The First Amendment Plan of Study, Lecture notes of Religion

Download The First Amendment Plan of Study and more Lecture notes Religion in PDF only on Docsity! O V E R V I E W The First Amendment Plan of Study Interactive Constitution: The First Amendment Project O V E R V I E W 2 The First Amendment Project The National Constitution Center and the College Board collaborated to create the Interactive Constitution: The First Amendment Project, an online tool that assists educators in teaching the First Amendment to high school students across the country. In creating this tool, the two institutions are working to ensure high school graduates have a command of the First Amendment before they enter college and the workforce. https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution Interactive Constitution: The First Amendment Project O V E R V I E W 5 The First Amendment Plan of Study Unit Calendar: Promoting Citizenship Readiness via Civil Dialogue Unit Objective: Students will analyze primary and secondary source documents via the Interactive Constitution to discuss and evaluate the common and divergent viewpoints on the First Amendment of the Constitution from legal scholars, the Founding generation, and fellow students through a civil dialogue that allows students to determine their own points of view and why they hold those viewpoints. Enduring Understanding: EU: LOR-2: Provisions of the Bill of Rights are continually being interpreted to balance the power of government and the civil liberties of individuals. EU: LOR-3: Protections of the Bill of Rights have been selectively incorporated by way of the 14th Amendment’s due process clause to prevent state infringement of basic liberties. EU: CON-6: The Supreme Court’s interpretation of the U.S. Constitution is influenced by the composition of the Court and citizen-state interactions. At times, it has restricted minority rights and, at others, protected them. Topical/Unit EQ: – How has the First Amendment been interpreted to balance government power and individual rights? – To what extent have Supreme Court interpretations of the First Amendment reflected a commitment to individual liberty? – In what ways do legal scholars agree and disagree about First Amendment protections? Interactive Constitution: The First Amendment Project O V E R V I E W 6 Learning Objectives – Students will be able to compare and contrast scholars’ varying viewpoints on the clauses of the First Amendment. – Students will be able to generate articulate position statements in response to First Amendment constitutional questions. • Students will be able to analyze controversies involving the First Amendment provision protecting freedom of speech. • Students will be able to evaluate competing interpretations of the First Amendment provision protecting freedom of speech. • Students will be able to apply varying interpretations of the First Amendment provision protecting freedom of speech to controversial issues involving speech. • Students will be able to identify high and low value varieties of speech. • Students will be able to identify conditions under which speech can be limited. • Students will be able to analyze controversies involving the First Amendment provision protecting freedom of press. • Students will be able to apply varying interpretations of the First Amendment provision protecting freedom of press to controversial issues involving speech. • Students will be able identify conditions under which press can be limited. • Students will understand the types of cases that most often raise issues addressed by the Establishment Clause. • Students will understand how the interpretation of the Establishment Clause has developed over time and the cases that led to the changes. • Students will be able to take the text, history, and interpretation of the Establishment Clause and apply it to current issues. • Students will be able to understand the current questions that surround religious freedom rights. Freedom of Speech Freedom of the Press Freedom of Religion Establishment Clause Interactive Constitution: The First Amendment Project O V E R V I E W 7 • Students will understand the Supreme Court standards that have been set in cases dealing with the Free Exercise Clause. • Students will be able to take the text and history of the Free Exercise Clause and apply it to current issues. • Students will be able to understand the modern questions that surround religious liberty. • Students will understand the historical significance of the rights to assemble and to petition. • Students will be able to compare and contrast the viewpoints of constitutional scholars relating to the rights to assemble and to petition. • Students will be able to participate in a civil dialogue about the rights to assemble and to petition in the modern era. • Students will be able to evaluate their own understanding of the rights to assemble and to petition. • Students will be able to formulate ways the rights to assemble and to petition can be used by citizens in the modern era. Required AP U.S. Government & Politics Supreme Court Cases: The following is a list of the Supreme Court cases that are required by the AP U.S. Government and Politics course. It does not include all cases addressed in The First Amendment Project Plan of Study. Links to additional cases can be found within the essays, videos, lesson plans, and podcasts hosted on the Interactive Constitution. • Engel v. Vitale (1962) • Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969) • New York Times Co. v. United States (1971) • Schenck v. United States (1919) • Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) Freedom of Religion Assembly and Petition Free Exercise Clause Interactive Constitution: The First Amendment Project O V E R V I E W 10 Constitutional Questions Constitutional Questions Day 3 Freedom of Speech On Day 3 students examine the historical context and the drafting of the First Amendment by examining the motivations of what the Founding generation. Students will also examine various types of “speech,” such as symbolic speech, hate speech, and political speech, to address the scope of protections promised by the First Amendment and learn that speech can only be limited when it is