Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Equal Protection under the Law

Goals & Objectives:

Students will learn about the Equal Protection Clause of the 14
th
Amendment, and how
laws are judged under the Equal Protection Clause. Students will be able to apply
guidelines to understand if a law violates Equal Protection Clause. Understand how equal
protection has been implemented in the court cases of Plessy V. Ferguson and Brown V.
Board of Education.

California State Content Standards
12.2 Students evaluate and take and defend positions on the scope and limits of rights and
obligations as democratic citizens, the relation- ships among them, and how they are secured.
5. Describe the reciprocity between rights and obligations; that is, why enjoyment of
ones rights entails respect for the rights of others.

12.5 Students summarize landmark U.S. Supreme Court interpretations of the Constitution
and its amendments.
1. Understand the changing interpretations of the Bill of Rights over time, including
interpretations of the basic freedoms (religion, speech, press, petition, and
assembly) articulated in the First Amendment and the due process and equal-protection-of-
the-law clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment.
4. Explain the controversies that have resulted over changing interpretations of civil
rights, including those in Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, Miranda v. Arizona,
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Pena, and United
States v. Virginia (VMI)

12.10 Students formulate questions about and defend their analyses of tensions within our
constitutional democracy and the importance of maintaining a balance between the
following concepts: majority rule and individual rights; liberty and equality; state and
national authority in a federal system; civil disobedience and the rule of law; freedom of the
press and the right to a fair trial; the relationship of religion and government.
California
Common Core Literacy Standards:
CCSS.ELA-HSS Literacy WHST 11-12.1A: Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish
the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and
create an organization that logically sequences the claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and
evidence


CCSS.ELA-HSS Literacy WHST 11-12. 9: Draw evidence from informational text to support
analysis, reflection, and research.
Driving Historical Question
How has the interpretation of the Bill of Rights and other amendments of U.S Constitution
changed through U.S history?
Lesson Introduction (Anticipatory Set/Hook/Accessing Prior Knowledge) Time: 5-8
Mins
Cartoon Quick Write and Discussion: Students will view a political cartoon displayed on the
front. Students will answer the following questions: 1) What is happening in the cartoon?
2) What political message do you feel the cartoon is conveying? 3) What document does the
quote in the cartoon come from? Students will answer question 1 and 2 in 1-3 sentences.

Vocabulary (Content Language Development) Time:
Equal Protection Clause
Rational Basis Test
Suspect Classification
Fundamental Rights
Jim Crow Laws
Segregation
Separate but Equal Doctrine
Plessy V. Ferguson
Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka

Content Delivery (Method of Instruction) Time: 10-15 mins
The Teacher will present a Prezi presentation how courts assess if a law violates Equal
Protection Clause within the 14
th
amendment. Presentation will also include information
on how Equal Protection has been incorporated in the cases of Plessy V. Ferguson and
Brown V. Board of Education.

Student Engagement (Critical Thinking & Student Activities) Time: 10-15
The Prezi presentation has a series of questions embedded within it to have students stay
engaged: 1) Analyze a cartoon to assess prior knowledge and exercise their critical thinking
ability. 2) Matching exercise allows students to apply the knowledge they have learned
about the guidelines for Equal Protection violation 3) Culminating questions which allows
students to apply all the information embedded in the lecture in a real-world example.
The lecture will also be accompanied with guided notes.

Lesson Closure Time:

Discussion of final question: students will be asked to write a 1-paragraph response for
why Proposition 8 could be considered a violation of the Equal Protection clause. After
students have finished, students will tell the class what they wrote down in a class
discussion.

Assessments (Formative & Summative)
Entry Level Assessment: Opening Activity of analyzing a political cartoon assess what prior
knowledge students may have about the 14
th
amendment and the political issue of Same-
Sex Marriage. The exercise also assess for students to demonstrate their critical thinking
ability.
Formative Progress Monitoring Assessment: Question 2 ask for students to demonstrate
their ability to understand and apply key vocabulary through matching Equal Protection
violation guidelines to hypothetical laws.
Summative Assessment: The 1-paragrahph response of Californias Prop 8, provides an
opportunity for students to synthesize all the information learned in the lecture. The
assessment also allows the teacher to measure writing ability and critical thinking ability.

Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs
The guided notes allow English Leaners, Striving Readers and Special Needs students to
follow along with the content of the lecture and provide tasks to keep each group engaged
with the lecture. Political Cartoons and other images allow for EL to incorporate data in a
different fashion.



Resources (Books, Websites, Handouts, Materials)
McGraw-Hills United States Government: Democracy in Action Textbook