| 
  • If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.

  • You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

View
 

Meridian and Ferndale High School

Page history last edited by talia.mathews@wcls.org 14 years, 8 months ago

 HOME | ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | MIDDLE SCHOOL | HIGH SCHOOL | INFORMATION LITERACY PLANS

 

 

Checks and Balances

 

                    Judicial Review/Separation of Powers

 

 

PRINT RESOURCES

 

     Available through WCLS

 

Landmark Supreme Court cases : the most influential decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States / Gary Hartman, Roy M. Mersky, Cindy Tate Slavinski (2004). From Facts on File library of American History series. Discusses important Supreme Court cases that influenced American law, offering information on the key issues, background, decisions, and significance of the case. Recommended for grade 9 and up. 

Review Excerpt (School Library Journal, 2004): “An excellent source for beginning researchers. The 350 cases considered are grouped under broad subjects such as abortion, privacy, freedom of religion, civil rights, due process, and freedom of speech and assembly. Each unbiased entry runs about two pages in length and is organized by sections discussing the key issues of the case and its history and offering a summary of the arguments presented, an overview of the decision, the response to it, and a list of related cases. The discussion of the case's significance and its implications will be useful for students. The appendixes include an alphabetical list of entries, a glossary, and a list of sources for each case”  

 

Illustrated great decisions of the Supreme Court / Tony Mauro (2006).

 A comprehensive introduction to the Supreme Court and a description and discussion of landmark cases. Includes Miller v. California, Marbury v. Madison, Terry v. Ohio, United States v. Nixon, and 84 other cases. Recommended for both High School and College. 

Review excerpt: "[...]The decision is summarized in a short paragraph followed by the background and facts of the case, the court's reasoning and vote, and excerpts from the decision. The impact of the decision is discussed, and decisions that have been modified or overturned are so noted...Illustrations include portraits of some justices and plaintiffs, political cartoons, and photographs related to specific cases...secondary-school and public libraries will find this title to be a useful quick-reference tool and a good starting point for student's research" (Booklist, 2004). Full review here

 

Landmark Supreme Court cases : a reference guide / Donald E. Lively (1999).

Surveys the Supreme Court cases that most affected developments in government power, economic regulation, equality, and individual rights, tracing changes in the Court's views and the context and results of each case. Includes a section on Miller v. California. Recommended for High School. 

Review (Booklist, 2000): "Designed for high-school students and general readers, this volume discusses 74 cases under four broad topics: the distribution of powers, the relationship between the nation and its states, concepts of equality, and individual rights. These are divided further into more specific topics. We found Lemon v. Kurzman in "The Fifteenth Amendment: Freedom of Religion" chapter in the section on individual rights. There is a three-and-a-half-page treatment of the case that includes a summary of key facts, analysis, and a brief bibliography. The thematic approach combined with fairly detailed discussion of individual cases works well."

 

The Supremes' greates hits : the 34 Supreme Court cases that most directly affect your life / Michael G. Trachtman (2006).

This book seems very appealing to high schoolers, because it is written in the style of popular nonfiction rather than academia. Includes Miller v. California, Marbury v. Madison, and United States v. Nixon. Full list of cases here 

Review excerpt (Simon Barrent, 2007): "There have been many books written about the Supreme Court, but most of them are written in a language we poor mortals cannot understand. The legal world speaks a language the average person has little clue about. Mr. Trachtman, a founding partner of a successful law firm, has changed that. The Supremes' Greatest Hits is written in a style we can all enjoy. From the back cover of the book it is said... 'He has spent thousands of hours learning how not to write like a lawyer.' That sums up Mr. Trachtman’s style very well. The Supremes' Greatest Hits is a series of vignettes that explain in plain English how 34 Supreme Court rulings have affected our everyday lives. [....] If I was a high school teacher, this is the type of book around which I would love to form a class. If everyone understood more about the workings of this powerful group, maybe some of the decisions made by the Supreme Court would be easier to understand and put into the context of today’s world."  

