Read the following:
After his wife left him and he was fired from his job, Anthony Elonis began posting rap lyrics to his Facebook page. Some of the rap lyrics contained language that terrified his ex-wife. The lyrics were extremely graphic and detailed specific ways that Elonis could kill her. His wife received a protection from abuse order which prevented Elonis from coming near her. At the hearing for that order, she testified that she felt like her husband was stalking her. After the protection order was issued, he continued to post inflammatory lyrics, including posts about shooting a local kindergarten class. This prompted the FBI to send an agent to talk with Elonis. After the FBI visit, Elonis posted rap lyrics that explained how he thought about killing the FBI agent and her family and if he was arrested he would strap a bomb to his chest. The FBI arrested him after this threat and he was charged with a felony under the law that banned interstate threats. IS ELONIS’S ACTIONS PROTECTED UNDER THE FIRST AMENDMENT? EXPLAIN YOUR ANSWER.
The above scenario was a recent discussion thread my students had to complete (picture above), not only for my virtual students but my traditional students as well. This was a BELLRINGER. Now consider this. Did this scenario grab your attention? Do you think this opened up the classroom for some good discussions? Not only did I NOT create this but this was a true story and a major Supreme Court case a few years ago. So, where did I get this material? How did this engage students in critical thinking? The answer: Street Law resources!
In 2015, I had the privilege to attend the Street Law Supreme Court Teacher Institute in Washington D.C. (pictures below)
This teacher institute provided not only incredible resources (which are available to all teachers, at no charge, on the website) but some great teaching strategies. Through this experience, I learned how to engage students in critical thinking while at the same time providing a safe environment for all students to discuss thoughts/opinions while learning how to use evidence to support their reasoning. A win-win for everyone!
You may be thinking “but I don’t teach Government.” Well, sometimes, I don’t teach Government, either. However, critical thinking skills CAN be taught in ALL subjects and SHOULD be taught in ALL subjects. Using these resources is just one way to engage students in critical thinking. Seriously, teachers! How many of you struggle to get students to talk? Do you honestly not think presenting a real situation, as I did in the above discussion thread, will not get students to talk? The problem I have is getting them to STOP talking so we can proceed to the “rest of the story” – the case itself. By the way, if you want to know how the Court ruled in this case, click on the following link: Elonis v United States (this is another great website to use in conjunction to your court cases).
So, a Street Law court case student handout… Click on the following link- US v Lopez
This is an example of a Street Law court case. As you can see, you have background knowledge of the constitutional issue, facts of the case (the story), the issue presented to the Court, precedents, arguments for both sides, and the decision. I use these handouts to create my bellringers. The FACTS/story is what I use to present the case to the students. These are also given to you in a WORD document that you can edit to fit the needs of your classes. For example, sometimes, I do not use the arguments so I delete and upload, in Canvas, the parts students need. What is great about these resources is they are written on a reading level that is easy for students to understand.
Another way I use these court cases as bellringers is by assigning as a reading quiz. If I want students to have background knowledge of a particular precedent, like Mapp v Ohio, I will assign a reading quiz that incorporates Mapp as a precedent so students will not only read how Mapp applies to more present-day cases but the constitutional issue presented in cases similar to Mapp. For a reading quiz, students open up the Street Law handout and use to answer basic recall level questions. (note: U.S. v Lopez is not a 4th Amendment case but one that deals with federalism and commerce)
So far, I have discussed how you can use these resources for bellringers. Although there are MANY ways to use these resources (if you go to their website, you will see teaching strategies), there is another way to use these to engage students while creating a safe environment.
Obergefell v Hodges – a 14th Amendment case that many you have heard about without probably knowing the exact title…the same-sex marriage court case. I also know what you are thinking…you used that case in your classroom? Yes, I did. But…we didn’t discuss or debate the merits of the case. I used this case to help guide 14th Amendment concepts my AP Government students needed to know. My students had to read not only the majority opinion but all four dissenting opinions as well (dissenting opinions can be used in future cases to help guide an overturn of a case…example: Plessy v Ferguson’s dissent was used in Brown v Board). By not discussing the topic itself and sticking to the “logistics” of the case, the students were able to read all justices’ reasoning in this case. They had to define and apply various concepts from each opinion. By keeping this activity to the “logistics” and understanding the reasoning behind all the justices’ thoughts, the students were able to take what could have been a very divisive topic and learn very complex concepts.
Street Law’s resources are a must in every classroom. They also have a website, landmarkcases.org, where you can find different activities written on various reading levels (great if you have a range of learning abilities in your classroom). I know I am not doing these resources justice but the only way you can truly learn how to use these handouts is to dive in and use one. Figure out what works for you and your students. Trust me. You miss not be disappointed.
