Teacher Resources: Lesson Plan

Investigation of The Court and Gender

Overview

The purpose of the lesson is to introduce students to the landmark legislation involving gender and the female justices who have shaped the United States' highest court. Through primary source investigation and interactive discovery, students will understand the importance of equality and opportunity as a characteristic of modern America. Students will demonstrate content mastery through a self-reflective writing response. The topic of gender and equality could be used thematically with the topic of slavery and its long lasting impact on the American nation. The lesson is appropriate for students in grades 9-12.

National Curriculum Standards met by this lesson

For a list of standards that this unit addresses, click here.

Ties to Your Curriculum

This lesson should be included in any civics, government, or current events class for high school juniors and seniors when teaching students the following objectives:

Time Required

Depending on depth and breadth of student research, anywhere from one to two weeks.

Materials Needed

The Lesson

Anticipatory Set

Class discussion: Discuss with students that some of the most controversial issues in society today have to do with our rights and how they are different for each gender. Start a discussion by asking students how they feel about divorce, sexual harassment, discrimination, abortion, citizenship, and then suffrage. Ask students what rights they think the individuals in these situations should have. Explain that the courts have historically outlined the rights individuals have in these and other gender-related cases, and that those outcomes have affected American attitudes, values, and choices. To quote the McRel standards "the decisions of one generation both provide and limit the range of possibilities open to the next generation." Write that quotation on the board or overhead and ask students what they think it means. See if they can generate any examples of how one generation has provided for or limited choices for the next generation. (All historic court cases would be possibilities as the rulings would effect the next generation, i.e., abortion, divorce, citizenship.) How would those rulings affect the genders differently?

Procedures

  1. Have students choose a topic related to women's rights and gender issues that they would like to investigate further. Refer students to the timeline of related court cases if they need help making a choice. Identify each of the sub-themes within the Gender timeline and discuss to make sure students understand each sub-theme. (Family, Marriage, and Gender Differences; Morality and Ethics; Discrimination in Work or Employment; Civic and Social Rights; Education; Reproduction and Privacy Rights; Violence and Sexual Harassment; Other Gender Issues) Students then search the timeline on this site for court cases related to their topic.
  2. Next have students read the case and highlight the rights outlined for the individuals involved. Then students should record those rights on note cards labeled with the name of the case.
  3. Students should search for at least one other case on the same topic and follow the same procedure of highlighting and recording on note cards to see if the rights outlined for the individuals involved are the same as for the previous case.
  4. After researching, students need to hypothesize how the outcome of the court cases has changed American society since the ruling. (For example, women's right to vote has allowed women to be equal to men in many aspects of society. Or the legalization of abortion has led many to value human life before birth.) Make sure you note to students that this is their opinion about how the outcome of the case has affected society, and that others may disagree with them because of a difference in values and attitudes. Students should record their hypotheses on a note card.
  5. Organize students into discussion groups of three to four students. Students should each bring their note cards with them to the group. Then one at a time, students should share about their case and their findings and see how their classmates feel about their hypotheses. (Remind students that everyone is entitled their own opinion and some may disagree. That is what makes America the free country it is.) Students should take notes on their classmates' opinions to help them analyze and better understand the issue they are researching.
  6. To compile their information, students should write an essay with the following format:
    • Introduction: A general statement or two about the topic of the court case to get the reader's attention.
    • Overview of cases: A brief outline of the parties and issues involved in the court cases.
    • Ruling of case: How did the court rule?
    • Hypothesis of how the ruling has affected society: How have attitudes and values about the topic changed since the ruling?
    • Conclusion: Restating the introduction and summing up the conclusions made by the student through this investigation

The length of the paper should be from 2-5 pages in length.

Assessment

Teachers can use the following rubric to grade the essays:

10 points: A Detailed, well-written essay with a great understanding of the court case and how it has affected American society. This paper will show both great writing skills and a mastery of the content.

9 points: A Well-written essay with a good understanding of the court case and how it has affected American society. Not as detailed as a 10, but still a good paper.

8 points: A clear understanding of the case and writing skills, but is lacking in fluency, details, or one or two other necessary aspects.

7 points: An average attempt, lacking in several necessary aspects.

6 points: A Below average attempt, didn't make a logical hypothesis or the writing skills are not acceptable.

Below 6 points: If a student turns in a paper below a six, and they have given the paper a serious attempt, have a conference with them to reorganize and have them rewrite the paper.