Marbury v. Madison is arguably the most important landmark case in the history of the Supreme Court. A fact-filled lesson provides background information about the case and two others related to the concept of judicial review. Scholars...

Most people support the idea of an independent judiciary in theory until they hear about a court case that violates their principles. An informative resource explains why the concept is important. It also provides scholars of criminology...

Students research the Constitutional provision for the Judicial branch of government. They examine different U.S. founder's positions on the relative strength of the judicial branch and act as a review court for Marbury vs. Madison.

Student demonstrate understanding of both sides of the argument between Jefferson and Marshall that led to the strengthening of the Judicial Branch through the creation of judicial review. Unit is comprised of five lessons and fits into...

Who has the power? Scholars investigate the creation of the three branches of government in the United States Constitution. They analyze just why the framers created the branches the way they did.

Americans love to learn about their rights, especially those that protect them from the government's power to invade their privacy. Young people are especially engaged by this topic. An informative lesson explores four Supreme Court...

Students write about working in one branch of government.  In this branches of government activity, students read about the three levels of government using various websites and then work in groups to discuss, illustrate and write...

Sixth graders discover details about the 3 branches of government. In this primary source analysis lesson, 6th graders examine documents and images from the Library of Congress to investigate the structure of the U.S. government.

Students are introduced to the three functions of government (legislative, judicial, and executive). They read and discuss a story about an overworked king who must handle all the tasks of government. Students give a description of the...

High schoolers research branches and agencies of state government to further explain how legislation and initiatives impact Deaf community. They conduct email interviews with Deaf government leaders, and create electronic portfolios.

Learners explore the branches of government. In this U. S. Constitution lesson, students examine the system of checks and balances in the U.S. plan of government as they read the document and define vocabulary words.

Who has the power? The founding fathers asked the same question when the United States was formed. Learners explore issues that arose during Madison’s presidency that raised constitutional questions. Through discovery, discussion, and...

Pupils research the branches of government and write summaries about both the state and federal systems. After conducting reaserch in texts and online, students create Venn diagrams displaying the governmental functions of the three...

Students investigate some basic facts about the Supreme Court by examining the United States Constitution and one of the landmark cases decided by that court. The operation of the Supreme Court forms the focus of the lesson.

Students learn basic facts about the Supreme Court by examining the United States Constitution and one of the landmark cases decided by that court.

Students identify the powers of national and state governments. They evaluate the balance of national versus state power. They utilize worksheets imbedded in this plan to gain a deeper perspective of how the government powers are separated.

Students explore and identify the power of national and state governments. They discuss the concept of federalism and the distribution of governmental powers. As a class, they examine the balance of power between the federal and state...

What's the best way to make sense of the Constitution?  A helpful lesson contains both the text of Article III and annotation of each of its sections, breaking it down into easy-to-understand parts. It also includes links to a...

Students identify the process of writing a case brief. They analyze the case McCulloch v Maryland. After a lecture/demo, students utilize a case study worksheet imbedded in this plan to help them explain the process of performing a case...

Supreme Court justices debate the meaning of the US Constitution, but we expect teachers to explain it to scholars with far less training and experience. A daunting task for sure, but it's not insurmountable with resources that simplify...

Unless you are a lawyer, you might not understand just how unrealistic Law and Order and other legal dramas actually are. Here's a great resource to help scholars of criminology gain a more realistic perspective. The lesson outlines the...

Students investigate the importance of separation of powers, checks, balances, and judicial review. They also investigate how national and state governments are linked.

Students examine Supreme Court cases. In this U.S. government lesson, students watch a video about the Bill of Rights and then research 4 Supreme Court cases using the noted web site. Students analyze the presented information and write...

Courtrooms are complicated. In addition to the many rules, there are a number of people whose jobs are not very clear to the casual courtroom observer. With the resource, individuals identify some of these roles and review more...