Can
the
to ensure equal protection for all its citizens?
Mr. P.O. Sealy
Introduction:
Hi Guys! What would you do if your school denied you
the right to attend because of your race?
You are about to enter
a capsule that will take you back five decades in time. Here you will meet Linda and Terry
Brown, two girls much like you, but at the center of a legal
controversy, Brown v. Board of Education. You will also get to meet some other very
important persons who were involved in this great event.
Imagine you are a
reporter. Your objective is to read and
evaluate the effectiveness of the constitution in protecting the rights of all
You
are to produce a written document that comprehensively covers the topic
under discussion and that is suited to an audience of seventh Graders. Your
report should be logical, well structured and free from grammatical and
spelling errors. You
may select an angle from which you may treat your information. Make
an oral presentation before the class that captures and maintains their
interest.
Task:
Process:
Arrange
yourselves into groups of four.
Each
member of the group must assume a task from amongst the following: Reader, recorder, checker and presenter.
You will decide (with the help of the teacher) what
will be the roll of each task.
You
must use the CompuLegal website as your main research base.
Click
on the link then on the case library.
Click
on the caption Equal Protection Case: Race. Click on the case Brown v. Board of
Education. Use the information
on this page and other supporting resource sites to research and deepen your
knowledge; also view the visual presented at the bottom of the
page to help you form a clearer picture of the background
issues.
Use
the Facts of the Case, Brown v. Board of Education, and follow
the directions at Project LEGAL
to evaluate and structure an issue question.
v
Present an overview of the developments
of the case with supporting detail as a document.
v
Each group will give a ten-minute oral
presentation of their findings before the class.
Resources:
Evaluation:
Your report and presentation is required to
meet the standards of the NYSED. The completion of this assignment will be
assessed under both Social Studies and Language Arts. There are multiple
standards under which your work will be assessed the following is a list of
relevant standards:
E1c Read and
comprehend informational materials.
E1d
Demonstrate familiarity with a variety of public documents.
E2b Produce a
report of information.
E3c Prepare
and deliver an individual presentation.
SS5 Analyze
how the values of the nation affect the guarantee of human rights and make
provision for human needs
Analyze the sources of a nation’s values
as embodied by its constitution, statutes and important court cases.
Understand how the
Both the written document and the
oral report will be assessed against the following rubrics.
Rubrics
Written
Report
Level Four =45+
Ø Clear and
logical presentation of arguments.
Ø Comprehensively
addresses the task.
Ø Good command of
the material and the conventions.
Ø Attractive and
legible format.
Level Three =40+
Ø Adequately
addresses task.
Ø Clear and
logical presentation of arguments
Ø Few errors in
conventions do not restrict the meaning of reports.
Ø Material is
well laid out and easy to follow.
Level Two =35+
Ø Addresses task.
Ø Clear arguments
can be identified
Ø Grammar and
spelling errors impede the flow of thought.
Ø Organization of
the report needs improvement.
Level One= 25+
Q Inadequate
coverage of the material.
Ø Presentation is
not logical.
Ø Errors in
grammar and spelling make report muddled and confusing.
Oral Report
Level Four =45+
Q Clear and well
projected voice level.
Q Maintains
contact with the audience.
Q Makes effective
use of audio and visual stimuli.
Q Finishes
presentation on time.
Level Three = 40+
Q
Clear and well projected voice level.
Q
Maintains contact with most of the audience all of the
time.
Q
Make adequate use of audio and visual stimuli.
Q
Finishes presentation on time.
Level Two =35+
Q Needs to
project voice.
Q Engages some of
the audience all of the time /all of the audience some of the time.
Q Audio and
visual stimuli not adequately used.
Q Presentation is
too short or goes beyond time.
Level One =25+
Q Not always
audible.
Q Not enough
content.
Q Reads from
script.
Conclusion:
The foregoing
experience was designed to provide you with a unique opportunity to see how the
constitution of the