intended to and likely to cause imminent violence. In each instance, students will explore when the government has some authority to restrict speech; areas of consensus among scholars, judges, and citizens; the strongest constitutional arguments on each side of contested issues; and U.S. Supreme Court cases that have addressed free speech rights. Students will use the National Constitution Center’s Interactive Constitution to look at the viewpoints of legal scholars on free speech, where they agree and where there are matters of debate. This lesson pairs with the lesson on Day 4 (Freedom of the Press) to prepare students for a civil dialogue on Day 5. • When and why can the government limit speech—and when can’t it? • Does the First Amendment protect hate speech? • Why does the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protect Freedom of Speech? • Can the government limit certain expressive behaviors, like flag burning? • How has the protection of speech changed over time? Preparation for Class: Watch Speech and Press Videos Day 4 Freedom of the Press Students explore the scope and limitations of the First Amendment provision that protects Freedom of the Press. The les- son poses a hypothetical scenario involving student journalists handling private information. After a brief class discussion, students investigate the history, various interpretations, and modern relevance of First Amendment Freedom of the Press protections in the Interactive Constitution. The lesson builds on the Day 3 (Freedom of Speech) lesson plan by asking stu- dents to compare and contrast the freedoms of speech and press through discussion questions including: How are speech and press related? and How are speech and press key to democratic functions? Students will demonstrate understanding by applying Supreme Court decisions, including the AP Government and Politics required case New York Times Co. v. United States, to evaluate the scenario presented earlier in the lesson. • How does freedom of the press relate to freedom of speech? • Why was the protection of the press so important to the Founding generation? • Why does freedom of the press remain important to American democracy today? Interactive Constitution: The First Amendment Project O V E R V I E W 11 Constitutional Questions Day 5 Introducing Civil Dialogue on Freedom of Speech and Press Arguments and understandings developed in Day 3 and 4 lessons on freedom of speech and press are used by students to address the constitutional questions presented in the lessons and engage in a classroom dialogue. The goal is to support students in constitutional thinking skills through the application of fundamental practices for civil dialogue. Students discuss complex ideas to build common understanding and dispositions for a respectful exchange of ideas. Students will reiterate norms and procedures for civil discussion established in the Day 2 lesson plan. Time permitting, students may also begin to discuss how to extend the conversation beyond the classroom period and what attributes they can use to promote healthy dialogues outside the classroom. Matters for Discussion • When does the First Amendment allow the government to limit or restrict speech? • Can a principal punish you for criticizing her on social media? • Can a public university disinvite a controversial speaker? • Can the government outlaw certain kinds of speech online, like bullying, terrorist threats, or incitement to violence? • Can a public school regulate what its students publish in the school newspaper? Day 6 Freedom of Religion: Establishment Clause The First Amendment has two clauses related to religion: one preventing the government establishment of religion (the “Establishment Clause”) and the other protecting the ability to freely exercise religious beliefs (the “Free Exercise Clause”). Students examine the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause—why it was included in the Bill of Rights, the issues it addresses, and how the Supreme Court has interpreted it over time. • Where does the Constitution draw the line between separation of church and state? • Why was the Establishment Clause important to the Founding generation? • How has the Supreme Court provided a legal framework for evaluating the boundary between church and state? Preparation for Class: Watch Religion Videos Interactive Constitution: The First Amendment Project O V E R V I E W 12 Constitutional Questions Day 7 Freedom of Religion: Free Exercise Clause Students will examine the protections enshrined in the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause. Students will use the Interactive Constitution to examine the Free Exercise Clause’s text and history and how the Supreme Court has interpreted it over time. In this lesson, students compare and contrast the questions, opinions, and dissents in a series of Supreme Court cases to define when the Free Exercise does and does not limit government action. • What does it mean to prohibit the “free exercise” of religion? • How does the Free Exercise Clause relate to the Establishment Clause in protecting religious freedom? • How has the Supreme Court’s application of the Free Exercise Clause changed over time? Day 8 Freedom of Religion: A Civil Dialogue on Establishment and Free Exercise Students will apply the fundamental skills of civil dialogue from previous lessons to discuss the Establishment and Free Exercise clauses of the First Amendment and explore where constitutional scholars agree and where there are matters of debate. Students will reiterate norms and procedures for civil dialogue established in the Day 2 lesson plan. Time permitting, students may also begin to discuss how to extend the conversation beyond the classroom period and what attributes they can use to promote healthy dialogues outside the classroom. Matters for Discussion • What does the First Amendment means when says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” • Can your town council lead off its sessions with sectarian prayer? • Can a public school give a religious group access to the school’s classrooms for meetings outside of school hours? Can the group be excluded? • Can the government give a parochial school grant money to build a new playground?