Topic: the Court System in the United States

Topic: The court system in the United States Objective: The students will be able to… a) explain the purpose of the supreme court, as described in Article III of the Constitution. b) define treason and the circumstances in which treason is declared. c) describe the function of the various courts. d) describe the judge/justice selection process at the state level and for the Supreme Court. e) Illustrated the structure of the federal, state, and Supreme courts. Standards: Materials: Notebooks, textbooks, Article III worksheet, Court System worksheets (2 pages), information cards, “Exploring Essential Questions” worksheet Procedure: 1) Bellwork: Marbury v. Madison case and recall of Judicial Review: “what is the significance of judicial review?” 2) The teacher will explain that the class will continue learning about the Judicial Branch, by first taking a closer look at Article III of the Constitution, which establishes the branch, and then by looking at the structure and function of the various courts. a. The teacher will hand out the Article III worksheet while previewing the day. 3) The teacher will briefly go through the worksheet, explaining that the students will have 15 minutes to read the Article and answer the questions on the side of the page. The teacher will move around the room at this time and help students with any questions he/she may have. 4) After the time is up, the teacher will randomly call on students (using note cards) to answer the questions on the right-handed side of the worksheet) – (8-10minutes) 5) The teacher will then handout the “Court System” worksheets as well as the “cards” that go with them, all the while explaining what the students will be doing. The teacher will tell the students…. a. The worksheets cover the Federal, state, and Supreme courts including the functions, jurisdiction (ask student to recall this vocab word from yesterday), and judge selection process. b. Each of the cards has a question and description of what students are to do in the corresponding box on the worksheet. The students are to use Chapter 15 of their textbook to find the answers. The teacher will model the first card with the students to make sure all students understand. c. The class will have the rest of the period to complete the assignment – we will go over answers tomorrow. i. If all students complete the assignment early, begin going over answers ii. If students finish early, ask students for the “qualifications” of supreme court justices – are there any? Assessment: Informal – working on assignment during class, participation Formal – completed worksheet