 

United States v. Nixon : Watergate and the president / D.J. Herda (1996) and other Landmark Supreme Court Case Series books

This series is well reviewed by School Library Journal, and this volume is recommended for grade 6 and up (although some volumes in the series indicate grade 8 and up, or simply "young adult"). There are other 11 other books from the same series at WCLS; to view them, click here. This is the only one in the WCLS catalog which covers one of the cases specifically mentioned during the meeting. There are more books in the series not available at WCLS; to view them all and see individual reviews, go to Barnes & Noble. Other titles not at WCLS may be purchased inexpensively ( I saw a used copy of one for $1.99) or borrowed through interlibrary loan.

 

Constitutional amendments, 1789 to the present / Kris E. Palmer, [editor] ; preface by R.B. Bernstein (2000). 

This is the most current constitutional amendment encyclopedia in the WCLS library. Unfortunately, it is a Reference book, so may not be checked out (although an exception could possibly be made, because there are two copies. If interested, inquire at the Lynden Library). Alternately, it is available for sale at Amazon.com or could be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

 

Balancing the power : the branches of government / Cobblestone (2003)

Cobblestone, a magazine from the same publisher as Cricket,  is recommended for ages 9-14, and so may be a bit simplistic for high schoolers; on the other hand, as an adult I still find the content interesting and the writing engaging. Reluctant readers in the class may benefit from having this available.

 

Issues On Trial series (2006) 

Published by Gale. Each book in the series examines presents an overview of several historic cases relevant to the book's topic, examines their significance, and provides discussion and analysis. WCLS has four of these; others could be purchased or borrowed via interlibrary loan. Written at a High School level. The four owned by WCLS/PBL areFreedom of the Press, Individual Rights and the Police (includes Terry v. Ohio), Racial Discrimination, and The Death Penalty.  To see the contents of each, go to the individual book summary in the WCLS catalog. To view the whole series list, see http://www.gale.cengage.com/pdf/facts/issuesTrial.pdf

 

     Not available from WCLS/BPL (could be purchased or borrowed through interlibrary loan)

 

American Rights from  Chelsea House

VOYA reviewed this series as  "text is straightforward and easy to read but not tremendously detailed."  Best used for an overview.  Some of the topics, likeRight to Bear Arms include a summary of relevant court cases.

 

The easiest way to search for these using Amazon would be to get the ISBN number from the Chelsea House website.

 

Bill of Rights-A Series from Greenhaven Press

Includes primary resources

"Primary documents - including landmark Supreme Court rulings - reveal the ongoing effort to define the exact meaning of the text and apply its abstract concepts to real-world cases. Secondary sources, including magazine articles and book excerpts, add an additional layer of analysis and commentary." - publisher's description

This looked promising to me, although I did not find an outside review for it.

 

Easiest way to search for these using Amazon would be to get the ISBN number from the publisher's website.

 

Checks and balances: The three branches of the American government / Daniel E. Brannen and Lawrence Baker (2005)

Published by Gale. Checks and Balances: The Three Branches of the American Government offers relevant, easy-to-understand information detailing the inner workings of the federal government. In addition to historical overviews and examinations of the day-to-day operations of each branch, topics covered include Constitutional duties and obligations of each branch, specifics related to eligibility, elections and appointments of key positions, changes since 1776, the future of each branch and much more. Recommended for middle school and high school. Could be borrowed through interlibrary loan (it is available for sale at Amazon.com as well, but the price tag is over $100). WorldCat  Amazon.com

 

Famous Trials published by Gale

Includes primary resources

Reviewed as a useful resource for students by School Library Journal

 

 

The easiest way to search for these using Amazon would be to get the ISBN number from the publisher's website.

 

Great Supreme Court Decisions from Chelsea House

A set of 12 court case books.  Some of the titles have been well reviewed by School Library Journal.   (Engale v. Vitale and Miranda v. Arizona)

Review excerpt (Horn Book Guide, 2008): "These densely written books explore the history behind and ramifications of landmark Supreme Court decisions. Although photographs and sidebars help break up the pages, which contains some useful information, few students will have sufficient background knowledge and/or patience to wade through the often convoluted texts." Covers these Great Supreme Court Decisions titles: Roe v. Wade, Brown v. Board of Education, Dred Scott v. Sandford, Plessy v. Ferguson, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, Engel v. Vitale, Marbury v. Madison, and Miranda v. Arizona.

