STUDENT RIGHTS 

 

 


Mr. Douglas Novak

Astor Collegiate Academy

Social Studies Department

Web quest:  Student Rights

 

Tinker v. Des Moines School District

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


INTRODUCTION:

You are a student who is protesting the United States involvement in Iraq.  As part of the protest you wear an armband to school.  The school authorities suspend you for a violation of the dress code.  They say your armband is a disturbance in school. You are furious. You remember the American Revolution and the rights that the founding fathers “enumerated” in the American Constitution. The right of free speech has always been sacred to you. Your social studies teachers at Columbus High School taught that democracy is based on the Bill of Rights. You ask yourself, “Why then can I not express my views in a public school?”

Without protest, democracy dies! You take it upon yourself to preserve, what you think, is due process. Good Luck in your quest!

 

TASK:

 

Your task is to take on the role of the protesting student or a school official to decide if school officials have the right to suspend you from school for wearing an armband.

 

Requirements:

1)    You will form a group of two. This committee will research and prepare a position paper that will be used in a class debate.

2)    With others on your side (student or school official) you will write a 3-page summary of your case, deciding on legal principles and issues involved in your case. You will include all the elements in the TIPS CONLAW worksheets.

3)    Using the TIPS web site and COMPULEGAL you will compare your case to a similar in the archives: 

           Tinker v. Des Moines School District

4)    As a class you will debate the merits of your case based upon your group research and the decisions made by the Supreme Court in the Tinker v. Des Moines case.

 

PROCESS:

1)    You will work in pairs to complete the task.

2)    You will research the websites given below to prepare your position paper that you think is equitable for student rights. You may also use printed material as well in the library. Please use the librarian as a resource as well

3)    You will then compare your position to the case of Tinker v. Des Moines. Your will use the CompuLegal link below to analyze the case.

4)   You will use the TIPS process found at Comp Legal Home Page to analyze the Supreme Court of TINKER V. DES MOINES.

5} You will then ask the LEGAL EAGLE questions that you want answered and use these expert opinions in your paper.

6: You will also need to use the Bill of Rights as reference

TO SUMMARIZE: Your group will research and present a position paper on the rights of students in schools using the Internet resources, surveys and library facilities. You will then analyze the Tinker case and give arguments for or against the decision based upon your findings.

7} You will now debate the issue in class.

RESOURCES:

1)      http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/scales/home.html      

2)      http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/welcome.html

3)      http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/related.html

 

POSITION PAPER WEB SITES

 

1: WWW.GOOGLE.COM

2: WWW.YAHOO.COM

3: http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/conlaw/dueprocesstudents.htm

4: http://www.aclj.org/publications/srps/section2.asp

5: http://members.tripod.com/~skyhawk13/cases.html

6: http://archive.aclu.org/issues/student/hmes.html

7: http://www.aclu-wa.org/issues/students/

8: http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/Speech/studentexpression/faqs.aspx?id=33

 

EVALUATION:

 

Students will be evaluated using the following rubric:

 

Grade of 5

      ·        Shows thorough understanding of the topic

      ·        Addresses all aspects of the tasks

      ·        Shows ability to analyze, evaluate, compare/contrast issues

      ·        Supports topic with relevant facts, examples and details

      ·        Submits a strong and well organized article

 

Grade of 4

      ·        Shows a good understanding of the topic

      ·        Addresses all aspects of all the tasks

      ·        Shows ability to analyze, evaluate issues

      ·        Includes relevant facts, examples, and details, but not support all aspects of the case

      ·        Submits an organized article

 

Grade of 3

      ·        Presents satisfactory understanding of the topic

      ·       Addresses most aspects of the tasks

      ·       Able to analyze issues and events, but not in depth

      ·       Uses some relevant facts, examples and details

      ·       Submits article, but not very organized

                                     

Grade of 2

      ·        Shows little understanding of topic

      ·        Attempts to address topic, but uses vague and/or inaccurate information

      ·        Uses little facts, examples, or details

      ·        Cannot present an acceptable article

 

Grade of 1or 0

      ·        Does not address any aspect of the task and/or fails to turn in an article

 

 

CONCLUSION:

Did you preserve the right of protest? Do you still feel that protest in school should be allowed? Did you agree with the Supreme Court decision of Tinker v. Des Moines? The answers to these questions should be clear in your mind now.

 

By completing this Web Quest you have engaged the most up to date technology to aid you with your research. You have learned the facts of landmark cases of great historic significance that were argued before the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, D.C.  You have used your technological skills to create and submit a newspaper article. You have validated or invalidated the decision. Most importantly, you have exercised your right of protest and freedom to research in a democratic society.   CONGRATULATIONS  !!!!!

 

 

 

STANDARDS ADDRESSED
 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Social Studies

Standard 1: History of the United States and New York

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in the history of the United States

 

Standard 5: Civics, Citizenship, and Government

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the necessity for establishing governments; the governmental system of the United States and other nations; the United States Constitution; the basic civic values of American constitutional democracy; and the roles, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship, including avenues of participation.

 

 

English Language Arts

Standard 1: Language for Information and Understanding

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information.

Standard 2: Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3: Language for Critical Analysis and Evaluation

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language to present, from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Standard 4: Language for Social Interaction

Students will listen, speak, read, and write for social interaction. Students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for effective social communication with a wide variety of people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their understanding of people and their views.