Teacher Resources: Lesson Plan
Investigation of the Warren Court
Overview
This lesson can be used for studying the period of Supreme Court history when Earl Warren served as Chief Justice and exploring what impact that court, and the outcomes of the cases it considered, have had on American society. It will lead students to explore a variety of resources including external web sites that have been evaluated by teachers for their resource value and a timeline of related cases. This lesson plan is appropriate for high school junior and senior students.
National Curriculum Standards met by this lesson
For a list of standards that this unit addresses, click here.
Ties to your Curriculum
This lesson can be used in any civics, government, or current events class for high school juniors and seniors when teaching students the following objectives:
- --to explore how the Constitution can be interpreted many different ways
- --to identify how the rule of law can be used to protect the rights of individuals.
- --to analyze court cases during the Warren Court.
- --to rationalize how Supreme Court rulings affect American society.
- --to explore how the judicial system can be used to politicize controversial events.
Time Required
Depending on depth and breadth of student research, anywhere from one to two weeks.
Materials Needed
- Internet connection for viewing of internal and external links
- Library resources
- Note cards and highlighters for students
The Lesson
Anticipatory Set
Class discussion: Discuss with students that, historically, the Supreme Court has always been relatively controversial because of the types of cases it deals with. For a case to end up at the Supreme Court, it would have created some attention on the way. An excerpt from The Court Today essay, the period of "several decades after World War II, the Court's review of state laws and actions generated unusual public outcry. This was particularly the case with the Court headed by Earl Warren. When a politician today complains about 'judicial activism,' or insists on a return to the 'original intent' of the Constitution, that politician is typically criticizing the Supreme Court's practices and decisions from the time of the Warren Court." Read the entire essay, The Court Today by John Moore (link to ) to the students either by making copies or having them access it on a computer. Make sure to point out that this outcry was significantly caused because of the Court's assumption that the protection from the national government given to individuals in the Bill of Rights also applied to state governments. Numerous cases were put in the spotlight because of this interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Procedures
- Have students choose one important case listed in the essay to investigate further. Those cases are as follows:
- Students should go to the timeline (link to interactive timeline)on this site to search for more information about the case they chose. If the case is not included on the timeline, then direct students to
- Next have students read the information and highlight the major points of the case and the rights outlined for the individuals involved. Then students should record that information on note cards.
- After researching, students need to hypothesize how the outcome of the court case has changed American society since the ruling. (For example, women's right to vote has allowed women to achieve equality with men in many aspects of society. Or the legalization of abortion has led many to not value human life before birth.) Make sure to 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 hypothesis on a note card.
- To compile their information, students should write an essay with the following format:
Brown v. Board of Education
Yates v. United States
Engel v. Vitale
Baker v. Carr
Miranda v. Arizona
Roe v. Wade
These cases were all brought to the Supreme Court during the Warren Court and the rulings were based on the Court's interpretation of the true meaning of the Constitution.
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? How did the interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment apply in this case?
Hypothesis of how the ruling has affected society: Have attitudes and values about the topic changed since the ruling, and if so, how?
Conclusion: Restating the introduction and summing up the conclusions made by the student through this investigation. How did the Warren Court shape American society through this case?
The length of the paper should be 3-6 pages.
Assessment
|
Grading Element/Total Points |
Excellent |
Good |
Fair |
Not Satisfactory |
No Work |
|
Research |
There is an abundance of information about the topic. Points are clearly made and are logical. All evidence supports the points made. Contains no factual errors. |
There is a considerable amount of information about the topic. Points are not as clear or logical. Most evidence supports the points made. Contains no factual errors. |
Locates and uses general information from a limited number of sources. Points are not easy to follow or logical. Weakly assesses the points posed for the paper. May contain some factual errors. |
Shows weak research, with incomplete or unbalanced topic coverage. Demonstrates little effort to assess the points posed for the paper. May contain factual errors. If a student falls into this category, and they gave this assignment a reasonable amount of effort, conference with the student and allow them to redo either both their research or their paper. Set up a time to do this privately. |
No research.
|
|
Essay |
A well-balanced, organized and thorough paper. Addresses all of the questions posed for the paper with a high degree of clarity. Error-free spelling and grammar. Conclusions, predictions, and connections were made with a high degree of logic.
|
A generally balanced, organized, and complete paper. Addresses most of the questions posed for the paper with a considerable amount of clarity. Few Spelling and grammatical errors. Conclusions, predictions, and connections were made with considerable logic. |
A somewhat balanced, organized paper. Addresses some of the questions posed for the paper with some clarity. Several spelling and grammatical errors. Conclusions, predictions, and connections were made with some logic. |
Paper is not balanced, complete, or organized. Addresses few of the questions posed for the paper with little clarity. Numerous spelling and grammatical errors. Conclusions, predictions, and connections were made with little logic. |
No paper.
|
Related Works
The Supreme Court Under Earl Warren, 1953-1969 (Chief Justiceships of the Supreme Court) by Michal R. Belknap
Chief Justice: A Biography of Earl Warren by Ed Cray
Earl Warren: A Public Life by F. Edward White
The Memoirs of Chief Justice Earl Warren by Earl Warren
Interdisciplinary Links
This lesson could be used to link to the following curricula:
In sociology: when evaluating the how the federal government affects the freedoms given to Americans
In psychology: when examining how role of the federal government has shaped the rights of individuals today
In government: when studying the Constitution and its role in American society
Related Works
Issues of Gender by Ellen G. Friedman, Jennifer D. Marshall
Supreme Court Cases on Gender and Sexual Equality 1787-2001 by Christopher A. Anzalone
Supreme Court Decisions and Women's Rights: Milestones to Equality by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, et al