 

The easiest way to search for these using Amazon would be to get the ISBN number from the Chelsea House website.

 

The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book by David L. Hudson

Reviewed by several sources as "accessible" includes details on Marbury v. Madison, Brown v. Board of Education, Miranda v. Arizona, and Bush v. Gore.

Recommended for students grade 8-12.

http://www.amazon.com/Handy-Supreme-Court-Answer-Book/dp/1578591961/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243891211&sr=8-1

 

Supreme Court for Dummies  by Lisa Paddock (2002)

I couldn't find a review for this but it just looks fun-this publisher uses humor and "clear English" to get points across.

http://www.amazon.com/Supreme-Court-Dummies-Lisa-Paddock/dp/0764508865/ref=sr_1_24?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243889714&sr=1-24

 

Supreme Court Milestones published by Marshall Cavendish

Well reviewed by School Library Journal.  Written for grades 9 and up.  Sounds particularly appealling as it places court cases in historical context-one assumes from that the reactions from other branches of government are included.

 

The easiest way to search for these using Amazon would be to get the ISBN number from the publisher's website.

 

U.S. Constitution For Dummies by Michael Arnheim (2009)

Again-no review for this but it includes "Details on recent Supreme Court decisions."  Should be as entertaining a read as possible.

http://www.amazon.com/Constitution-Dummies-History-Biography-Politics/dp/0764587803/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_2_0

 

 

DVD/CD-ROM RESOURCES

 

The Supreme Court / Hidden Hill Production, PBS (2007)

4 disc set: One Nation Under Law; A New Kind of Justice; A Nation of Liberties; The Rehnquist Revolution. It is known as the court of last resort - the Supreme Court - where nine judges appointed for life make monumental decisions that govern our everyday lives. By fusing history with biography, The Supreme Court humanizes the enigmatic black-robed figures, and explores the dramatic stories of the people whose cases have come before the court. 

This multi award winning PBS series has companion lesson plans geared toward national standards for grades 9-12 (see below).  

 

 

ONLINE RESOURCES

 

     General

 

Oyez

http://www.oyez.org/

Includes primary resources

Contains clear, concise descriptions of supreme court cases, details of the outcome, and in many cases includes an mp3 of the actual audio recording of the case arguments. mp3 can be downloaded and recorded to CD. This site is an amazing example of how the Web can increase access to information.

Miller v. California

Terry v. Ohio

United States v. Nixon

Marbury v. Madision

 

Lesson Plans from PBS The Supreme Court series Web site (DVD available from WCLS; see citation above)

"Designed for immediate use in middle and high school classrooms, these lessons -- which adhere to national learning standards -- contain comprehensive instructions for classroom implementation, downloadable student handouts, links to relevant and dynamic online resources, and suggestions for cross-curricular extensions. Feel free to adapt the lesson plans to meet your students' needs and your own curricular goals." 

The following lesson plans are available, and are based around the series videos. They are designed for grades 9-12: 

Balancing Federal and State Authority

A Look at the Fourteenth Amendment

With Liberty and Justice for All

The Power and Importance of Precedent in Decisions of the Supreme Court 

In addition to the lesson plans, the site itself has a lot to offer, including descriptions of landmark cases and Supreme Court games!

 

National Archives and Records Administration links to primary documents relevant to Checks and Balances CBA 

Provides sample topics and direct links to court documents on OurDocuments.gov. 

 

NewsHour Extra Lesson Plan : The Formation and Function of the Supreme Court

Covers the history and function of the supreme court. All materials are provided in the form of printer-friendly PDFs.

Other supreme court related lesson plans are available from NewsHour; see the list here.

