The lesson opens with reflective questions that ask students to consider their knowledge of famous Supreme Court cases and rulings, the issues that the Court addressed last term and the last term’s impact, and potential issues that the Court may address during this term. Students then watch, analyze, and respond to an introductory video in which Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer talks about the process that the Supreme Court uses to select cases each term. Next, students engage in an activity where they choose to study three cases that will be argued in front of the Supreme Court during this term. Students will conduct additional self-guided research as needed to determine each case’s petitioner(s) and respondent(s), key issue(s), expected outcome, facts of the case, and question(s) before the court, presenting their findings to the class.
Bell Ringer: Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Legal Analysis and Originalism
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett talked about the different between original public meaning and original intent, the use of history in legal analysis, the legal analysis of unenumerated rights, and why she is an originalist.
Bell Ringer: Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the Shadow Docket
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett talked about the Court’s emergency docket, also known as the shadow docket. Justice Barrett spoke at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia with president & CEO Jeffrey Rosen.
AP U.S. Government and Politics Featured Resources Collection
This is a collection of lesson plans and bell ringers that support the AP U.S. Government and Politics course. They are organized by unit, include required Supreme Court cases as well as practice Free Response prompts and review resources.
Today’s Vote: Mandatory Minimum Sentences
In this lesson students take on the role of United States Senators to create, discuss, debate, and vote on legislation related to mandatory minimum sentences.
TVIC: Court Orders and Cybersecurity
This Lesson encourages students to think about representation in a democracy and examine important legislative issues within the structure of a Senate debate. Students will work collaboratively to create a new bill on the topic of Court Orders and Cybersecurity.
Lesson Plan: Moot Court – Students for Fair Admissions v President and Fellows of Harvard College (2023)
Moot courts provide an engaging environment for students to debate constitutional rights using contemporary issues that have been brought to the Supreme Court. This lesson provides the materials for students to deliberate over Harvard University’s admission policy and whether its selection criteria violates the Fourteenth Amendment.
Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia – Virtual Exhibit Tour
During the Revolutionary War, James Forten – a young man of African descent born free in Philadelphia – served on a privateer ship to support the Revolutionary cause. Afterwards, he and his family fought to encourage the new nation to live up to its revolutionary ideals. Use the materials in this online exhibit, supported by
Timeline of the American Revolution
Using a mixture of historical objects, artifacts, and documents drawn from the Museum’s collection, this multimedia timeline explores both key moments and surprising stories of the American Revolution. The Timeline features high-quality images and is enhanced by video explorations of select items. It encourages users to look closely, dig deeply, and even extend their experience
Protecting the Independence of the Judiciary from Disinformation
Disinformation threatens the independence of the judiciary. In this lesson, students will analyze and find examples of disinformation as it relates to; bots, ads, sock puppets, memes, and inauthentic domains. After understanding the types of disinformation, students will read Chief Justice Roberts’s 2019 End of Year Report to find out the power of disinformation and