Lessons & Resources - Teach Democracy

Lesson Plans and Resources

Appellate Court Experience Lesson Plan: Teachers can prepare students for their visit to the California State Court of Appeals by using this lesson plan and PowerPoint presentation on the court system.

Bill of Rights in Action (BRIA) Lesson Plans: The Constitutional Rights Foundation’s Bill of Rights in Action (BRIA) is a free resource published four times a year. An archive of BRIAs is available on CRF’s web site.

First Amendment/Freedom of Speech: Lesson plan based on Morse v. Frederick, a high school free speech case. Includes a facilitator’s talking points with supplemental questions and information.

First Amendment/Freedom of Association: Lesson plan based on Chicago v. Morales, a case involving the Constitutionality of an anti-gang ordinance set forth by the city of Chicago. Includes a facilitator’s guide and student handout.

Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments Resources: Street Law, Inc. has several exercises and hypotheticals that can be used as part of lessons about the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth amendments. To view these resources, scroll to the bottom of the Supreme Court Lesson Plans & Teaching Methods section on the Street Law, Inc. website.

Landmark Cases of the U.S. Supreme Court: This site was developed by Street Law, Inc. to provide teachers with a full range of resources and activities to support the teaching of the landmark Supreme Court cases, helping student explore the key issues of each case. Includes full lesson plans on 17 landmark Supreme Court cases.

Click here for more Supreme Court Case Studies by topic.

Landmarks: Historic Supreme Court Decisions: Each reading in this student text published by the Constitutional Rights Foundation focuses on one case, giving historical background, outlining the decision, and explaining its significance. A separate teacher’s guide contains lesson plans for each reading. The plans include focus activities, discussion questions with suggested answers, step-by-step instructions for interactive activities, and debriefing questions and suggestions. Click here for a sample lesson plan on Texas v. Johnson, the controversial 1989 Supreme Court decision on flag burning.

Courtroom to Classroom Lesson Plan: PowerPoint presentations and hand-outs that can be used to prepare your students for the visit of the judge and one or two attorneys.

“What is a Civil Case?”: A PowerPoint presentation that outlines the basic differences between a civil case and a criminal case. Includes a discussion of the facts of T.E.A.M Entertainment, Inc. v. Douglas, et al., a breach of contract case against the singer Ashanti.

Car Sale Negotiation Hypo: A hypothetical car sale negotiation during which students can take the roles of buyer and seller.

Criminal Justice in America: This text can serve as an entire law-related education course, or supplement for civics, government or contemporary-issues courses. Click here to see a sample.

Educating About Immigration: An interactive site that caters to teachers, students, and others interested in unbiased information and lessons on U.S. immigration.

Counterfeiting/Trademark Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students participate in a simulation of a “Blue Ribbon Hearing” and take the roles of committee members analyzing public policy responses to the issue of counterfeiting. Working in small groups, students analyze data and prepare to participate in a simulation of a government commission. The goal of the lesson is to help students understand the importance of anti-counterfeiting and the significance of trademarks in their everyday lives.

Educating About Intellectual Property: For additional intellectual property curriculum, see “Educating About Intellectual Property,” a collaborative website of Constitutional Rights Foundation and Street Law, Inc.

Collective Bargaining Workshop: This lesson plan gives students a basic understanding of the purpose of labor unions and what collective bargaining is. Provides detail regarding the duty to bargain in good faith and what happens when there is an impasse between the two parties.

Lesson Plans for Small Learning Communities/Academies/Magnets: For more resources for teachers at schools with a law, policy, or social justice emphasis, the Constitutional Rights Foundation has a variety of standards-based lessons, programs, and resources. Lessons include several role-play and simulation activities, mock trials, writing activities, and collaborative small-group work activities.

Criminal Justice in America: This text can serve as an entire law-related education course, or supplement for civics, government or contemporary-issues courses. Click here to see a sample of the first chapter.

Landmarks: Historic Supreme Court Decisions: Each reading in this student text published by the Constitutional Rights Foundation focuses on one case, giving historical background, outlining the decision, and explaining its significance. A separate teacher’s guide contains lesson plans for each reading. The plans include focus activities, discussion questions with suggested answers, step-by-step instructions for interactive activities, and debriefing questions and suggestions. Click here for a sample lesson plan on Texas v. Johnson, the controversial 1989 Supreme Court decision on flag burning.

Lawyers and Law Students Teaching in the Community: This publication helps lawyers and law students bring practical law to their communities. The manual contains 15 lesson plans and implementation strategies for lawyers and law students to guide their teaching in community-based settings.

Street Law Textbook: This textbook is a course on practical law geared for secondary students. The 9th edition has a new design, updated Supreme Court cases and social science data, as well as new materials on marriage equality, the Affordable Care Act, and intellectual property.