 

The Charters of Freedom : The Constitution of the United States from the National Archives and Records Administration. Interactive, with downloadable high-resolution images and printable pages, this site is an ad-free goldmine of primary documents. Also includes pages on the making of the Charters and the impact of the Charters, including a section on Marbury v. Madison.

 

     Premium WCLS (card required)

 

ProQuest has general news and periodical articles about recent cases in which landmark cases were revisited. Here are links to searches which yielded potentially useful results:

 

Miller v. California

Marbury v. Madison

Terry v. Ohio

United States v. Nixon

Hate Speech

 

To find more, try searching for the case name or subject in quotes and the words "supreme court". For example, the search "miller v. california" AND "supreme court" yielded the first set of results in the above list.

 

 

 


Development Notes:

 

Students look at court cases and how each branch of the government played out checks and balances.  If possible the school librarian would appreciate it we can check to find out if the resource includes other branch reactions outside the judicial branch.  If this is mentioned in the review or summary that would be great to include in the annotation.

 

Most interested in:

Assisted Suicide

Partial birth abortion

Guantanamo Bay

 

Resource requested by teacher:

Encyclopedia Of The Supreme Court

http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Supreme-Court-David-Schultz/dp/0816050864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1243026660&sr=8-1

 

 

CBA: Checks and Balances - Judicial Review

Research Time: 6 hours 

 

A note on the research: WCLS has many good books on landmark cases, the Judicial System, and Constitutional Law. Below are listed several large texts and compilations, as well as some shorter books with one to a few cases examined in each. Most of the books cover how the landmark cases have affected and influence subsequent cases. When a book specifically includes one of the cases mentioned at the meeting, I have indicated so. Most of the books are written at a middle to high school level. There are also some excellent Web resources available, with printable pages of primary documents, and recordings of actual court case arguments which could be downloaded to CD. A four-DVD set by PBS covers all aspects of The Supreme Court, and has a sponsoring Web site with lesson plans, games and interactive features.

 

Meeting Notes

 

BA: Checks and Balances - Judicial Review

Research Time: 6 hours from Talia-2 hours from Aubri

 

A note on the research: WCLS has many good books on landmark cases, the Judicial System, and Constitutional Law. Below are listed several large texts and compilations, as well as some shorter books with one to a few cases examined in each. Most of the books cover how the landmark cases have affected and influence subsequent cases. When a book specifically includes one of the cases mentioned at the meeting, I have indicated so. Most of the books are written at a middle to high school level. There are also some excellent Web resources available, with printable pages of primary documents, and recordings of actual court case arguments which could be downloaded to CD. A four-DVD set by PBS covers all aspects of The Supreme Court, and has a sponsoring Web site with lesson plans, games and interactive features.

We did not find print resources for some of the specific cases you were interested in-Proquest is a great place for students to start looking for information on these particular court cases.

 

Meeting Notes

 

11th grade class

Civics CBA-Checks and Balances-Judicial Review

Print materials work best-have trouble knowing if technology will be reliable.

Interested in updated court cases and reference materials at high school level.

 

Particularly would like print resources on:

Miller v. California (pornography standards)

 

Would be interested in updated versions this content:

Great American Court Cases

Supreme Court Decisions books

Constitutional Amendment Encyclopedia

Constitutional Law

Marbury vs. Madison

Judicial Review

Checks and balances

 

Also would welcome materials on:

Terry v. Ohio (illegal search and seizure of car)

Collins v. Smith (hate speech)

Marbury v. Madison (judicial review)

U.S. v. Nixon (executive privilege)-an individual book on this would be nice.

 

Materials with a reading level lower than high school would be welcome if they don't look like they are for a younger audience.

 

For the assignment each student will write a 1-2 page persuasive essay that includes a court case recently studied.  Students  explain how the state or federal government exercised constitutional power in this case.  Other checks and balances are also considered. 

 

 

 

Comments (1)

custom papers said

at 12:33 am on Apr 3, 2010

This one is really good and interesting as well as informative. I wanted to know more about this. i really appreciate it.

http://www.superbpapers.com

Regards
custom papers.

You don't have permission to comment on this page.