Trust-building is an important foundation before engaging in deeper discussion topics. This icebreaker activity will help students feel more connected.
Silent Listening With a Partner
This activity challenges students to practice listening to understand – not simply to respond— and allows them to share without fear of interruption.
Hopes and Concerns
This activity allows students to reflect, write down, and share out their hopes and concerns around engaging in constructive dialogue about issues of importance.
Dialogue Question Design Worksheet
Good questions are foundational to any constructive dialogue. This activity helps instructors craft questions that have a higher likelihood of promoting dialogue that connects – rather than divides.
The Questions Game
In pairs, students will take turns sharing a political stance they hold, and their partner will listen and only ask questions (rather than respond) in order to learn as much as they can about their partner’s views and why they hold those views.
Co-Equal Leader: The Role of the Chief Justice of the United States
The Chief Justice has numerous responsibilities besides leading the Supreme Court. Explore the roles and responsibilities of the head of the Judicial Branch and examine the seventeen Chief Justices with a helpful infographic.
Lessons plans for “The Supreme Court and the 1876 Presidential Election”
These lesson plans for both basic high school and AP US History have been created for students who have watched the video. Students will analyze a map of 1876 electoral votes, a cartoon depicting a Black voter being turned away from the ballot box, an infographic about voting procedures that highlights the role of canvassing
The Supreme Court and the 1876 Presidential Election – Video
In 1876 the outcome of the presidential election between Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes was decided by a 15-member Commission, which included 5 Supreme Court Justices. Usually, the Hayes-Tilden election is taught as the event that ended Reconstruction, but this 15-minute video adds to that story. It examines the nuts of bolts of presidential
Marbury v. Madison, The Empowerment of the Judiciary – Video
Marbury v. Madison (1803) is the landmark decision that established the principle of judicial review. But the facts behind the case are complicated and often confusing to students, especially the part about original jurisdiction. This 15-minute video tells the story of Marbury in a clear and straightforward way. It uses period images—portraits and newspaper headlines—as
Life Story: John Marshall
The biography of John Marshall, the soldier, attorney, and American statesman who became the longest serving Chief Justice in Supreme Court History. After fighting in the Revolutionary War, John opened up a successful legal practice in Virginia where his renowned legal skills were in high demand. He served as Secretary of State before being nominated