This teacher's guide is designed to accompany the two-part videotape "One Nation Under God? School Prayer and the First Amendment." The videotape and teacher's guide should help students to: (1) understand the history of freedom of religion and the First Amendment; (2) examine the controversy surrounding school prayer; (3) compare and…

The four teaching units of this publication focus on Japanese constitutional law and history, while providing opportunities for comparison with the constitutional experience of the United States. The four units have been designed as a comprehensive course of study that emphasizes understanding of the historical and cultural context of contemporary…

These materials include the script for a mock trial in which students are asked to role play the participants in a case based on the facts of New Jersey v. T.L.O., 469 U.S. 325 (1985). The case raised questions involving a students' rights to protection against unreasonable searches and seizures under the Fourth Amendment and schools' needs to…

The purpose of this book is to revitalize teaching and learning about the U.S. Constitution for elementary and secondary school students. Fifty-one classroom teachers participated in the Special Programs in Citizenship Education (SPICE II), a project that focused on the development of new lesson plans and activities on the Constitution. These…

The purpose of this Colorado state curriculum guide is to involve elementary school students in meaningful experiences about the U.S. Constitution and to promote democracy, democratic values, and citizenship education in elementary schools. This document provides an interdisciplinary approach to teaching about the Constitution through lessons in…

The primary focus of this legal education module, fourth of five to be integrated into an 11th grade American history course, is on the problems of maintaining a system of government in which officials who make, change, enforce, and apply laws do not unreasonably interfere with fundamental values and interests of the governed. Understandings, or…

A compilation of student impressions of legal systems and constitutions in different countries, this booklet contains examples of student work completed at a 5-day law related education institute in Washington, D.C. in 1990. The institute brought together students representing seven different countries (China, France, United Kingdom, the…

This document consists of 3 volumes of a serial devoted to law-related education (LRE) offering background information on a wide range of legal issues and teaching strategies for LRE. The title themes for the three volumes include "International Law,""Crime and Freedom," and "Civil Law". Background articles are…

This document consists of three issues of a serial devoted to law-related education (LRE) that offers background information on a wide range of legal issues and teaching strategies for LRE. The title themes for the three issues include: (1) "Speech, Press, Religion, Assembly, Petition"; (2) "Law in the New Information Age"; and…

In this high school U.S. government and U.S. history curriculum unit, students examine in depth the annexation of the Philippines. Detailed activities are provided to teach students about U.S. foreign policy, the growth of the United States as a world power, and expansion and colonization in the Pacific Ocean. The materials include informational…

Dissects features of the First Amendment, concentrating on freedom of religion, speech, and press clauses. Highlights the Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier case and its reverberations. Argues that, when school officials censor, students learn that government may censor. Suggests censorship is counterproductive to schools' mission to promote…

Presents a simulation in which a student political action committee organizes to protest budget cuts affecting their high school. Seeks to engage students in legal reasoning over First Amendment issues. Poses possible protests, then asks students whether they believe First Amendment rights would protect them. Includes Supreme Court precedents for…

Discusses a euthanasia incident in which a doctor claimed, in a letter to the "Journal of the American Medical Association," to have given a fatal dose of morphine to a dying cancer patient. Debates the ethical issues involved in the journal's decision to print the letter, withholding the author's name. (DB)

Explains that teaching the historical context of women's legal issues allows future voters to make informed decisions. Suggests ways of including the Equal Rights Amendment, sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, and abortion in the high school curriculum. Recommends several anthologies of primary materials for teaching these issues. (LS)

Discusses a high school unit on First Amendment rights developed for a gifted students class in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Describes the unit's origins and procedures, such as issues studied and the use of research projects, guest speakers, and field trips. Emphasizes students' interest in learning about their rights. Identifies critical…