| Lesson Plans:
The six (6) lessons below are offered by
The Freedom Forum’s First
Amendment Center (six additional lessons are currently in the
works), a nonpartisan center dedicated to the understanding and
appreciation of the values of the First Amendment, the cornerstone of
our democratic way of life. These lessons (beginning and advanced
levels) address constitutional principles and contemporary issues
involving the First Amendment.
Lesson 1: What's It All About? An Introduction to the First Amendment
This lesson gives students a broad overview of First Amendment
principles that is the cornerstone of our nation's firm commitment to
provide the principle of limited government.
Lesson 2: Does Having Freedom of Speech Mean We Can Burn Our Flag?
In this lesson, students participate
in a moot court activity based on the Supreme Court case of Texas v.
Johnson (1989), which involved burning the American flag.
Lesson 3: Tough Calls: How Do Journalists Make Ethical Decisions?
In this lesson students analyze news
coverage and learn about the difficult choices journalists must make
in order to do their jobs.
Lesson 4: When May Speech Be Limited?
If freedom is not absolute, then what
circumstances justify a limitation? This lesson introduces standards
that have been used in answering this question.
Lesson 5: Do Students Have a Right to Read?
In this interdisciplinary lesson,
students use several sources to learn how the First Amendment protects
their access to books in the school library.
Lesson 6: You Are Free to Exercise (your religious freedoms)
This lesson provides five cases in which an individual's freedom of
conscience comes into conflict with the interests of the larger
society. Students will hear the arguments put forth by plaintiffs and
defendants in each case, then deliberate on what limits — if any — may
be placed on religious expression.
United States Government
This lesson allows students to identify the principles of American
democracy, compare American democracy and authoritarianism, and
examine human rights around the world and evaluate the status of human
rights in the United States.
Right to an Impartial
Jury
In this lesson, students analyze and understand the right to an
impartial jury under the Sixth Amendment of the Bill of Rights.
Teaching
the Amendments
The general purpose of this unit is to teach students the amendments
to the Constitution through the use of CongressLink, Internet
resources, and creative activities. In this unit students will gain a
sense of their rights as United States citizens, as well as the
reality that many rights are limited and controversial.
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