information
Population: class of high school American History students

Materials/Resources/Equipment needed:  We need access to the computers and the Internet is the road that we are traveling on to find these decisions using several websites, such as the search engine www.looksmart.com;  and  the Supreme Court Locator at: http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/cases/name.htm. We will also need a printer so that the students can print out the material about the decisions.

Instructional Strategies: I want my students to look up two of these famous Supreme Court decisions and read what the particulars of the decision were. The students will write down the facts of the case and evaluate how and why this decision came about.  They must understand the time frame of this decision in regard to issues such as slavery and equal rights for all Americans.

Procedure: 
Students will be able to: 
1. name the three branches of government
2 .define the term checks and balances
3- identify two important Supreme Court decisions from among :
Roe vs. Wade
Brown vs. Board of Education
Dred Scott vs. Sandford
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Miranda vs. Arizona
And others as well.

Students will use the Supreme Court Locator at: http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/cases/name.htm, where all historic decisions are stored.

Students will go into the computer room and look for a search engine like Yahoo or Looksmart.com to find information on these Supreme Court decisions, in addition to the text and commentaries found at the Supreme Court Locator. When students have found the set of decisions, they will click on the decision that interests them the most and write down these particulars about the case (year of the case, the two parties involved in the case, reason this case came to the Supreme Court, verdict in the case and the vote from the justices, effect the case had on American History, and finally your opinion of the case).

Focus Questions a teacher might ask to guide or nurture the lesson:
1- Should the Supreme Court have the final say about cases involving difficult issues in American society?
2- How can the entire country be forced to obey or change its opinion about a controversial issue on the sayso of nine old people (Justices)?
3- Can anyone overrule the Supreme Court?
4- Who has the right to choose Supreme Court Justices?

Conclusion:  Students will evaluate the propriety of the Supreme Court and if they have done a good job reflecting the values and desires of our American society as it has changed and will continue to change as we enter the 21st century

Evaluation: There will be a follow up lesson to discuss the results of this assignment, and to decide if future assignments along this line should take place.

Homework: Students are to write a 150 word essay on their specific Supreme Court decision and their opinion of the process in general, putting particular emphasis on the  results of the Supreme Court decision that they focused on.
 
 

For the lesson plan on presidential decisions, please click HERE